"Hmmmmm..." Luz said, scratching her chin.

"What's up?" King asked, seeing Luz holding up a dress and a suit.

"Gus and Willow said I should look nice for this prom thing. Not sure what to wear." Luz said. "Can't really show up in both in this world."

"Oh, yeah! You tried to sneak into Grom Night one time!" King laughed. "You wore a tuxedo with a tutu!"

"Hey, I looked great." Luz laughed. "Then I found out what Grom was."

"Yeah...your mom probably should've warned you." King laughed.

"Yeah, she probably should've." Luz said, before focusing back on choosing. "I mean, I guess a suit would be nice. I'll try a dress another time!"

"So, how long is this Prom thing?" King asked, crawling onto Luz's shoulder.

Luz laughed. "Not that long, I don't think. It's just dancing and having fun."

"Wish I could come!" King smiled. "I need to judge your friends."

"King, one day, you're gonna seem them as an aunt and uncle." Luz laughed.

"NEVER!" King exclaimed.

Luz just smiled, rolling her eyes playfully as she kissed his forehead and then set him down. "The night's tomorrow, so I better make sure nothing-" She then went silent, almost deathly silent. "Nope. Not gonna say it."

"Say what?"

"Say 'I better make sure nothing goes wrong', because that guarantees no matter how hard I check, something WILL go wrong! Like, I dunno! The end of the world!" Luz exclaimed. "Something like that! I've been fighting monsters that I'm surprised they haven't run out."

"Hmmmm, what are the monsters that aren't out yet?"

"Ummm, Stoneheart, Owl Beast, and Grom." Luz said. "Oh, and Garlog."

"Who?"

"That furry cyclops monster! Remember?" Luz asked. "They seemed all small and cute before turning into a terrifying monster?"

"Oh, him- Nope. Don't remember." He then blinked. "You don't think Grom's gonna show up, do you...? At this Prom?"

"Why would he care about this kind of thing?"

"Ummm, Prom is just this world's Grom Night?" King asked.

Luz blinked before gulping. "Holy smokes, you're right."

She then grabbed her staff. "I better do a patrol. Just in case."

King nodded. "Be careful out there, Mom."

Luz tried not to squeal, her heart melting. "I will, King." She kissed his forehead before transforming and then flying off.

She traveled through the city for a while, looking from top to bottom for Grom or any kind of monster. But she didn't see anything...yet at least.

Eventually, she landed in the park, looking around and rather thankful no one was there.

"If I were some kind of shapeshifting monster of death and destruction, where would I hide?" Luz asked herself.

She then sighed after a while and sat down on a bench, looking at her reflection in the lake to think.

Luz smiled a little underneath her mask. She then began to think about her mother, and how proud she would be of her.

She then remembered something. Her and her mother would often speak Spanish, but not usually. It was only their second language after all. But her mother wanted her to at least know it."

"Te quiero, Mama." Luz said with a smile before the water suddenly began to...glow?

Luz quickly flipped into the air and then onto the ground, taking out her staff as her cape blew in the wind.

Then? The water SHOT out from the lake, or at least, something or someone shot out and landed before Luz.

Luz's eyes widened in pure horror once she saw who it was. "I...It can't be!"

The person chuckled before a pair of familiar horns rose. BELOS.

"Knock, knock, Noceda." Belos said as he took his staff and slammed it against the grass.

Luz could already hear people screaming and running, so she spun around her staff and got ready to fight...but if she were to be perfectly honest?

She was terrified. Belos was the most powerful witch ALIVE in the Boiling Isles.

Luz then shook away her fear. The water was still glowing, which meant she could push him back through the portal and she had her magic. She could do this! She had to do this!

Belos then lifted his staff, shooting out a small red beam of energy.

Luz quickly dodged and then lunged at Belos, blasting light into his face.

Belos roared, covering his eyes as he stumbled.

Luz then spun around her staff, creating a spell circle of fire. She then blasted it.

Belos quickly dodged the vortex of fire and then swung his staff, hitting Luz in the face and sending her tumbling across the grass.

Luz groaned, but got to her knees. 'Something's off...he seems weaker.'

Belos then blasted at Luz again, but Luz created an ice wall, blocking the blast for about two seconds before it hit her and sending her flying against the gates.

Luz groaned, but quickly got up and lunged at Belos again before something slimy grabbed ahold of her leg. "Huh?! What the!?"

She then saw...a black tendril.

Luz gasped before snapping her head around. "GROM!"

Belos began to laugh before his whole body turned into black ooze and then twisted and spun around until Grom returned.

"THE ONE AND ONLY!" Grom cackled before his eyes glowed blue.

Luz gasped, and her eyes glowed blue as well as Grom, using the tendril that had grabbed her, to look into her mind.

"HMMM...INTERESTING...YOU FEAR BELOS, BUT YOU TURN YOUR FEAR INTO ANGER." Grom said before he looked deeper into her mind. "YOU FEAR...A MEMORY."

Luz's eyes widened even further before the tendril let go of her and her eyes stopped glowing. Luz gripped her staff with her shaking hands. She turned to Grom, but he disappeared.

"Come on out!! You're not scaring me!!" Luz growled, powering her staff with light magic and even a little healing magic for herself.

Luz kept looking, spinning around slowly as her cape blowed in the wind. But she saw no one...but then, she heard someone instead.

"Mija?"

Luz's eyes widened and she slowly turned around...to see a face she had longed to see for YEARS.

A 40 year old woman, with the same hair color and skin as Luz. She had soft brown eyes, and even purple earrings of some kind. She wore a white cloak and hood, and a tunic similar to the one Luz wore.

"M...Mama?" Luz whispered before her eyes watered with tears, all reason in her brain disappeared. "M-Mama? Mama, is that r-really you?"

Camila slowly walked over. "Luz...? Oh, look how big you've grown, carino!"

Luz dropped her staff, feeling her whole body become weak. She felt tears begin to stream down her face. "I...I-I..."

"Shhh, shhh..." Camila whispered, walking over and wiping away her daughter's tears. "Everyone, no matter the age, can cry. You do not need to hold them back, my little light."

Luz wanted to hug her mother tight and never let go, but she was scared that this wasn't real. "M-Mom-"

Then? A red energy blade of some kind went right THROUGH Camila's chest, no doubt hitting her heart. Camila gasped for air, her eyes widening.

Belos was behind her, watching the blood drip from his staff. "TAKE THIS AS A WARNING, NOCEDA...NO WILD WITCH SHOULD EVER BE ALLOWED TO EXIST."

He then ripped out the staff, watching Camila fall.

"M-MAMA!!!" Luz screamed, rushing over and cradling her mother's body, having memories of the thing she hated. "N-NO!! O-OPEN YOUR EYES, MAMA! D-DON'T FALL ASLEEP! P-PLEASE!!!"

Grom shapeshifted back to normal, and took away the piece that formed Camila's body, watching The Witch...cry.

"I...I-I can't...l-live without you..."

"POOR LITTLE WITCH..." Grom cackled. "IT'S SAD HOW DESPERATE YOU WANT HER BACK, THAT THE MOMENT YOU SEE HER FACE AGAIN, YOU FORGET 2 YEARS OF HER BODY ROTTING."

Luz gripped the grass, still crying and feeling her body tremble.

Grom then raised his staff. "PERHAPS I SHOULD PUT YOU OUT OF YOUR-"

Luz then screamed as loud as she could, thrusting her staff into Grom's gooey face, blasting the most powerful light spell she could muster.

Grom roared as his body was practically blown into bits. He would reform, but his ooze splattered across the park and the grass.

Luz panted and panted before she began to blast all of the ooze puddles she found, obliterating them, but by the time she had gotten to the third, it was too late.

Grom had escaped.

Luz fell to her knees, feeling weak...until a familiar face nuzzled her.

Otto looked at his owner with soft and loving eyes, as if letting her know it was ok to cry.

Luz held the little otter close, sniffling and letting the tears stream. She then wiped her eyes and slowly got back on her staff once Otto was put back.

And then? She flew back to The Owl House, practically limping inside of the door.

"There ya are, kid!" Eda smiled. "I ordered your favorite human food, pizza, to sort of celebrate that you might be-" Her eyes then widened. "Luz...? Are you ok?"

Luz slowly set her staff against the wall and closed the door behind her. She then looked at Eda, her cheeks puffy and eyes filled with streaming tears.

Eda quickly rushed over. "Luz! Are you-"

Luz didn't say a word. She just hugged Eda, beginning to sob as she clutched at the fabric of Eda's crimson dress, crying out all the pain that had been brought back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Shhh, shhh..." Eda whispered, hugging back and rubbing Luz's back in circles. "Hey...it's ok, Luz...just let it all out."

King heard the crying and then gasped. "M-Mom...?"

Eda looked at King, as if quietly saying that she needed as much comfort from the people she loved.

King didn't need telling twice and rushed over, hugging Luz tight.

Luz just kept crying, hugging both of them...as if she would lose them like she did her mother.