Nightmare
Luz flies above Bonesborough, looking down at the town that was once controlled by Emperor Belos. They have come so far in the last two years. During the Day of Unity, when everyone on the Boiling Isles was being drained of their magic, The Collector stopped the spell early which caused everyone's sigils to vanish. After The Collector was defeated, they slowly returned to an era of embracing wild magic.
It's been challenging, but most witches and demons are coming around to accept this change. Lilith has taken on the role of overseeing the government along with the previous coven leaders by her side. She's doing her best to guide everyone towards this new era of wild magic and make sure the balance between order and chaos is maintained.
Luz thinks about this and realizes even though it's been two years, with a big change like this, not everyone is going to agree this is the right path. Some will fight for things to go back to the way they were while others will embrace change for the worse and take advantage of the current system. The unknown enemy she's been fearing could very well be real and she doesn't want to let her guard down.
Once Luz arrives, she lands down next to the library and this time she's alone. She thinks about sending Amity a message to meet her there and she knows Amity would be happy to see her, but she can't shake the feeling that this time she needs to figure this out on her own.
Luz walks into the library with her palisman Azura on her shoulder, smiling as she realizes she's not completely alone. Then she sees Willow and Gus sitting at one of the tables. At first she wants to leave, but she hasn't seen her friends in a while and misses them. So Luz waves and walks over to the table.
"Willow, Gus, I'm so happy to see you!" Luz said.
Willow and Gus stand up and they all join in a group hug. Then they sit down together, Luz tries her best to hold back tears of joy.
"Luz, where have you been? We missed you!" Gus said.
"Yeah, Amity said you needed time alone but it's been so long since we've seen you. Is everything okay?" Willow asked.
Luz smiles, happy her friends still care so much about her. She always has this fear in the back of her mind that the people she loves will leave her, but seeing all the support she has, she knows that's not true.
"Well, to be honest, I was struggling. I had a lot of traumatic flashbacks and that's why I've been so distant. I'm so sorry I shut you both out, but I'm doing much better now. Actually, there's something I want to show you!" Luz replied.
With that, Luz pulls up her sweatshirt sleeve and focuses on her positive emotions, like the joy of being with her friends again and feeling a sense of belongingness. Then her scar glows and she creates a light glyph, holding it in her hands with a smile.
"I can do magic now! The power is fueled by my emotions though, so I have to focus on light emotions. Dark emotions led to me having those flashbacks again and I don't even want to find out what kind of power comes from those." Luz said.
Willow and Gus look at one another a bit concerned, but try to focus on the positives.
"Well, I'm glad you're doing better now. A human doing magic, it's incredible!" Gus replied.
"I'm sure you'll be okay, Luz. You just need to focus on light emotions. I know it's easier said than done. But if you ever find yourself back in that dark place, don't be afraid to reach out." Willow added.
Luz smiles, looking down at the little light she's created, feeling hopeful.
"You know what, you guys are right. I totally got this! And if I ever need help, I'll just use my support system." Luz replied.
Willow and Gus smile, glad to know Luz is seeing the bright side in all of this. She lost herself for a while, but is slowly starting to find herself as she reconnects with the people she loves.
Luz puts out her light glyph and sparks a conversation.
"Okay so I've got to know, are you both still learning different forms of magic? And which ones are your favorite?" Luz asked.
"Yes! I've been learning to use oracle magic and combined with illusion magic, I can create some interesting spells. Almost like premonitions because I can create an illusion of a person's future." Gus explained.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Luz replied.
"And I've been combining plant magic with healing magic. Since plants have medicinal uses, I've been learning to use them for healing. I've always used my plant magic for fighting but now I realize there's so much more to it." Willow said.
"And that there is the beauty of wild magic. More creative freedom and discoveries. I'm so glad you're both embracing change." Luz replied.
Luz looks at her scar and realizes she's changing too, but whether it be for better or for worse is up to her. She smiles, knowing she's growing and she's proud of herself.
Suddenly, Luz's palisman Azura moves her ears and shrieks a bit, sounding frightened. Luz knows when she does this, she can hear something far away that's loud and destructive.
"What's wrong Azura? Do you hear something?" Luz asked.
Azura responds with some quiet shrieks.
"Azura says there's something happening in the forest outside of Bonesborough, she can hear it. I need to go find out what's going on." Luz said.
Willow and Gus nod and stand up, ready to fight.
"We'll go with you." Gus said.
"No. I'll figure this out. Just stay here and keep everyone safe." Luz replied.
"Luz, you don't have to go alone and we're perfectly capable of fighting." Willow said.
Luz wants to let her friends help, just like old times, but she has a gut feeling this is something serious and the last thing she wants is for her friends to get hurt, or worse.
"I know you are, but this is something I need to do alone. Besides, Eda and Hunter are back at the Owl House so they'll be close by if I need help. I'll be okay." Luz replied.
Willow and Gus look at one another worried, then back at Luz.
"Okay, I hope you know what you're doing." Willow said.
"Stay safe, okay?" Gus added.
"I will. See you soon." Luz replied.
With that, Luz runs out the door and flies away on her palisman while Willow and Gus watch as she goes.
"I thought Luz was finally opening up again, but I guess not. Why does she think she needs to do everything alone?" Willow asked.
"Maybe she's just scared. She's been through a lot and I think she just wants to keep us safe. She'll come around, it might just take time." Gus replied.
"I hope you're right." Willow replied.
Luz flies towards the forest, listening for the destructive sounds that Azura said she heard and looking around for danger. Nothing, so she flies down to get a closer look.
"I don't see or hear anything, Azura. Are you sure you heard someone?" Luz said.
Azura just looks around confused but nods.
Then Luz hears an eerily familiar voice.
"Luz the human. I'm back and ready to play another game." The Collector said.
Luz immediately gets into a fighting stance, ready to defend herself but she doesn't see The Collector anywhere.
"Where are you? How are you here?" Luz yelled.
No answer.
Luz takes a deep breath, tapping into her glyph powers and trying to focus on her light emotions. Her scar flashes white and she's taken back to the moment when she defeated The Collector, feeling the pain of her need to sacrifice herself to save the people she loves. Her hurt turns to anger, overwhelming her with deep insecurities that she's kept buried for so long. Then the darkness starts to creep in and take control.
Luz's glyph scar turns black. Her eyes change to black as tears stream down her face. She starts floating in the air as black lighting surrounds her, flashing on and off.
Seeing her owner in distress, Azura flies back to the Owl House to get help.
"I'm over here Luz, come get me!" The Collector said.
Luz shoots black lightning where she heard The Collector's voice and ends up knocking down a tree. She laughs while crying, part of her clearly in pain and wanting to escape the darkness.
"Let me go!" Luz yelled.
Suddenly, Eda and Hunter show up with Azura. They stare in shock, saddened by the sight of Luz being controlled by the dark side of her powers. They both gather their courage, ready to help.
"Luz, I know you're in there. Remember, this darkness can't control you, it's your mind and you have the power to stop it. I'm here for you." Eda said.
"Come on, Luz. You can fight this! You never give up on anyone, so please don't give up on yourself." Hunter said.
Luz tries to fight it, but the darkness fights back.
"I can't…" Luz replied.
Suddenly, Willow, Gus, and Amity come running through the forest and join Eda and Hunter. Amity looks up at Luz in tears, wondering how she got to this point. Then she wipes her tears away and flies up to her on her palisman Ghost, unafraid.
"Luz, it's Amity. I'm here for you, we're all here for you, and we're not going anywhere. So please come back to us." Amity said.
Amity notices Luz's powers are beginning to fade as the black lightning around her stops. She floats there in silence, her eyes black with tears still falling but Amity can tell she's trying to come back.
Amity gives Luz a hug, holding her tight and trying to make the pain go away. Then Luz hugs her back, closing her eyes and letting her girlfriend help her find her way out of the darkness.
"That's it, Luz. You're going to be okay, just stay strong." Amity said.
Luz and Amity slowly float back down to the ground together. Then Amity looks her in the eyes as they change back to hazel. Amity smiles, relieved Luz is back.
Overwhelmed, Luz falls to her knees and breaks down in tears. Amity puts her arm around her while Eda, Hunter, Willow, and Gus sit down next to her. They let her cry, knowing it's hard but that it's what she needs to release the fear and pain.
Then, as Luz finds a moment of calm in the breakdown, she speaks up. Her voice trembles as she tries to find the words for what she's feeling.
"I'm broken..." Luz said.