The Day the Human World Stood Still
Written by
Williamson Knox (A.K.A Scriptformers_Prime)
Copyright (c) 2022
OPEN ON:
EXT. CONNECTICUT SHORELINE - EARLY MORNING
The tranquility of the New England surf is disrupted by a thrumming, golden glow. A bubble of energy wells up from the water, eventually coalescing into the form of the Titan's Skull. It now forms an island off the coast.
Emperor Belos walks out onto the skull's crown and smiles as the sea breezes whip his hair. The Coven Heads loiter behind him, uneasy.
TERRA
So, this is the human world?
ADRIAN
A bit...dingy, isn't it?
BELOS
(chuckling)
Perhaps...But there's no place like home, my friend.
Meanwhile, Luz is climbing the back of the skull, trying to not to fall. She eventually reaches the top and hides behind one of the Titan's horns, eavesdropping on the Emperor's cronies.
HETTIE
What do we do now, my Lord?
BELOS
Remain here. I will go as an envoy to the humans and make our presence known.
Belos' gaze briefly drifts over Luz's hiding spot. She shrinks back behind the horn, but he suspects something. She tries to quiet her panicked breathing, but arms made of sludge materialize around her and drag her towards Belos.
BELOS (cont'd)
(amused)
Luz. There's just no being rid of you, is there?
They are interrupted by a loud roar booming from overhead. A pair of military jets strafe the skull and circle overhead. Belos looks and sees an aircraft carrier floating towards them in the distance.
BELOS (cont'd)
As it so happens, I'm glad you could join us after all...Please advise...
Luz looks away, stubbornly refusing.
BELOS (cont'd)
(stern)
It would be a shame if my relations with humanity were to sour thanks to your intransigence.
His staff pulses red as a warning. The Head Witches all look at her sternly. With tears in her eyes, Luz relents.
LUZ
(reluctant)
...Almost all human technology relies on electricity. Something called an electromagnetic pulse could disrupt it...
BELOS
(pondering)
Hmm. "Electromagnetic pulse"?
(schemeing)
Let's see what I can conjure up!
Belos steps away and raises his staff to the sky. The skull itself begins to glow again, feeding its energies into his staff.
BELOS (cont'd)
Great Titan. I ask for your help once more. Help me make a new world for our people to prosper!
Dismayed, Luz watches him unleash a huge pulse of electrical arcs. It engulfs the two jets, sending them careening into the sea and their passengers to their ejector seats.
EXT. GRAVESFIELD
The pulse then continues traveling along the coastline, disabling the power-grid of Gravesfield. Camilla is left in darkness while cooking breakfast for Vee.
EXT. GLOBE
The eastern seaboard goes dark, but the wave of energy keeps traveling across the entire Earth.
EXT. TITAN'S SKULL
The thrum of Belos' staff fades and he turns back to his congregation.
BELOS (cont'd)
(grandiose)
Thus begins a new age of magic on the Earth!
The Head Witches cheer, now joined by Belos' soldiers and Chosen Witches. Luz turns away, sobbing over her role in Belos' destruction.
FADE TO BLACK
SIX MONTHS LATER...
EXT. GRAVESFIELD - DAWN
The town of Gravesfield is abandoned and left in ruins. All is quiet save for the whispering winds and sounds of feral animals scavenging through the remains.
The silence is broken by a group of human refugees in ragged clothes running through the alleyways. They are chased by a squadron of coven scouts.
SCOUT CAPTAIN
This way. They're over here!
The scouts pursue from the deck of a magically flying skiff with bat-wings. At it's helm is a mysterious witch wearing a golden mask in the shape of a barn owl's face. They quickly subdue the humans in tangles of vines or bubbles of energy.
The scouts then bind their prisoners in manacles and load them on the skiff. Before they take off, one of the scouts is blasted off his feet by a beam of magic. The other scouts tense for battle as a pack of rebel witches emerges from the shadows.
Among them are: Eda in harpy form. King, who has put on quite the growth spurt and looks more like a wolverine than a cute little puppy. Domovoi flashing his sabers. And then Sir William.
In place of his plate-mail, he now wears an overcoat reinforced with scale-mail. Substituting for his sword, he now bears a staff topped with a palisman in the shape of a green dragon.
Together, they overwhelm the coven scouts and free the trapped humans from their chains.
DOMOVOI
This way!
He guides them away while the other witches turn their attention on the Golden Guard. Unlike the other scouts, the Guard seems much more skilled and flies circles around Eda and King.
Sir William then aims his staff. The dragon palisman opens its jaws and exhales another beam of energy, knocking the Guard from his artificial staff. The Guard cushions his fall with a bubble of energy.
Before he can recover, William seizes him and hoists him up by the neck.
WILLIAM
(menacing)
So, this is the infamous "Golden Guard". You're shorter than I imagined...
They're surrounded by the other rebel witches, ready should he try to escape.
WILLIAM (cont'd)
Being so close to the top, perhaps you could tell us...
(grave)
Where. Is. Luz?
The Guard tries to choke a word out through William's throttling. He raises his hand up to remove his mask and lets it fall to the ground.
They all gasp in shock.
It's Luz.
Her ears are pointed and her hair is longer and tied in a pony-tail, but it is unmistakeably her.
LUZ
(coughing)
You're...you're choking me.
William snaps out of his shock and draws her into a tight embrace. Overjoyed, Eda and King join them.
LUZ (cont'd)
(smiling)
Heh. You're still choking me.
CUT TO:
EXT. SEWER OUTLET - DAY
Domovoi leads the human refugees into the sewers. With a wave of his claw, he dispels an illusion disguising one of the tunnels as a section of wall.
They enter an atrium where other human refugees are huddled around hobo stoves and in makeshift shelters.
Camilla Noceda and Luz's friends are all busy tending to the sick and wounded, or helping in any way they can. When Camilla catches sight of Luz, she gasps and drops the pot she was carrying.
CAMILLA
(trembling)
...Mija...!
LUZ
Mom!
Again, Luz is suffocated in the embrace of her friends.
CAMILLA
(weeping)
Oh, Cariña! I thought I'd never see you again!
LUZ
Mamá. ¡Te extrañé mucho!
She breaks from the hug to wipe away a tear, noticing Luz's pointed ears.
CAMILLA
Luz...
LUZ
I know, mom. I can explain.
LATER
Luz is huddled around a fire with her friends, in the middle of her story.
LUZ (cont'd)
I was re-captured by Belos almost as soon as I arrived. I didn't have much of a choice but to play along...
BEGIN FLASHBACK
Luz is held captive in the Titan's Skull by Coven Scouts. Belos visits her in the cell, bringing books and charts.
LUZ (V.O.)
I taught Philip-I mean, Belos, everything I knew about how Earth changed since he left. I felt awful doing it, but I knew I'd eventually earn my way back into his good graces...
One day, Belos lets her out of her cell and takes her outside. To her astonishment, she sees the coastline transformed into a growing city, built in the likeness of Bonesborough. The Skull has become a massive citadel, linked to the city by a long bridge.
Belos then takes her to a training arena in the courtyard and hands her an artificial staff. They begin sparring.
LUZ (V.O.) (cont'd)
In turn, he began training me as his apprentice. All the while, I learned the ins and outs of his whole operation.
Belos guides Luz through the citadel as he lectures her. As they do, Luz furtively traces the layout of the fortress on her forearm with a pen while Belos pontificates.
LUZ (V.O.) (cont'd)
He came to trust me again. He even made me his right hand-his "Golden Guard".
Luz stands at attention while Belos presents her a golden owl mask and a set of coven scout fatigues. She tries to look enthused.
LUZ (V.O.) (cont'd)
But I had to pass one last test of loyalty...
Belos smirks and beckons her to follow.
EXT. NEW GRAVESFIELD - MORNING
They march into the square of the new city where Luz sees willing human converts lining up to imbibe from a cauldron of the Titan's Blood potion.
They all look eager to receive the potion's power. Meanwhile a crowd of human prisoners is made to bear witness. They look awed and frightened as the willing converts demonstrate their new magical prowess.
Belos then brings Luz to the head of the line. Vitimir draws a flask out of the cauldron and hands it to her. As she contemplates drinking it, she looks with guilt at the crowd of imprisoned humans, and then at Belos, eyeing her expectantly.
LUZ (V.O.) (cont'd)
I felt like I was betraying everything I stood for...Everything I was...But I knew I'd never get a better chance to strike at the heart of his new world order.
Luz plucks up her resolve and guzzles down the potion. She gags and doubles over, clutching her chest. She winces with pain as her ears grow into points. Belos smiles.
EXT. PARADE GROUND - DAY
Next we see Luz donning her new mask, standing resolute at the head of a platoon of elite coven scouts. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Belos looking proudly on his assembled troops from a gondola above. She squints with resolve.
LUZ (V.O.) (cont'd)
So, I've been biding my time, waiting for the right moment to turn on Belos and bring his regime crashing down...at least until today...
END FLASHBACK
PRESENT
Luz tries to suppress a hint of annoyance in her final words. Her friends all look unsure.
EDA
(uneasy)
Luz...alright, we get it. You did what you had to, but-
WILLIAM
-But posing as the "Golden Guard"? How would your plan have worked if I had killed you like I almost did today?
CAMILLA & AMITY
(in unison)
WHAT?!
William awkwardly scratches his neck.
WILLIAM
Erm...
EDA
-You never thought to contact us and tell us your plan?
LUZ
(frustrated)
You think I didn't try?! Belos was watching me like a hawk, okay?! And I didn't even know you guys had found a way back!
GUS
Whoa, whoa! We're not pressuring you or anything.
WILLOW
We were just worried about you is all.
LUZ
(calming)
I...I know...I'm sorry...
Her friends all look concerned or estranged.
LUZ (cont'd)
(demure)
So...how did you guys find your way here?
EDA
Well, it wasn't easy...
BEGIN FLASHBACK
EXT. THE BOILING ISLES - DAY
Eda flies over the countryside on her staff.
EDA (V.O.)
After you had left, we scoured the Boiling Isles for any sign of Titan's Blood.
She meets Lilith at the coastline, busy running tests with her archaeological instruments on some dried-up wells of Titan's Blood. Lilith merely shakes her head.
EDA (V.O.) (cont'd)
But didn't find a drop...
Eda shakes her fist in frustration, but Lilith points to her research notes, an illustration of a palistrom tree.
LILITH (V.O)
The only other source of magic that could, in theory, be powerful enough to conjure a portal was palistrom wood-the substance we use to make our palismans and staves...
EXT. PALISTROM FOREST - DAY
Eda and Lilith both arrive by staff at the edge of a desolated forest-mostly just stumps now. The Bat Queen meets them with a somber expression on her gruesome face.
LILITH (V.O.)
But that too proved to be scarce...
With a flash of remembrance, Eda fishes a locket out of her bag, opening it to find a palistrom seed.
EDA (V.O.)
That's when I remembered the palistrom seed that Dad gave me. Not much, but you could call it a seed of hope.
She clasps it tightly in her hand, her brow furrowed in determination.
EXT. THE OWL HOUSE - DAY
The Clawthorne family-Eda, Lilith, Dell, and Gwen-meet by the Owl House's turret. There with them is Willow and Gus. Eda takes the palistrom seed and hands it to Willow who promptly plants it in the loam.
WILLOW (V.O.)
And that's when they came to me. Only I could make the seed grow fast enough...
She moistens the soil with a watering can and focuses her psycho-botanical powers. Within moments the seed begins to sprout.
WILLOW (V.O.) (cont'd)
But it would take everything I had. I went at it for weeks, using every last drop of my power. I made the tree grow as fast as I dared without hurting it.
Several days pass via time-lapse. The palistrom sprout steadily grows larger. Willow pauses at intervals to wipe the sweat from her brow while the Clawthornes bring her tea and food with appreciative smiles.
LUZ (V.O.)
Oh, Willow. You went through all that for me?
WILLOW (V.O.)
(determined)
Friends don't leave friends stranded in alternate dimensions!
EXT. TRAINING ARENA - DAY
King is busy doing pull-ups while Elder Tarak spots him.
KING (V.O.)
Meanwhile, the rest of us were using the time to prepare...With Belos and the Titan's Skull gone, his curse on demon-kind was lifted. I could finally grow to my full potential!
He continues to train over another timelapse: push-ups, weight-lifting, running, sparring. All the while, he steadily grows in stature and physique.
He then confronts his final test. Tarak sets him up in front of a training dummy, pumping him up and stirring his battle fervor. Trembling with rage, King viciously rips the dummy apart...
Tarak wipes away a tear of pride at the sight of his pupil's ferocity.
LUZ (V.O.)
Heh. I saw that. My widdle cutie's not so widdle anymore...But still cute!
King pauses, panting with the remains of the dummy hanging from his maw-a feral look in his eye.
KING (V.O.)
(bashful)
Aww, Luz...
EXT. THE BLIGHT ESTATE - DAY
Amity and her siblings are all dressed in oil-rags and are hard at work helping their father construct a new abomaton creation.
AMITY (V.O.)
While we waited, my family and I took the opportunity to make up for lost time...
The work is grueling, but they all look happy working together. They spend the nights roasting marshmallow-looking confections over a campfire.
Alador warms Amity's shivering hands with globs of abomination goo, making little mittens.
AMITY
(realizing)
...Wait...is this why I'm called "Mittens"?!
Her siblings snicker. The following morning, they finish assembly of their abomaton and get ready to test it. Lilith arrives on her staff, carrying the abomaton's new pilot: Hooty.
She inserts him into the empty cavity in the abomaton's chest. The machine then powers-up, Hooty's eyes glowing red.
HOOTY
(menacing)
Hoot...
Hooty's new battle-suit rises to his feet. He flexes it's claws, relishing his newfound power. He then immediately sets to demolishing some training dummies, first with his claws, then missiles, then a ray-gun.
All the while, he laughs maniacally, dramatically backlit by the flames of his destruction.
ALADOR
(dreading)
I've created a monster...
LUZ (V.O.)
No way! You seriously gave Hooty a mech-suit?! Oh, man! I've gotta see this!
AMITY (V.O.)
He's out on patrol right now. I'm sure he'll love showing it off when he gets back...
INT. THE OWL HOUSE - EARLY MORNING
William sneaks through the darkened halls of the Owl House, trying not to be seen.
WILLIAM (V.O.)
(sour)
Well, while some of us were enjoying some newfound protection, others were feeling a bit...
He makes it to the kitchen where he filches some apple-blood from the fridge. Suddenly, Eda, King, and Willow enter the kitchen for breakfast, flipping on the light.
WILLIAM (V.O.) (cont'd)
...naked.
William flinches and tries to cover himself up.
WILLIAM
Agh! Look away! I'm indecent!
The camera pulls back to reveal that he's fully clothed in his fancy, embroidered tunic. They look at him quizzically.
EXT. WOODS - DAY
The following afternoon, William hikes through the forest, searching for something. He winces as the branches of a thorn-bush tear at his garments and scrape his skin.
WILLIAM (V.O.)
What is a knight without his armor? How does he smite evil without his sword? This I was left to ponder in these days with little else better to do...
He bandages his wounds, his head hung low in humiliation.
LUZ (V.O.)
I'm so sorry you lost your armor because of me, Will.
WILLIAM (V.O.)
Luz, for you, I'd have given that and my life...
Malcontented, he keeps stalking the woods until he stumbles on the ruins of a castle buried in the hillside. He explores these ruins, his mind flashing back to his time in Ossigard. It is his old castle's keep.
WILLIAM (V.O.) (cont'd)
And besides, I found something greater...
As he paces through what used to be the throne room, he comes across the skeleton of a knight, surrounded by the remains of the castle's attackers.
WILLIAM (V.O.) (cont'd)
It was there I discovered the remains of my mentor, Sir Bowen, a brave knight...to the very end...
William cradles the knight's skull in his hand, pressing his forehead to it. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he notices something lurking in the ruins.
He tenses, hearing something crawl through the debris. It skitters around him just out of sight until it finally leaps from the shadows and knocks him on his back.
He opens his eyes to see a massive palisman, carved in the likeness of a sinuous green dragon. It hisses and bears its fangs, before taking a cautious sniff and seeming to recognize him.
WILLIAM
I also found his loyal palisman, Sir Eglamore...
The dragon backs off his chest and continues to sniff him, unsure wether to trust him. William offers his hand and after a few more sniffs, Sir Eglamore seems to accept a gentle head-pat.
That evening, William prepares a funeral cairn for Sir Bowen's remains. He whispers a gentle prayer as Sir Eglamore sorrowfully cranes his neck.
WILLIAM (V.O.)
They both helped remind me that a knight's strength comes not from his weapons and armor...
After a night of camping in the ruins, Sir William emerges the following morning wearing the scale-mail overcoat of his fallen master and bearing his dragon-tipped staff. He seems to have regained his confidence, basking in the morning light.
WILLIAM (V.O.) (cont'd)
...but from his conviction.
William hops on his new staff and rides off into the morning sun, Sir Eglamore breathing a jubilant plume of magical fire.
LUZ (V.O.)
I'm so glad to hear you guys held up so well.
EDA (V.O.)
Well, it wasn't all smooth sailing...
EXT. BONESBOROUGH - DUSK
The skies over Bonesborough are gray and somber. The streets are patrolled by what few coven scouts were left behind and the surly mercenaries bolstering their ranks. They maintain the strict curfew, catching and dragging away violators.
LILITH (V.O.)
Kikimora held the Boiling Isles in her iron claws, brutally "re-educating" us for the crime of not being worthy of The Emperor's paradise...
The people live in fear of the Conformatorium's shadow.
INT. CONFORMATORIUM
Kikimora sits in a high-backed chair, gently sipping a mug of tea while enjoying the sounds of dissidents being beaten and tortured.
LILITH (V.O.) (cont'd)
(haunted)
I never thought she was capable of such atrocities. I never thought anyone could be more frightening than Belos...
The echoes of their screams bring a smile to her face. It quickly disappears at the sound of an explosion shattering the Conformatorium's walls. Sir William, King and Domovoi come storming in, taking out the guards.
Kikimora fights ferociously, but they manage to subdue her.
Moments later, William emerges from the building, holding Kikimora by the scruff of her neck over crowds of cheering onlookers. As they cheer, she hisses and claws the air like a wild animal.
Domovoi looks away, ashamed.
EDA (V.O.)
But Sir William scored some brownie points with the populace for leading the effort to depose her. The Boiling Isles now accept him as the de facto leader.
The people cheer on Sir William. He smiles fondly at having their adoration again after so long.
EDA (V.O.) (cont'd)
There was just one thing left to see to...
EXT. THE OWL HOUSE - DAY
Willow finishes putting the final spurt of growth on the palistrom tree. It nearly shadows the Owl House's stone turret under its boughs.
EDA (V.O.) (cont'd)
Months went by before the tree was finally ready to form a portal door...
At its base, Dell Clawthorne gently carves a doorframe into its trunk. As he finishes, the outline magically coalesces into a working door which opens into a void filled with scintillating magical whorls.
EDA (V.O.) (cont'd)
Some of us had to stay and keep a lid on things...
King says farewell to Tarak and his tribe-mates while Eda gives Raine a parting kiss. Lilith tearfully hugs her parents, as Amity, Willow, and Gus say goodbye to theirs.
EDA (V.O.) (cont'd)
But the rest of us were all in...
Determined, the rest of Luz's friends enter the portal. They warily pass through the surreal magiscape before arriving at a glowing cube.
EDA
Gravesfield. The Human World.
The cube transforms into a portal leading to Earth.
CUT TO:
EXT. GRAVESFIELD - DUSK
The town is patrolled by Coven Scouts, all marching beneath a large hologram of Belos addressing the residents. His voice echoes across the town.
BELOS
People of Gravesfield. It warms my heart to see so many of you flocking to my banner. After the damage caused by the cosmic disaster that stranded my people here, I knew we could work together to rebuild what we both had lost.
The townspeople look uneasy, huddling inside their homes or giving the scouts a wide berth on the streets. Some humans keep to the shadows, skulking through alleyways to avoid Belos' forces.
BELOS (cont'd)
But strangely we have met some resistance as of late...which I expected to some degree...
Vee, disguised in her human form, and Camilla are among the dissidents trying to escape from the town.
BELOS (cont'd)
But I cannot fathom the minds of those who wish to get in their own way. When your technology failed you, our magic clothed and fed you.
They are discovered and pursued by a patrol of scouts.
BELOS (cont'd)
By rebuilding the former and joining it with the latter, we can create a world beyond either of our imaginations.
Let us be an example to others.
The scouts gain on the humans. Vee returns to her basilisk form to drain them of magic. She takes out a few, but is overwhelmed as more scouts join the chase. Camilla comes to her aid, armed with only a rusty pipe and a trash-can lid.
BELOS (cont'd)
To those obstinate few, I beseech you-relent now and all will be forgiven...
The scouts manage to restrain them both. When they appear defeated, Eda and Company arrive on the scene. They rout the coven scouts and free Camilla and Vee from their shackles.
VEE
Hey, it's you guys!
CAMILLA
You're Luz's friends?
(lighting up)
Is she here with you?! Where is she, let me see her!
Eda pauses.
EDA
We...hoped to find her here with you...
Camilla's smile fades.
EDA (cont'd)
We can talk later. Is there anywhere we can hide?
VEE
There's a resistance forming in the tunnels beneath the town. Follow us.
Vee guides them into the shadows as the flashback fades.
END FLASHBACK
INT. SEWERS - NIGHT
VEE
We've been fighting ever since, trying to keep one step ahead of Belos and one step closer to finding you...
(uncomfortable)
But I guess you already knew that part...
Luz's eyes stream with tears and she clutches tight to her mother's embrace.
LUZ
You all went through so much for me...*sniff* I swear, if there were a way I could've let you know I was alright-!
CAMILLA
-Shhh, it's alright now. I'm just glad you're finally away from that awful man.
Her friends all lean in and share in a group hug.
EDA
We're together again. That's all that matters.
Luz smiles, surrounded by their warmth. But something still troubles her.
CUT TO:
LATER
Most of the resistance has bedded down for the night. Hooty keeps watch in his abomaton mech-suit. Sir William and Eda play Hexes Hold 'Em by the firelight while Lilith and Domovoi spectate.
Amity is about to settle into her sleeping bag beside Willow and Gus, but instead goes to see Luz in her lean-to.
AMITY
Um, hi...
LUZ
(surprised)
Amity!
Luz seems to hastily hide something under her cot.
LUZ (cont'd)
Uh...I'm glad you're here. I wanted a chance to talk to you...in private...
Amity blushes and tries to look demure.
AMITY
Oh. Really, nothing needs to be said.
(trembling)
I'm just...glad we're...together-
Amity slowly reaches out for Luz's palm. Luz quickly takes it and plants an affectionate kiss on Amity's cheek. Both flush red.
Amity gets a case of jelly legs and stumbles, knocking Luz's pack out of it's hiding spot. She notices it's packed full of provisions.
AMITY (cont'd)
Are you...going somewhere?
Luz looks embarrassed, but decides to come clean,
LUZ
That's another thing I wanted to talk with you about...I'm going back.
AMITY
What?!
LUZ
Belos is expecting my patrol to be back by now. If I'm gone for too long he'll suspect something.
AMITY
Luz, I thought we were over the whole cloak-and-dagger thing!
(clasping her hand)
You have us now. We can fight him!
LUZ
I've spent too long laying the groundwork for this betrayal. I can end all of this without having to risk any of you!
AMITY
(emotional)
You can't do this! You can't just leave without telling us!
LUZ
I'm telling you...because I thought you'd understand. Don't you remember reading The Good Witch Azura Volume Four?
AMITY
(baffled)
What?!
LUZ
(nerding out)
The part when Azura infiltrated the ranks of Villainous Lucy's Cabal disguised as a snipe hunter? This is just like that! She had to keep her friends in the dark too! All except for Hekate, who she trusted to keep her secret until the final moment when they-
As Amity listens to Luz prattle on, she clenches her fists, her eyes streaming with frustration. Eventually, she explodes.
AMITY
-THIS ISN'T ONE OF YOUR FANTASY NOVELS, LUZ!
Luz is stunned into silence. Some of the moonlighters pause in their card game at hearing the disturbance but decide to shrug it off as a lovers' quarrel.
Meanwhile, Amity wipes away her tears and calms her frantic breathing.
AMITY (cont'd)
*sniff* This is real life...*sniff* You could die out there...
Luz clasps her hands, trying to console her.
LUZ
We're all making sacrifices today. I have to do this.
Luz gives Amity a final peck on the cheek and shoulders her bag.
LUZ (cont'd)
Don't tell the others until morning. With any luck it'll be done by then...I love you.
Luz raises her hood and begins pacing away into the sewers. Amity watches her go, streaming tears of frustration.
AMITY
(incredulous)
You're really doing this? After all we've been through, you still think you can take down Belos on your own?!
(weeping)
Confound it, Luz! Why do you always have to be the hero?!
Luz pauses, looking downcast. Without looking back, she continues trudging onward. When she exits the sewer outlet, she mounts her artificial staff and flies off into the night sky.
INT. CAMILLA'S TENT
Meanwhile, Camilla is asleep in her tent, though not soundly. In her dreams, she has flashbacks to times in Luz's childhood.
In one she is a toddler, showing a group of children a shed snake skin she found.
YOUNG LUZ
Look what I found!
CHILDREN
Gross, don't touch that dead thing. Ew. Gross.
YOUNG LUZ
It's not dead. This is the skin of a garter snake. They shed their pajamas as they grow. It means there's a snake near us, and it just got a lot bigger!
CHILDREN
(screaming)
EWW!
CAMILLA
(chuckling)
She called them pajamas.
PARENTS
Ugh. So unhygienic. She must have been raised by wolves!
CAMILLA
Hey! Wolves are actually great parents, and-
The scene changes to a more recent time, of Luz auditioning for a school play.
LUZ
Oh, happy dagger! Give me death! *groan*
CAMILLA
Huh?
CHILDREN
(screaming)
CAMILLA
(laughing)
Her dad taught her that one!
PARENT 1
(retching)
Gross! Now everything smells like lunch meat.
PARENT 2
Yeah, she's such a try-hard.
CAMILLA
Oye! What did you just say?
Camilla then falls back in her chair, screaming as she's hurtled into the next flashback. This time she's in a family therapy office, talking to a counselor.
THERAPIST
I said, grief can manifest in different ways, Ms. Noceda. Like how Luz has been acting out for attention.
CAMILLA
Losing Manny was difficult for both of us, but Luz has always done things differently.
THERAPIST
Self-expression can be a good outlet, but she's taking it to an extreme. She needs to learn healthier ways to relate to others...
The therapist hands her a pamphlet entitled "Reality Check Summer Camp".
THERAPIST (cont'd)
...or she'll always bear this pain on her own.
Camilla looks conflicted, but before she can respond she jolts awake, panting heavily.
She then hears Amity approaching the tent entrance.
AMITY
Ms. Noceda...?
Camilla sees the troubled look on her face and expects the worst.
CAMILLA
It's about Luz, isn't it?
Amity nods, her eyes still watery.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE SKULL CITADEL - NIGHT
Luz alights on a veranda at the height of the citadel where a coven scout awaits her. The scout lifts his mask, revealing himself to be Jacob, the library intern, apparently now serving as a guard for Belos.
JACOB
I was beginning to think you weren't coming back. What kept you? Where's your escort?
LUZ
I ran into some old friends. The escort's not coming back.
They pace through the corridors together.
JACOB
Oh, man! Well, lucky for you, Belos is having another one of his episodes, so he probably won't be in an enquiring mood until morning.
Luz stops in front of a grand chamber and beckons for an attendant. The servant hands Luz a small tortoise shaped palisman before being shooed away.
JACOB (cont'd)
So, by "old friends", do you mean the resistance?
(whispering)
Are we going through with the mutiny?
LUZ
Yes. Now's the time.
She takes a vial out of her cloak and dabs some noxious fluid onto the palisman's wood surface.
LUZ (cont'd)
(whispering)
I'm sorry, little guy...
JACOB
*squee* Oh, finally! I saw through Belos from the start. Now it's time to make these dirty Martians pay!
LUZ
(playing along)
Yeah...their days of harvesting teeth are numbered...
Luz enters the study and sees Belos hunched over in a wingback chair by the fireplace.
BELOS
Ah, Luz...*grunt*...I was wondering when you'd return. I feared-gah!
LUZ
Don't worry about it. How are you feeling?
BELOS
I hoped the curse would be alleviated somewhat by now. But-*groan*-it may be some time yet before our numbers surpass those of the Boiling Isles...and I can abandon this macabre habit...
He reaches out and takes the palisman from her.
LUZ
Maybe not as much time as you think...
BELOS
Ever the optimist, aren't you?
With bated breath, she watches him fracture the palisman and inhale the fumes. But, just when the tainted magic reaches his nostrils, he suddenly halts.
BELOS (cont'd)
(musing)
Hmm...something's off about this one...
Luz breaks into a cold sweat.
BELOS (cont'd)
I'd say it reeks of...treachery.
Suddenly, the study's gas-light sconces all flare to life, revealing the contingent of coven scouts all hiding in the shadows.
Luz tries to escape, blinking away from the pursuing scouts, but Jacob blindsides her and wrenches her staff away.
LUZ
Jacob?! What are you doing? You're...uh-
(dramatic)
-betraying us to the Martians!
JACOB
(shaking his head)
Pfft! "Martians"! I was so dumb. But not as dumb as you for giving up this power!
Jacob smiles and takes his place at Belos' side as a pair of coven scouts restrain Luz.
BELOS
Tonight was your real test of loyalty...
(forlorn)
...and I dared hope you'd pass. That this time you were truly with me.
LUZ
(defiant)
Looks like I'm not the only optimist around here.
BELOS
I suppose not...
The scouts holding her begin to march her off, but Belos halts them.
BELOS (cont'd)
No. No conformatorium for this one.
Belos levels his staff at Luz's head, charging it with energy.
BELOS (cont'd)
Goodbye, Luz Noceda.
(feigning optimism)
Maybe this won't hurt.
Luz betrays a slight hint of fright at her impending doom. But before Belos' staff can fire, the room is shaken by an explosion.
Hooty emerges from a portal door in the far corner, randomly firing ray guns and missiles.
HOOTY
(menacing)
Get away from her, you witch!
With a swipe of his claw, he sends Belos flying into a bookcase.
AMITY
Luz!
Luz's other friends storm through the portal and fight by her side.
BELOS
(groaning)
A portal door...? But, how?
Jacob helps him to his feet, but before Belos' troops can regroup, Luz and her cohorts disappear into the vanishing portal door.
JACOB
So...Does this mean I get her job?
BELOS
(sighs)
CUT TO:
INT. GRAVESFIELD SEWERS - NIGHT
The rebel witches re-emerge from the portal and pace back to their hideout.
LUZ
Ugh! I almost had him! I should've known better than to trust Jacob...
AMITY
(bitter)
That's not the only thing...
Luz looks at Amity who stolidly marches with her eyes forward. The others march ahead, deep in discussion of strategy.
LILITH
Now that Belos knows we have a portal door, we've lost the element of surprise. We'll need to press our advantage while we still have it.
EDA
It's still too soon for a full-on assault. Our human allies aren't in fighting shape.
WILLIAM
I'll return to the Demon Realms and marshall what forces I can. It might just be enough.
LUZ
Well, Jacob was a bust, but I may know a few other turn-coats in Belos' ranks. If I can find a way to contact them-
EDA
(stern)
You aren't going anywhere.
They otherwise don't acknowledge her-or so much as look at her. Luz grows more self-conscious and isolated as they continue marching in tense silence.
A few moments later, they arrive at the hideout where Camilla waits with her arms crossed.
LUZ
(timid)
Mom, I-
CAMILLA
I don't want to hear it!
(pointing)
You're staying in my tent tonight.
With her head bowed, she saunters to Camilla's tent. Luz's friends busy themselves with preparing for the coming battle, unable to mask their looks of hurt, resentment, or disappointment.
Luz settles into her sleeping bag, burying her face in her hands.
LUZ
*sigh*...What have I done...?
FADE TO BLACK
TO BE CONTINUED...
