you can consider the text between "{}" as a display of Luz's fractured mind
Eda was having a strange week.
On some other day, she might have been entranced by the idea of her life getting a bit spicier. Because seriously, you would expect being the greatest outlawed to walk the Boiling Isle would be exhilarating, but after the first few years, it had become more of an afterthought.
Eda had lived a long life, accomplishing things many only dreamed of seeing, much less doing, and being a highly-wanted criminal did not make it in her top ten.
Her life had become dull, and what in the past used to pump her blood now was too boring to be worthwhile. Still, despite her experience and all her achievement, she wasn't prepared for the "spice" that had decided to fall into her life. The "spice" was a malnourish-looking kid that looked a second away from collapsing, whose arrival might have ruined her business.
Let it be known that Eda would never blame the kid, not now and not ever. Sure, the portal she had used all her life to travel to the human realm had been entirely obliterated, turning what was once an imposing door into nothing more than woodchips and an azure liquid that had sipped into the ground but that was nothing more than an inconvenience that she will deal with latter. Especially considering how the kid reacted.
Every child she knows, from demon to which, would no doubt be terrified to be stranded in a world so different from theirs and would have begged her to keep her around and help her find a way to return home.
But Luz didn't.
In the most hollow tone possible, she told Eda that she had nothing to apologize about since it was probably her fault the teleporter defected and that she would no longer burden Eda with her presence as she had already done enough damage, even though, realistically speaking, there was no way it could be her fault.
Those words struck Eda like a punch to the gut, making her almost stager in disbelief.
'What the hell did this girl go through.'
That statement echoed in her mind like the chiming of a bell, and like a catalyst of a grand event, it forced a decision into motion. Maybe she was not ready, but Eda would be damned if she let the girl spiral further, no matter the pleas to do the opposite that resonated from a tiny iota of her entire being, the warning cries of the Owl Beast fell deaf on her ears.
Like an indistinguishable force had begun applying its weight on top of her lungs, Luz was barely registering how was hard it was to breathe.
Her legs turned to mush as she fell to her knees, the delicate fabric of her jeans shredding on the uneven road as the jagged rocks punctured her skin, not sharp enough to draw blood but sufficiently to prick at her senses. But it was good as the pain managed to ground Luz long enough for the kind offer made by the women she had met for less than a day not to fracture her cluttered mind.
The bold declaration made by Eda bounced off the walls of her skull and made her lip quiver and heart tighten, sending an uneven tremor down her back.
"None of that nonsense. Until I manage to fix this damn door, you shall rest at the owl house and be known as the apprentice of Eda, the most powerful witch the Boiling Isle had ever seen."
Her speech was rich, emphatic, and no matter how much Luz tried to spot a lie in her tone, a virtue Luz had developed for her safety and those around her, she didn't find anything. And that thought made her feel like her mind was slowly fracturing in uneven shards, gritting against one another in fracture paters that shook her consciousness.
She may not hear the words to their fullest because of the rumbling roars that reverberated in her skull, but some of her mind could still process what Eda was saying.
What this incredible woman was saying.
Like a safe boat between the churning waves of a dead sea, Eda's offer was something she had long ago attributed only to her mother's words of comfort. A spark of hope blossomed in her chest, making it seem like her rib cage's tight grip on her internal organs had lessened just for a moment. She did not deserve this hope, this kindness directed at her like it was nothing, and even though her stupid heart seemed to relish in the feeling, she was not that idiotic to feel great about the situation.
For what a terrible thing she was to trick such an incredible person into taking pity on her. A disgusting manipulator, that's what she was, reaching new lows and managing to deceive another person like her mom into falling into her strings.
A dark beacon consumed the insignificant light that had barely just begun to rise from the hideous depths, for there was no way she could dispute those words. And to make it worse, from the ugly truth, a question blossomed to life that quickly and mercilessly managed to cut off the supply of happiness that the kind words spoken by Eda had pumped into her empty soul.
How could she, a monster, freak, nightmare dressed in human skin, convince such a powerful and kind woman that she was worthy? How did she lie so well? Why did she always taint the kindest people?
It shouldn't and couldn't be real, and any second, she waited for Eda to laugh in her face and cast her away as so many had done before{ for that what she deserved}, but against all odds, Eda didn't.
No one offered her anything, not without a price. No one gave her a chance, for what chance did the end of everything deserve?
And yet...Eda did.
she couldn't breathe
No strings attached, Eda truly believed that she wanted Luz, the cursedfilthynigthmare , to become her apprentice, no questions asked.
She couldn't breathe.
How could this happen to her? how? howhowhow? HOW?
Understanding the women's reasoning was beyond Luz. She was a nightmare, for no matter how much she tried{and try she did for every second alive , she attempted to prove to those around her that she could be kind, friendly human } to prove otherwise, she never achieved anything.
SHE COULDN'T BREATH
She was a wretched calamity dressed in human flesh that did not deserve forgiveness for the deplorable crime of mere existence.
And yet, Eda still decided to keep her around even though it was Luz's fault.- But despite the disgrace with herself, amber eyes gleamed for the first time in so many years of being plagued by dullness and terror. Invisible to the mortal eye, none could see how Luz felt her skin pealing as she fought the grin that desired to blossom on her face. None could see as she fought against the urge never to let the women leave her as so many had done before. To still be able to relish in the sensation of happiness her words brought forth and cast away the spindly fingers of dread, fear, and emptiness that curled around her mind
BREATH
Her fists tightened around her hair, ripping some of the bits of keratin fiber that held her hair together, her lungs sprang into action as she broke through the trance, feeling her heartbeat echo behind her ribcage.
Eda wanted an apprentice, meaning she needed to be strong and brave, and not Luz.
With a shaky breath that felt like dozens of tons of water were being pressed into her lungs, she moved to Eda's right side, and before she could even think how, her body shifted automatically, forcing her mind to comply. Like a searing metal blade pressed against her mouth, she felt its burning edge move her lips into a force- always forced -smile.
Even though the idea still racked her mind, the kindness of one person shaking her entire being, she couldn't let Eda or anyone see her so vulnerable. That was unbecoming of an apprentice.
She will have all the time she needs at night to lament her disgusted nature when the world's watchful eyes are asleep.
Right now, she didn't need to be Luz Noceda but the joyful human teen eager to become an apprentice. Another lie to showcase the manipulator
she always was for what human sees fragments of a forest beyond life and death, feel the rumbling of the worst nightmare to grace existence in her head, or hear the incessant ringing and cries of the swirling stars of magnificent and heat that glared at her from the sky.
But that doesn't matter now.
If she can survive by tricking incredible people like Eda and her mother into thinking that she is more than a cheating nightmare, it was worth it.
If she could experience the blissful kindness that people like her mother and Eda could give out so freely, it was worth it.
For what is a monster better at than sucking the good in other people.
Eda seems oblivious to her turmoil, as Luz has had enough experience to know how to hide her pathetic panic attacks. However, unbeknownst to Luz, Eda was preoccupied with calming the screaming warning of the Owl Beast inside of her - but contrary to her naive belief, the Owl Beast was not doing this out of spite but to preoccupy Eda and keep her from glancing back behind her, for if she did turn in that moment, she would catch a glimpse the monstrosity that rested behind Luz shadow, a monster that had decided to push forward instead of just lingering in the back as it always did. Despite their constant fights and struggles, the Owl Beast care enough for Eda to know that if she had turned back just for a moment, she would see the nightmare she had disturbed with her kind words, a terror that would ruin her life by lifting a finger.
"Come on, you two, I can already feel the power destined to be mine, and when it's mine, I will wreak havoc and humiliate all who stand in the king's path." The voice was intriguing as it blended childhood innocence with sharp clicks reptilian in nature.
Eda straightens up a bit, a grin blooming across her face. "Listen, kid, as my apprentice, your first mission is to help us recuperate King's stolen crown that is kept behind a barrier only humans can pass through."
Luz accepts, of course, and without any fanfare, they are off, soaring toward the Warden's prison.
The air is cold but invigorating, and the sun is shining over the Titan's skull as they approach the Conforatorium, bathing the skies in patches of light hue pink akin to the color of smoke bush.
"Luz!"
Eda's voice barely carries over the wind deafening her ears as the rapier-shaped tentacle mess that was the Warden's hand clams down where she stood a second ago, the razor-sharp colliding with Eda's right side as Luz's body is catapulted in the air. Her eyes widen in shock as she watched the witch's muscle and bone parting under the force of the blow, the sickening sound of meat rupturing reverberating in the air, which is followed by concrete grinding as the Warden's "weapon" struck the ground, creating a crater the size of a car.
Luz's blood freezes like freezing concrete in her veins and arteries, her body trying to regain its footing just as the Warden pulls his arm back. Without wasting a second, she rushed with uneven steps, finger pulling at the Warden's neck as she jumped on his back, trying to pear him away from Eda.
That, of course, is ineffective against someone who can stamp out buildings like they are bugs and smash through metal like molten clay, and with a well-placed but senseless headbutt, Luz is dispatched again to the floor. Her hand clutch to her face as her nose bleeds in lean red tracks, staining her blouse with crimson stains.
With an unamused huff, the Warden's tentacle-like hand morphed into a long, jagged spear, its tip aimed at Eda's heart.
The world halts, time slowing to a sickening crawl as terror blooms in Luz's chest. In the corner of her eye, she catches a glimpse of the prisoners she and King had aided escape, all of them unable to do anything to help Eda.
She senses how her stress rises and feels the wound that slices through her nose all the way to the bone, those two increments being the catalyst of what will happen next.
Or what was supposed to happen.
Luz was supposed to bear herself as a chorus of howling cries and ever-growing bones sprouted from her open wound, fighting her own body not to kill everything in the Nightmare path.
But nothing happens.
The Hunter doesn't push themself forward for the first time since that night, their absence so absurd and sudden that she chokes on her own saliva.
Questions in the hundreds surge to life with that realization, but the spear's tip a few centimeters away from Eda's hearth did not allow them to fester.
Her mind grits and twist as she searches for their horrid presence, and sure enough, it does not take long to find the orbs of pure malice incarcerated at the bottom of her mind. Those orbs, whose only desire had always been to escape, and to unmake, the same orbs which bore the same desire not even one minute ago, now didn't.
For those orbs were waiting for her answer.
What answer, one might ask, when there wasn't even a question, but Luz didn't need to hear the Nightmare speak to know its intention.
Would she use the wicked and tainted power that courses through her bone marrow to protect Eda, or would she let her perish?
Down in her bones, she could feel the Nightmare grin, each tooth an amalgamation of cosmic atrocity, as horror pushed through her mind and turned the world into static.
She turn her gaze away from them, searching for anything that could help her that wasn't the wicked Hunter.
Bile mixt with saliva stirs in her throat as her eyes rest on Eda, the spear of Warden Wrath already piercing the outer edge of her skin, sending a small gush of blood into the air.
And that image removes any other possibility and solidifies her answer.
A part of her mind crumbled instantly as she takes the metaphorical hand of the creature that feasted upon devils and gods, collapsing onto itself while something else took its place.
The change is so fast that she can't even comprehend it until something so rudimentary to her human nature is removed, leaving only untamed hatred.
No, something worst sparked in the hole where her heart should be, pouring through every crevice of her body, distorting Luz's perception of the world around her. With every breath, she reveals evils that would make every sin committed by the which and demon kind pale in comparison.
An emotion so sickening that it makes irrelevant the laws that keep existence standing, the emotion that would see the world kneel for her, that fill her with power to enforce her values on reality.
The power to withered the elder gods and ancient primordial by their presence alone and twist the ground and sky to her whims with a glance.
The power is in horrendous sync with their desire to save Eda.
She closes the distance in a single step, and her right-hand silhouette birthed in insidious corrosion, flesh and blood boiling into waxen powder under the decaying influence of her bone.
Every muscle in the Warden's body, nay, in every creature in a one-hundred radius tensed, a tiny, so insignificant iota of their being understanding on a primitive level, that something beyond words, beyond languages, had descended from a higher dimension into their little world, nothing more than a metaphor of the end of everything brought into existence.
Her small phalanges morph into claws as her right arm bloat and transitions, increasing in size with each new bone that sprouts from her original osseous tissues, clasping together, crushing oxygen molecules in the process.
Then the part that had crumbled in Luz's mind forms again against all odds, the indomitable spirit of humanity escaping the clutches of nothingness and forcing her consciousness into her body.
Luz stirs from the haze induced by the Hunter's power, blinking dazedly as she realizes that she is not even an inch away from smashing against the Warden's back, an ironic situation that mirrored that of his spear and Eda's heart.
But, unbeknownst to Luz, the spear hitting Eda's heart wouldn't even faze the powerful witch, while the attack fueled by the Nightmare inside of her would not leave a speck left of the demon.
Grinding her teeth together, every muscle in her body tightened as she pried her right hand from the Warden's body, grabbing onto her right hand with her left. The moment her left hand touched the surface of the bone, she felt a bizarre but so familiar pain course through her body.
It was a pain different from being burned or cut, but something far more wicked, a pain that forced its way into her ambitions, crushing them under its weight. A pain that wormed its way into her memories and anatomy, contorting her own identity into broken fractals that replicated the same despair a hundred times over.
Barely dodging him by a strand of hair, she released her hold on her left hand; a momentary and tiny burst of relief flooded her body before the power of the Hunter consume .
The impact is catastrophic. The concrete shatters into a million pieces, sending debris flying in every direction like deadly shrapnel. Her fists crashed against the ground with such force that the entire floor of the Conforatorium shatters like glass that splintered like a spiderweb.
The blast, as if fueled by the destruction, eradicates half of the wall in a blink, consuming the water that threatened to breach through as it forms a hole all the way to the bottom of the boiling ocean.
It was a sovereign force that represented the image of hate.
Reality churns under the weight of their oppressive loathing, the Hunter's and Luz's judgment swallows the prison.
In a cloud of dust, where the enormous wall and the reinforced floor had as nothing but pulverized rubles, even the bone of the Titan vanishing in a flash of static disorder, the only proof that there was something there before was the crater carved into the land.
Luz falls to the ground for what feels like one hundred times today, staring at her right-hand whose flesh had been stripped clean.
Once again, she waits for the struggle for control over her body, but she receives none, newly-formed muscles and skin wrapping tightly around her entire arm like they had always been there.
She feels the influence of the Hunter vanish deep into her mind, leaving her with only a dull throbbing in her arm and crocked laughter that almost seemed to crawl around her spinal cord.
Because no matter how one looks at it, the Hunter had achieved a small percent of the level of devastation they desired, and they didn't even need to lift a finger.
Purple and churning liquid consumed his form right as a deformed creature of sulfur and plasma collided with the refracting ground formed of bright shadows, sending a tremor that awakes a crystal centipede of hellish proportion that had been resting for eons under the surface, its maw an inestimable mass of crooked teeth clamping down on one of the heads of the deformed monster, the sheer cry of the creature shattering the broken light reflecting from a black sun no bigger than his finger, the very fabric of reality bending under the weight of the two outer-wordy creatures as more anomaly enter the battlefield through the cracks that pierced the non-existent sky.
Darius does not waste time watching their battle unfold as the violet fluid moves him past broken realms and shattered fires, spiting him up in the material realm under the kind light of a functional and real sun, the toxic air of the void clinging to his clothes as he pries himself out of the dark patches that plagued the throne room.
The room is polished in gold on almost every surface, the wall decorated with different canvas and paintings depicting the transformation of the empire over the decades.
The guardians of the emperor stood in each corner of the room, all wearing ashen suits with the symbol of the royal coven embedded on their back, the material sewn from the cartilage of the Titan. Darius had known them for a few years and knew that, if they truly desired, they could each hold the title of coven head easily. That fact is proven when they sense his presence enter the throne room before the rest of the room's inhabitants can.
Before the lavish throne coated by shadows, Lilith and Kikimora are kneeling, their form hunched in the presence of the Emperor.
"... whatever attack my sister had used had incapacitated everyone in the room."
Lilith's voice resonated in the chamber, transparent discomfort plaster across her face.
A bubble of silence envelops the room as sweat drips from Lililth's chin, the anticipation killing her. Thankfully, she doesn't wait long for a response.
The form of the Emperor shift forward, his pale and golden strand of hair peaking from behind the golden mask.
"Believe me when I say that the information you brought to me is critical, but that still doesn't explain the reason you three had decided to disobey my word."
The ex-coven head of abomination senses the body of the three shivered at the frigid tone of the em- wait, three? The man's eyes widened as he realized that the golden guard was kneeling right beside Lilith, dwarfed by her tall form, forcing a sigh of and dread out of Darius's mouth.
'What did you get yourself into, kid'
The ivory floor groans under the weight of the Emperor as he rises from his throne, the shadows that obscure him melting away, revealing the form of the man who stood at the top of the echelons of the empire.
Emperor Belos was tall, dwarfing almost all witches on the island, his height always making Darius feel like a child.
His body was clad in heavy armor made from a mixture of gold and titan fiber, and on his face, a mask with two massive horns covered the entirety of his face.
Standing, his size casts long shadows over the entire chamber, the fire burning in the cauldrons that light up the room dimming under his presence.
"Unc-I mean you majesty, the Owl Lady is a threat to the empire, and I- We believe that such an enemy to the state can't be allowed to roam free."
The emperor's gaze turns to the Golden Guard, his mask baring down on the child with enough pressure that he bows his head even lower, his covered face almost touching the floor.
"You consider that your "judgment" of how we should deal with the Eda Clawthron reigns higher than mine." His voice echoed from around the room as he spoke, but he continued before either could give an excuse.
"You believe so little in the empire I pulled from the earth that you entertain the idea that a ruffian can disturb everything I had built for decades?"
Belos inquired, casting a quick glance toward Darius, scaring the living shit out of him when those burning orbs set upon him before returning his gaze to the three.
"Please, y-your majesty, we would never allow ourselves to be entertained by such disloyal thoughts." Kikimora could barely get her praises right, the poor thing stumbling on her own words. Darius couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for her, even if she was one of the most annoying people he had to deal with on a daily basis. Anyone with a bit of mercy would overlook the little demon's mistake, considering the depraved state she found herself in, but the emperor was many but not merciful.
"Then please enlighten me, my loyal subject, when I make it especially clear that no one under my banner shall trifle with the Owl Lady, and the three of you, in your unbreakable devotion, did
WHAT EXACTLY ?"
The sudden and consuming nature of the blooming malice birthed in the air causes even the emperor guards to fall to their knees, Darius pushing his muscles and magic to their limit to remain standing. His last words caused a miniature earthquake that shook the entire citadel, forming cracks in the room's walls and pulling the breath out of Lilith, Kikimora, and Caleb's respiratory tract with an invisible grip, the malice in the air, almost crushing their lungs. The shadows that had unfurled in the room quaked in tune with the emperor's endless soul, each showing glimpses of legions of creatures constructed from broken logic and infernal fires.
It was like the hand of god pressed against their back, but that was doing it a big disservice, for the soul of Belos harbored not one god but many.
The weight, at last, vacates as the Emperor sighs tiredly, a bit of the tension in the room bleeding away as its inhabitants are allowed to breathe.
"Time, as you will soon see, is limited, use what is left of it to learn from your mistake. You are dismissed."
Without another word, the man clicks his fingers, forming three portals that whisp each of the three to their respective room.
Belos turned his attention to Darius, his expressionless mask revealing nothing about the man's emotions.
"I presume that you had not found it." Belos hums, another portal already forming behind him, this one no different than glass shards, as he turns around and ushers Darius to follow.
"I scour through the upper half of the immaterial as much as I could but found nothing."
Darius admits, a bit defeated.
"A shame," The emperor says, shaking his head as both of them are transported to his personal chamber.
One might expect that the emperor's private chamber would be lavish with all the luxuries the world can offer, but the room was almost bare besides a lone painting covered by a golden cloth and the basic necessities when it comes to furniture.
The covered canvas stood above a crowded desk that was more or less a graveyard of broken palismans that sent a shiver down his spine. It wasn't the first time he saw the ever-growing pile of palismans, but it never got better.
Belos wasn't deterred by his hesitance, marching toward the desk, shaking the entire room each time he took a step. He searches aimlessly in the mound, and only when he finds nothing does he stretch a hand toward Darius.
With a tinge of guilt that lingered in his soul, the ex-coven of the abomination coven moved his arm in a circular motion, prompting abomination liquid to form above the desk, letting a bag with dozens of talismans fall on top of it.
Without missing a beat, Belos takes the mask off his face and begins to crack them one by one, freeing the unrestrained magic filling his boundless hole where his soul should have been, an empty gap that clawed at his inside, masquerading itself as hunger.
As the number of the palismans subsides, the man foregoes breaking them, opting to swallow them. The brittle carapace of the palismans grinds against his teeth, fragments of their carapace cracking under his molars.
Darius turns away the moment he catches a glimpse of something lurking behind the Emperor's teeth. Still, the sound of wood splintering and the quiet, almost silent scream of the souls that inhabited the palismans makes his heart nearly beat itself out of his chest.
"Sooo-hmm, what could cause you to be so irritated? Another one of your "friends" had decided to try their luck and escape?" Maybe he shouldn't try to make small talk when Belos was furious, but everything was better than hearing him chewing those poor palismans. And if he was honest with himself, he was also a bit curious about what made him lose his temper, considering the amount of time Belos showed actual anger to other people could be numbered on the one hand.
Thankfully, the sound finally stops, and the Emperor places the talisman he was about to consume on the desk. Wiping his chin from fragments and splinters, he turned toward the other men in the room, his hunger satiated for now.
"Our time had run out."
A beat of silence envelopes the room before a splutter of surprise erupts from Darius, unbecoming of a man of his status, in Belos opinion.
"I-I? W-what?" The emperor ignores the failed attempt to communicate, Darius's gelatinous hair moving helplessly at the strange choice of words.
"I am not a man who believes in miracles, but still, I had held to the shimmering hope that we will have some time to prepare for the youngest hatred arrival."
The air seems heavier as the emperor continues to speak, Darius mind doing loops trying to understand what the fuck Belos was talking about because, for real, he could understand better languages from higher dimensions than whatever the man was referring to. But there was something that was prickling at his mind with a crooked finger, something that he had heard stories whispered in different parts of the surface of the abyss but could never determine the meaning behind the words.
"The youngest hatred?" The mere mention of the name leaves a bitter taste on his tongue, causing him to flinch involuntarily, and his body trembles for a second.
Belos doesn't respond to his question(typical), silently approaching the covered canvas, his footsteps echoing in the room as he reaches out and lays his hand against the thin, delicate curtain. In a flash of pale light, the air filled with the sound of crackling flames as the veil erupts into a blaze of icy, colorless blaze that engulfs its surface in a blink, revealing the artwork lying underneath.
Under the scorched curtain, remaining untouched by the wicked flame, was a painting that was stunning in ways he can't describe.
Done by pencil, with bold and delicate strokes that pay great attention to the details of the creature's face, the artwork is painted with a combination of different pencil grades and techniques to complete the portrait. Highlights and shadows create an intensified sense of depth and dimension from the long antlers sprouting from the head and elongating in the air to the deformed maw. And yet, for reasons he can't place, the depth and dimension looked unjust to his eyes, minimizing, almost like painting a three-dimensional object using only one-dimensional shapes.
"The last nightmare to bear the Roar of Finality, the impatient hunter that will push Life to annul."
One must never choose death, for it is the coward way out. We are creatures of broken logic, gods and devil born from the roots of the Forest, destined to be feasted on by the same roots in a contrived cycle of end and rebirth.
Death is for the weak, for those who had betrayed the abyss and chose to give themself to a material deity.
But, let it be known that if one is unfortunate enough to stand in the presence of the Roar of Finality and the Nightmare that spread the wicked melody, one always chooses death.
-𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬
A life of servitude under the Emperor is worse than death, not because you have to sacrifice your loved one for the Lord of Chains, but because you have to sacrifice so many just to save the few you love.
If you have any questions, don't forget to leave them in the comment.
Happy holidays and see y'all next time.
Last edits done.
