Wow... Been a while, huh? I keep saying this more often than I'd like, but I'm really really sorry I took so long. I did give a warning that college was going to be a pain in the neck, but I didn't imagine it'd be this much. Now, I won't stall much longer, let's give warning and onto the story! Warnings for this chapter: All the angst (part 4, probably the last (for now)), bad/intrusive thoughts.

Chapter 11: Are you still with me?

"So... tell us what's wrong."

Luz exhaled, not even realizing she had been holding her breath. But she couldn't speak at all, her mouth opening and closing the exact next second, as if it was regretting every attempt. Or rather, as if it knew what would happen if she actually tried to talk...

"Te... -e what's... -ong... Why a-... igno-...? Where... are you?"

Her Mom's voice was still there, for a moment more distorted, but still so very painful.

But Amity and Hunter were there too. Looking pretty concerned, waiting for her to talk and... and...

"Luz... say some-... Can y-... hea-... ...-e? Where are you? Luz...!"

She shook her head, hoping it would somehow silen-...! quiet that voice, avoiding to look towards either (any) of them.

This was just... too much. It was heavy, suffocating, loud and demanding. And she felt like she was crumbling at the bottom, too weak, too low to even try to fight back and get up...

So why was she still lingering on Hunter's words?

"I... I-I don't know...! I keep trying to reach her, but she just... she won't..." She stumbled a bit in her words (laced with a frustration she didn't want to recognize), her hands shaking violently as she almost instinctively was about to try to use the fortune-teller again.

But then Amity's hand caught hold of her own. So tender, yet at the same time so nervous.

"Hey... It's all right, calm down. Slow down a little. Okay?" Luz could still hear the nervousness in her voice, but it wasn't long before it was gone, leaving just that softness. That much needed softness... "We're not going anywhere. We'll stay here and listen for as long as you need." She gave her a small, but honest smile, as she finished. A slight blush appearing on her cheeks and her hold a little tightened.

While those familiar words made new tears form in Luz's eyes along with an indescribable (but not unwelcome) feeling in her chest. Before-

"Stop...-lking! She wo-... -sten...!"
"Lu-... Plea-...! Lis-... -o me!"

Mrs. Blight's voice again. And her fading silhouette right behind Amity. Along with-

...Luz forced her thoughts to a halt and looked between Amity and a silent, pretty tense Hunter, whose arm was slighlty shaking. As the realization finally settled in on her face. "This... this isn't-"

"NO!"

"AGH!" She screamed, clutching her head and doubling over in pain, as her- that voice thundered in her ears.

"How can you think like that?! I... your... mo-... It's m-... IT'S ME...!"

"Luz-!"

"Well... at tha-... From on- ...-ccess to the next... Congratu-... Mittens!"

Amity stared at Luz, her hands left trembling a little after the human pulled away. But she didn't reach out again. Part of her was fuming, wanting to scream again at that voice, but she couldn't bring herself to do so this time. Not when Luz was already screaming her head off. When she actually had a confirmation of how useless and unable to help she was, before her very eyes...

"Oh, just d-... all a fav-... and walk away. You see it now. You know I'm right. You. Are-"

"Hey! Snap out of it!"

...!

As if being awoken from a nightmare, Amity returned to reality, blinking at the sound of the Golden Guard's voice.

He was holding Luz's arms, trying to get her to sit up, or at least get her attention. Of which, honestly, neither was really successful.

"You're right. Can you hear me? You're right, she isn't real! That's not your mother!" Hunter's voice was on the edge of desperation, but he was trying to not raise it, unsure of whether or not she was actually listening.

Not that he could really blame her though...

"LUZ! I am real! I sti-... -ant to st-... with... Why don'-... -ou?!"
"What do... thin-... you'll succeed with-...?! You couldn't... the Blight girl, why... this be... -ny diffe-...?"

Those voices... they felt so similar. Though they weren't so clear, they were angry, they were screaming, they demanded pain and guilt. And yet the voice of her mother, it had something else. Something that made it different from the voices he and the Blight girl had been hearing.

"I am right here! I'm try-... You... -ren't! You ne-... wanted to? DID YOU?!"
"You can't... -thing ri-... You could barely help yourself. What makes you think you can help her?"

And he could hear it... He could recognize it, feel it. And it hurt. It hurt so much that he couldn't-

...He pulled away from her.

And she gave him a look of- as if she had just-

...!

...!

"STOP! STOP IT!" The human suddenly cried again, louder than the first time, louder than the voices.

She turned away from him, still crying out, her fingers gripping tightly her hair and that fortune-teller. With the latter flickerring weakly, despite not being used.

"You see? You're useless...! I'm starting to think it's a miracle you were ever truly of use to me too."

Hunter lowered his head, his breathing starting to turn into hypervetilation, as he almost felt Belos' touch again.

"Hunter! Hunter, it's okay. Breathe, just breathe. That's not true. Neither is he. Don't listen to him." But his palisman quiclky chimed in from his position on his shoulder, easing him just a little.

He nodded at him with a quick, grateful look, before turning to the Blight girl, who was moving slowly (almost cowardly) towards the human. And when she noticed he was looking at her, she turned away, pulling her arms closer to her.

"I... I don't know what to do." She whispered, sounding... shameful and broken. And so scared. "I can't get through to her...! I'm supposed to- I'm supposed to help her! I thought I could and I can't! I can't..." She hid her face in her hands as she finished, her voice and her mind trailing off into the edge of her own breakdown.

And without even thinking-

"You can't do anything! You can't help her! You can't even help yourself! You're useless! Useless! Usele-!"
("Wh-... ... ... Whe-... y-...")
"You can't do anything! You can't help her! You can't even help yourself! You're useless! Useless! Usele-!"

"No."

...!

Amity lifted her head at this, wiping the tears from her eyes before they could fall.

The Golden Guard was in front of her, hand on her shoulder, face uncertain and unreadable. "That's not true and you know it."

"But... but you saw- you can still see it! Just look at her!" She didn't bother to wipe her eyes this time, as she pointed at Luz, who had fallen on the floor, just like she was when they found her. "I only made her worse! She's right! I can't-"

"Yes, you can!" He cut her off, before she could get into a spiral, his voice quickly softening. "You're the one who said this thing isn't easy. But you've done it before with me. You... you helped me. And if you can do that, then you can help her too. You're not useless. So don't give up."

Amity managed to muster half a smile, a thankful glint in her eyes. But before she could say anything-

"NO! Stop! Leave me alone!" Luz called out, the fortune teller in her hands glowing more intensely.

The young witch quickly stood up, taken over by concern. But after barely taking two steps, she turned back to the Golden Guard, reaching her hand out. And for a moment he stared at it, his eyes a little widened.

"Is this ...-at you ar-...?! Is... how y-... talk to your own mother?!"
(Whe-... a-... ...? Where... ... ...)

"No, no! You're not-"

"Then how can you hear me?! I am re...al! I AM your mother! You just don't... want me!"
(Wher-... a-... ...? Where... are... ...?)

"I... I..." Once again, Luz found herself unable to speak.

But something was different this time. Her heartbeat was racing, her hands were burning and her head felt like it was about to burst from all the noise inside it.

Those words that hurt so much, her Mom, who wasn't her Mom, Belos, Odalia, Hunter and-

...!

...

...

And for a moment there was silence.

So abrupt and so chilling that it stole her breath away.

And when she finally regained it, she felt trapped again. But not in the way she did before.

This was tight. This was strong, safe. And warm, oh, so warm...

"I told you. I won't leave you."

Amity...!

Her every word was charged with emotion, just as strong as her embrace. And Luz just melted into it. She didn't return it, but Amity didn't care. She just held her as she let it out, waiting until she was ready to talk, her hold getting a little tighter when she thought she could hear a whisper from any direction. But turning back for a moment...

She locked eyes with the Golden Guard, who had stayed where he was, staring at the two girls worriedly. However, just a second after their eyes met, he looked down, the expression on his face spelling out the apology he couldn't bring himself to say. She noticed his arm was shaking again, but after getting a chirp from the bird on his shoulder, and later a nod from them both, she turned back to Luz.

She actually seemed a little calmer than earlier, but she still hadn't stopped crying or shaking. And she didn't seem ready for this embrace to end either.

"I'm so sorry, Amity." She whispered weakly, taking the young witch by surprise. "I know you're dealing with a lot right now and-and now all... this happens and I just... I made things worse and-"

"No! Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Amity said sternly and pulled away a bit to look Luz in the eyes, letting out a heavy sigh before carrying on. "Yes, there has been... a lot. Probably a bit more than I told you. But that's not on you. Luz, you've been doing everything to make me feel at home here. Even staying up with me for hours, just listening to me and being there for me and letting me know that it's okay to be scared, or worried or a just mess... But why won't you let me do the same for you?"

Luz looked away at this, as if she'd find an answer on the floor (even though they both kind of knew what she'd say...).

"Whatever voice you hear and whatever it's saying to you, it's just as important as mine and what it says. And I know how it makes you feel lost and alone and unworthy, but even though it feels real-"

"It's not." Luz suddenly said, making eye contact only for a little. Her voice sounded tired and a little raspy from all the crying.

"Luz! No- ...-at are... -aying?!"
(Where... a-... ...?)
"You don'-... kno-... what... doing! Ju-... sto-..."

She tensed at the sound of the voices, but Amity was quick to hold her tighter, while gently cupping her face, to keep her focus on her.

She took a breath before carrying on, the faintest of smiles appearing on her face for just a second, as a response to the one Amity gave her. "I know it's not, but... I can't ignore it. The things it's saying... They feel true. They are. I feel like I lost my Mom. That I'll never see her again and even if I do... She'll think that I wanted leave her! That I didn't want her in my life! That I..."

"That you hated me?! That you are better off without me?! Well? Am I wrong?!"

"Leave her alone!" Amity yelled back at the voice, while Luz moved closer to her, before she could say anything else. And this time she wrapped one of her arms around her. The other was shaking, still holding the glowing fortune-teller.

Amity had half a mind to just reach out and grab it, but...

"It's not wrong... Whoever or whatever that voice is... It's right. My Mom will be hurt. She will hate me. And I think she'll be right to." Luz sounded so fragile as she spoke, and so risigned as well.

As if she was expecting another blow from that voice, or maybe one from Amity herself. And the young witch felt something inside her break. All this pain that Luz was carrying, all this deep, overwhelming fear...

She had seen but a glimpse of it at Grom, but now she was seeing it all. And how it was coming from something she wasn't sure she had ever known... but was just learning.

"You kept using that fortune-teller... because you thought that you could talk to your mom. Tell her about the Demon Realm and... about how much you miss her. Right?" She asked in the softest way, and Luz gave her a small nod. "Hey. This may be silly but... did your mom ever... ruffle your hair?"

"What?" Luz looked up, surprised at the rather random question. But she answered nonetheless. "...Yeah. She... she did. Especially when I was a kid. She always said that I had beautiful hair and she would help me experiment with it a lot. She'd ruffle it to mmake it curly or messy. She'd braid it when I'd ask..." Luz gave a small laugh, as she finished. But it was full of fondness. And for a moment she had forgotten that the voice existed.

"And now you're lea-... thi-... You don'-... wan-... -is!"
(...Whe-... ... ...)

Until it came back. Only this time it felt more like it did the first times. Desperate. Scared.

"Then that's proof." Amity said, quickly bringing Luz's attention back to her.

"Proof for what?" The human asked again, still a little confused.

"That there's no way your mom could hate you. Luz, I may not be the... best person to give advice on this matter, but if you could think of all this and actually, truly smile from just that question... I can tell that the bond with your mom can't be broken just like that. And maybe it will hurt and it will be messy..."

"But it does get better?" A third voice suddenly added.

And once the two girls turned around they saw the Golden Guard had come closer.

He averted his eyes when they looked at him, rubbing his arm. He still had that look Amity saw him have before, but there seemed to be something more this time. She thought she recognised it...

Luz seemed to think so too.

"There's no need to cling onto this." He said, pointing at the fortune-teller.

Amity nodded and held out an open hand to Luz.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"
"YOU THINK YOU'LL ESCAPE ME?!"
"I WILL ALWAYS BE HERE!"
"I THOUGHT YOU CARED!"
"I WILL FIND YOU! SOONER OR LATER I WILL FIND YOU!"
"I WILL BRING YOU HOME, EVEN IF I HAVE TO DRAG YOU BY THE HAIR!"
(WHE-...RE... A-...)
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

...

...

...

...

"...-ou thi-... -kay?"

"...-on't seem to... Physica-... least..."

"Mmmm... King? Eda?"

And there it is! One more chapter down! Once again, I want to say I'm sorry it took so long. Thank you so much for your patience and I really hope you enjoyed it! See you (hopefully) soon! Please leave a review and stay safe. Byeeeee! :)