Luz pressed the record button on her phone, then stood in her room, looking to make sure she was still in frame as she stepped back. The phone's camera was able to still see her, so she nodded at it, and began to record what she had found.
"After Lilith and I went back in time and met Philip Wittebane, I never wanted to look into his journal again. But, after a few weeks, I realized that despite my feelings, there was a chance that his journal held secrets about Emperor Belos. The source of his power. And, it could also hold lots of his knowledge on the glyphs I use. I may be a fast learner, but knowledge on the old method of magic is limited. Having someone's notes to use could help quite a bit."
Luz began pacing around the room as she talked "That was 3 weeks ago, and working with the echo mouse late at night, when no one would know what I was doing, I continued to learn. I was worried that Eda or Lilith would stop me, being concerned about my feelings. But stopping Belos is all that matters right now. I need to keep everyone safe..."
Pressing her hands together, Luz nervously twiddled her thumbs, looking back to her phone. "So far, I have not learned much useful information on Belos. I think this journal was written before Philip took on that false persona. And as a result, it won't have any secrets to Belos's strength. However, I have made one discovery in his journal! Something that could really tip the scales in our favor if I can figure it out."
She sat down in front of the phone now, pulling up different papers and notes that Luz herself had now made. Recreating Philip's journal, and adding her own notes.
"Philip is a researcher. He studies, and gathers knowledge over time. And part of that research led him to investigating forbidden and taboo magics. Philip will do anything to become a great witch hunter, and he deems nothing too extreme... I don't like his methods, but they get results."
"When Philip arrived in the Isles, most magic was allowed to be used without issue. Only one type was banned, and for good reason. It was dangerous. Over time, Belos banned more types of magic, things that worried him, and concerned him if someone used it against him. Most of those types of magic, Eda already knows how to use. So, I have not bothered to look into those, as it would just be a waste of time."
Luz's expression became serious, as she looked at the camera. "However, in my own research, following Philip's journal, and from books I have carefully swiped from The Forbidden Stacks at the Bonesborough library, I have made a lot of progress in discovering the one truly forbidden magic. Philip made a lot of progress too, about the same amount I have made..."
Luz lifted a journal of her own, showing it to the camera. "With the echo mouse, I finally reached the end of Philip's journal. I was able to cover everything he knew, and re-record it for my own use. In the event that this journal is damaged, lost, or something else, I have also recorded every image that the echo mouse showed me on my phone. It's memory was starting to get full, so I am glad we reached the end. That means I still have enough space to make my own archives."
Luz placed her journal down, and lifted a new paper into view. On this paper was a portion of a glyph combo. She then showed 3 more just like it. Each was a quarter of a complete spell circle. "This is what I was able to learn of a glyph combo that has been forbidden since long long ago. This glyph combo is for a spell to alter time. From what my research has shown, the name of the spell has been lost to time. However, I have made the decision to give it a name of my own!"
"I call it Chronological Repentance!" She said with a bright smile, pride evident in her features at the name. "Chronological is a human term, at the very least. I do not know if this word exists in the Boiling Isles or even in the entire demon realm. Chronological means to set things in the order in which they happened. For example, a calendar sets the days in a chronological order, from earliest to latest. Another example would be a book series, like the Azura series. Each book takes place after the previous. That means that the books are written in chronological order. I hope that makes sense" She said, scratching at the back of her neck as she realized she went into yet another nerdy explanation.
"And Repentance is another term from the human realm. I believe it exists here, but in case it doesn't, or if it has a different meaning, I will explain what it means to me." Luz continued her explanation, this time however, some of the excitement left her voice. Some, not all. It was still a great name. "Repentance means to repent, or repay for all your wrongdoings. For example, if two groups broke out into a war, the losing side would have to pay repentance to the victor, as a way of showing their apology, and a way of showing they will do better in the future. Another example would be if you committed a bad crime, and willingly submit yourself to the authorities, because you regret what you did. You would then be repenting for your actions."
Luz took a deep breath, then continued her explanation. "I gave the spell this name, because of what it does, and why I would be casting it. The spell requires two people to work. Two people to agree on what reparations must be paid to properly show one's remorse. To repent. The spell must be activated by the individual that needs to fix their mistakes, as a way of showing their devotion to their apology. However, the caster is not apologizing to the one that is in the spell with them. That second person only acts as a form of audit, or judge. They help define the lengths that one must go to prove themselves, and then, that person is left with the caster to ensure they do as they promised."
"If I were to cast the spell on Belos, I would not be repenting to him. He would simply act as the anchor for the spell. My repentance can be towards any wrong I have committed. Any act I need to correct... Luckily for me, I make a lot of mistakes. I have done many things wrong... So, I should have more than enough actions to correct, to be able to use the spell." Luz ended her thought with a nervous chuckle.
"With this spell, I can change what I did wrong. I can finally go back and fix every mistake I ever made since coming to the boiling Isles. Everyone that got hurt because of me will no longer be hurt. Everyone that had their lives ruined because of me, will no longer struggle. Every action I made that caused more and more problems will be undone... With this spell, I can completely cure the Isles and everyone on it from my presence... My faults... My flaws... From me.
"But that's enough for theories, and the reason for the spell's name. I should get onto how it works..." Luz stated, standing again, and returned to pacing around the room. "This spell allows the caster, and the one it was cast on, to alter time together .So that the caster can atone for their wrong doings, in the order they caused them. It reverts time to the first mistake that person feels they made. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, is returned to how they were at the point in time that the spell targets. Their appearance, injuries, curses, memories, everything is reverted. Unless the spell is modified to change that."
"If I cast the spell as is, everyone would go back to how they were, and it would just simply be a repeat of the same actions. The Day of Unity would still happen, and Belos would still most likely win. Because no one would remember that they needed to stop him. For this purpose, I have modified the spell. It wasn't easy, but I figured out how. By creating glyph combos ahead of time, I can change the spell to leave out specific factors to specific people. I have decided that for the sake of ease, the only thing I will not change is memories of these individuals. Sending them back in time with their new appearances could cause problems..." Luz said with a nervous laugh.
"The people immune to the memory altering portion are those that have a mutual love between me and them. This isn't necessarily a romantic love, but love nonetheless. Afterall, you know me. I am a total sap for the emotional aspects in big moments." Luz laughed genuinely this time. "That means if I care about them enough to risk my life to save them, and they cared about me enough to look past my infinite amount of flukes, flaws, mistakes, accidents and messes, then their memories will not be altered."
"The second change I made is that anyone saved from the memory altering will appear in a location they all consider safe. A place where they will be able to safely speak about what happened, without any concern of others overhearing them, or any worry of accidentally spoiling something that should happen for someone." Luz took a deep breath. "I am making this video for both myself, and those that are affected by it. I have made the spell tied to my phone. When it is complete, my phone will appear in the same place as all those saved from the memory altering, showing this video. It will allow them to understand what I did."
Luz began tearing up now, as she sat in front of the phone again, leaning close. "I am not sure if I really want to use this spell... It scares me. But, I will do anything to save those I care about. And I would do even more to fix the messes I have made. Even if it means sacrificing my own life to do it. I need to fix my mistakes. I alone need to pay for my actions. At any cost. I will make things right. So, if I finish this spell, I will use it... However, the spell is not complete. It requires a 5th glyph. One that we have not found yet. Lilith, Eda and I had considered that the 4 glyphs we found were all there were. However, in my research, I have learned of a 5th glyph."
"Learned of it. I do not know it yet, unfortunately. That would certainly help in our fight if I did. The glyph is known as the Glyph of Power. Alone, it does nothing as far as I can tell. But when included in a glyph combo, it increases its strength 10 fold. This glyph was one of the forbidden magics from before Philip arrived. Lost to time, and removed from almost all physical records. It was too easy for a spell to go out of control when using it, and lead to lots of pain and anguish. Much like my presence... However, in order to alter time, this glyph is needed."
"I do not know when I will find it, or if I ever will. But if I do, I will use it to repair all the damage I caused. I will use it to save my family. I refuse to let Belos win, and let Belos hurt them. Not when I am the reason that he learned the light glyph. Not when it's my fault that he is casting the draining spell."
Luz sighed, laying her head against her table that the phone was on, letting it land with a *thump*. "I suppose I should stop procrastinating and explain the results of the spell." She said, her voice muffled due to her position. She sat back up, her expression tense. "The spell makes a deal. An agreement between the caster, and the receiver. Time will freeze for everyone outside of the spell, and the two inside will take all the time they need to come to a mutual agreement. This agreement determines how the caster will repent, and the receiver gets to determine the extent of their repentance. "
"I already know what my half would be. What I am unsure of would be what Belos would decide. I know he can not dispute what I decide, as it is my spell to cast. So, anything I state will be guaranteed to happen. Since I could never guess what Belos would demand in his twisted mind, I will simply state the conditions I would include."
"1. Those excluded from the memory wipe would be kept safe. Belos would be unable to persecute them, and he would be bound by oath to not pursue them or harm them. Not even to interact with them. At least, not on his own. He can not be the one to initiate any contact. Only if they approach him, will he be able to respond."
"2. Belos will be unable to complete the day of Unity Spell. Well, at least not be able to use it to harm any witches. He will have to find an entirely new way to complete his plan."
"3. Belos will be unable to kill me, or any that are protected from the spell. Bound by oath, he is unable to participate in even the slightest bit in their deaths. Be it from his coven attacking them, or him, it won't work. This spell is an even stronger version of a sacred oath. They will be safe.
"4. And finally, these conditions will stay in effect so long as I live. Belos will be stuck with my decisions so long as I am alive. And since he can not kill me, as long as I don't develop some terminal illness, Belos will essentially be trapped for the next 80 or so years."
"It took him centuries to create his current plan. I suspect he will simply want to wait for me to die, before continuing it. It would be easier than making a whole new plan.. I am sure he will try to find loopholes in this spell, but from what I can see, the sheer power of this spell prevents him from doing that."
"So, that brings us to the final part of my little video journal entry..." Luz said, taking a deep breath, and wiping the tears from her eyes. "If you are seeing this video, that means I casted the spell. I am hiding it in my phone, so that the only way anyone besides me will see this is if the spell shows it to them."
"This means that those of you watching, I have bought you, hopefully, 80 years to come up with a plan to defeat Belos. Know that I am alive. Because if I were not, the spell would not work. I do not know what Belos's half of the spell is, but so long as I do not break his demands, and meet his requirements, he is unable to break mine. This spell will be in effect so long as I obey what he demands of me. And, as such, there is a decent chance I will not see any of you again."
"For that, I am sorry. I would say goodbye to each of you, but since I do not know who the spell saved, I am unable to do that. I only know that we each share a love for one another. And for that, I am eternally grateful. You have no idea what it means to me that those of you watching love me enough to forgive me, despite all the wrongs I made. All the problems I caused. However, I can't let my actions go unpunished. And, I can't let people get hurt just to save me. So, please, do not try to find me. Let me repent. My repentance, my apology, my actions, are for those of you who still remember me. I give my most emphatic remorse to you. For not being able to save you, for not being able to keep you safe. And most of all, for being the reason that you were all in danger in the first place. Using Chronological Repentance, I am now using this power to do what I could not before. Those of you here watching this video are safe now."
"I love you all, more than you can possibly ever know. Once the spell is completed, I will know who it saved. Know that I will always be thinking of you, and will remember you for the rest of my days. Belos and I will still have our memories as well. So, it is up to you who are watching to stop him. I am sorry that I can not be there to help. But I hope that my spell will allow you to make whatever progress you do make, unhindered. Unopposed. My spell should make Belos powerless to stop you. He would not even be able to defend himself should you attack him. However, that won't stop his guards from having their own free will. So long as he does not order them to attack you, they can do as they please. So, please, do not just rush him. Take your time. You have 80 years to stop him. Use as much of that time as you need. Los amo a todos. Gracias por estar en mi vida."
Luz then turned to the phone, tears on her face. She smiled happily, her big toothy grin. She knew that if this video was being watched, that those who saw it were safe. She saved them. And that they would probably miss her. So, she wanted the last image they have of her to be her smile. Eda always told her it was infectious. All Luz could do was hope that was true, as she pressed the button to end the video.
Taking a deep breath, Luz turned to her notes and journal. She completed the last things she would need. Tomorrow was the day of unity. She only hoped that she would be able to learn the last glyph in time.
"Time to make things right"
