1600s Boiling Isles
"Those Barbarians. Those... WITCHES!" Philip's yell echoed thought out the cave before punching his fist into a rock as it bruised a bit before he was pulling out the object he managed to get and was about to interact with it when... a scream came from outside as Philip had an annoyed look as he turned around and saw his family's servant Camila rushed in holding her arm in pair.
"I need it now..." "Did you get what I needed?" Camila then reached into her pocket and handed him a bag of body parts she managed to steal from the night market Philip took the palisman he had in his bag and tossed it aside as Camila quickly started searching for it on the floor before breaking it and inhaling its essence.
"Thank you." "Your welcome," Philip said with disgust "But I'm still worried about Caleb, shouldn't we be searching for him? You were the last one to see him when you and he went back to that lake." Camila asked with concern. "It doesn't matter, I just need to live long enough to see this through..." He replied before taking out the round object he got and placing his hand on it as a projection appeared on the wall on suns and moons with a figure in the middle looking at him. "And you're going to help me, Collector."
"You mean help us..." Camila replied while looking at the collector. "El sol y la luna... magnÃfico"
Years Later
"Are you sure about this Philip?" Camila asked while she was putting on a white cloak. "Of course, they'll surely listen to its messenger if it's the Titan they believe in." "I know how much Caleb meant to you but isn't this too far?" She asked him while looking at what would be the first of many golden guards as he was preparing a few explosives. "Yes, and I promise you that you'll get your life when you help me finish my goal."
"He says he can talk to the titan?" "The titan's been dead for years." A few civilians said as a crowd gathered as Philip stood on top of a stage Camila stood by him as he spoke. "Citizens I have received word from the titan that your magic doings have angered it. Camila then lit a few premade fireworks as they exploded into nine types of colors. "Behold the healing light which shines in nine hues!"
The crowd was astonished when soon a few explosions went off a bit early causing the stage to burn and collapse Camila managed to get away while Philip was quickly crushed and consumed by the flames. "Run run with your lives!" The crowd was in a panic as Camila then took Philip's makeshift staff before shining a bright red light on it. as she spoke trying to calm them down.
"Uh... Fellow citizens, quickly follow me to safety and protection!" "Well, they claim to talk to the Titan..." Soon all the townspeople were out of the fire and destroyed city while Camila walked into an alleyway. "What happened?" The golden guard asked as Camila took Philip's mask she had managed to save from the fire and quickly wore it before letting her hair flow out as she spoke with the lowest voice she could.
"You fool! I said to set it off after my signal!" Camila said before hitting his head with the top of the staff. "I'm sorry Lord Belos but what do we do with the rest?" He asked before showing Camila the rest of the explosives as she tried to think like him as the young adult simply would see Camila as nothing but as a simple servant. "Take what you can and then we move on to the next town."
Centuries Later
"Please forgive me about what happened if you let me explain I'm sure you can... ARGHH!" The thirteenth golden guard then screamed before being denigrated into bones and ash as Belos took off her mask tears leaking out of her eyes she looked at her now-rotting scar that was starting to expand as she then cleared the table before looking into Philip's book and blueprints before taking a few items. "How many more do I need to make before they can be perfect?" She asked herself before rubbing ointment and makeup over her scar to cover it as she looked at her ears which were cut and shaped into those of a witch while holding her pregnant stomach.
"Hunting Palismen"
"I need more." "Ma'am that was the last of our reserves." A scout told her as Belos sent him away before summoning the Golden Guard. "Yes Lord Belos?" "I need you to find more palismen, I hate saying this but I don't care how you get them just make sure it's enough until the scouts can search the forests."
"And what about..." "No don't tell Luz about this she has enough trouble at school as it is, I don't want her worrying about me, just don't tell her Hunter, promise me." "Of course." He said before leaving while Belos then looked at a photo of Luz and a human girl during grom night the same human that ended up destroying the portal. "I told you that all I needed was the portal from you, but you wouldn't understand my reason..."
"So you're saying that you snuck off with Hunter, working with the enemy, and then attacked Kikmora?" The empress asked as Luz tried to explain. "Mama please you don't have to use live ones that's all I'm saying," Luz said as Belos sighed. "Just go to your room and stay there until I call you back but I'll make it up to you, Hunter won't be punished... for now."
Luz then ran up and hugged her. "Thank you for understanding," Luz said as Belos took off her mask and gave her a slight kiss on the forehead before ordering a guard to lead her back she then paced and thought for a bit.
"Eclipse Lake"
"How come you always send Hunter on and Kikimora on these missions but not me I can handle myself like during that basilisk attack at school," Luz asked as Belos sat o her throne. "Mija this is dangerous for you, but the portal is important for me, for our family do you still remember those stories I told you of the human realm?"
"Not really?" "Well let me start from my experience," Belos said before telling Luz about it.
After a few hours, Hunter came back with the key. "Some of the titan's blood did spill but if I can explain..." "I don't need your explanation, but it's still enough for the Day of Unity, you can leave now Hunter."
Hunter then bowed before walking away and after a few minutes, the voice she heard came back again. "What do you want now collector?" She asked in annoyance "Hey, just want to know how long till you rip that kid in half?" "I'm not that person anymore and even if I was he's been very loyal unlike the others and starting to build a friendship with my child."
"Yeah, a kid who has been waiting to come out for nearly decades!" The collector said while laughing. "I'm just glad she's one hundred percent human, and even if this immortality ends Hunter will still be there to look after her."
"Hollow Mind"
"What did you do to the other guards? To our Family?!" Hunter asked as he, Luz, and Amity had accidentally ended up in her mind and seen the atrocities she had done as well as a graveyard full of golden guard masks and flowers when Belos's inner-self had just used them to capture a monster made up of the souls of palisman as she had just soothed it to sleep. "Oh, Hunter... I hoped I wouldn't have to do this again but you always were the kindest to me just like you used to be." "What?" He said in confusion before slowly sinking under as Luz and Amity tried to help but to no avail.
"Mom... WHY!?" "Oh don't worry, when you get back I'll make sure you won't remember a thing, and this will all be nothing but a bad..." Camila then screamed as she was hit by a fireball Amity then grabbed Luz as the two then ran away from her as flesh-like tendrils then grabbed Amity and pinned her to a wall. "I won't let you get in my way again!" Camila yelled before her arm then shifted into a blade and swung down as Luz quickly went in front of it.
"LUZ!" "MIJA!" Luz held her face as blood leaked from her wound while Amity got out and quickly went to her protection and aid. "I didn't mean to mean to I didn't... AGHHH!" Camila then screamed before shifting and changing through her many faces from her past, from a young child, a teenager, Philip, Caleb, her mother, and everyone she ever saw before stopping and falling onto her knees.
Amity then helped Luz get up as a hand then burst through the ground as Hunter had managed to climb his way out just as a teleportation spell to get out of the mindscape as the trio then walked towards it while Camila stood up Amity quickly reached for a glyph. "Go... just... leave... I won't stop you." The three then left as Belos was now on her own in her mind she then screamed and fell to the floor breaking into tears.
"King's Tide"
"Mom please stop this..." Luz pleaded as Camila simply put her inside a bubble.
"That should keep you safe while the Day of Unity commences." "You're a monster!" Camila stopped before looking at her. "Who helped you learn about this place? Taught you everything about magic? I'm just trying to protect you!" She yelled before clutching her hand as it began to morph as she started wearing Philip's old suit.
"A bit tight but it will do, now to tie up loose ends." She then grabbed the moon mirror as the Collector started speaking. "Hey what are you doing!? You said you'd free me!" "Yes but I need the titan's blood to get back home also... I think it's better that you stay where you are, who knows the reason why they put you in there?"
Camila said before simply tossing it off the edge as she then used broke the key as the blood spilled into a small jar which then started to charge the portal door. "Come along now Luz... Luz?" She looked and saw that the bubble had popped as Amity had found and freed her. "The Blight girl, right? Well, I suppose you can come along as well."
"Not until you stop the draining spell!" "Oh, I don't believe that's possible, once it started it can't be reversed but look on the bright side at least some of them will be alive after this, I'm not a bad person Amity."
"Try explaining that to the witches who are going to die!" "I'm saving humanity from this place! Without magic, witches, and demons then anyone who comes across this Infernal place won't have to suffer as I have!" She yelled as Amity stood behind Luz holding a glyph.
"You can't stop me..." Camila said before simply throwing amity across a table with a flick of her finger. "May I remind you that there is only enough titan's blood for one single trip so once the door closes it won't reopen again." Amity simply ignored her warning and quickly attacked her only for her to block it. "Pathetic, haven't you learned anything from our last encounter?
"Yeah, I have," Amity replied before slamming her in the face with an ice glyph causing her to fall into a workbench as a coven glove fell on her arm branding. "No... NO!" Camila screamed before it began to spread onto her. "If you tell me how to stop the spell I'll..." "Luz, Mija help me..." Camila pleaded as Luz whimpered Camila screamed in pain as the sigil began to spread until she quickly morphed into her cursed form. "I like you Amity but now you've crossed a line!"
Camila then quickly chased her as Luz tried to stop her only for Camila to simply shove her aside before trying to attack her only to be restrained by the rest of Amity's friends till she was pinned down. "You'll pay for this and Caleb I can't believe you're with them after everything I did for you!" Camila told Hunter as she then broke free. "This ends now!" She said before lifting her arm and slamming it down at them only for it to be stopped by a strange odd child-like person Camila changed back as her face was full of fear.
"Collector you're free..." "And I remember someone tossing me off a bridge." Camila then looked at the rest of the kids. "You have no idea what you've..."
"Tag your it!" The collector said before tapping Camila in the face as she flew into a wall splattering all over it. "MOM!" Luz cried out as the collector then quickly started reshaping the isles into his own image as they then fled through the portal door a piece of goo landed on Luz's shoulder as they then entered the human realm and soon they were all standing in a patch of grass as Luz looked at the night sky and it was just as her mother described it.
Bright with lots of stars and crickets chirping in the peaceful night as she then fell to her knees and broke into tears.
Let me know what your thoughts are.
