Author's Note: There will be an epilogue after this chapter. It was written before For the Future came out, and will not be changed to reflect the final two episodes.


Before anyone could say another word, Hunter practically leapt across the room and placed himself in front of Luz with his hands held in front of him. "DON'T HURT HER!" he screamed. "Please, mom! If you're gonna hurt someone, hurt me! I'm used to it!" He flinched, expecting the blows to begin any second.

Camila stared at him in pure, unmitigated horror. "Hunter…" How did one even know where to begin dealing with this? One thing for sure: Camila had screwed up epically by taking such a tone, a tone that she should have known Hunter would have associated with Belos's abuse. "I'm not going to hurt Luz."

"Sure, whatever, it's gonna hurt you more than it hurts her, I get it," Hunter said dismissively. "Just do it to me, not her!"

"I do not practice punishments that involve physical pain in this house, Hunter," Camila said, her voice firmer than before. Hunter stared at her in disbelief. "She is in no danger from me, and neither are you."

"She's telling the truth, Hunter!" Luz said. "There's no need to worry." Hunter looked skeptical, but returned to his seat. He watched Camila like a hawk, though, determined to leap into action once more at the slightest sign of her trying to hurt Luz.

"Now, Luz, would you mind telling me why you did something as mindbogglingly stupid as handing yourself over to Belos?" Camila said in a much quieter but no less dangerous tone than before.

Luz sighed. "Porque nada funcionará a menos que lo que funcionar."

Camila pointed her finger at her. "Don't! Don't you dare try to –"

Luz put her hands up. "I'm just telling you what I was thinking at the time! I thought it was all my fault. I thought I had to take responsibility for my actions and try to make it right. I've learned better! I know it's not my fault. This has taught me that. I promise, mom."

Camila sighed. "Luz…you are not Azura." Luz nodded. "And Belos is not the Dark Lich. You can't just charge into a situation without a plan and expect it to go well just because you're good."

"I saved Hunter's life," Luz pointed out. "I won't apologize for that."

Camila closed her eyes and was deep in thought for a long while. Finally, she opened them again. "I'm going to just enfold this into the overall punishment I'm going to be giving you."

Luz stared at her. "Wait, what?"

"Luz, you lied to me for months and repeatedly placed yourself into mortal danger, sometimes purely because of your own recklessness," Camila said in the tone of voice of someone pointing out something trivially obvious. "Did you think you wouldn't be punished for that?" She looked over at Hunter. "And once more, I will not be punishing her in such a manner that will inflict physical pain or deny her of her basic needs."

"Then how will she learn?" Hunter asked, genuinely curious.

"Ay, Dios mío," Camila muttered. "We still have a long way to go, don't we?" Hunter shrugged. "Never mind. We'll walk that road together. By my estimation, this is the last one, yes, Luz?" Luz nodded. "Then let's get started."

[King wakes up in Willow's lap, breathing heavily.]

Willow: [Calmly.] It's okay, King, it's okay.

[King, Willow, Alador, Amity, Gus, and Hunter are all aboard the airship from last episode. Amity is worriedly pacing back and forth, Gus is inspecting his power amplifier, and three of the gang's palismen are huddled in a shaking pile.

"It's okay," Amity assured Ghost. "It's all over now. You're safe here. I'm safe here. No one's gonna hurt me. Mom can't get to me anymore."

No one's gonna hurt my Hunter while I live! Flapjack vowed.

Hunter does various adjustments to the air ship to help steer it.]

Alador: [Irritated.] I know how to fly a ship.

Amity: [Frantic.] Then fly faster! We're barely halfway there. Luz could be in trouble!

"Could be in trouble?" Hunter said. "Like there was actually any doubt?"

"Cut me some slack, Hunter!" Amity snapped. "Like you wouldn't be as frantic if it was Willow in danger."

Hunter: Maybe if I took the wheel...

Alador: [Suspiciously.] Very eager to return to Belos, eh, Golden Guard?

"How dare you cast aspersions on my son?!" Camila shouted. "You're just angry he threatened you! Which you completely deserved!"

Hunter: At least I've never built him an army!

Alador: [Angrily.] Watch your tone with me, young man.

"He doesn't have the right to treat you like that," Camila complained. "Doesn't he know how much you're risking here?"

"Well, not really," Gus pointed out. "It wasn't common knowledge Belos wanted Hunter dead. He hadn't even put a price on his head."

[Alador lets go of the steering wheel, causing the ship to tilt and Gus to fall out of his seat.]

Gus: [Annoyed.] Hey, here's a bright idea: don't distract the pilot!

Hunter: He started it!

[Alador, Hunter, Gus, and Amity all start yelling at each other angrily.

"I was just really worried about you, Luz," Gus admitted. "I didn't want to face the possibility you could…you could…" He couldn't even bring himself to say it. Luz hanged her head in shame.

King and Willow watch sadly from the back of the ship.]

King: I can't believe she's gonna face Belos alone again. And I'm powerless to help her. We can't even manage to help each other.

[Willow lifts up Clover, and nods to her. Clover chirps and flies over to where the other palismen are. The palismen push a box of cheeses, bread, and apples over to the arguing witches, interrupting their fighting.

"Aw!" Vee said. "That's so cute. I wish I could have my own palisman."

"I'm sure we have some palistrom wood left in our private stocks," Amity said. "Mom would blow a gasket if I gave some to a basilisk – so that's a pretty good reason to do it in my opinion."

Vee gave a huge grin. "My palisman will be a butterfly and xyr name will be Sadie," she decided.

"Doesn't have quite the panache of Emmeline Bailey Marcostimo," Gus said, "but different strokes for different folks."

Gus' stomach growls.]

Ghost: Meow!

Amity: Look, we're all exhausted and terrified. Let's focus our energy on helping Luz instead of fighting each other.

"Good for you, Amity," Camila said. Amity beamed. She especially appreciated the praise from Camila after seeing once more how rotten Odalia could be. "It's always good to know who the true enemy is."

[Everyone nods. They all take a snack from the box. Gus fist bumps Hunter as an apology. Alador then gestures Hunter to steer the wheel with a sincere smile. To the side, Amity is rubbing her hands together from the cold, but Alador summons Abomination goo to cover her hands. He sits down next to her.]

Amity: Hmm? Aw, this is just like when I was a kid. [Realizes something.] Wait. Is this why you call me "Mittens"? [Alador just smiles at her and eats his bread.]

"I would sell my soul to see pictures of kid you wearing abomination mittens," Luz said eagerly. "You must have been so cute!"

King: That was amazing!

Willow: [Clover flies back to her hand.] There's always a way to help. You just have to look for the right opportunity.

King: Thanks, Willow. I'll... [Yawns.] ...remember that.

[He lies down to go back to sleep.]

-THEME SONG, but with only the title screen and no music-

"Yeah…there's not much to celebrate in this one," Luz muttered.

[Kikimora walks through the door to the room containing the portal door in her Abomatron with the orb containing Luz.]

Kikimora: Emperor, congratulations on this momentous day. [Her Abomatron kneels.] I come bearing a gift. [Belos slowly walks towards her.] You had been looking for the Golden Guard, and here he is!

"She is just pathetic," Hunter admitted. "I'd honestly feel bad about putting her in jail. It'd be like kicking a puppy while it was down."

"Well, I certainly hope she goes to jail regardless," Camila said, feeling much less sympathy than her son. Kikimora clearly knew about all the terrible things the empire was doing and actively participated in them. It would not surprise her at all if she knew about the basilisks.

Perhaps this act is worthy of me returning to my old post. Or, if you're looking for a new right hand...

Belos: Have you as my right hand? I'd sooner cut off my whole arm.

Camila's mouth dropped open at seeing Belos's outfit and she started laughing uproariously. "He…seriously thinks that's what's fashionable? Still? After hundreds of years?!"

"Like I said, yikes, my dude," Luz agreed.

Kikimora: But, uh, I just want to help.

Belos: You want to help? [He takes the cloak-covered mirror and drags Kikimora out with magic.] Go find a hole to wither away in.

"Damn it, Kikimora, stop making me feel sorry for you!" Hunter said angrily.

[Leaves a shocked Kikimora; then goes to the edge of the bridge and uncovers the mirror.] And you...

The Collector: [Furiously.] I gave you the draining spell.

"You see, Luz?" Camila said, even though the lesson had probably already sank in. "The Collector was responsible for all this, not you!"

I taught you magic stronger than anybody's!

Belos: [Unfazed.] And that's why I won't release you. Can't have you giving that to anyone else. Goodbye.

[He throws the mirror and cloak off the bridge, and with it, the screaming Collector.]

Camila rolled her eyes. Well, that was definitely going to come back to haunt him. Seriously, he really thought some sort of cosmic god was just going to be defeated by throwing his mirror off a bridge? And he hadn't even bothered to check for a body! For such a supposedly smart evil overlord, that was a really dumb move.

The Collector: You're a liar, liar, pants on fire! [Screaming as their voice fades away.]

[The last word echoes as Belos walks away from the edge and back in the room where the portal and a captive Luz is held.]

Belos: Of course she'd mess up such a simple task. [He dispels the bubble, releasing Luz.]

Camila started shaking in fear. Luz, Vee, and Hunter quickly moved into position to steady her and be ready to comfort her at a moment's notice.

But I am glad to see you, my fellow human.

"You are not a human anymore," Camila snarled at him. "You lost the right to call yourself that when you hurt children!"

[Luz does not move, surprising him.] What, no fight left? Or did you learn your lesson from last time?

"Well, clearly not, or you wouldn't be there in the first place," Willow pointed out.

[Luz finally turns around, confident.]

Luz: You wish.

[She inhales and uses an invisibility glyph and slaps it on her, and she disappears. Luz then appears behind Belos, which he sees.]

Luz: Spicy toss! [Releases a wave of flames towards Belos but he deflects it with his staff.]

Camila couldn't help but grin a little at Luz using the exact invocation Eda used to attack Grom. Luz really had gotten her other mother's fighting spirit, hadn't she?

Belos: Of course not. [Begins to attack her.]

[The scene transitions to the continuing eclipse. Hunter lifts up his glove, revealing the Emperor's Coven sigil underneath.

Luz, Camila and Vee let out a gasp. They had forgotten Hunter had a sigil in the first place! "He never planned on letting me live to begin with," Hunter realized. It hadn't occurred to him in the heat of the moment.

"I'm so sorry, Hunter," Camila said softly.

He looks at Alador, with a worried expression on his face. The scene then pans to a reveal of the draining spell location, with the eclipse in the foreground. King looks on with a concerned expression, only to be surprised by a passing Emperor's Coven ship.]

Coven Scout: Your ship has been reported stolen. Land immediately!

Amity: [Growling angrily.] Mom...

"We'll do everything we can to ensure she's brought to justice, I promise," Camila vowed.

[Gus casts an illusion spell, changing the ship's appearance to a flock of birds.]

"Yeah…I probably should have known that wouldn't have worked," Gus admitted. It probably would have if he'd done it before they were spotted, but afterwards, it was completely useless.

Coven Scout: Don't be fooled! Take them down!

[The Abomatons keep shooting at the birds. Hunter suddenly wraps the Coven Scout around his own cloak, but gets knocked off his staff by an Abomaton. He fails to catch it and screams while falling as Flapjack flies after him.

"NO!" Camila shouted, forgetting for a moment that Hunter was perfectly fine now and sitting right beside her.

Hunter held her tightly. "It's okay, mom. I'm here. I'm alive."

Suddenly, he is caught by Willow and becomes flustered

"And you have it bad for Willow!" Luz said triumphantly.

then grabs his staff. The Abomatons keep shooting but get turned off by Amity. The illusion around the ship vanishes as the three return aboard.]

Alador: Why did I make those things so powerful? Stupid Alador. Stupid!

Camila had zero sympathy for the man. Though she had accepted the fact that he was trying to change, and did believe that Amity was at least safe under his care, it still was going to take a lot more than that for Camila to actually like him after the many years of neglect.

[The ship suddenly rumbles, startling a concerned King. Sure enough, two more ships with more Abomatons are tailing them.]

Coven Scout: Fire! [The Abomatons do so.]

[The group's ship is destroyed and starts rocketing towards the ground.

"We'll be fine!" Willow promised Camila. "We're here now and we're fine. Mrs. Noceda, don't worry. We'll be okay."

Everyone holds on to the rails as the scene slowly zooms towards King's eye. Back inside the secret chamber, Luz nearly hits the ground but activates a safety hover glyph which slows her falling, and she runs away, avoiding Belos' attack.

"Ha!" Luz shouted. "I knew that would come in handy!"

Luz hides behind a wall, panting.]

Belos: I didn't realize you're already combining glyphs! [Luz places an ice glyph on each pillar as she runs.] You do have a strange intuition with these. It took me years to figure that out. Almost like the Titan himself didn't want me to have that knowledge.

"That's because you're an evil son of a bitch who takes his name in vain all the time and keeps trying to kill his son's mom!" Luz shouted. It was a sign of Camila's increasing distress and her hatred of Belos that she didn't even make a cursory move to try to curtail Luz's language.

[Luz activates the glyphs but Belos, knowing the attack, destroys the ice shards.]

Belos: Though you're still decades away from beating me.

As much as Camila hated to agree with Belos about anything, he was right. Luz was nowhere close to his level. He had centuries of experience wielding the glyphs and Luz was just a kid.

[He narrowly avoids a fire attack and restrains Luz with his hand, morphed into goo.]

Luz: [Screams; angered.] Eat dirt, Belos!

Belos: It's Philip.

"Not. Anymore," Hunter snarled. "Philip died the moment you murdered Caleb. Belos is all that remains."

And despite our differences, I want to help you, Luz. I can send you home.

The scary thing, Camila thought, was that he was probably entirely genuine. He had no ulterior motives. He really saw Luz as a kindred spirit and wanted to help save her. The idea sickened her. She wanted Luz back too, obviously, but not at the expense of collaborating with a monster.

I have just enough Titan Blood for one more trip. [Luz looks towards the door and back at him.] Please. I don't want to see another human life destroyed by this place.

Luz: You're such a hypocrite. You talk big about protecting humanity, but after everything you've done, you're barely human yourself.

Everyone let out a cheer. "You tell him, Luz!" Amity shouted.

[As she speaks, Belos' scar on his face returns.]

"Looks like you were right," Willow said.

Belos: I do pity you. These monsters have warped your sense of reality. [Luz's expression remains angered.] Perhaps it'd be merciful to put you out of your misery.

"No, no, no, no," Camila whispered.

[Activates a petrifying spell to petrify her.]

Camila let out a high pitched squeak of horror. "¡OH, MADRE DE DIOS!" she shouted. "This isn't…no, this can't be happening. It's a nightmare. I must be having a nightmare…" Her children, moving as one, grabbed her, deposited her on the floor, and formed an impromptu cuddle pile.

[Luz's body slowly starts to turn to stone.]

"You never mentioned this!" Amity said accusingly. "You never told me he almost petrified you!"

"What, I'm just supposed to bring it up in casual conversation?" Luz retorted. "I am telling you all now! You think I want to show you this?! You think I want to see it again? I didn't even want to think about it."

"I…no, that's not what I meant," Amity muttered. "I just…I'm sorry, Luz. This is just scaring me."

Luz held out her very flesh hands. "I'm fine. It didn't work. I talked my way out of it."

Luz: Wait. Wait, wait, wait! You- You can't! You—

Camila let out a whimper, her whole body trembling. Luz wasn't really in much better shape, the memories of slowly turning to stone, of losing feeling in her body, of the slow, dawning realization that she was about to die returning to her. "Lucecita…" Camila could barely get out.

"I'm okay," Luz whispered. "I'm gonna be okay." She wasn't sure who she was reassuring, Camila or herself.

[Looks around the room and spots a branding glove.]

Despite herself, Camila couldn't help but grin a little. Trust Luz to come up with a plan to defeat Belos while slowly dying.

Y-You do realize you've been gone from the Human Realm for centuries. Times have changed.

"She's got that right," Camila agreed, feeling much more calm now that Luz seemed to have a plan in mind. "No one really believes in witches or demons anymore. If Belos told people he had destroyed the Demon Realm, they'd think he was nuts."

You wanna be known as the Emperor of the Witch Hunters, right?

Belos: Witch Hunter General.

Vee rolled her eyes. Masha had told her about Matthew Hopkins, Jacob's ancestor, and the self-styled Witch Finder General at the time. He'd been responsible for executing over 100 supposed witches. What most people – including, it would seem, Belos – didn't realize was that Matthew had been a con artist who had started to believe his own legend. How ironic that Belos had ultimately gotten taken in by a scammer himself.

Luz: Sure, sure. Uh, Witch Hunter General. But those aren't really a thing anymore. No one's gonna take you seriously if you start ranting about the Demon Realm. Not to mention a fashion sense like that...

[Belos glances at his clothes, surprised.]

Luz: [With a unimpressed look.] Yikes, my dude.

[Belos throws Luz away as she knocks over the table, and spotting the branding glove, immediately hides it behind her.]

Camila bit her fingers nervously as the stone spread up Luz's legs. This was awful! She hated seeing this! Why had she been mad enough to agree to this whole endeavor in the first place?! She was watching her daughter die in front of her and even the fact she had survived that wasn't enough to stem the sheer horror she was experiencing right now.

Belos: So what? You're offering to be my modern-day guide?

Luz: I'm not offering anything. But I do wanna make a deal. [Belos looks intrigued.] I can't beat you. I know that. So... I will return to the Human Realm, and I will be your guide. If, you spare my friends.

"Don't do it!" Willow said. "We're not worth it!"

[Belos scoffs at this. Luz is almost completely petrified.]

Camila clutched her chest. Her heart was beating a million miles an hour.

Luz: Come on. You'll need living proof that this realm exists. You'd do anything to save humanity, well, [Tears start welling up in her eyes.] I'd do anything to save the people I love.

Camila grabbed onto her children like they were the only thing giving her life. "Please," she begged Belos, heedless to the fact she was watching a memory.

Please... Philip!

[Belos looks satisfied and reverses the petrification, surprising Luz.]

Camila let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, gracias a Dios." She stood up, her legs wobbling. "I…I need to take a break. We'll…we'll come back to this later. I can't…I can't do this now." Everyone else nodded in agreement.

It was decided they would all go out to the local library. After a few hours of looking through the books, they finally felt comfortable enough to return home and resume. Gus checked out every book they had on giraffes, whereas Hunter wanted to learn about world history. He was particularly interested to know what had happened to the Human Realm after Belos left it. By gaining knowledge Belos didn't have, he gained power he didn't have.

"Okay…please tell me that was the worst of it," Camila begged as they filed back into the basement. "If it gets worse than this, I…I don't think I can watch any more."

"That's the worst!" Luz promised. "Well, physical pain wise. Trauma, on the other hand…"

"All right, well…let's just get started before I change my mind."

Belos: Fine.

Luz: [Holds out her hand.] Then shake on it. Human style.

Everyone leaned forward, eager to see Luz finally get the better of Belos, but wary he would somehow figure out what she was planning.

[Belos looks skeptical, but Luz holds out both her arms and shakes them, implying that she isn't hiding anything. Belos takes her hand and shakes it when suddenly, Luz's other hand immediately grabs his hand, and the back of his hand starts burning.

"YES!" Hunter shouted. "Finally someone made him experience that! It hurts so much!" He touched his arm where the sigil was. It still ached a bit sometimes, even now.

He yells in pain and retreats as his arm now shows the Emperor's Coven sigil branded onto it. Luz exhales deeply and the branding glove immediately appears on her hand, revealing everything she said to be a trick, angering Belos.

"Oh, you clever, clever girl!" Camila said. Luz beamed. "Still in trouble though." Luz pouted theatrically. The sad thing was, though, Camila was pretty sure this wasn't going to be enough to convince Belos to stop. A man as deranged as him may well be willing to die for his "cause."

Later, Belos collapses as a result of the draining spell.]

Luz: You'll never make it out of here, unless you stop the draining spell right now! [Belos does not respond.] I. Said. Stop it!

[Instead, Belos transforms into his monster form and a horrified Luz backs up.

Everyone let out a scream of horror. Camila and Hunter were holding onto one another for dear life, both of them as traumatized by the sight before them as the other.

Having fully transformed, Belos looks back at Luz.]

A small part of Camila felt satisfaction that Belos's form reflected the monster he was within, but it was overwhelmed by the part of her that felt a sheer, primal fear for what he was going to do to Luz.

[King wakes up and groans as he sees Alador fighting off the Abomatons as Amity, Willow, Gus and Hunter recover.]

Gus: Oh, my head.

Hunter: Willow, are you okay? Come on, I'll help you up.

[Alador continues fighting off the Abomatons as Amity approaches him.]

Amity: Dad. Dad! Dad, are you-

Alador: Take this. [Hands her the controller.]

Amity: Dad, no! We're not gonna leave you!

"I left him," Amity said and sobbed for a solid twenty seconds. "I left them all!"

"It'll be fine," Luz said, not feeling remotely confident she was telling the truth in her heart. "He's gonna be okay."

[Alador simply kisses her forehead and continues fighting the Abomatons as Willow and Hunter drag her away.]

Willow: Amity, come on, we can't stay!

Hunter: We have to go!

"Your sigil, it's glowing!" Camila said, her eyes widening in horror. "Doesn't…doesn't it hurt?"

"I…think it might affect me less because I'm a grimwalker," Hunter said. "Somehow."

[The gang collect their palismen and start running away.]

Gus: [Approaches King.] King, King, are you okay?

[King faints again. When he opens his eyes, he sees all the weakened Coven Heads lying on the ground. Hunter approaches Darius as Willow and Amity run past them.]

"He's alive," Hunter told them. "Or at least he was then…"

Hunter: Darius? Darius? Darius, wake up!

[Willow and Amity reach Eda and find her unconscious but held by the Abomaton.

"Her arm's all messed up because of me," Luz whispered. Everyone glared at her. "She probably lost it…Sorry. Not my fault. Gotta remember that."

"Eh, if I know Eda, she's probably gonna just laugh it off," Gus suggested. "Or make awful puns! Like telling people she's 'armless!"

Amity turns it off just as Eda collapses into Willow's arms.]

Willow: Eda! I've got her!

[King blinks and the scene zooms to her, Amity and a still-unconscious Eda.]

Willow: She's not waking up.

"She was alive," Willow assured Luz. Luz just nodded mutely. She didn't trust herself to speak.

Amity: We have to get to the head. Luz could be in trouble. [The last word echoes as King closes his eyes again.]

[King opens his eyes for the third time.]

King: [Rubbing his skull; part of it is now cracked.] Eh... eh?

[When King regains consciousness, he finds the gang riding on their staffs and Gus carrying him as they all head towards Luz.]

"He's surprisingly heavy," Gus informed them.

[Back inside the secret quarters, Belos, still in his monster form, continues to chase Luz around, who keeps evading him.]

Luz: Okay. I-I know you're mad, but we can still fix things... just, stop the spell!

"Oh, sweetie, I don't think he's willing to listen to reason," Camila said gently.

"I had to try!" Luz protested.

[Belos lunges at her but she avoids him just in time, however he hits and nearly damages the portal door by accident.]

Luz: The door... watch the door! [Yelps as she escapes another of Belos' attack.]

[She inhales as she takes an invisibility glyph and slaps it on herself, and she disappears. Belos begins to search for Luz around the room. She then appears at the door leading outside the room.]

Luz: Over here!

[Luz opens the door and runs through, Belos following her. She stops and turns around. Belos rises behind her.]

Belos: We. Don't. Belong here!

"Oh, that is so convincing with you and your…what, how many eyes?" Camila pointed out. "But you're right. You don't belong in the Demon Realm. You belong in hell!"

Luz: I'm not like you!

"No, you're certainly not," Camila said proudly.

[Belos prepares to attack Luz but is stopped by vines. Belos falls, revealing King, Willow, Gus, Amity and Hunter.]

Everyone let out a cheer. "Yeah, suck it, Belos," Hunter said. "My girlfriend took you out, and she'd do it again if she had to!"

Willow: We're here to help!

Amity: Did you really think we wouldn't follow you?

Gus: Yeah girl, get with it.

"I'm pretty sure I'm with it now," Luz said with a smile.

Luz: You guys are literally the coolest!

"Pretty sure I knew that already," Amity said smugly. "But it's always nice to have a reminder."

[Belos gets up a little.]

Luz: We have to get him to stop the draining spell, but he's all...berserk mad!

"Eh, not really that much different from him when he hasn't had his coffee," Hunter said casually. They all looked at him askance.

[Willow summons more vines to pull Belos back. The bridge they're on starts to break. Belos breaks free of the vines and causes rubble to start falling.]

Amity: [Summons an abomination shield and covers Luz and herself.] Luz!

[Gus takes King to a safe spot and puts him down.]

Gus: It's about to get real scary. You stay here.

King: But I can help!

"You think we should have let him help?" Luz wondered. "Maybe if we did, he wouldn't have had to release the Collector."

"Luz, it's useless to worry about what-ifs," Gus said. "Besides, he's eight. Even we can't justify letting an eight year old fight."

[Belos fully breaks free of the vines and roars. Amity uses an abomination hand to grab him, and that gets frozen by one of Luz's glyphs. Hunter teleports to Willow and breaks the rubble about to fall on her.]

Willow: Gus!

Gus: On my way!

"King must have wandered off at this stage," Amity speculated.

[Later, Amity makes a rope out of abomination goo and uses it to restrain Belos as Gus prepares to cast a spell on him.]

Gus: All right, Belos, time to calm down a little.

[Gus activates the spell, and immediately, Belos breaks free of the rope as he writhes around in pain. He accidentally smashes a pillar which almost falls, but Willow manages to hold it with vines as Amity regroups with the others. Belos flashes back to some of his memories and screeches loudly.

They all stared at Gus in horror. "You…you have his memories," Willow whispered. "You never said anything!"

"Uh…surprise?" Gus said, attempting to do jazz hands for levity. No one looked amused.

"This must be such an incredible burden," Camila said. "Why did you think you had to keep it from us?"

Gus shrugged. "I mean…you all have enough to worry about. I don't want you thinking less of me cause I can't handle it. It's just bad dreams. Flashbacks to stuff that never happened to me. It's not like I got turned to stone."

"Cariño, you severely misjudge us if you think we'll think you're weak for taking on such a burden," Camila said sternly. "You must talk to someone."

"I'll talk to my dad about it," Gus muttered. "When we get back." He looked over at Hunter, who was unaccountably smiling. "Uh, you good over there, buddy?"

"Never better!" Hunter said chirpily. "Oh, I'm so relieved." They all stared at him. "I was worried you might be possessed by Belos."

Gus frowned. "So…then why am I still alive?"

"Well, I mean, can you picture Belos saying things like Everett Pink or Sir Jerry Lane with a straight face?"

"It's Dr. Everton Q. Pinkerton VII and Sir Jeremiah van Leyden to you, mister," Gus said icily.

Hunter pointed at him. "See! That's what I mean. But, man, is it nice to have confirmation."

Gus, having difficulty controlling the spell, is about to get attacked by Belos when Hunter speeds over and pushes him out of the way, just as he snaps out of the spell with a look of revelation and shock on his face. Belos, also released from the spell, approaches Hunter and transforms his face to its human visage.]

Belos: Hunter, why are you hurting me? I only wanted to help you!

Hunter started crying abruptly. He wasn't even entirely sure why. "It's okay, mijo," Camila murmured to him. "You've got me now. He can't harm you anymore."

"I…I miss him," Hunter confessed. "I miss the person I thought he was. The person I thought loved me."

"I completely understand," Camila assured him. "Hey. It's okay. We're almost done."

Hunter: You're... You're lying! [Belos immediately spots Flapjack.]

Miss me? Flapjack said with a wink.

Belos: Caleb?! [His face deforms again before he screeches loudly.]

"Wait, did he say Caleb or kill him?" Vee wondered.

"Pretty sure it was Caleb," Gus said.

[Later, Luz runs forward to catch a falling Amity. Later, Luz, Amity, Willow, Hunter (who has collapsed while holding his arm in pain) and Gus are all exhausted from fighting Belos. He prepares to attack them, and the group shields themselves. The attack is suddenly halted by something unseen. Luz opens her eyes to see who is stopping the attack, and it's shown to be a hand by the Collector, now in their true form.]

Well. Camila was definitely right. The Collector was clearly a child or the equivalent thereof. This was good news, in her opinion. She knew a thing or two about how to deal with stubborn children. No one could be more stubborn than Luz. Once she showed him some discipline and love, she'd be able to save the Isles and move onto the more important stuff. Like asking out Eda.

The Collector: Whatcha playing?

[Luz and Amity are surprised. Belos, hiding his horror, slowly backs up.]

Belos: Collector! [The Collector glares at him.] You're free, just as promised...

"Wow, that's not even a good lie," Hunter marveled. "He must have been really messed up."

The Collector: As promised? I remember someone throwing me off a bridge. I'm not angry though. Say, you wanna play tag?

Hunter tensed, knowing what was coming.

[They twirl their finger around and Belos is immediately whisked towards them.]

The Collector: I'm it.

[They tap his nose and Belos immediately gets launched above the door, seemingly killed.

Hunter let out a sob, hating himself for it. What was wrong with him, mourning such a monster? "I'm…I'm sorry," he managed to get out.

"Hey, look at me, Hunter," Camila said gently. It took a while, but he slowly looked at her. "I'm not angry at you. For so long, he was the only person you ever loved. It's perfectly normal you're upset he's gone. Especially since he was killed in front of you."

"But…but he tried to kill your daughter," Hunter stammered. "It makes me disloyal to the family!"

"You are allowed to feel sad, Hunter," Camila said. "That doesn't make you disloyal. It just makes you…er, sentient."

Drips of his goo splatter on the floor. The group is equally shocked and horrified.]

The Collector: [Laughs.] Too slow! [Looks back at the others.] You guys look slow too. [Starts to walk towards them.] Do you need a head start?

"If you lay one finger on them, you're getting the chancla, child or not, god or not!" Camila vowed.

[Before the Collector can reach the group, however, King blocks the path.]

King: Whoa, whoa, Collector! Buddy, pal!

The Collector: [Happily.] King!

King: Remember what we talked about? You gotta help all my friends outside, or, uh, we won't get to play "Owl House". [Looks back at the group.]

Luz: Uh... Owl House? Uh, gosh! [Chuckles nervously.] I love that game!

"Yeah, I think I used up all my ability to lie under pressure," Luz concluded.

Amity: The memories last a lifetime!

Willow: I play it everyday!

Gus: I play it every hour!

Hunter: [Squeals nervously.]

"The pain was getting quite intense," Hunter said apologetically.

King: I'll explain the rules later, but remember, we need lots of players.

[The Collector walks forward and everyone clears the way. They looks outside and spots the eclipse draining the magic out of everyone outside.

Vee let out a squeal of fright. "This…this is what I was born for," she whispered. "This happened because of me."

"One day, my children will stop blaming themselves for things that are not their fault," Camila said. "And I very much hope that will be today! You did not choose to be turned into some sick lab experiment, Vee! You did not make them torture you or use the results of that torture for an even eviler purpose! Now no more silliness, am I understood?" Vee just nodded.

They then enlarge their eyes to spot everyone fainted as a result, including the Coven Heads. After thinking for a while, he decides to stop the spell.]

The Collector: Hmm. Okay! [Moves the moon beside the sun with a touch of their finger.]

Everyone, even the people who had been there, watched this happen with awe and no small amount of horror. "How are we ever going to defeat him?" Luz wondered, her voice sounding panicked.

"We will figure it out," Camila vowed. "You are not alone anymore, Luz."

Boop.

Camila inhaled sharply. It was a very good thing Hunter hadn't remembered this moment when Camila had decided to say boop while talking him down from his panic after it was revealed he was a grimwalker. That could have made things ten times worse.

[The spell immediately stops as the group watches. Willow, Gus and Hunter notice the latter's veins have disappeared.

"See, I'm fine now!" Hunter said and rolled up his sleeves to show his unmarked arms for emphasis.

The Collector: Hmm. [The group immediately shoots them suspecting looks and they chuckle.] If we're gonna play Owl House, [Starts floating in the air.] we're gonna need an Owl House!

[They slap their hands together, and every part of the island starts to disassemble to prepare for the game as the teens and King watch in shock.

Camila shuddered. It was like that Twilight Zone episode about the omnipotent child, only so much worse, because it had really happened to her children! And was happening to Luz's brother and mother right now!

Luz shields King from the impact.]

The Collector: We're gonna have a blast, everyone!

[As the platform in front of her hovers away and she steps back, Willow looks back and immediately spots the portal door.]

Willow: [To the others.] I think there's a way out!

[The others start to follow her, but Luz stops at the last minute and looks back.

"Luz, go with them," Camila said, momentarily forgetting the fact that Luz had obviously gone through the portal door if she was there with them now.

Amity notices this.]

Amity: Luz, come on!

"My self-sacrificing girlfriend," Amity said disapprovingly.

Luz: Everyone- Eda, I-I can't just leave them!

Amity: Luz, [Tears start welling in her eyes.] please!

[Eventually, Luz relents and everyone runs towards the portal. When Willow, Hunter and Gus reach the remnants of Belos, Hunter hesitates to step over it.]

Gus: Hunter!

[Hunter eventually overcomes it and runs over the goo.

Camila squeezed Hunter's hand tightly. As if it wasn't bad enough that Hunter had to watch Belos die in front of him, now he had to run over what was left of his corpse. No wonder he had taken such a long shower on that first night.

As the teens reach the flickering portal, Luz sees that it's about to collapse. After waiting for a while, the light returns and Hunter opens the door. At first, it shows the in-between realm then cuts to the rain in the Human Realm.]

Gus: It's human rain. It's okay. [He, Willow and Hunter run inside.]

"It still amazes me, you know," Willow said. "Rain that doesn't boil. It's…magnificent."

Amity: [Runs forward but looks back.] Luz?

[Luz is shown activating plant glyphs and pulling them, keeping the portal from falling apart, although has great difficulty holding them together.]

Amity: Luz, what are you doing? [The door suddenly disconnects from the Human Realm but eventually returns as the others attempt to go back.]

Luz: I-I have to get Eda. We'll find a way back to you!

"Sometimes, mija…you can't save everyone," Camila said in a gentle tone. "You can't always win. Sometimes, you just have to run away and live to fight another day."

"A…a hero would have!" Luz shouted.

"But you're not a hero. Or a villain. You're just Luz."

Luz sighed. "Yeah. Just Luz. Maybe…maybe that's not such a bad thing."

[The Collector, however, spots what is happening and turns to look.]

Luz: Go! Go, go, go! I-I can't hold the portal much longer! [King begins to get dragged away from her and she attempts to grab onto him.] King!

The Collector: [Getting angry.] King! You promised you'd play with me! You [Drags King by their pinky finger.] pinky-swore!

"Let go, Luz," Camila urged her. "Please just let go." It was not just the literal vines she was referring to. It was everything, the guilt, the self-hatred, the self-sacrificing tendencies. Everything that had menaced Luz since Manny died.

"I'm trying," Luz said quietly. "I really am trying."

[Luz and King struggle to hold on to each other as the latter starts to get pulled away.]

Amity: [Runs towards them.] Luz!

Luz: [To King.] We gotta stick together. We gotta stick together!

"Us weirdos stick together," Luz said softly. "We…we should have stuck together."

King: [Contemplates for awhile.] I'm sorry, not this time. But I can keep you safe.

Luz: [Tears start to drip down her face.] No!

"Don't do it!" Luz shouted at the memories of the past, knowing it was useless, knowing her path would inexorably lead her here.

King: Luz, I'm so happy I had you as a big sister.

[He inhales deeply and uses his sonic shout, losing his grip to Luz and causing her, Amity, Willow, Gus and Hunter to get knocked into the portal and Human Realm altogether.]

"NO!" Luz screamed and burst into hysterical sobbing. Everyone quickly formed a cuddle pile around her, but it was several minutes before she was in any fit state to continue.

Luz: No! [Runs back towards the door.] King!

[She attempts to reach the portal, but the door closes on her just as she reaches it. She opens it, hoping the portal would activate again, only to find the empty room of the house in front of her.

"You…you'll see him again," Camila promised. "I know you will."

She tries it two more times unsuccessfully, as the others look on in shock. Luz turns around, just as Gus begins to break down crying. Meanwhile, inside the Noceda residence, Camila is in the kitchen cooking soup for a hungry Vee while reading a news article about Anne Boonchuy.

"Who's that?" Luz wondered.

"Some girl who apparently got lost in another alternate universe," Camila said. "I'm going to investigate, but I'm not holding out much hope."

Both then suddenly hear a knock on the door. Camila opens it, and gasps in shock to find the five teens looking disheveled out in the rain, as Luz looks up at her.]

Luz: Hey, Mom. I'm back. [Starts tearing up.]

Everyone started crying at that point. It took the better part of ten minutes, this time, for everyone to calm down.

"So…that's it," Luz said, trying to keep an upbeat tone. "So now that you've seen everything, can I go back?"

Camila couldn't help but laugh out loud at her daughter's audacity. "Luz…you're not going to like what I'm about to say." Luz tensed. No! No, no, no, no, no… "But I have to sleep on it. This was…it was just too much. I can't make a decision right now."

"But mami –"

"THE STONE WAS UP TO YOUR FACE, LUZ!" Camila roared at her. Luz flinched but nodded. "Do not press me on this! I will have an answer for you by the end of tomorrow." Camila gave her daughter a smile. "Hey…it's okay. Whatever happens, you should know I am so proud of you. I…I couldn't have done all that. I never could have. I love you so much, mi lucecita. Te quiero mucho."

"Te…te quiero también, mami," Luz responded.