Chapter 16
The Boiling Isles Part 3
For the past couple of hours, Molly stared up at the sky, admiring how beautiful it looked. Libby didn't feel the same though as she was cowering on the floor of the airship since heights are one of her greatest fears. That was when Molly decided to cheer up her girlfriend.
"Hey, Libby. Are you sure you want to stay down here? You are missing a beautiful view!" Molly said.
"I don't know, Molly! The view is probably going to be scary from how high up we are!" Libby trembled, not wanting to look up.
"That's what you're scared of?" Molly asked with an amused smile. "Have you forgotten when we watched the comet together with Scratch? We were pretty high up then! Not to mention we flew into space to save Amphibia not too long ago!"
As Molly pointed that out, Libby slowly showed her face as she stopped trembling.
"I promise you will enjoy the view! Trust me!" Molly offered Libby her hand.
With a smile, Libby took Molly's hand as she helped her up. Libby took one look at the sky and gazed in awe at the view.
Libby continued to hold Molly's hand as they both admired the sky together. It was at that moment when Molly turned to Libby, who's hair was blowing in the wind. This caused Molly to blush as she was attracted to how beautiful Libby looked. It wasn't long before Gus and Willow showed up as they wanted to tell Molly and Libby something.
"Hi, Gus! Hi, Willow!" Molly gave a friendly wave. "Can we help you?"
"Yeah! Luz wants you to meet her at the front of the airship." Willow replied.
"We are getting close to our destination! Follow us!" Gus said as he and Willow led Molly and Libby to the front of the airship.
Once they met up with Luz and the others, Molly and Libby noticed a structure in the distance.
"What is this place?" Molly asked, gazing at the structure.
"It is the Head of the Titan! That is where the Day of Unity will take place at!" Luz answered.
"It shouldn't be too much longer before we arrive." Alador announced.
At that moment, King noticed something flying towards the airship. "Huh? What are those flying creatures?"
As King pointed out the creatures, Molly and Libby took a closer look to realize that they were a gargoyle type of Heartless. Knowing that they won't be arriving without a fight, Molly and Libby summoned their keyblades.
"Dad, do you think you can steer clear of those monsters as we fight them off?" Amity asked.
"I'll do my best, Mittens!"
As Alador guided the airship through the army of Heartless, Molly and her friends decided to use their magic to take out the Heartless from a distance. Every second, more Heartless joined the battle as they started attacking the airship. The group of friends attacked with their best spells, but the Heartless ended up tearing the airship to pieces.
Before long, the airship lost its altitude and plummeted from the sky. Alador tried to regain control of the airship, but it was no use as it crashed to the ground.
The impact of the fall ended up destroying the airship, leaving nothing but smoke and broken parts. Molly and Libby coughed as they stumbled through the smoke.
"Is everyone okay?" Molly asked.
"Yes, we're fine!" Luz assured as she and her friends stepped out of the wreckage.
Everyone soon realized that the crash landed them on the Head of the Titan. Unfortunately, the Heartless that attacked them gave chase. Exhausted from their last battle from the Heartless, the group of friends braced themselves for the worst as the Heartless charged straight for them.
Suddenly, a harpy-like creature flew down towards the Heartless and slashed them with her claws.
"If you want to harm my friends, you'll have to get through me!" said the harpy in a familiar voice.
"Wait! Eda, is that you?" Libby asked, surprised to see Eda in her new form.
"That's right! You kids go on ahead while the rest of us handle things here!" Eda said as she and the rest of the witches got ready to fight the Heartless.
As the Heartless were distracted, Molly and her friends ran to take cover. Libby was soon taken off guard when she got tackled by one of the Heartless.
"Libby!" Molly gasped before slashing the Heartless with her keyblade.
"Thanks, Molly!" Libby sighed as Molly helped her up.
More Heartless were about to attack Molly and Libby before Luz and Amity stood in the way and destroyed them with their magic.
"Molly! Libby! You two go on while we deal with the monsters!" Amity yelled, despite how much Molly and Libby didn't want to leave their friends. "Don't worry! We'll be fine! Just go!"
With no other choice, Molly and Libby sneaked through a nearby passageway they led in the Head of the Titan. They both stumbled through a dark corridor before coming across a set of stairs. The stairs led to a room, where there was no doubt that Belos was waiting for them at.
Gathering up their courage, the girls walked up the stairs and entered the room. Before long, they found themselves face-to-face with Emperor Belos, himself. Belos wore a long white and brown cape and his face was covered by golden mask with a pair of horns.
"So, you've finally made it. I have been expecting you, Molly McGee and Libby Stein-Torres." Belos spoke, much to Molly and Libby's surprise.
"You know who we are?" Molly asked in shock.
"Indeed! A certain acquaintance of mine has told me all about you! I believe you two have already met him!"
At that moment, Molly and Libby heard a couple of footsteps walking towards them, and were both surprised to see that the acquaintance Belos spoke of was Xehanort.
"Xehanort? You're helping Belos?" Libby asked.
Xehanort nodded. "I merely wanted to tap into the limitless potential Belos had within. He is someone who embraces the darkness! Such darkness cannot go to waste!"
"I know why you have come here!" Belos spoke up. "You want to fight me and bring an end to the Day of Unity! It would be foolish to go up against me, but I suppose I can't stop you! Try not to disappoint me!"
Once Belos took out his staff, Molly and Libby summoned their keyblades, ready for their battle. Belos started off the fight by firing lightning at Molly and Libby, to which they swiftly dodged. They both rushed towards Belos and swung their keyblades at him, but he easily blocked both of them with his staff before pushing them aside. He once again attacked them with magic, nearly hitting them this time.
Libby soon swung her keyblade, to which Belos once again blocked, but was taken by surprise when Molly showed up and slashed him across the mask with her keyblade. Belos stumbled back in surprise by the impact as cracks began to form across the mask. Even though they couldn't see his expression, Molly and Libby could tell that Belos was unfazed by the attack by his chuckling.
"Impressive! It seems that I have underestimated you two!"
"Please! It doesn't have to be this way!" Molly tried to reason with Belos. "Just leave the witches alone! You are a witch too, aren't you?"
"A witch?" Belos repeated. "You still haven't figured it out? I am nothing like them! I am actually a human!"
It was at that moment when the mask fell off and Belos's face was finally revealed. He had a green scar across his face and had long brown hair that reached down to his shoulders. Both, Molly and Libby were surprised by this revelation.
"A human?" Libby repeated. "I don't understand!"
"Allow me to explain! I was once a witch hunter named, Philip Whittebane!" Belos explained. "It was thanks to an entity known as, The Collector that I was able to find out about the draining spell. Now, after so long, my wait is finally over! Just take a look outside!"
With that, Belos summoned a portal that showed Molly and Libby what was going on outside, revealing that the draining spell was already in effect. Molly and Libby were both horrified to see countless innocent witches dying as they slowly disintegrated from the draining spell.
The portal disappeared before Molly finally found her voice. "Stop it! Can't you see you are killing them?!"
"This is for the good of humanity! It is a small price to pay for justice!" Belos replied with cold indifference.
"Justice?! Justice?!" Libby yelled with rage filled tears in her eyes. "This isn't justice! It's genocide! You're not a hero! You're a murderer! A monster!"
"Do not listen to them, Belos!" Xehanort spoke up. "Embrace the darkness from within you! Only then will you become more powerful than ever!"
A sinister grin formed on Belos's face as a dark aura appeared around him. "Yes! All witches shall die by my hand!"
"Molly, what's happening?" Libby asked, noticing the dark aura around Belos.
"Belos is being consumed by the darkness in his heart!" Molly answered, raising her keyblade in defense.
Soon, the staff began to get consumed in darkness as well. As Belos fired a blast of darkness at Molly and Libby, they used reflect spells on each other, sending the spell flying towards the ceiling instead. This created a hole, revealing the eclipse causing the draining spell.
As they looked up at the sky, Molly and Libby knew that they needed to do something to stop the eclipse. Out of desperation, they raised their keyblades and fired a beam at the eclipse. This created a light that blocked the moon.
"Do you think that stopped the draining spell?" Libby asked Molly.
"I think so!" Molly guessed, despite not being outside to see what was going on.
"It doesn't matter! Once I deal with you two, the draining spell will take its effect once more! Let's see how long your light can protect you!" Belos then blasted Molly and Libby back with a lightning spell.
Both, Molly and Libby felt weak after getting hit by the spell. Neither of them were able to stand as Belos stepped closer to them. He raised his staff, ready to finish them off before he got hit by an ice glyph spell.
That was when Luz and Amity came running to Molly and Libby's aid. Despite how weak they were, they managed a couple of smiles, happy to see that their friends were alright.
"Don't worry, Molly and Libby! We're here!" Luz assured as she helped Molly and Libby back up, allowing them to heal each other.
"Thanks, Luz! We're glad that you are both okay!" Molly smiled.
"What about the others? Did we manage to stop the draining spell?" Libby asked.
"Don't worry! Everyone is fine!" Amity assured. "Luz and I came to save you once the draining spell stopped!"
After making sure her friends were okay, Luz got her glyphs ready before turning to face Belos.
"It's over, Belos! Your plan has failed!" Luz yelled.
"Ah, Luz! I was wondering when you would show up! Unfortunately, your magic is still no match for me! Thanks to the power of darkness, I have become more powerful than ever!"
As Belos said that, the dark aura around him began to consume him as he slowly turned into a shadowy form of his former self.
"Wh-What? What's happening to me?"
Xehanort maintained his sinister smile, as if he knew this was going to happen. Before long, Belos turned into a shadow creature as his eyes turned blank yellow. A pair of demon horns formed on his head as well. Upon seeing Belos in his new form, Molly and Libby realized that Belos had fully succumbed to the darkness as he became a Heartless of his former self.
With a monstrous screech, Belos charged at the group of friends, running on all fours like a wild animal. Molly and her friends dodged Belos's beast-like swipes from his claws before countering with magic. Remembering what they learned from their battles with the Heartless, Luz and Amity combined a fire spell and ice spell, filling the room with fog. Belos searched the fog for his enemies before Molly and Libby hit him with their lightning spells.
Soon, Luz and Amity began to hit Belos with their most powerful spells as well. Belos let out a roar before knocking everyone back with his claws and firing powerful blasts of darkness. Thinking fast, Molly used a reflect spell on all of her friends, deflecting all of the spells right back at Belos. This distracted Belos long enough for Molly and Libby to rush at him and slash him with both their keyblades at once.
With a scream of pain, Belos collapsed to the floor as his Heartless form faded away. Everyone approached the center of the room to make sure Belos was truly gone.
"Is he gone?" Amity asked.
"It seems so. Belos was corrupted by the darkness and ended up becoming the monster he was on the inside." Molly explained.
"He wasn't able to control the darkness." came the voice of Xehanort as he approached the group of friends.
Upon noticing Xehanort for the first time, Luz stood in front of her friends to protect them. "Who are you?"
"Just someone who seeks balance in the world." Xehanort replied before brining his attention to Molly and Libby. "I see that you two have gotten a lot stronger. Much stronger than Belos was! Why resist the darkness when you can unleash its power?"
"There is no way we would accept the darkness, Xehanort!" Molly refused.
"Yeah! You clearly don't know Molly at all if you think she would ever submit to the darkness!" Libby yelled.
"Hmm. Perhaps you are right! One could even say her light is pure! I would have to remember that!"
"What are you talking about?" Molly raised a confused eyebrow.
Xehanort ignored Molly as he retreated through a corridor of darkness. The moment Xehanort left, a keyhole suddenly appeared, shining light in the once dark room. While Luz and Amity were wondering what that keyhole was supposed to be, Molly and Libby raised their keyblades and fired a beam of light at the keyhole, saving the Boiling Isles from the Heartless.
"What just happened?" Amity asked, surprised by what she just saw.
"Well, with the Day of Unity gone, the Heartless shouldn't bother you anymore." Libby explained. "Let's go check on our friends!"
At that moment, Molly and her friends made their way outside to make sure everyone was okay. Much to their relief, everyone managed to survive the draining spell.
Before she had to leave, Molly decided to have one last conversation with her friends. That was when Molly realized that Libby wasn't anywhere to be seen. She looked around to see Libby sitting on the ground with a sad expression.
"What's wrong with your friend?" Eda asked as she took notice of Libby. "She should be happy that we managed to take down Belos!"
"I think seeing the draining spell nearly kill everyone really affected Libby." Molly explained.
"I can't say I blame her!" Lilith stepped forward. "Even after his defeat, there is no doubt that Belos's actions would still affect all of us! Go to her! Your friend now needs you more than ever!"
Molly nodded before she approached Libby. As Libby sat in silence, Molly sat down on the ground next to her, both of them watching the sky. They both sat in silence before Libby finally decided to speak.
"Molly, I told you that my great-grandparents were World War II survivors, haven't I?" As Libby asked her that question, Molly gave a silent nod, paying attention to what she had to say. "Just knowing what my ancestors had to go through during that dark time still haunts me to this day! I'm glad that we managed to save the witches from the draining spell, but it still sickens me that there are awful people in the world like Belos!"
Despite how positive Molly is all the time, she knew that she couldn't argue with what Libby had to say. Even she was aware of how there are those in the world who give in to the darkness.
"Do you think we are truly strong enough to overcome the darkness, Molly?" Libby asked.
Molly thought carefully for what she would say next since she knew that not even she could put a positive spin on this. "I'm not going to lie. There are those who give into the darkness like Belos. But one thing I do know is that even in the darkest times, there will always be a light that will never go out! I promise that as long as we are together, we will both overcome the darkness and save our friends and families!"
Suddenly, Libby embraced Molly in a tight hug as she started to cry. Molly immediately hugged her back in an effort to comfort her.
"Thank you, Molly! I'm glad to have you by my side! I don't know what I would do without you!"
Libby cried on Molly's shoulder for a couple of moments as Molly comforted her the whole time. A couple of moments had passed before Libby calmed down and wiped the rest of the tears from her eyes. With the Boiling Isles saved, Molly and Libby decided to say one last goodbye to their friends.
"You're leaving already?" Gus was sad to see his friends go.
"I'm afraid so. Molly and I have to move on and protect others from the darkness." Libby explained.
"Well, we are happy we got to make wonderful friends like you!" Willow smiled.
"Even though I haven't known you two for very long, I'm glad I got to meet you!" King waved goodbye.
Luz and Amity were the last ones to say goodbye to Molly and Libby.
"Thanks for everything! We hope you two would finally have your date once you get back home!" Amity said.
"I'm sure that we will, Amity!" Molly smiled. "We hope that you and Luz would be able to go on more dates when you travel to the human realm as well!"
"Thanks, Molly! We'll never forget you two!" Luz said.
After saying their goodbyes, Molly and Libby returned to their gummi ship and took off into the sky. As the Boiling Isles disappeared in the distance, Molly and Libby continued on to the next part of their journey.
AN: So, this chapter is the last chapter for The Owl House part of the story. Yes, I know that this isn't how the second season of the show ended, but for the sake of continuing the story, I'm just going to let Luz and her friends have their happy ending! Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, and I hope to publish the next chapter soon!