Faded
It all happened so fast. As Luz was being pulled up into the tree house by The Collector, she completely zoned out, her mind blocking out the danger. She accepts the fact that she may not make it out of this alive, and decides that's okay as long as everyone else is safe.
Suddenly, Luz comes out of her zoned out state and looks around. Floating above the giant maze, face to face with The Collector.
If I can connect with The Collector through my dreams, maybe I have a chance of getting out of this and saving everyone. The Collector is probably just lonely, an outcast, a weirdo like me…And us weirdos have to stick together.
"Alright, we're here. Are you ready to play Owl House?" The Collector asked.
"Yes, but before we play, I need to ask…Why are you doing all of this? You could do so much good with your powers, but you choose to play games with people and hurt them. I just want to understand." Luz replied.
The Collector thinks about this. They've never stopped to consider the consequences of their actions before, but they're intrigued by Luz's question.
"I just like games. Simple as that. And being trapped alone for so long and constantly being used as a tool got boring and frustrating. Now that I'm finally free, I just want to have some fun." The Collector said.
"I understand, but that's not an excuse. Your games are hurting people, and you need to realize that." Luz replied.
The Collector laughs, a manic laugh and Luz can tell they're hiding a lot of pain behind that forced smile.
"I'm hurting people? No, I'm the one who's been hurt. Anyway, remember our deal back in your dream? You said if I let everyone go, you would play games with me and tell stories. We can play together forever and I'll never have to be alone again." The Collector replied.
Hearing those words, Luz can tell The Collector is just a lonely child. She feels sorry for them, but it's hard to help someone who's lost themself.
"Okay. It's a deal. I'll go with you, but you need to let everyone go, and that includes King." Luz replied.
"You got it! Did you hear that King? I've got a new forever playmate." The Collector said.
The Collector moves their hand and suddenly King appears, slowly opening his eyes.
"Luz! You're okay!" King said.
"King! I missed you so much!" Luz replied.
Luz tries to reach out to hug King, but she's frozen in place.
"Goodbye King. It was nice playing with you, but I've got a new friend, and I'm never letting her go." The Collector said.
The Collector waves their hand again and King disappears in a starry blue haze without a trace.
Luz just stares in shock, tears welling up in her eyes as her last friend disappears.
"Okay that's all done, now we can go play!" The Collector said.
"Where did he go?" Luz asked.
"Back down to the ground with your friends and family. He'll be safe there. I promised I'd let everyone go if you come with me and I'm not a liar like Belos." The Collector said.
Luz wants to say something, to let all her anger out, but she knows that will only make things worse.
"Good. That's good…Thank you." Luz replied.
"You're welcome. Now let's go! We've only got the time frame of an average human lifespan of time to play together." The Collector said.
Luz nods, a hopeless expression on her face. She's given up on herself before, but her friends and family have always been there to help her. This time, she's truly alone and she never knew it would be this scary. She has to live with the fact that she'll never see her loved ones again, and that to her is a fate worse than death.
The Collector senses this strong sadness in Luz and can't help but be curious.
"Hey, why are you so sad? Isn't this what you wanted? You made the deal after all. And this way you won't hurt the people you love ever again because you'll be gone." The Collector said.
Luz looks down, tears streaming down her face. She knows everyone she cares about is just below the surface and can't help but feel this restless pull towards them, but there's a wall in her mind blocking her from true connection. It's isolating and comforting in a sad and strange way to know loneliness has become her only friend.
"Okay. I'm ready. Let's go." Luz replied.
The Collector smiles, overjoyed to have a human friend who will never leave their side. Yet they feel they should give their new friend one last chance to say goodbye.
"I'm excited to play, but I don't want you coming with me all sad. So I'll let you say goodbye to everyone before we go." The Collector said.
Luz smiles, it's a tired and sad smile, but she's just happy to see her friends and family one last time.
"Okay. Thank you." Luz replied.
The Collector takes Luz's hand and they both disappear into a starry blue haze. Luz sees stars all around her as they fade away into darkness which almost instantly changes into a bright ray of colors.
Before she knows it, Luz is on the ground again, with her friends and family waiting for her. The Collector floats about them all, watching with envy, wishing they had these kinds of connections.
Luz runs towards everyone, tears in her eyes and a big smile on her face. It's bittersweet, but she takes in all of it as she knows the moment is fleeting.
Luz is about to run into Amity's arms, but stops in her tracks. Silence overcomes her as she starts seeing stars again, a sharp pain in her chest as she stands there frozen.
Luz looks around at her friends and family as they stare at her in shock, tears in their eyes. She looks down, noticing a sharp jagged sword pierced through her chest. She barely has time to comprehend what's happening before her adrenaline wears off and she feels the pain and fear so intensely it's maddening.
"Luz! No!" Amity screamed.
The jagged sword is pulled out and Luz falls to her knees, then looks behind her to see who did this.
"Such a pity, another human life lost to corruption by these monsters. I'm sorry it had to end this way." Belos said.
Luz ignores Belos and looks to her friends and family one last time. Knowing this might be her last chance to see them, she lets out her final words.
"I'm sorry everyone. I love you…All so much…Please keep fighting…And never give up…" Luz said.