Chapter Text
The last years of the Deadwardian Era had been marked by chaos, with entire villages lost by large conflagrations. The devastation was supposedly caused by uncouth witches mixing different types of magic and incurring the wrath of the Titan. Despite having physically passed and its bones now forming the Boiling Isles, it continued to keep watch over its children and inhabitants from a dimension known as the In-Between.
None had succeeded in speaking to the Titan via the In-Between until Emperor Belos, who declared himself a prophet sent to save the Isles from self-destruction. With that mission, he revealed the Titan’s decree that all magic should be divided among the nine covens. With the help of nine founding Coven Heads, Emperor Belos succeeded in bringing an end to the Savage Ages.
The Boiling Isles were now a mostly peaceful land where witches and demons coexisted. The lands formed from the remains of the fallen Titan had finally been united under a single ruler. Society now had formal structure and an educational system in the proper use of magic. Witches now were able to “hocus focus” and studied a single track of magic and achieve mastery of their specialty. To avoid angering the Titan inadvertently, all magic practitioners received a coven sigil upon coming of age, sealing away their ability to mix different types of magic. Those who refused to join a coven were deemed wild witches and were shunned by society. Most were caught and sent to the Conformatorium, while a few more resourceful wild witches turned to trading contraband in the night market.
A small handful of magic users who demonstrated exceptional loyalty to the emperor or dedication to their studies were allowed to join the Emperor's Coven. Due to their perceived unlikelihood of angering the Titan, these witches could use multiple types of magic separately. Although mixing two types of magic within the same spell was strictly forbidden, the advanced knowledge of the coven scouts allowed them to face any disruptions to the peace now found on the isles.
Some folk customs remained throughout the Isles that still relied on some elements of wild magic. One such custom was the practice of finding one’s soulmate by writing on one’s arm with a special ink potion. It was said that this potion used oracle magic to allow the user to connect to their future love via a gap within the In-Between that opened during the new moon each month. Young witches and demons seeking love would write short messages on their arm and the same words would appear on the arm of their future partner selected by the Titan. The ink would then last until sunset of the following day. A game of twenty questions would then unfold over the course of many new moons until the people bound by fate could determine each other's identity. One technicality of this system was that any messages attempting to directly reveal one’s identity (such as writing one’s name or street address) would appear distorted or with letters missing.
However, the families of high society looked down on this practice. Using “folk magic” was generally considered uncouth, but this tradition was clearly mixing potion and oracle magic. As a result, most influential families, such as the Blights, prohibited their children from engaging in such nonsense. Marriages were made on the basis of alliances between families. Love was earned, not freely given. Status, finances, and reputation mattered far more than any romantic destiny.
Despite efforts to ban the arcane tradition, many families still clung to it. In the years before scrolls were invented, these magic messages allowed each person to gather small clues about the other, such as whether they were left- or right-handed, their interests, and their personality. Some felt that the emperor’s ascent to power and increasing dominance of magical technology had no right to destroy a centuries old custom. Others simply enjoyed the look of joy on their children's faces the first time they received a response to their messages. Thus, demand remained for the ink and proved to be a reliable source of income for outcast potion makers, such as Eda the Owl Lady.
Many laughed at her self-proclaimed title of the most powerful witch in the Boiling Isles, but it was true that she was one of the best potion-makers in the town of Bonesborough. It was unknown if it was the cause or effect of Eda’s status as a wild witch, but she knew countless folk remedies and potions that were lost to time or banned by the Potions Coven. Eda made her rounds every weekday with a bag of hard-to-find potions, making house calls and running deliveries with help of a small demon of obscure origin. On weekends, Eda sold “rare human collectibles” that she scavenged from unknown sources.
One fine weekend morning, two men walked up to Eda's stand, towing a young girl with braids behind them in a small red wagon. Eda recognized them as the Park family to whom she had sold that human contraption. She had found it tossed out in a dumpster and knew it would make her a pretty penny. All of carts on the Isles were wooden with crude wheels. This wagon was metal, painted red, and emblazoned with white letters spelling out “Radio Flyer.” The Park family became regular customers after that, returning every weekend to buy human books for their daughter. Harvey would buy science books while Gilbert was seemingly addicted to human fiction. How anyone could read those saccharine-sweet “fairy tales” was beyond Eda, but Harvey still had Eda’s respect for buying some more complex science fiction novels with complicated lore, such as Cosmic Frontier.
This morning, Eda knew that she would be forced to bring the disappointing news that she had been unable to locate the fourth book of the series. Harvey had already purchased seven novels in the series and seemed willing to pay far more than market price to find out how Captain Avery escaped from the army of imposter clones. To her surprise, it was Gilbert who spoke up today and requested two bottles of soulmate ink. Eda rummaged in her hammerspace disguised as a mane of unruly hair where she kept such contraband. “Why two ink potions?”, she questioned as she set them on the table. “A single bottle is enough to last a years’ worth of writing, unless you two feel like going back to your school days and writing each other secret messages again,” Eda smirked.
Gilbert chuckled and gestured towards Willow explaining, “as much fun as that would be, Willow's best friend Amity Blight is coming over this evening, and I thought the girls would enjoy something from the old days.”
Eda stopped short. "Amity Blight? I don't know anything about the girl, but I went to school with her parents. There is nothing good I can say about them. I don't mean to doubt your judgement, but I would hate to see Willow getting hurt by Odalia. Of course, she won't do anything directly, she does all of her dirty work by proxy and will threaten or manipulate someone into hurting you guys or your kid.” Harvey waved his hand in dismissal and chuckled, “it's fine Eda. I talked about it with Alador, and he said that he didn't care as long as Amity was back home before sunset and we didn't feed her any candy. It's good for both girls. Willow and Amity are opposites but bring out the best in each other. We’re going to have a little history lesson and then try out the potion ink.”
Eda sighed and flatly responded, “well for my two favorite customers, I'll give you 20% discount. Fifty snails for both bottles, and don't just put them in the red wagon for everyone else to see. The coven scouts rarely come this way, but that doesn't mean that your neighborhood isn't crawling with them.”
As the sound of the plastic wagon wheels clattered off into the distance, Eda sighed again and wondered since when she had started feeling so protective of some strangers and their daughter. Titan forbid that she ever end up with a child of her own. It would most certainly be her undoing and lead to her or her kid being captured by the emperor and his thugs. As long as she was alone, she was safe. The supposedly elite force of scouts that were hand-picked to enforce the emperor's will were actually just a group of yes-men who could be defeated by simply tying their shoelaces together. After that had happened too many times, the coven scouts all switched to wearing boots without any laces.
As evening settled in, the Park family settled in with a variety of healthful snacks, a pair of new green and purple fountain pens made of cut crystal, and two bottles of potion ink for communicating across the In-Between. Harvey had prepared a full presentation on the history of the tradition and what little was known about the dimension in which the Titan resided. After a few gentle knocks on the front door, Amity appeared, her auburn hair tied back neatly with a green ribbon. In contrast with Willow's love of nature and inhibition with soil and mud, everything about Amity's appearance was always pristine. When playing outside with Willow a few weeks ago, Amity had gone inside to wash her hands after finishing each clay abomination figurine. Willow needed to be hosed down before she could be let back inside. Today was no different. Willow was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a heap of papers and toys around her. Amity had settled on a floor cushion with her knees tucked to one side.
With the help of something Eda had called a “laptop” with “powerpoints”, Harvey dove into a long story about the creation of the Isles, the death of Titan, the realm of the In-Between, and how witches and demons could find their soulmate through the magic of the Titan himself. Although it would be several years before either girl should start thinking about serious relationships, Harvey spoke with joy and enthusiasm as he showed the pictures he had drawn. Without the ability to do any sort of illusion magic, this piece of human engineering let him tell a story that left both girls in awe. “And Willow, to make a very long story short, this potion is how I met your dad,” Harvey finished with a flourish. At this moment, Gilbert produced two bottles and the new glass calligraphy pens they bought earlier that day.
After carefully filling each pen with the magical ink, the two girls looked at each other with the same question in their minds - what should they write for their first message to their future soulmate? Willow's eyes sparkled as an idea formed. She lifted her pen and started writing slowly on her arm in slightly shaky letters “my papa is an abomination witch.” She jumped up to show her fathers, shouting “look! I wrote my message and it's about you! Because no one else could have told such an amazing story!”. Amity nodded, adding “She's right. And a brilliant first clue, Willow. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to write the same exact thing.” She turned to Gilbert with a questioning look, asking in a soft tone, “May I keep this pen? It is extremely beautiful. You even remembered that my favorite color is purple.”
After helping clean up all the supplies and snacks from the living room, Amity had one question on her mind - how long until she got an answer to her message? She knew she couldn't go home happy until she got a response. Turning to Willow's parents, she asked, “how long does it typically take to get an answer?” Harvey shrugged and simply responded, “It depends. Gilbert wrote back to me within minutes. Our parents had bought us ink the same day. That's why it is said that the other person is your soulmate. Nowadays, kids are so wrapped in their scrolls they might not notice until morning. But you should both get an answer by tomorrow.”
Clutching her new pen, neatly tucked away in its felt box, Amity started walking home. Upon opening the front door, she was surprised to see her mother sitting upright in chair that been moved into the hallway. Amity winced slightly at the cold stare but stood resolutely. “Where have you been? I called Skara’s and Boscha’s parents and they said you weren't there. Explain yourself young lady.” Amity brightened, quickly launching into a detailed narrative that Alador had let go over to the house of one of his employees for a history lesson about the Titan and the realm of the In-Between. And no, she hadn't eaten any sweets, just fruits and cheese. And that Alador needed to buy one of those human “laptops” and take it apart so she could learn how it works. Odalia’s gaze softened as she tutted, “well it seems you are able to make decent choices after all and not embarrass the family like the twins did again today.” Having earned her parents' approval, she happily made her way upstairs. Tomorrow was a school day, and she needed to be in top shape.
The next day passed by in a whirlwind, so much so that she had forgotten entirely about her ink experiment. Not until she bumped into Willow while leaving the school, who was looking somewhat downcast. “What's wrong, Willow?”, she inquired while running up to her best friend. “There's no one out there for me. I'm going to be alone forever,” her friend mumbled. Amity stared in disbelief - how could someone as athletic and creative as Willow be left alone? Her fathers were incredibly caring and might even be spoiling her. Then she remembered the ink from last night and nearly squeaked, “You mean nobody answered? Wait, let me check my arms.” Rolling up her sleeves, Amity stared in disbelief. Besides her own neat cursive writing that was beginning to fade, there was nothing there either. Grabbing Willow's hand, she started to run. The ink must have been fake. Or they had done it wrong. There must be an explanation.
Gilbert answered the frantic knocks on the door with a look of surprise. “Did you two run here all the way from school? Amity, I have never seen you out of breath like this before. Did something happen? You surely can't be that excited about my cooking.” Then a look of relief washed over his face. “You too finally got responses, didn't you?” Amity just looked down and shook her head. “Actually, nothing happened. I think someone sold you fake ink. Or we did it wrong. Or maybe it was supposed to be the full moon, not the new moon. Or …” Her ramblings were cut off by Gilbert's laugh. “Oh no, the ink works. We bought it from the Owl Lady, and she makes the strongest potions that money can buy. As it turns out, my husband had the same idea as me and snuck a bottle of ink in his lunchbox so that he could write on me while I was at work. I really meant the whole soulmates thing.” He rolled up his sleeves, showing a giant mess of scribbled sentences in black ink. On his other arm was an equal number of sentences in gold ink with a strong precise script. Amity and Willow simultaneously rolled up their sleeves, with nothing to show. Gilbert looked puzzled and scratched the back of his neck. “Well, I have heard of some legends of particularly unpleasant people who were rejected by the Titan and never found a soulmate. But you two girls don't fit the description. Let's have some food and talk about it after dinner.”
Dinner at the Park household was a simple but comforting meal. Mashed toetatoes, mandrake soup, and fruit ice scream. It did not occur to Amity that a vegetarian meal could be so filling. Gilbert cleared his throat and addressed the two girls who were now full and relaxed. “Well, I have a few theories, and you can choose which one to believe. Remember that Papa and I will always be here for you. The first one, which Amity's parents would tell you, is that this is all a scam by the Owl Lady and the evil ways of wild witches. That reminds me, Amity, you probably should keep your sleeves rolled down until nightfall. Maybe Eda had a point yesterday. Never mind that, you have seen for yourselves that this ancient magic works.
“The second explanation is that you have been rejected by the Titan, which I find improbable. Despite what the Emperor says, the Titan is very kind power that is very difficult to anger. It would take some heinous act of betrayal to be cut off from its magic, and then you would be alone forever and never meet anyone. But there is nothing you too little girls could have done.
“The third and somewhat unlikely explanation is that your soulmate lives in another dimension connected by the In-Between. Maybe they don't have magical ink in the human realm and have no way to respond. Amity, maybe, just maybe, your soulmate is some human will fall through a portal and suddenly appear in this realm instead of the trash that usually shows up here. And you will fall madly in love with that human and spend the rest of your lives hopping between dimensions.”
At this point, Harvey jumped up in excitement. “Willow! Maybe your soulmate is actually a clone like in Book 5 of Cosmic Frontier! Maybe he hasn't been created yet and that's why you didn't get a response. You’ll study abomination engineering and become the the first astronaut of the Boiling Isles! You'll go to space and there you’ll meet the clone of someone from another realm who was supposed to capture you, but instead falls in love and defects to join your starfleet!”
Gilbert chuckled and continued, “the last and most obvious option is that your soulmate simply comes from a family that doesn't believe in the old ways and refused to buy any ink. However, that's not the way this type of magic works. The reason that Harvey and I bought the ink yesterday was that someone appeared in your universe and the Titan wanted us to help you make your first connection.”
Amity looked up in gratitude as Willow patted her on the back. It seemed so wonderful again. Even if it was true that she didn't have anyone, she wasn't truly alone. She had a friend who cared, and nothing in this world could change that. She reached and took Willow's hand and decided to make a promise. “Willow, I want you to know that even if this means that we are never going to have a soulmate, we will always have each other. You will always have your dad and your papa and me. No matter what happens, I'll always be your best friend. Pinky promise?” After a quick shake of hands, Amity hugged each member of the Park family before turning to leave. “My parents are probably worried sick about me. I need to go home now.”
As soon as Amity opened the large double doors to Blight Manor, she felt something was wrong. Before either of her parents could say anything, she started explaining. “I'm sorry I didn't come home right away and didn't say anything. Something happened and I needed answers. I should have called you but Willow didn't have a crow with her. And then her papa explained to me about the will of the Titan and how the magic of this realm works. And then he showed me how …” Amity stopped short and suddenly remembered that she had forgotten Gilbert's warning to keep her sleeve rolled down until nightfall. Now, she scrambled to pull down the cuffs of her uniform.
It was too late. Her parents saw the fading writing on her arm. Amity froze as her mother reached up for her oracle pendant. An unpleasantly sweet voice filled the room. “So Mittens, I assume you are telling me the truth here because if you are lying you are going to regret it ten times more. You are trying to tell me that not only did you run off from your family to spend the evening with some Birch Tree girl I have never met, but you too also conspired to perform forbidden wild magic in order to find some obscure lover who would only tarnish the Blight family name? Right Alador?”
Amity stared up in disbelief. How could her parents say such a thing. “Her name is Willow. And no, it's not like that! I … I …”. Her attempts to defend Willow were failing.
“Answer me, Mittens! Did that girl give you this corrupt ink?”
Amity just nodded.
“From whom did she buy it?”
“Some Owl Lady.”
“As I feared. Well, Mittens … that only leaves me one choice. Cut off your relationship with Willow or we will.”
“But she's my best friend… I can't do that”
Odalia was no longer listening and had turned her attention to her husband. “Alador dear, didn't Mittens say something yesterday that this girl's father was one of your employees? It would be a shame if anyone found out that he was letting his daughter practice wild magic. He might even be expelled from the Abomination coven! How tragic would that be?”
Amity finally started sobbing. “I'm sorry! Please don't do that to Willow or her dads! I’ll never talk to her again! Just leave her alone!”
Odalia returned her gaze to hear youngest daughter and now appraised her appearance. “Mittens, I hope you are good to your word. Are those sweat stains on your uniform? Please don't make things any worse by telling me you actually ran to that girl's house. How pathetic! Well, maybe if you work hard enough at school, you can prove yourself again. Since the twins are such failures, your are now this family's only hope.”
Before Amity could respond, she found herself in an empty hallway. There was no way to keep her pinky promise to Willow, but she could at least make her parents proud of her again.