I thought of two versions of the same story. This is the one where the Collector grows up with Luz in the Human Realm.
I walked through the In Between, a Titan aimlessly looking through several of the reflection cubes, as I like to call them. I felt as though I'd been trapped here for millennia, a result of my own rash decisions and poor judgment, as I'd come to learn for myself, and now the land I inadvertently created was in danger. Every time I check on someone on the Isles, I find himself growing more furious at the madman named Belos.
I'd been keeping an eye on the former human ever since he'd arrived in the Demon Realm. I didn't know what to expect from him. Whereas his brother, Caleb, had been earnest and genuine in his newfound love of the Demon Realm, Philip had only found chaos and something he called "devil's work", cultivating a hatred for everything around him, even his own kin.
I sighed, trying to clear my head of the mad despot ruling over my corpse, when I heard another voice in the infinite trench I traversed. It sounded young, but I knew better. The voice belonged to a being, possibly older than even myself. The Collector.
Normally, I'd turn around, walk away from yet another regret I forced upon myself. But something stopped me. I listened to the words he said. And the words spoken back to him.
"You have everything you need," The Collector said, looking at an oddly glowing tablet. "Now set me free! You promised!"
"Now, Collector, I said I'd free you once the draining spell is complete," the voice of Belos said back. My fist clenched, anger flooding me as it did every time I heard his voice. "After all, there are still several witches that need to be captured before the spell can be commenced,"
"Oh, fine, but can we play a game while we wait?" The Collector asked.
"Oh, I very much wish that I could, but I'm far too busy for now," I almost laughed at the thought. A genocidal witch hunter playing hide and seek with an extra dimensional child. "Farewell for now, Collector. I shall return in a few days' time,"
"See ya later, Philip," the Collector waved as the tablet grew dark. The valley grew quiet. without Philip and the Collector talking, leaving me to reflect on my own thoughts. I couldn't know that with one sentence, I'm setting history on a new course.
"You know he's lying, right?" I asked cautiously, gaining the child's attention. I could see his shadow glance in my direction, before scowling at the sight of me.
"What do you know?" he spat, turning away from me.
"I know that man doesn't care about you, even a little," I offered.
"Oh, and you do?" the Collector asked sarcastically. "The Titan who locked me away actually does care?" I couldn't help but hesitate. The words he spoke had to be the right ones, after all.
"I always cared," I began, remembering the day he'd seen the Collector for the first time. Hearing this, the celestial being in question turned around. "When we first met you, you told us how you didn't know your parents, that you'd come here because you wanted someone to play with. I had intended then and there to provide you with a home if you had asked. And I was even going to offer it to you," I looked down, feeling ashamed of what happened next. "But I had started to notice my brothers and sisters disappearing, one by one. I had asked my older children to look after you and the others while I hid my last egg away as a precaution," I paused, trying my best to look the Collector in the eyes. "I came back and all my children were gone, only you remained.
"I was furious with grief. I had lashed out, believing you were responsible for what happened and locked you away, using up most of my life force attacking the wrong enemy," I took a breath, sitting down on a piece of rubble. "I always wonder what would have happened if I were more patient. What could have happened if I stayed my hand for just a minute even? Maybe we could have even worked together to save my family. Maybe the Titans wouldn't be nearly extinct,"
The Colector looked away. He'd heard this story before, never quite sure how to feel about it. But there was one thing that was certain.
"And yet you still won't free me," the Collector pointed out.
"I don't know what you would do unsupervised," I admitted. "Near-limitless power at your disposal with no consequences isn't something a child should use,"
"So you admit you don't trust me?" He expected me to backtrack, but I was resolute in my answer.
"I wish I did," I said honestly, taking the Collector by surprise. "I know with your power, you could do great things. But I know you've been tricked before. And you're being tricked now. If you were loose and thought Belosbwas your friend... I don't know what would happen. Even without your power, he's already using your knowledge to wipe out an entire world,"
"And he'll free me once it's done," Collector added. "I'll just fix everything once it's done," I sighed, knowing the Collector still didn't understand death and loss. The only loss he'd ever experienced is when the Archivists took my children, his friends, away from him. Ultimately, there was one thing I could think of to do.
"I want to make a deal with you, Collector,"
The Collector was skeptical, hesitant in his reply. "What kind of deal?"
"You'll be free one day, there's no doubt about that," I answered. "I do not believe Belos will do it in any way, shape, or form, but someone will. It's just the nature of things," The Collector listened, happy to hear this kind of promise. "I cannot change that any more than I can revive myself, but I can change the conditions to your freedom,"
The Titan looked up, seeing the cubes floating on the other side of the In Between, the ones connected to the Human Realm. "In ten years, the draining spell will be activated. Belos will destroy nearly every witch alive,"
"It'll be a blast!" The Collector exclaimed, giggling about the craziness and surprise on all the witches' faces. I clenched my hand, trying to remind myself that this is barely a child in front of me.
"And with you helping, he'll succeed in his goals. So I want to set you free, in a different way," I pointed up, the Collector knowing there's a whole other world to explore there. "I'll set you free in that world, but not as you are now,"
"Uh, pardon?" The Collector interrupted.
"I'll let you free in the Human Realm, but not as the child you are now. You'll arrive there as an infant, without your magic,"
"But how would I do anything?" The Collector whined, throwing his arms out in frustration.
"You won't do anything," I stated strongly, looking the otherworldly being in the eyes. "At least, not for a few years. You'll be forced to understand how others view the world, specifically humans.
"Humans are an interesting bunch, in my opinion. I've never seen a species that was both capable of such great evil, while also having the capacity for unyielding kindness. They were born without magic, powerless compared to either of us, but adapting in ways we couldn't imagine for all these centuries regardless," I pulled a random cube from the realm above, using my magic to not need to move even a little, then cast a spell on it, making it glow white. "If you take this deal, you will wake up in the human realm, no memories of this place or anything that came before. You will, for the time being, be forced to grow up human. Your power will stay with me in this realm, until I see fit to release it to you," The Collector looked skeptical, but did considered the deal I offered.
"What do you get out of this?" he finally asked.
"Besides finally being able to correct the mistake I made all those centuries ago?" I offered, trying to sound altruistic, but the Collector didn't trust me, clearly. Yet, he was right that I had an ulterior motive. "Fine. The truth is I can't let Belos succeed. You're a key element in his plan, so if I removed you from the equation, the Boiling Isles might stand a chance,"
"I knew there was something you wanted," The Collector said, simultaneously smug and accusing.
"I'm still offering you what you want," I countered. "It might not be the same way you pictured, but consider it an opportunity to explore a new world. You will one day return, I promise you that. Until then, consider it a challenge," The Collector perked up at this, liking the idea of a challenge as I figured he would. "You'll be stuck here without powers for a good long time if you forgo this opportunity. At least now you'll have time to try new things and make new friends," The Collector grinned and I knew what his answer would be. I flicked the reflection cube into the Collector's prison, letting him hold it as he considered the option. "Just put your head in the cube and you'll be free,"
"I'll take your deal," was the last thing said before the Collector dove into the cube.
Four-year-old Luz Noceda ran through the park, her dad following along close behind her.
"I'm gonna get you," he shouted playfully, holding his arms out, pretending to try and catch his daughter.
"Can't catch me!" Luz denied, but stopped when she heard a sound. She was about to listen to it before her Dad picked her up.
"Got you!" he pulled her into a hug and stopped when he saw her face grow serious.
"Dad, what's that sound?" Manny quieted down, but didn't hear anything as his daughter did. She pointed toward a nearby grove of trees on the edge of the park, near the forest. "It's over there. Let me down," Reluctantly, Manny let her down and followed his daughter, unsure what they were about to find until he heard it as well. Faintly, he could hear the sound of a baby crying. Scooping his daughter into his arms, Manny ran faster into the woods, following the sound as it grew louder. "What is it, dad?"
"We'll about to find out, sweetie," he answered. Once they reached the center of the grove, they found the source of the cries: a baby, nestled in what looked to be robes of periwinkle and grey robes. Manny put his daughter down, looking all around to see if he could find parents anywhere around but there was no such luck.
His daughter went to the crying baby and sat down next to him cross-legged. She pulled the small child up, sitting him on her legs before Manny could stop her. Instantly, the kid quieted down, looking at Luz with curious eyes. Luz stated back, then stuck her tongue out at the infant, causing him to break into a fit of giggles.
"Where did he come from?" Luz wondered, looking around.
"I don't know," Manny admitted. "I don't see his mommy or daddy anywhere," Walking over to the two, he picked up the baby, who immediately was upset to be taken away from the older girl. He wished he didn't have to, but Luz wasn't strong enough to carry a baby yet. To compensate, he made sure to carry the baby so he was facing Luz, who kept making faces to make him laugh again. "Let's go get this little guy home for now,"
I headcanon that the Collector probably has other marks on his body resembling suns and stars, but couldn't think of a way to work it in.
Anyway, this is Version 1 of the same concept. Version A will be called The Weirdo Collector.