Luz laid in bed, wondering how to handle these feelings.

"Ugh!" Luz said, pushing a pillow into her face, "If I could die from asphyxiation, I would."

There was a knock on the door.

"Hey, Kid? You good?" Eda asked.

"No, I'm just fine!" Luz shouted, being sarcastic.

"Well, I respect that lie but I'll come in anyway because I'm surprisingly concerned." Eda said.

"Don't bother! The door is-"

BAM!

"I'll fix that later." Eda said, the broken door at her feet.

Luz groaned again.

"Is this about the Blight girl?" Eda asked.

"Yes, it is!" Luz said, "She loves me, I love her, but we can't be together!"

"Why not?" Eda asked, "You're already taking two witches to hell, what's a third?"

"Because I don't want to take her soul!" Luz said, "I want us to have an actual relationship, I don't want her to feel forced into giving me her soul... not to mention... I'm the Anti-Christ, the princess of Hell, and she's... a mortal witch... she can't handle things like I can, she can't face down the dangers that I can easily survive... every time I'm near her something bad happens... what if next time it's fatal?"

"Kid, even before you came along, this realm was dangerous for every living thing. Needs remind you of the plagues we have for weather?" Eda said to Luz. "Specifically, the Painbows that turn people inside out?"

"That is nothing compared to hell." Luz said, "The temperature can get so hot you catch on fire if you jog."

"Really? Yikes!" Eda said.

"Yeah, see my problem!?" Luz asked.

I guess but witches are tough. I'm sure she can handle it." Eda said.

"Not as tough as demons." Luz said.

"But we're still tough. Don't you think you're over reacting, kid?" Eda asked, sitting down next to Luz.

"I've been stabbed in the heart, had my neck snapped, and nearly killed everything I've come across." Luz said, "Amity was pushed out of the way and broke her leg."

"....Thats basically night and day here." Eda said with a shrug.

"Now who's lying?" Luz asked blankly.

Eda had an idea.

"Hey, why don't you go to the school? See that sport the kids do, might be your cup of blood." Eda said, "Plus, two of your pets play it."

"Boscha and Amelia are not my pets."

"What do you call owning their souls?" Eda asked her.

"I don't want to call them "pets" or "slaves." I genuinely see them as my friends." Luz said, turning to the side. "Making them near immortal after making deals with them was a happy accident."

"If that's the case, why can't you just make a deal with Amity so you don't have to worry about her?" Eda asked.

"I just said I don't want to force her into giving me her soul!" Luz said.

"Then don't! Talk to her about and let her choose!" Eda said, tapping Luz's head. "I swear sometimes I wonder if you even have a brain in that head."

Luz grabbed Eda's wrist and glared at her.

"Don't make me hurt you." Luz said, her eyes flashing red.

"Threaten me all you want, but you know I'm right. Just talk to your would-be girlfriend about it." Eda said before looking down. "You don't want to live with the regret of what could've been."

Luz just went to the door.

"I'm going to hang out with Boscha and Amelia." Luz said.

"Remember to take them for a walk later." Eda said.

"They're not my pets!"

"Keep telling yourself that!" Eda shouted as Luz slammed the door behind her.

Luz groaned and grabbed a stick and drew a pentagram in the dirt. She stood on it and it started glowing red. She disappeared.

At the Grudgby field, the Banshee's were warming up.

"Alright ladies, first day of Grudgby season, you ready?" Boscha asked cracking her joints, before reaching up and snapping her neck to crack it.

Skara and Cat would never get used to that, Amelia was fairly numb to it... as long as she didn't see blood that is, Skara has no idea why she still has Hemophobia, the girl eats rotten corpses.

'How does that work? A corpse should still have some blood in it.' Skara and Cat thought.

The fire trap suddenly went off and when it stopped, a giant pentagram formed and Luz rose from it.

"Hello everyone." She said with a smile.

"Look alive, ladies, we have royalty with us." Boscha said, walking over, "What brings you by, Luz?"

"Nothing much, it's kind of boring today and I just wanted to hang out." Luz said before looking at their clothes/armor. "But apparently, it seems like you're ready to go to war instead."

"Well, we're not going to war." Amelia said, "We're getting ready for Grudgby season."

"Ah, yes, Eda was talking about it." Luz said, "What's it like?"

"What it like? It's one of the best games on the Boiling Isles! And it takes a smart witch to get it down." Boscha said before guiding Luz to the sidelines. "Let us show you. We're just about practice."

"And since Boscha and I are Pseudo Immortals, we're doing this on the hardest trap setting." Amelia said.

"What?! No!" Cat shouted in shock.

"What about us?!" Skara asked, gesturing to herself and Cat. "We're not immortal and we can barely handle that mode in overtime!"

"Relax, you two are the passers you just have to throw the ball this time." Amelia said, "Boscha and I will handle this, and when we switch, we'll tone it down... wait, Cat you have 9 lives, why are you scared?"

"Who said I had 9 exactly?" Cat asked, quirking a brow. "Also, DYING FUCKING HURTS!"

"I mean, you always talk about how glad you are that you have 9 lives." Amelia said.

"I... I learned I have 9 some how." Cat said, rubbing her arm, "Dying is painful... especially if you fall off a cliff into the boiling sea at the age of 7."

"WHAT?!" Skara, Boscha, and Amelia scream.

"Oooooh, shit that must've hurt." Luz comments.

"Well that explains your fear of water." Boscha said, "I just thought it was a cat thing."

"Wait, if she's afraid of water, how does-"

Luz was cut off when Cat licked her arm and rubbed her head with it.

"Right... cat." Luz said, "Should've realized she grooms herself like one."

"Right? It makes her name even more ironic." Boscha said.

"I can hear you both! And I'm not afraid of water in general, just hot water. Really, really hot." Cat said, crossing her arms.

"So you take cold showers and ice baths?" Skara asked.

"Considering cats hate cold temperatures, I doubt it." Boscha said.

"I hate all of you." Cat said, "Can we just get on with this?"

"Sure... Skara, you're the only one that can truly die, you go to the bench, I'll take your spot." Luz said.

Skara didn't need to be told twice, she fucking hated this game.

"Sure. Take my armor too, not like I need it right now." Skara said, quickly taking off her sports gear.

"Do you even know the rules?" Boscha asked.

"I'm a quick study." Luz said, taking the armor and putting it on, "Give me the run down."

"Alright, if you're sure princess." Boscha said.

"Grudgby is a sport that has simple rules, get the ball into the goal, don't die, you get a point."

"And that's all? Seems pretty simple." Luz said, crossing her arms.

"Oh it is ANYTHING but simple." Amelia said before creating a leaf in her hand. "Watch."

She blew it out of her hand and towards the field. The leaf made it... for about a couple seconds, before it was stabbed, burnt, and crushed. Luz looked at the traps with... joy.

"I love this game." She said.

"Somehow, that doesn't shock me. There's also one more thing to look out for, the Rusty Smidge." Cat said.

"The rusty what?" Luz asked.

"It's a golden looking bug that if you grab it, you win automatically." Boscha said.

"... Well now I hate this game, what kind of bullshit rule is that!?"

"We don't know who made it but it's not that bad a rule." Boscha said with a shrug.

"It devalues all the effort! Plus, that sounds the ultimate trolling move and I HATE trolling unless I'm doing it!" Luz shouts.

"Preach girl!" Skara said from the stands.

"Did you really just ask a demon to preach?" Luz asked.

"...I regret nothing!" Skara shouted at her.

"Anyway, if you get that thing, you win." Cat said, "The ball can be infused with magic, and you can use magic, you just can't INTENTIONALLY use magic to hurt other players."

"Oh! That takes out all of them run." Luz said with a pout.

"You just said you loved playing in a field of deadly traps and you think not INTENTIONALLY hurting people makes it less fun?" Boscha asked.

"Are you actually surprised at this point?" Luz asked, "I mean, I enjoy hurting people that deserve it... actually... I can change how you and Amelia look, I can make you part of the game!"

"Please don't." Amelia said, "I like being me, you can do whatever you want with me in two hundred years when I die."

"And I can just do that with transform magic. But that can be done after practice." Boscha said before pulling out a whistle, blowing it. "Alright, let's see what you can do, Luz."

Luz smiled and cracked her knuckles... this was going to be fun. Skara felt the exact same thing as she left relief that she wasn't going to be the one possibly dying today. She was just going to watch them possibly die but they won't stay dead for long...

'Wait, how many lives does Cat have left?' Skara thought.

According to her count from the knowledge that she as given earlier... about 8.

'It is eight, right?' Skara thought as she watched the practice begin.

Boscha was teamed up with Luz while Amelia was teamed up with Cat.

"You can survive any injury right?" Cat asked.

"Yep." Amelia said, "Pseudo Immortal."

"Good... because we have to go up against the Anti-Christ... whatever the hell that is, I still don't know... and the best, and most vicious, Grudgby player apart from Amity... If you were a mortal witch, you would be dead instantly." Cat said.

"Well, yeah, but you're not entirely mortal." Amelia said.

"Doesn't matter. Point is, I think YOU handle all the defense while I try to slip past them when they least expect it." Cat said.

"Well, you are more agile and flexible." Amelia said, stretching her legs a bit.

"Which I am very proud of." Cat said.

"It's not talent, it's because you're literally a cat."

"I know, my point still stands." Cat said before looking at Luz and Boscha. "Okay, let's do this."

Boscha and Luz smirked as they got ready.

"Alright, let's play!" Boscha shouted before throwing the ball in the air!

Luz smiled as they started playing. She did both strategizing and rushed ahead to get the ball! Cat also went for the ball.

'Come on, move faster!' Cat thought as she jumped for the ball.

'Come to mama!' Luz thought as she jumped as well!

The demon caught the ball first.

"Gotcha!" Luz said as she moved past Cat, landing in the ground and running to the goal!

"Oh no you don't!" Amelia said, charging at Luz.

Boscha was quick on Amelia though.

"Gotcha!" Boscha said, running next to her and pushing her away!

"Thanks, B!" Luz said before a giant axe popped out and swung at her!

Luz tossed Boscha the ball and caught the axe.

'Nicely made and very heavy! This thing is meant to maim someone good!' Luz thought as she pushed the axe away!

The Grudgby team watched her in amazement... That was mean to be hard to hold back even by the most powerful magic. Cat used this to rush at Boscha, swilling the ball from her as a pit of spikes opened up!

"Typical!" Cat shouted before jumping over the pit.

However, Boscha was smarter than that, and had a backup plan. She used a spell and made a decoy ball... you can't use magic against players, but this is fair.

"Hehehehehe." Boscha said, holding the real ball while Cat ran with the fake one.

Boscha snapped her fingers and the ball disappeared.

"Wha- Oh come on!" Cat shouted, coming to a stop.

Boscha just giggled as she ran towards the goal, making Amelia create large vines and surf them to catch up. Luz used a fireball and burned the vine in half.

"Forest fire!" Luz shouted as a joke.

"Titan damnit!" Amelia shouted, jumping off the vine and rolling in the ground.

"Score one!" Boscha shouted, throwing the ball to the goal.

Cat and Amelia growled.

"Boscha, you know that trick fucking sucks!" Cat shouted at her.

"Yeah! Even the crowd hates it!" Amelia said.

"The crowd on the LOSING team hates it." Boscha said, reclaiming the ball.

"That was a great trick to me. Can't wait to see what else you got." Luz said, gazing at the field. "And to see what the other traps in the field are."

Luz was a bit too excited for this in Cat and Amelia's opinion.

'This is gonna be a long practice.' They thought before getting to the next round.

An entire hour had passed and just as they predicted and thought, Luz LOVED grudgby and loved it too much. So much so that she decided to play without the armor after the 6th goal.

Cat and Amelia dragged themselves off the field after the game.

"That was horrible." Cat said, "I never want to play with her again."

"Hey, I'm the one that has to deal with her for all eternity." Amelia said.

"Don't forgot her three eyed teammate." Cat said, pointing to Boscha.

The captain of the team had a giant grin on her face as she practically begging Luz to join the team.

"You should hit that, Amelia." Skara said.

"STOP SAYING THAT!" Amelia shouted, blushing at Skara.

"Well if you don't, some other guy or girl will and we all know how you'll act if that happens." Skara said.

"I'll rip them open and feast on their heart!" Amelia said, as her demonic features came out.

"..." Skara and Cat glanced at each, slightly horrified of her new, more deadly jealousy.

"Until you see blood." Skara said, "And then you'll pass out."

"I got over that!" Amelia shouted.

"You mean when you shared a meal over a fresh corpse with Boscha?" Cat asked.

Amelia's face turned as red as her face. Skara took a needle and poked her finger with it, making it bleed. She put it in front of Amelia and... she passed out from the sight.

"She's still got it." Cat said.

"She must be in some kind of hunger state in order to ignore it." Skara said.

"If only we can find a way to put her in that state all the time. Maybe she could finally gain the confidence to ask out Boscha."

"We can only dream. That's all we can do." Skara said as Boscha came over.

"Great news! If Luz is here when Grudgby season starts, she's a part of the team!" Boscha said.

"... Yay." Skara said, "Does that mean I'm benched?"

"If Luz shows up to a game, yes." Boscha said with a nod.

"Welcome aboard!" Skara shouted to Luz, so happy now.

"Something tells me you don't like this game." Luz said.

"I really don't! But it looks good on college applications." Skara said.

"Okay then." Luz said, "It's been fun, but I should probably head back."

"Already?" Boscha asked.

"Yeah, I got a feeling Eda probably has something important for me to do." Luz said, "See you guys later."

"Bye./See ya./Don't randomly summon me, please." The girls said back as Luz left the grudgby field.

Luz spent a lot of time walking home, still thinking about Amity, despite the fact that she spent hours playing a game with her friends... feeling like a normal person for the first time in her everlasting life... she still couldn't get her mind off Amity and the dilemma she is facing. She pulled out her phone and looked at one specific contact, letting out a sigh before pressing dial. Luz put the phone to her ear.

"... Hi, dad... I have a question... how did you feel when you knew mom was the one that would be the woman you wanted as your queen?"