Chapter 15: Sibling Bonding Time
[After another glorious day in Hexside, the school for witches and demonics, Luz decides to take a different path, a path that would lead her to the Shatter Squad Base. She stops in the middle of the empty forest, takes a deep breath, awakens her Spirit Power and opens the barrier. She goes to the training hall and looks around, seeing no one is there, until she sees a certain man with a sword, practicing his swings. She decides to greet him]
Luz: Hey Arthur, over here!
[Arthur then notices Luz who is waving at her, and he decides to wave back. He walks towards her in his training suit, towel wrapped around his neck, Luz she gives him a big smile]
Arthur: What are you doing here at this hour? Shouldn't you be at home studying?
Luz: Well I decided after that last mission, I should be working twice as hard.
[She puts her bag down]
Luz: So, do you have time?
[Arthur, sighs, but grins at her resolve to keep training]
Arthur: Alright! Go put on your training uniform and we can get started.
Luz: YES! Be right back!
[Luz heads for the locker room and changes into her training uniform, and walks out more determined than ever]
Luz: Alright let's do this!
Arthur: Since you are so interested in training with me today, I'm going to change things up a bit! You say you want to be a witch?
Luz: YES!
Arthur: I'm going to hit you with elemental attacks, so we can up your arsenal, and help you find more glyphs!
Luz: *determined* Witch training and Shatter Squad Training? Now you're talking!
Arthur: Get ready Luz! I'll hit you with everything! Crimson Dragon!
[Arthur's Red Aura Flares, and a Crimson Dragon appears behind him, breath multiple elements from his mouth, Luz charges the first time, and prepares to attack, and after an hour, Luz has some burn marks on her hair, alongside some bruises from being thrown around]
Arthur: *embarrassed* Okay, maybe next time we should take things a little easy. And a little less fire
[he licks his thumb and pinches the fire on the tip of Luz's hair, then applies medicine on Luz's cheek]
Luz: OW!
Arthur: Sorry!
Luz: Can we try again in 10 minutes?
Arthur: I think we should make it twenty? Cause, well you know?
[he gestures to Luz body being bruised]
Luz: *sad* oh, okay...
[she looks down in defeat. From the look on her face, Arthur could tell something was bothering her, if he had to guess it must have been the encounter with One. But being the big brother figure he is, he asks Luz]
Arthur: Hey Luz, is something bothering you?
Luz: Huh?
Arthur: Well, recently you've been eager, and you have been looking forward to the training sessions lately. At first glance it seems you are just a hard worker, but deep down, you have a specific reason.
[Luz then turns her attention to Arthur]
Luz: How can you tell?
[Arthur passes her a cup of tea]
Arthur: I kind of have a thing for understanding people's situations. But if you don't want to talk about it, it's fine.
[Luz then looks down and decides to sit on the bench]
Luz: It's about the last mission.
[Arthur sits next to her with his own tea]
Luz: When we fought Viper, she used this power called Iota. I don't know what that is, but her eyes turned red, and she nearly killed me and Kotoha. Then we fought Tank, who used the same ability but this time it was called Omega. But not even our best was enough to take him down because he was immortal, but the part that really bugged me the most was their leader, One. His energy was insane. It was like Belos's but 100 times darker. All of this bothers me because I feel like I'm way over my head in this situation. And I need to keep training if I encounter him again. If I can't find ways to take them down, it's over. I won't be able to help anyone.
[Arthur then sips his tea and places it on the side of the bench]
Arthur: The Iota and Omega power you speak of. I know them.
[Luz shocked to hear those words, she looks up and begins to ask questions]
Luz: You do?! How do you know?!
[Arthur, looks at his reflection in the tea]
Arthur: Those powers were fragments of the Alpha Titan.
Luz: What's the alpha Titan?
Arthur: *sigh* The Alpha Titan was a weapon that was in possession under Project Roundtable.
Luz: Your old team?
Arthur: Mhm. This certain weapon had the ability to give warriors the edge in battle. But the Alpha Titan was only one being, so the director had to split it up, in order for it to be used by various members.
Luz: Wait so if this Alpha Titan belonged to Project Roundtable...do you possess one of the fragments?
Arthur: As a matter of fact I do. I possess the Delta Spirit, it's logic.
[Luz then sits down with her legs crossed staring at Arthur]
Arthur: With this fragment, I can use it's logic to come up with plans and strategies and find out the right choices and paths to take when I'm in battle.
Luz: OOOOo. So it's like Oracle magic, but with mathematics behind it.
Arthur: Exactly. The one Viper possesses is called Iota, the Alpha's calm behavior. With it, she can use a time distortion ability depending how calm she is. As for Omega, that is the Alpha's anger, which gives him more power the angrier he gets.
Luz: Oh. So Viper and Tank were apart of the project?
Arthur: *serious* no...
[Luz is then surprised by Arthur's serious tone]
Arthur: I've seen every member of the project, and none of them looked like those two.
Luz: So what happened to the people who possessed the Omega and Iota fragments?
Arthur: That's what I'm trying to find out. Well me and Pops of course.
Luz: Wait why pops?
Arthur: *smiles* Well believe it or not, he was a part of the project.
[Luz eyes widen]
Luz: Yowza WHA!
Arthur: Yup he was our leader actually. Agent Galahad.
Luz: WOW! How come he doesn't talk about it?
Arthur: The guy actually loathes talking about it.
Luz: Oh...is it bad if I ask?
Arthur: Well...*sigh* On the day the project was disbanded he lost his daughter.
Luz: Wha...
[Luz looks at Arthur with sadness in her eyes]
Arthur: Her name was Connie Hercule, Agent Percival. On the day the project disbanded. They told him that she was killed in action, no one knows what happened to her. All I know is that she was on a mission with Gawain and Lancelot. All three K.I.A. It's sad because to me, Percy was my second little sister.
[Luz begins to ask more questions]
Luz: Second?
[Arthur then realizes that Luz doesn't know about this.]
Arthur: Well Like Pops, we treat everyone like family, he calls us his sons and daughters, and I called Perci my second little sister, Kotoha was the third, and you are the fourth.
Luz: Whose the first?
Arthur: Let's save that story for another time.
[Arthur then turns his head and comes face to face with Luz]
Arthur: *confused* What are you doing?
Luz: Oh sorry I just really love backstories!
Arthur: You like a lot of things huh?
Luz: Well I love backstories, making amvs, the good witch Azura novels, and adding the dazzle to my projects...
[Luz then realises while she loves doing these things, many people consider it to be weird. And reminded her of her home on earth]
Luz: But people avoid me because of that.
Arthur: hmm?
[he raises an eyebrow]
Luz: On earth, many people made it clear that they didn't like me. I got in trouble at school, made a mess of things, and everyone hated me for that. To them I was nothing but trouble. Heck, I was even going to be sent to summer camp.
Arthur: What kind of summer camp?
Luz: It was the kind where they would make you normal and boring.
Arthur: So your mom was sick of you living in your fantasy world, and wanted you to come into reality. Sounds like a load of bullcrap to me.
Luz: Right, I was mad at her, but I would've done it if it would make her proud. But she was already proud of me before, she was just worried. I honestly don't know what she is doing at a time like this.
Arthur: Well your mom was wrong to send you to that camp, but she sounds like a nice lady. Caring about her daughter and wanting her to make some friends. She had the right idea, but the wrong plan.
Luz: *sigh* Do you think my mom would even want me back?
[Arthur looks at her and begins to see tears forming in her eyes]
Arthur: I can't speak for your mom, but if you saw her again...,
[Arthur uses his Delta powers, and sees a future where Luz reunites with her mom]
Arthur: ...she would give you all the love in the world.
[Luz then looks up at Arthur, and hugs him]
Arthur: hmm?
Luz: *whispers* Thank you.
[Arthur returns her embrace]
Arthur: Anytime kid. I'm always here for you.
[Luz then returns to the Owl House and Arthur goes into the dining room putting the cups in the sink, and senses West sitting on the dining table]
West: So she knows about the Spirits?
Arthur: *sigh* yeah, you heard?
[Arthur places his hands on both sides of the sink and taps his fingers]
West: Every word.
Arthur: Pops, I know you don't like talking about this, but on the day Connie, Lance and Gawain died, do you think me being there would have made a difference?
West: I don't know, kid. But I know for sure that everyone in this squad is just a way to make up for your mistake.
Arthur: Does it sound selfish?
West: To me, no. I feel the same way as you. But tell me, if you were there, do you think she would have made it out?
Arthur: You're not talking about Connie are you?
West: I'm talking about Merlin and the Alpha.
[Arthur then stands still with his head down]
West: We have things we regret. But it makes room for people we can save. That includes Luz.
[Arthur then raises his head]
Arthur: *sigh* if only she knew the truth.