Luz POV

Luz awoke to a soreness in her arms, her wrists aching like no tomorrow. However, by this point, she was very used to this feeling. The scent of damp stone filled her nose, and she opened her eyes to meet the expected darkness of the cell she was in. It was pitch black, and she could not see anything. Something that she had become used to over these last...

I wonder how long it's been... Luz thought to herself. I would have marked the wall counting the days if I were able to. Could have pretended to be a hardened criminal in a cell. Luz laughed at her thoughts internally, but no sound escaped her mouth. She didn't have the energy to laugh verbally. She didn't have the energy to do much really.

Luz closed her eyes again, as there was no point to keeping them open when she couldn't see anything. She tried to shift a bit in her restraints, only to immediately regret it. Her very sore arms did not need any extra irritation. She once again felt that thought creeping into her mind, intrusively barging its way in, telling her to just give up. To give in, and end this torment she experienced.

Taking a deep breath in through her nose, and letting it out in a controlled exhale, Luz pushed the thought from her mind. She forced herself to remember why she went through with this. The people she was doing it for. She ran through their faces and names in her head. This had become essentially her mantra. What she did to keep herself sane, or at least, as sane as she could be.

Edalyn Clawthorn, known as Eda the Owl Lady, A Mentor, A Mother. A person who I hold in very high regard.

King, the self proclaimed King of Demons, a genuine Titan in infant form. My little brother. A person I wish I could cuddle with now.

Hooty the Bird Tube. Also known as The Owl House itself, a horrifying demon that could give even the most brave of souls nightmares

Lilith Clawthorn, The redeemed ex coven head, who now fought for what was right, has become an Aunt to me, and shows us how she really does care, and is atoning for her mistakes.

Hunter, previously known as The Golden Guard. A person whose trauma rivals anything I could have ever imagined. Yet he still chooses to be strong, and is making friends and family for himself.

Willow Park, The Plant Whisperer, My Best Friend, and a empathic soul that never stopped finding how to care

Augustus Porter, Expert on the Human Realm, and a prodigy with Illusions. A true friend

Edric and Emira Blight, Master Mischief Makers, expert nuisances and sworn enemies to order and law.

Amity Blight, the most lovely and beautiful witch in all the isles. The one I would claim to be my soulmate, if those are a real thing.

In the beginning, Luz had only gone through their names. After all, she didn't get much time to be alone with her thoughts at the start of this awful living state. However, after spending so long as a captive, she had slowly gotten more and more time where she was left alone, and had to do something to occupy her time. So, she spent a lot of it making titles for her friends, and letting her imagination run wild.

After all, It takes an enormous amount of will to endure what she was enduring. Luz let quite a bit of pride swell in her chest at the thought. Normally, she was pretty humble, but she knew that this accomplishment was impressive. Even the evil Emperor Belos seemed stupefied at how long she had lasted. Not just anyone can survive being chained up, suspended in the air and hanging from their wrists, with no food or water, no company, and no remorse; relief; or respite.

Especially not for several years straight.

That's right. I have survived several years (though I don't know exactly how many now) hanging from these cuffs around my wrists. Most mortal souls would have given in long ago, but I, Luz Noceda, have the strongest will of all time! None can best me in a test of wills! I will always be the last one standing in this challenge! Hahahaha!

Luz let herself get lost in another fantasy, imagining how she would be written as a character in a book. It was something she did often. Escaping into her boundless really was an escape. A way she hid away from the dark reality she lived. She found it depressing if she thought about it too hard. She acted like an abused child, even though she knew for certain that she was a full grown adult now. Hiding away in a fake world she made in her head, to hide from the truth that scared her. It was the only way she knew how to cope. The only way she was able to survive.

She knew it was important not to live in that fantasy for too long. She could do it often, so long as she made sure to ground herself back to reality often as well. So, that is what she did. She opened her eyes, and even though she really couldn't see anything, she made sure to clarify whether she was awake or asleep. She counted the things she could smell. Stale Water.. Wet Stone... Rusty Metal... My own body odor (ew... I really need a shower)... Dried blood. She counted the things she could feel. The remnants of my clothes... The chains on my wrists... My shoulders out of socket... The cold air in this room. She counted what she could see. Nothing... Well, that was pointless. She counted what she could taste. Stale moist air, like a cave... My own dry mouth... The old taste of blood... And lastly, she counted what she could hear. The rattle of the chains over my head... My own breathing... My hair shifts against my back as I move... The dripping of water somewhere far in the distance...

Yep... I'm awake... unfortunately. Luz surmised. She sighed as she tried to do something to pass the time. When she was first locked up, Belos, or some other agent of his, was with her at almost all hours of the day, operating an intense torture schedule, in an attempt to quickly break her spirits. But, Luz stayed strong. She endured the countless hours of pain and suffering at her tormentors hands. She was able to do it because all it took to keep her will strong was for her to mention to Belos that her friends were safe, and he could do nothing to change that.

The rage Luz saw in his eyes always brought her joy. Sure, it brought more pain too, when he took his anger out on her, but she knew it was worth it. He could never hurt her friends again. And that was enough to endure it all.

However, after quite some time, the constant torturing slowly started to fade. The first year, she was pretty sure that Belos and his agents used magic to keep her awake. One guard had let it slip by accident that they only tortured her twice a day. And although Luz could not count the days and nights, she could count the number of times she was brutally beaten and brought within an inch of her own life.

And it was many, many times that it had happened. Enough to add up to well over 800 times.

Luz shivered at the thought. She did not miss those days. However, she would endure it. If it meant that all her mistakes were corrected, she would have asked for more.

Over time, however, as the physical and conscious torture lessened, she realized Belos was trying something new. Isolation. Luz was a social person. And taunting her captors was giving her boosts to her energy and will. So, over time, Belos started to leave her alone. And Luz hated it.

She could handle almost anything. But the sheer boredom she had to endure was the hardest part of all. Curse her ADHD. After one long period of solace, Luz had nearly reached a point where she was starting to miss the endless physical torture she endured. It was better than what felt like an eternity of silence. Though, once Belos had finally returned, he had admitted that it had only been 1 month of solitude. Not a year, like Luz felt it to have been.

Now, suspended in the air, Luz was getting antsy again. It had been a long time since the last time Belos was here. She had awoken and fallen asleep several times... Close to 60? Or maybe 70 times now. However, Luz knew that wasn't enough to judge the time she was here alone. She knew that without the proper rest, without the proper exercise, without real nutrition, and in her efforts to not lose her mind, she had begun to sleep more and more.

She knew that she slept much longer than she ever used to. She didn't know how long she slept for, but she could tell it was more than 12 hours each time. And, she slept more often. She was no longer able to stay awake for very long. An hour or two at most. And as a result of her fucked up schedule, she truly had no way to tell time any more.

She felt her stomach ache, for what felt like the first time in weeks. It was strange. After her body learned that it was surviving despite starving, slowly, her stomach aches and the pain of hunger stopped occurring. She missed eating and drinking, sure. But the physical reactions to not getting those basic needs met had stopped happening so often. The headaches of dehydration, or cramps of starvation rarely occur now.

At first, Luz didn't know how she was even alive without eating or drinking. She had once heard that humans could go 2 weeks without food, but only 3 days without water before perishing. However, here she was, several years without both, and she was still alive. She assumed it was some type of magic Belos used in order to further torture her. He could not kill her. Which at first, Luz thought meant he would have to give her food and water. But she quickly learned that just meant he had to keep her alive with magic instead. And let her be in agony without it.

Luz sighed to herself. It had been quite some time since she had last analyzed her current predicament so much. Normally, she chose not to, as it only brought her spirits down. But, today, here she was, going over everything she had experienced, and overthinking it all. Spending what little energy she had on this pointless task. She shook her head, feeling her long overgrown hair swish across her back. She focused on her hair for the moment instead.

It was long. Longer than Luz had ever wanted it to be. She liked her short hair. It fit her style more. But now? She rocked her head side to side, wincing at the pain and stiffness in her neck from hanging limply for so long as she slept. She felt her hair swing behind her, reaching below her ass now. She sighed. That was far too long. She needed to get it cut. Luz wondered to herself if she could figure out a way to do it from inside this cell. But, alas, she couldn't come up with any solution. So, she simply let the thought go with an internal laugh.

I wonder... She thought to herself. When... If I ever get out of here, will my hair be as long as Repunzel's? A few dozen feet long, trailing behind me several seconds after I walked out of the room? She laughed internally at that thought. Then groaned as she realized something. Oh no! Then that would make ME the princess! Agh! I can't have that happen! I'm supposed to be the one that climbs the tower to rescue the fair maiden trapped inside, and whisk her away to a happily ever after fairy tail ending! She wailed internally.

Luz's thought process froze, when she realized the image that had appeared in her head. Her scaling a tower, rescuing a princess, and running away together. Luz felt a tear roll down her cheek when she realized the princess trapped in a tower had purple hair, and golden eyes. Amity.

She let herself silently cry for a few moments, mourning the relationship she had lost. She missed Amity. She missed her a lot. Many of her days here, she spent thinking of the Purple Haired Witch. The feel of her warm hands, the sweet scent that followed her. After all, the nickname "Cotton Candy Haired Goddess" wasn't just because of her hair color, though it definitely helped.

No, Amity smelled of Sugar, of sweet candy. Her hair was soft and puffed up a bit, so luz had called it fluffy. And Amity radiated what Luz considered to be pure divine vibes. So, Cotton Candy Haired Goddess. It fit very well, Luz felt. She was just glad Amity never heard her say it. Despite Luz's awful predicament, she found herself blushing as she daydreamed about Amity again, slowly nodding off. Letting the dreamscape take her away, as she dreamt of going on a date with her girlfriend.