My unexpected life in the Owl House

Malphas stared at me blankly as I entered, his hunched body covered by robes billowing under an unseen wind with his unmoving wings acting like a dark backdrop. I shut the door behind me and turned only to jump when Malphas appeared right in front of me his beaked face and glowing eyes piercing into me.

"What the?!" I felt a blunt pain shoot through the back of my head as I hit the door, "Ow!" My hand reached delicately toward what was probably going to be a bump in a little bit.

"Kid, no, are you the kid?" I turned up to Malphas, who was looking at me disconcerted by whatever he was seeing. "I'm pretty sure I'm me. why?" Malphas leaned down to me, examining me closer through his glowing eyes. 

"Hm, I guess your soul isn't too..." My eyes widened as I looked down to my chest. 'Right, my soul was changed!' I felt stupid forgetting that as I looked up at the old guy standing in front of me. I stepped to the side and made my way over to an open section of the office where I cast my only spell. Suddenly instead of seeing my body, I was staring at a blue soul, one much darker in hue than before.

'Wh-?' I shook my head as my lips pressed into a line, 'I guess I should've expected it?' A flash of my experience in my mind passed before I was startled by a cough as I turned to the concerned face of Malphas. 

"Kid as your instructor I need to ask... what happened?" My frown deepened as I went over the last few days. Soon after I decided it would be best to have the demon who was an expert in soul magic for help.

"I... ended up fusing a chunk of that stuff invading my soul using a potion..." Malphas stiffened for a moment before shooting over with wide eyes filled with what looked to be interest.

"So you found some method to fuse the essence of the monster tide with your soul?" I processed what he said as I remembered someone mentioning something like that when I was running from one of them. 'Essence huh?' I felt the word out and nodded. "Yeah, I fused a chunk of essence with my soul," I stopped for a moment as I realized what I was casually saying, feeling ridiculous for just restating it like it was an everyday occurrence. Shaking my head I focused back on Malphas and saw his expression was scrunched in thought.

"So you found a way to do this through a... potion?" I nodded but caught myself as I realized that made it sound like it was easy. "I also had to do this whole trial to integrate it with my soul in my mind where I avoided..." An image of the corrupted inner self flashed through my mind as my doubts started to surface again. "Avoided what?" A voice broke me from my potential spiral as I processed what was said.

"Oh, uh it was the essence itself or a part of it at least..." I focused back on Malphas, "It tried hunting me and it almost succeeded but I came out on top," I gave my best grin as Malphas only stared with his glowing eyes until moments later he sighed breaking the silence.

"It looks like you might have less need for the soul protection spell now," I felt my eyes widen in confusion, "Wait, why wouldn't I need it?" Malphas stared at me for a moment, confusing me until I noticed a slight rolling motion in his glowing eye sockets. He was rolling his eyes at me! He turned away from me and mumbled something about kids I couldn't quite make out but given the context, I knew it was him complaining.

"So you asked why you wouldn't need it?" Malphas asked dryly before casting a spell, a moving rectangular image appearing in the air of small black spheres being absorbed into a blue ethereal-looking orb that looked remarkably similar to my soul in its hue.

"This is what I saw happening in your soul." He gestured to the black spheres. "-and this is the invading essence that is leaking into your soul." I watched again as the spheres dissolved into the blue, growing bigger and darker to a barely perceivable degree when Malphas sped it up.

"What does that mean?" My brows furrowed, "Am I just immune now since my soul is eating it?" Malphas sighed at my comment, muttering briefly once again about kids and their... inadequacies. 

"No, your soul can still be overwhelmed which is why I said you had LESS need for it, not that you didn't," He stood up from behind his desk and walked over.

"What we need to address is three things," he raised a finger, "side effects," he raised a second, "possible methods of strengthening this," he raised a third and final finger, "And contingencies for if you aren't able to contact me," I nodded at each, feeling excited at the prospect of finding out pretty much everything on that list.

"Ok, so what's first?" I asked trying not to show my excitement and trepidation for this new direction in his teaching. "First, we get you a book of compiled spells for every known and morally safe type of magic... as well as a soul magic spell book to use under my supervision." I watched as two distinct books, one with a flurry of shapes and colors, the other with what looked to be a screaming face on the cover. They floated towards me and landed in my arms as I awkwardly he them in my arms.

"Th-thanks," I placed the books down on the floor of the office and turned back to Malphas, who was looking at me amused by my previous struggle to hold books. "Is there a way to make them smaller or easier to carry?" Malphas stood straighter as he cleared his throat banishing the smile away from his face.

"Right, let me teach a quick levitation spell you can use and then we can move on to some of the other things we need to cover today." He slowly drew a spell circle as an example and then looked at me, an uncertain look on my face.

"Are you sure that'll be quick?" I felt myself frown, "It took me hours to learn that soul-seeing spell and only with help from some witch in the library." Malphas narrowed his eyes at me almost as if a dangerous beast had spotted a threat but just as quick as it appeared it was gone in the next instant barely allowing me to catch it, he sighed.

"You know that it takes normal witchlings weeks to learn a spell and even witches a week if the spell is completely unfamiliar to them." I choked back what was going to be a snarky response, shocked by that statement. I still had some doubts but it seemed less difficult now.

"O-ok then," Malphas nodded in response before placing a palm to my chest as he cycled some magic in my body. "Now visualize that cycle turning into a force to push up." I envisioned a force pushing up as I pushed magic into my fingers and drew a circle. Soon what felt like a heavy weight pushed down on my mind. I opened my eyes and saw a book floating in front of me. I smiled, looking closer at the new spell and its effect.

"This is so cool!" I looked back to Malphas who was scoffing. He glanced between me and the book before rolling his eyes. "You've done a more impressive spell than this," Malphas gestured to my floating book with two fingers before snipping them together as my connection was cut and the book fell onto the floor.

"Though I haven't quite taught you how to control magic in more than casting it seems." A magic circle appeared. A memory of complete loss of sensation suddenly hit me as I looked at it. "Is that the same circle as..." I looked at it hesitantly trying not to show my reluctance at the idea of being stuck in a state of nothing but sensing magic.

Malphas turned to me and gave me a curious, glowing-eyed look. "The control circle?" Malphas shook his head. "This one of the many circles I will be using as both training and testing for your new... constitution." His expression shifted and his eyes became analytical. Approaching me, he gave me a once-over before speaking. "Before we start," he poked me in the chest, "Is there anything you've noticed happens to you when you've taken in the infectious material?" A few things flashed in my mind. The action that led to the whole mess I was in now, the giant wolf creature that led to more essence burrowing into my body, and the abilities that have been growing the more that the infectious essence invaded my everything. 

A rough cough sounded out. I jumped to attention as I noticed Malphas staring with a fluffy-looking raised eyebrow. "I'm guessing that's a yes?" I paused once again, not out of hesitation but of realization. 'I've never once questioned if I should be telling him these things.' I felt my brow scrunch as I considered the realization more. 'Should I be telling him this?' Another thought came to mind. 'What is he going to do with this information?" Finally, the most immediate question appeared. 'Should I ask him about this?' My jaw tightened and I focused back on Malphas.

"Are you done with your contemplation?" I nodded, a neutral expression coming to my face not to give away more than I'd already had. "Yeah, can we get onto testing?" Malphas stared for a moment and went to speak. He paused once again, resuming a few moments later as he gestured to the circle. "Please step into the circle then." I walked over calmly and sat down.

"So how does this work?" Malphas made a few gestures, unlike the expected idea of tracing a simple shape in the air and with that circle glowed...

**********

A FEW HOURS LATER...

'Damn that brat!" A robed man with three bloodshot eyes paced back and forth in an alley empty of people near the library. His mind went back to the Blue-haired little shit that had stolen his tool to ensure his position in the library was reclaimed. Then he had to run into that other three-eyed youngster who attempted to capture him and... and now he was here! He was stuck pacing outside of the library for the past few days, trying to plan a way to get back at the two while he regained what was rightfully his! 

'Gah!' He stomped his foot on the unclean ground below him as if to punish it for the hardships he had before him. 'Why did he have to appear and where did my lifeline end up?' He thought of the brat again and his grubby little hands being all over his book of the unseen... and once again he started to throw a tantrum until he spotted something hazy in the distance.

He turned to see a green-haired girl standing just outside of the library chatting with another brown-haired girl with yellow eyes. The former wasn't of much interest and neither was the latter but what the latter was holding brought a sense of glee as he realized what it was. His book sat there between the brown-haired girl's arms and with it, the promise of his previously lost future. Now all he had to do was walk up and... a weight dropped into his stomach as a large avian figure floated out of the library. 

"What is the Head Librarian doing here?" He watched as a familiar head of blue hair followed after the imposing bird. It took him a moment but soon he was fuming as he saw the wretch that was the cause of all of his problems standing there right out of his reach. He fought the urge to go on one of his 'rightful anger episodes' as he called them but stopped when he felt something small and insignificant tap him on the shoulder.

"What!" He snapped at the thing behind him only to see a stoic face with gray eyes on the bulkier frame of a weirdly muscular child.

"Hello there." The child waved as the man looked at him unamused. "Alexandrius, correct?" This made Alexandrius or as his mama called him Alex furrow his brows as he stepped away from what seemed to be just a child. "Y-yes, what is it you want peasant?" Alex reflected on his words and cursed at his stutter. 'I can't be showing weakness to someone lower than me!' Something shifted in Alex's vision for a moment. 

'Strange..." Alex thought it was his imagination but he could've sworn he had seen the peasant child smirking for a moment. 'Impossible,' Alex thought, 'This child couldn't have shifted his stoic expression in that time...' Alex shook his head as he refocused on what the child peasant had been saying. "-so you can get your book back of course." Alex's eyes widened at the mention of his book. He lowered the nasally tenor of his voice as he tried to intimidate the child who knew too much of his possessions.

"How do you know of my book!" He puffed out his chest and sucked in his gut like he taught and approached the child... only to be stopped by a raised hand that somehow magically froze him in place and it could be his imagination but he seemed to be farther away now.

"What did you do?!" Alexandrius felt struggled as he glared at the child. "I showed you what potential powers you would have to reclaim your tool and get revenge in a-" The boy snapped his fingers and appeared right in front of his face. Alex would've moved back if he could but the paralysis still had him in its clutches. "-safer place." There was silence for a moment as Alex went over the pros and cons in his head before he shoved it out and reached- wait reached? 

"How am I moving?" The boy smiled this time with something more disturbing behind his eyes. Alex didn't notice somehow. He looked on with a greedy glint in his eye as he imagined running away with the book and the child who wronged him. "Well, your look reassured me, sir." The nice boy smiled and reached out his hand. Alex reached out his hand in kind as he gave his opinion on the witchling in front of him before touching the boy's palm. 'What a nice boy~' He smiled crookedly before passing out where he stood from a rush of pain entering his frail-looking body.

**********

I added the ghost book that Amity had returned to me just now to the levitation spell holding my new spell guide as I cycled more magic to keep both afloat. "Man, this is going to be a drain on my magic..." I grinned at my new spell as I saw the excited look on Willow's face and the annoyed look on Amity's. "You know you can put them down Blu- Azure..." She almost growled as I feigned a look of surprise. 

"Oh right, thanks Amity!" I stopped cycling the spell as the books landed in my arms and... made me lose my balance. I fell to the floor, my books tumbling to the ground. "Ha! Serves you right for showing off!" Amity grinned at me while Willow looked to be holding back laughter. I stared on in mock disbelief. "Willow, you'd laugh at your friend?" I gripped my chest like I'd been shot. "S-sorry, but you did deserve." I grinned at that, feeling great now that I had a chance to hang out with my new friend and... my other new friend? 

I couldn't tell with her perpetually smug or sour face. 'I wonder if she's only like this with other people?' I glanced between the two and shrugged mentally. 'Maybe?' I felt a tap on my shoulder as I jumped, remembering the fourth person here. I turned back with a frown as I saw Malphas still here despite our lesson being over.

"You should be careful with your books." He presented the books I had just dropped as he dusted them off. "Knowledge holds value." I smiled and nodded while internally rolling my eyes. "Thanks for picking them up." Malphas looked awkward for a moment but froze soon after and raised his head to look behind him. 

"What is it, sir?" I turned to see Willow also trying to peek around the large bird demon. Willow wasn't fast enough as I turned back to the sound of a foot hitting the stone nearby me. It was Josh who I thought had already left. 'I guess his parents haven't picked him up yet then?' I chuckled at the coincidence of all four of us being here. "Kind of funny." Amity turned to me as whatever chip on her shoulder seemed fixated on me like what I just said was an insult. 

'Again is she a friend?' Despite the glare drilling a hole into my head I turned to my second good friend. "Hey Josh, didn't know you were here!" I smiled as my mood lifted just a bit. "Yes, I was just looking at some books." He nodded at me and looked at the books in my arms for a moment before looking back at me. "Two books?" He tilted his head as I realized what he was asking. "Oh, one of these is mine the other I'm borrowing from..." I glanced over at Malphas who was watching us. "...a 'generous' demon." 

Josh nodded as he stepped forward a few paces. I stepped back with Amity and Willow to make room for him as I realized we were probably blocking the steps. "So uh, when are your parents getting here?" I felt awkward as I noticed a few eyes were on me. "Mine said that they had some business that would keep them for a bit." I nodded at Amity and turned to Willow. "How about you?" Willow shrugged with an awkward smile. 

"My dad's forgot and called saying that they might be late too." I turned to Josh who also shrugged. "I was about to head out and pick up my little sister from her tutoring." My brow raised at that. "Is that what you were doing yesterday when you were walking with your sister?" Josh nodded and I smiled at the care shown for some reason. 'I mean it's always good to look after family right?' Something about that bothered me but I disregarded the feeling.

"Well my 'mom' is a bit forgetful and-" I was cut off as I felt a hard impact to my back and soon the world blurred around me. I tried to react but before I could do anything the world shifted and things went dark...