Eda and Camila were walking out of a restaurant together. To say Eda was surprised would be an understatement. She was expecting to have another drinking contest with Camila, but then Camila suggested that they go out and have dinner together. It was a nice turn of events, and considering what was going on right now, it was a better distraction and would keep Camila away from home longer. Eda also noticed that Camila was acting differently, she seemed more…relaxed, happy.

"Gotta say, Cam, I wasn't expecting this to turn into a dinner date. Sorry, not a date," Eda corrected.

Camila glanced at her friend and shrugged. "Mmm, that's okay. You can call it a date."

Eda blinked in shock.

"Wait, seriously?"

"Oh, is the famous owner of the Owl House Magic Shop suddenly getting cold feet?" Camila teased.

Eda blushed a little and replied, "I mean, why now? I'm not complaining, mind you, just curious."

Camila giggled as she said, "You can thank Luz. She told me that I should start looking for my happiness. That I should find someone."

"Cam…look, you don't have to force yourself. I know I make passes at you, but I know how you swing. It wouldn't be good for either of us if you tried to get into a relationship that you know doesn't jive with your orientation," Eda remarked.

Camila stopped walking and turned to fully face Eda.

"I understand what you're saying. And believe me, I've been questioning myself a few times here and there." Camila rubbed her left arm with her right as she blushed a little. "But maybe I just need the right person to help me see if I really do have feelings like that? Someone I trust."

"…You trust me that much?" Eda asked.

"Marilyn, ever since you arrived, you've been a chaotic presence in the town. But at the same time, you've been nothing but kind and caring towards my daughter. You even gave her job. And when she got into that accident, you came and visited her every day. And I know Luz has fun when she's around you, it's like you're a second mother to her."

Eda felt a little bad, part of those memories were just fabricated to make it seem like she's been here longer than she had. But at least the part about me caring about Luz isn't a lie.

"So, if I was going to do this sort of thing with anyone, it should be with someone I trust, shouldn't it?" Camila questioned.

"I mean…fair warning, Cam, I'm kind of a mess. Things may get a little chaotic with me in the picture as more just a family friend," Eda warned.

"Maybe the three of us can make it more organized."

"Organized chaos?! That's just…blasphemy!" Eda gasped.

Camila smirked as retorted, "Oh, woe was you."

Eda and Camila laughed for a few seconds before the two women went silent.

"Well, if I'm the person you've decided to help you along, then, guess I got no choice," Eda relented.

"Humph, you make it sound like such a burden."

"Oh, it's one I gladly accept, mamacita," Eda retorted as she moved closer to Camila.

The older Latina gulped as she looked into the golden amber eyes of the tall woman in front of her. Her pulse had quickened, and her face was flush. Did she really have these kinds of feelings? Or was Luz correct in saying she as "bi-curious"? Either way, it seemed as if Camila was going to find out tonight one way or the other.

Eda's head snapped away from Camila as she heard a loud roar echo through the town. That was followed up by her cellphone going off. Eda quickly took out her cellphone and saw that the Hollow Detector app was going crazy and was identifying at least four Menos Grande in Gravesfield.

WHAT THE HELL?! Since when do Menos Grande venture out of Hueco Mundo for a little town like this?! Wait, that Adjuchas the kids are fighting, did it call for backup?! Dammit, in that case, I need to–

The ground shook a bit, drawing Eda's attention down the street as a Menos Grande started to walk towards them.

"M-Marilyn, is something wrong?" Camila asked nervously.

"Cam, why do you sound nervous?" Eda questioned.

"S-Sorry, I don't know why. It's probably just my nerves, but…I don't know. It feels like something's not right…like there's a bad presence moving towards us."

Eda's eyes widened, she had wondered for a while now, but she never really looked into whether or not Camila had some level of spiritual awareness. Unfortunately, if that turned out to be the case, then it meant she could at the very least sense the Menos Grande. Which would explain her nervousness right now, she could feel its ominous presence.

"Hey, Cam, can you look at me for a second? You look a little pale," Eda instructed.

Camila turned to face her, and Eda carefully raised her left hand and placed it in front of Camila's face.

"Inemuri…"

As soon as Eda cast her Kidō spell, Camila's eyes widened as her pupils shrunk to pinpricks. A moment after casting the spell, Camila's eyes closed, and she became limp. Eda quickly grabbed ahold of Camila before she hit the ground and gently placed her on a nearby bench. Eda sighed as she looked up at the approaching Menos and gave it a death glare.

"You just had to butt in, didn't you?" Eda scolded as she snapped her fingers.

A blazing circle of yellow light appeared at the right side of her hip. The magic shop owner thrusted her hand into it, as if drawing a sword. But then she really drew a sword from the circle, a Zanpakutō. The Menos Grande immediately turned its attention to Eda and began stomping closer to her.

"Can't hold back too much with you so…" Eda twirled her sword around as she entered her stance. "Take flight…" Suddenly a bright golden light shined forth from her sword, causing the Menos Grande to back away a couple of steps. "Akarui Fukurō!"

When the light faded, Eda was no longer holding a sword, but instead was holding a staff sword. The staff itself was made of wood, and at the top of the staff was the figurehead of an owl. The owl body was also made of wood, but its wings were flared upwards, and made of sharpened metal. The eyes of the owl figure were glowing bright gold and hummed with power as Eda twirled her staff around.

"I'll do you a favor and make this quick," said Eda as Akarui Fukurō's eyes glowed brighter.

The Menos Grande raised its right arm to grab her, but that's when a huge owl made of golden light erupted around Eda, making the monster once again take a step back.

"Owari no Kagayaki. (End Shine.)"

The owl construct's eyes shined like stars before a powerful beam of light shot forth and struck the Menos Grande dead on. The beam of powerful light bathed over the entire upper half of the Menos Grande, and when the light faded, the upper half of the Hollow was erased. The rest of the Menos Grande turned to ash, and just like that, it was as if it never happened. Eda returned her Zanpakutō to its sealed state and sheathed it back in the same circle of light she created a moment ago. That's when Luz appeared in the sky and then dashed down to the street.

"Hey, Eda! I sensed a huge Hollow over here and…it looks like you took care of it," Luz observed. "Wait, Mom's out! Is she okay?!"

"Calm down, kiddo. I just used a spell to put her to sleep. But more importantly, your friends need your help right now!" Eda stated urgently.

"I can tell they're fighting something, but it's hard to get a beat on it – whoa!"

Luz and Eda watched as a pillar of blue light shot forth from the forest in the distance. The energy had all the telltale signs of being Quincy related, which meant Gus had just used a big attack.

"That's Sprenger, a powerful Quincy spell…if Goops had to bust that out then it's really getting serious," said Eda.

"Alright, I'm heading out!" Luz stated as she readied to go.

"Wait!" Eda cried out.

"What?"

Eda was torn, she knew the others needed Luz's help, she was the biggest gun they had. But that's also what this Grom wanted. It wanted Luz, and if she went there, and learned the Hollow's true name…

"Eda, what is it?!" Luz asked.

"…Luz, just be careful with this one. I mean it this time," said Eda.

Luz nodded her head as she replied, "I will, and take care of Mom!"

With that warning given, Luz took off into the air and headed to where the battle was occurring. All while Eda was silently hoping that Luz would be alright.

Amity blinked something was off…she couldn't move her hands, or her legs. It was dark, and she could hear something, like a cart rolling along a dirt road. There were fluttering sounds that came from what sounded like a tarp flapping in the wind. Amity tried to find something, anything that would indicate where she was. The first thing she tried to do was cast a spell, but she couldn't sense her power. She reached down with her bound hands and felt something binding her ankles.

"Where am I? I…I was fighting a Hollow, and then…"

Suddenly the shaking stopped. Amity saw a brief glimmer of light through a slit. That light grew brighter as the sound of a tarp getting thrown off came next. Amity shut her eyes as the blinding light hit her, making her squint as her eyes tried to adjust to the light. After a moment, her eyes did adjust, but she wished they hadn't. When her eyed adjusted Amity was able to see that she was now dressed in a white kimono, indicating that her Soul Reaper powers had been stripped from her. Not only that, her hands and feet were bound by cuffs, and her hair was undone from its ponytail and allowed to cascade wildly down her back.

Amity also saw that she was inside of a mobile cellblock, with a wooden floor and ceiling, and thick iron bars surrounding her. There were a couple of burly Soul Reapers who had pulled the cart and were now taking positions near the cart to guard it. Out in front of her was Sōkyoku Hill, and it was here that typically executions were held for those among the Thirteen Court Guard Squads who have committed severe crimes. There was a huge wooden gate, which would act as the execution altar, and before it was the incredibly huge halberd for which the hill was named after, the Sōkyoku. Its power was equivalent to one hundred Zanpakutōs and was said that the powerful flames it generated were strong enough to vaporize the soul instantly. In other words, it was oblivion, there was no way for anyone hit by the Sōkyoku to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

All of this alone was enough to put fear into Amity's heart, but what she saw just made her heart sink even further into despair. Upon the altar was her friend and lover, Luz Noceda. She looked beaten up and bloodied. Her head hung low as she was being held between the gate by three stone blocks that kept her suspended in midair, she looked as if she had been through a fierce battle and lost.

"LUZ!" Amity yelled as she crawled her way towards the iron bars. She tried to reach through them, but of course, the cuffs on her wrists prevented that from happening. All she could do was grip the bars as she continued to yell. "LUZ, OPEN YOUR EYES! PLEASE, TELL MY YOU'RE ALRIGHT!"

"How pitiful." Amity's blood froze as she turned to her left, and that's when she saw her mother, Odalia Blight, dressed in a beautiful violet kimono, and staring at Amity with a look of disdain in her icy blue eyes. "I can't believe you would cry out for that thing with such desperation."

"Mother, you don't understand!"

"She's a Hollow, that's all I need to understand," said Odalia with venom in her voice. "And to think, my own daughter laid with such a creature. Willingly let it violate her! It's completely revolting! I didn't raise a degenerate daughter!"

"Luz is a Hollow, but she's not a monster! She still has the soul of a human!" Amity argued.

"There is no such thing as an Arrancar with a human soul," Edric stated.

The imprisoned Amity turned to her right and saw her siblings standing there with the same disgusted look on their faces.

"When they reach that stage, anything that made them human is long gone. You know this, and yet you let it trick you like this? Mom's right, you're a degenerate. Fucking a Hollow is no different than bending over for a wild animal," Emira spat.

"PLEASE LISTEN TO ME! SHE'S NOT A MONSTER! I THOUGHT SO, TOO, AT FIRST! BUT I'VE SEEN HER, TALKED WITH HER, SHE'S AS HUMAN AS ANY OF THE REGULAR HUMANS IN THE WORLD OF THE LIVING!" Amity yelled. "Where's Captain Darius! He should know! I've sent him my findings!"

"I looked over your findings, Amity." Captain Darius walked from behind the cage until he was in front of it, and now stared at her with utter disappointment. "I agreed for you to do research on the Hollow. I just didn't think you would debase yourself like this and go as far as to mate with it. There's no telling what it could've done to your body. It's only by the good grace of your father, and the Head Captain, that you are to remain alive, for the time being, so that you may be studied to see what kind of effects a Hollow mating with a Soul Reaper might bring about. That thing on the other hand, is too dangerous to let live."

"A…Amity…" The lavender-haired teen looked up as she heard Luz's faint voice. "H-Help…me…please…I…I don't want to die again…please…I…want to stay with my Mamá…"

"Tch, how repulsive, like it has a mother," Odalia sneered.

"Her name is Luz Noceda! Go to the World of the Living! Find her mother! Her name is Camila Noceda! I've seen her, spoken to her, there are photos of her in that house of hers!"

"This Arrancar has a unique release ability that you have described as, quote, 'magic'. I doubt she has shown you the full extent of her abilities, so it's highly likely that she used those powers to alter that poor woman's mind to believe she had a child," said Darius.

"Which is a moot point now, we already erased and reset her memories," Emira mentioned.

Amity's eyes widened with shock as she crawled over to the side of the cage where her siblings were and yelled, "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?! YOU ATE WITH HER! SHE LOVES HER DAUGHTER AND LUZ LOVES HER MOTHER! HOW COULD YOU ERASE HER EXISTENCE FROM CAMILA'S MIND?!"

"Better than her clinging onto the false memory of a dead girl, if she existed," Edric retorted.

"No…this…this is wrong…! All of this is wrong! Please, I'm begging you, just let me explain, let Luz explain!" Amity begged with tears in her eyes.

"…Release the Sōkyoku," Darius ordered.

The giant halberd's several thick restraining ropes all broke at the same time. After they broke, the giant halberd rose into the air and spontaneously erupted with intense flames. The flames began to grow bigger and bigger, that was when the flames took the form of a giant firebird.

"With the power of the Kikōō, let this menace be cleansed from this world," Darius proclaimed.

The Kikōō's burning eyes looked directly at Luz, and the Latina began thrashing around as fear gripped her heart.

"AMITY, PLEASE, HELP ME! I DON'T WANT TO DIE, AMITY, SAVE ME, PLEASE!" Luz screamed.

Amity could only cry as she squeezed the bars to the point that her knuckles turned completely white, cursing herself for not protecting Luz, now her existence to be burned away with absolutely no chance of coming back.

Darius waved his hand, and the Kikōō screeched loudly. The giant firebird flew high into the air before angling back and coming in for a swooping nosedive. The Arrancar could do nothing as the firebird struck her, and exploded with incredible might and fury.

"AMITTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

"LUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZ!"

Gus was restrained by three different Kidō spells, he had tried to get to Luz as fast as he could, but when he did arrive at the Noceda house, he was ambushed. The Soul Reapers restrained him, and Luz was brought out of her house by Edric and Emira, with Amity looking down coldly at his best friend. She had been restrained as well, and she was in Hollow form. There were other Soul Reapers around them, some were faceless captains, along with faceless lieutenants. What they looked like didn't matter, what was most concerning was what was happening right in front of him.

"BLIGHT, YOU BITCH! LUZ AND WILLOW TRUSTED YOU!" Gus yelled.

Amity glanced over her shoulder and stared at Gus with a look of indifference.

"I told you what my mission was originally, didn't I? Why are you acting so surprised?" Amity asked.

"Luz loves you! You two…you two slept together!"

Amity shuddered.

"I've done a lot to make this mission a success, sleeping with that thing was going above and beyond! Ugh!"

"Talk about dedication, Mittens," Edric chuckled.

"Seriously, Ams, I am impressed," Emira added.

Luz looked up weakly as she said, "But…A-Amity…you…you said–"

"Oh, shut up you piece of shit!" Amity rounded on Luz and kicked her straight in the face, making blood fly out of her mouth. "I hated every single second of your hands all over my body! It may have been just a Gigai, but that doesn't negate the fact that I felt everything! Ugh! I'm going to need a long shower to decontaminate myself. And for the record, I've had better."

"BLIIIGHT!" Gus roared as he tried to run towards them but found it difficult to do so due to the spells that bound him.

"Honestly, Augustus, you shame your Quincy heritage. Becoming friends with a Hollow? And even going so far as to protect it? I was being friendly and lovey dovey for the sake of my mission, what's your excuse? Oh, I get it. You secretly wanted to screw her, didn't you? You say you look at her as a big sister, but maybe that's your kink? She died, so you lost your chance, and now she's back, and you're just trying to play the protective best friend to worm your way into her pants." Amity mocked.

Luz looked up at Gus in disbelief as she said, "Gus…you…that's what you really wanted?!"

"LUZ, DON'T LISTEN THIS LYING BITCH!"

"Pfft, please, why else would he be so vehement about protecting you?" Amity crouched low and grabbed Luz by her hair, pulling it up and making Luz wince in pain. "In the end, that's all you're good for. That's why that man at that camp had his people corner you. I mean, if you're going be useful in the world, I guess that's one way to do it. What do you say, Luz? I'll be generous and let you and Gus have your moment."

"…"

"Guess that answers that."

"Amity…I'm begging you…please let me live! Don't take me away from my Mom!" Luz begged.

Amity drew her sword and held it at the back of Luz's neck.

"Like it matters. We'll just erase her memories and give her new ones. It'll be like you never existed in the first place, which will be a blessing to his world!"

Luz's eyes widened with pure fear as she turned her gaze to Gus.

"Help me…Gus…!"

"LUUUUUUUUUUUZ!"

"Goodbye…MONSTER!"

Willow stood wordlessly as she witnessed the clash. Blade struck blade, and shockwave after shockwave erupted through the town of Gravesfield. The town was practically in ruins, while others were running and screaming, unable to see the battle that was occurring, but Willow could.

She watched as her best friend fought against her new friend, she saw Gus's dead body lying before her, and all while Luz and Amity fought each other with tears in their eyes. Willow tried her best to make things work for them, she advised them as much as possible, was a shoulder to cry on, but all of it was for nothing in the end. Willow couldn't stop Soul Society from forcing Amity to battle someone she loved, and Luz didn't want to die again, leaving her with no choice but to battle the person she had come to love to the death.

"STOP IT, BOTH YOU!" Willow screamed desperately.

But it didn't work, her voice would never reach them, not over the painful cries they shouted, and not over their erupting powers. Luz dashed straight for Amity, abandoning her naginata, while Amity dashed towards Luz, her sword ready to deliver a thrust.

"STOOOOOOOOOP!"

Willow's heart sank as she watched Luz use her right hand to pierce through Amity's chest, and at the same time, Amity's blade pierced Luz's heart.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Edric was in a dark void, there was nothing around him, and no one to be seen.

"Okay, real funny guys. Where is everyone?" Edric called out. "Hello? Anyone?"

The young man's pulse started to quicken as he given no response. He ran in a random direction, but Edric was getting nowhere, it was just an endless void, and endless expanse of black nothingness.

"Alright, if-if this is a joke, it's not funny! Emira! Amity! Dad?!…Mom?"

Edric continued to call out into the void, but there was no response, because there was no one. Complete emptiness, a void, with Edric as the only being inside of it. Edric began holding his head as he dropped to his knees, fear gripping his heart as he started to realize that he was alone, alone with no one and nothing around him. Just darkness, and himself.

"No…No this is happening! I…I don't want to be alone! Please! Someone answer me! Someone?! ANYONE!"

But no one answered, his voice echoed, but that was all. Edric dropped to the nonexistent ground and curled up into a fetal position as he whimpered and cried.

Emira was walking through the Squad Nine barracks and spotted a few of her subordinates and decided to greet them since it was a nice morning.

"Morning everyone, how are you guys doing?" Emira asked.

"Oh, it's Edric's sister!"

"Hey, where's your brother?"

Emira paused, that was a strange way to greet her. "Uh, Ed's doing his own thing, I guess. But–"

"Oh, never mind, there he is."

Emira blinked and looked to her right, and there he was.

"Uh, hey, Ed," Emira greeted.

"Sorry for the confusion everyone," said Edric as he threw an arm over Emira's shoulders. "Don't worry, sis, I'll always be here."

"Uh…right."

It didn't stop there, no matter where she went, no matter what Emira was doing, Edric was always there. And the sparse few times he was not, she couldn't get around people asking, "Where's Edric?", "Aren't you and Edric a package deal?", "Shouldn't you be with Edric right now?", or "You're Edric's sister!" Emira loved her little brother, she truly did, they were twins, they were partners in crime, but as much as she did love their closeness, Emira wished to be seen as an individual.

"I'm not just his sister, I'm Emira!" she shouted at the people around her.

The crowd laughed and scoffed, as if the very notion of her being a single individual was a joke.

"C'mon, Sis, don't be like that."

Emira gasped when she saw Edric behind her, his eyes glowing bright violet.

"I'll be by your side forever; we'll always be together. Never too far apart…because you're not you, you're nothing without me!" Edric accused.

"NO! I'm my own person! Just because we're twins, doesn't mean I'm not an individual! That goes for you, too, Ed!" Emira retorted.

"Oh, sis, it's really funny seeing you protest so much. But you can't escape what's already been decided!"

Emira tried to run away, but as soon as she did, something wrapped around her neck. A shackle had wrapped itself around her neck, but it wasn't alone. Two more clasped themselves around her wrists, and another two around her angles. All five shackles were connected to chains, chains that led right back to her brother. Suddenly, the chains around her angles pulled taut, wrenching Emira's legs from under her and making her collapse onto the ground. Emira tried to crawl away, but the chains on her ankles were steadily reeling her back towards Edric.

"We'll be together forever…!"

"ED, STOP! STOP!" Emira begged.

Emira looked back, and suddenly, Ed had grown twice as tall, becoming a giant. The chains started to pull upwards, as Ed looked down on her with maniacal glee.

"Together forever…!"

"ED, NOOOOOOO!"

"How pitiful you all are," Grom mocked. Before him were the bodies of the five who had come to stop him. All of them had glowing violet eyes, and all five of them were on the ground, writhing and muttering, and all of them were crying. "Such is the power of fear. There is no creature alive that cannot feel fear. If it lives, it fears. I used it to make those little brats obey me, I used it to make sure they knew how to act like normal children. And I used fear to make that girl obey me! Sadly, she had more spirit than I thought. So, I decided to break her a different way. But the last thing I was expecting was for that brat to have an adrenaline rush that allowed her to incapacitate us."

Grom slithered over to Amity, who was in a fetal position and holding her head as she continued to see horrifying images projected straight into her mind. The Adjuchas Hollow had one of his tentacles and wrapped around her neck. He hoisted Amity up by the neck, causing her to gag. But despite this additional pain, it didn't seem to snap Amity out of her fear induced hallucination. Grom tightened his grip on Amity's throat, making the teen Soul Reaper thrash harder as she gasped for air.

"Such is my power, La Mirada del Miedo (The Gaze of Fear). No matter the external stimuli, you're trapped in a nightmare of revolving fear, each vision more horrible than the last of your greatest fears. And fear is such a delicious seasoning for a soul. Now, I just need to find Noceda and I can–"

"ENCHANT! LA BRUJA!"

Grom heard someone yell, and that's when he looked up into the sky and saw a flash of yellow light. That bright light dispersed as Luz appeared, now in her Resurrección form of La Bruja. The Arrancar wasted no time as she held out her right hand and summoned forth two Light Glyphs which then lined up in front of her palm.

"¡Rebanada de Haz de Luz (Light Beam Slice)!"

The two glyph symbols merged into one as a disk of bright yellow light formed, and in the next moment, the disk fired an intense beam of yellow light straight at Grom. The Adjuchas Hollow attempted to jump backwards, and while he managed to avoid a killing blow, the beam of light sliced through his tentacle, creating a precise groove in the dirt and rock underneath. Now separated from the tentacle, Luz dismissed her attack and used her Sonido to dash straight for Amity. She quickly scooped Amity up into her arms before going down on her right knee, while using her left leg and hand to support her lover's head.

Luz tore off Grom's tentacle and looked into Amity's eyes as she said, "Amity! Can you hear me?! It's Luz!"

"L-Luz…I'm…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I killed you…I got you killed…! It's my fault…It's all my fault…!" Amity muttered, her eyes still glowing violet.

"What are you saying?! I'm right here!" Luz looked at the others, and noticed everyone's eyes were glowing the same color, and all seemed to have expressions of terror. The Latina gently placed Amity onto the ground before whirling around and glaring at the Hollow that caused this. "YOU! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THEM?!"

Grom hissed at the loss of his tentacle, normally it should grow back, but the Arrancar's attack seemed to have damaged it in a different way. Honestly, Grom was dumbfounded, he didn't think another Hollow like that was here. But when the Arrancar said it was "Luz", he couldn't believe his luck.

"Luz? You said your name is Luz Noceda?" he asked.

"What about it?!" Luz shouted.

"Heh, now I know fate has a cruel sense of humor. I died, spent five years in Hueco Mundo with only the thought of coming back to kill you, and when I do, it turns out you died and have become a stronger Hollow than me?! HA!" Grom laughed dryly.

"Okay, don't tell me, I'll just beat it out of you!"

In the blink of an eye, Luz disappeared and reappeared overhead. The Arrancar flipped once in the air before bringing down her right foot and landing an ax kick right in the middle of Grom's head. The Adjuchas Hollow released a loud grunt of pain as he was driven, headfirst, into the ground with a thundering thud. Luz landed and grabbed him by the horn as she swiftly jumped into the air and tossed him like a ragdoll back to the earth below. Grom crashed into the ground, creating a crater, but a moment after he did, a green Plant Glyph appeared underneath him. The ground suddenly erupted with dozens of vines all of which weaved themselves into fists that rained down a barrage of punches on him.

Grom managed to form a Cero, took aim, and fired it straight at Luz. The Arrancar didn't even bother blocking it as the Cero sailed through the air and hit Luz, exploding upon impact. Grom thought he had managed to harm her, but he was quickly proven wrong when the smoke cleared and showed Luz had taken no damage at all from his attack.

"My hierro is waaaay stronger than yours, especially since I'm in my Resurrección. I could've blocked that or gotten out of the way. But you might as well be throwing a pebble at a mountain. Do you get how screwed you are now? Or do I have to prove my point again?" Luz asked.

Grom's response was to fire another Cero, but just like before, when the beam hit, no damage was done to Luz. Luz almost wanted to show this Hollow what a real Cero looked like, but she wasn't sure if killing him would snap the others out of whatever mind trap he put them in. But there was something else she could hit him with, not as destructive, but no less painful. Luz concentrated her energy as she closed her fists. Yellow energy surrounded both her fists as she cocked back her right.

"BALA!"

Luz began punching the air in the direction of Grom and rained down several Bala. Grom couldn't dodge the high-speed attack as several of the spheres of dense light pummeled him and the ground below. Grom felt like he was getting punched with the force of a cargo ship, going Mach ten. The ground started to form indentions from each Bala that hit, further expanding the depth of the crater. After ten seconds of continuous fire, Luz dashed down into the crater, grabbed Grom by the cloak, and tossed him out of the crater and back onto level ground. She reappeared next to him, and grabbed the Hollow by the neck with both hands as she raised him up.

"THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE! UNDO WHAT YOU DID, OR I'LL DEVOUR YOU! VERY, VERY SLOWLY!" Luz threatened.

Grom coughed up some black blood and chuckled a little.

"WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY?!"

"…It's just, five years ago, I tried to get inside of you. But it seems five years later, I'm going to be inside of you in a different way, heh…"

Luz raised an eyebrow. "What the hell do you mean by that?! I never fought you before?! And five years ago?! I was…fourteen…"

Grom's lips curled into a sharp toothed grin as he could see the gears turning in Luz's head.

"Yes, five years ago. Reality Check Camp. You remember that place, don't you Luz? We had some good times there, didn't we?"

Luz's hands started to shake. This thing couldn't be…could it?

Wait…Amity asked me about his name earlier today. And last night there was a Hollow roar…and now…No…Nononononononono this thing can't be him!

Luz immediately let go of Grom as she took a step back. "U-U-Uncle Jacky…?"

"Ah, took you long enough, Luz," said Grom as he rose to his tentacled feet. "It's been years since we last saw each other. I have to say, you've grown into a rather attractive young woman. I like your outfit by the way."

Luz looked down at herself, she knew exactly how revealing her Resurrección outfit looked, and before she didn't care about that. But now that he was looking at her, Luz instinctively used her arms to cover her chest and crotch.

"Aww, don't be like that. I like a woman who is confident in her body," Grom mused.

"SHUT UP!" Luz cried out as she released her transformation and reverted to her pre-released state. "STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"

Grom began to slither towards Luz, no longer worried about how powerful this girl had become, because right now, she wasn't the all-powerful Arrancar. She was that scared little girl from camp, and Grom could see it in her eyes.

"Luz, I have thought of nothing else but returning to the living world and getting my revenge on you. I died in prison because of you, lost my camp, my humanity, all of that was your fault!"

"No…y-you…that was your fault! Y-You hurt those other campers! And you tried to do worse to me!" Luz retorted.

"How pitiful, I was stalking you for the last few days, but I had no idea you were a Hollow. I discovered the power to hide my presence from other Hollows like Adjuchas. Apparently, that includes Arrancars since you couldn't sense my presence worth a damn. And thanks to my other ability, the power to induce crippling fear, I devoured many more!"

Grom lunged at Luz, but the Latina quickly fell to the ground and scrambled away. However, Grom was on her tail as she stopped before a tree and turned around, seeing the leering gaze of her past tormentor, and freezing on the spot.

"It truly must be fate that we are brought here this day. You became what you are, and I became what I am. And now, when I devour you, I'll become one of the most powerful kinds of Hollows, a Vasto Lorde!" Grom proclaimed.

"B-B-But you said all you wanted was revenge on me!" Luz exclaimed.

Grom smirked as he retorted, "Well, Luz, you always have to have a goal. I mean, when I do kill you, I need something to aim for next, or else life becomes meaningless. But I am amazed, I wonder what killed you. I hope it hurt, you little skank! Oh, and your dear mother! Does she know that she's living with a soul devouring monster?!"

Luz's eyes widened, and Grom's smug smile grew wider.

"Oh dear, she doesn't, does she? Your poor mother doesn't know her daughter is a little monster. How terrifying must that be? Having to live every day with that kind of knowledge that you aren't human anymore, that your living a lie!" Grom accused. "It must be awfully frightening!"

Before Luz could utter a word, the extra eyes of Grom's mask all started to release a bright violet light. The light washed over Luz as she screamed, but upon getting hit with the light, Luz's eyes glowed the same color.

"Now, bask in that fear! I want to hear you scream!"

Luz found herself at the cemetery where her father was buried. She didn't know why she was here, but she had a good idea. There were flowers in her right hand, which meant that it was probably that time when she and her mother would go to his grave, speak with him, and leave him flowers. Strangely, her mother wasn't with her. Luz figured her mother was probably up ahead waiting for her. Deciding not to keep her waiting, Luz hurried through the gates. The skies were overcast with thick, gray clouds, and as she ran up the hill to where her father's grave was, thunder roared through the sky.

"Oh man, why now?! Could you not wait at least ten minutes?" Luz complained.

The Latina finally made it over the hill, and spotted her mother, but she wasn't standing her father's grade. She was staring down at the grave next to his…Luz dropped the flowers as she realized the specific grave she was looking at. With growing fear, Luz ran towards her mother, hoping that the spell was still active and keeping the true identity of the headstone hidden.

"MOM!" Luz cried out as she stopped behind her. "Mom, what's wrong? Y-You know Papá's grave is over there, right?"

"…"

"Mamá, what's wrong?" Luz asked.

"…"

"Mamá, please talk to me, what are you looking at?"

Camila turned around, her brow was furrowed, and tears were streaming down her face as she stepped to the side and revealed the name on the headstone, "Luz Noceda".

"Mamá…I-I can explain," said Luz calmly.

"What are you?!" Camila demanded.

Luz's heart felt like it was just stabbed when she heard those words.

"Mamá, it's me, Luz. Soy tu hija. (I'm your daughter.)"

"LIAR!" Camila yelled, making Luz flinch. "I remember…I remember…EVERYTHING! I remember the car! I remember holding you in my arms as you took your last breath! I remember how my hands were stained with blood! Her blood!" Camila pointed at the headstone. "The blood of my daughter! She died! I know she died! So, who the HELL are you! ¡Dime quién eres! (Tell me what you are!)!"

Luz had tears streaming down her face, as she tried to explain it, "Mamá, yes…I did die. I died in your arms, I became a ghost for some time, and I managed to find a way back! I know this is a lot, but please, trust me! I am your daughter; I am Luz Noceda!"

"Please, you're a monster in disguise."

Luz turned around and gasped when she saw who it was, "A-Amity?"

The teen Soul Reaper, possessing a Soul Badge, struck Luz's chest with the item and forced her true form to eject from the Gigai. Afterwards, Amity muttered a spell, and Luz felt something. She heard a horrified scream and quickly whirled around to see what happened. Luz expected her mother to probably gasp and scream after seeing Amity strike her in the chest and then fall over unconscious, however, Camila's eyes were not on the soulless Giga lying on the ground, her eyes were locked with hers.

"You…You can see me?" Luz gasped.

"It's due to the spell I used." Amity explained as she walked around and stood beside Camila. "It allows those with low spiritual awareness to view spirits, temporarily. I thought it was only right for Camila to see the monster that's been impersonating her daughter for over a year now."

"Wait…did you tell her?! Amity, did you tell my Mom what happened?!" Luz accused.

"I only told her that her daughter was not who she thought she was. I told her to come to this cemetery and see for herself where her daughter has been this whole time."

Camila looked at the grave and then to Luz. "What…What are you?!"

"I…"

"She's a Hollow, Camila. A monster that I and others like me battle every day to keep the souls of the living and the dead safe from harm. Her kind knows only one thing, to devour, to harm. She took up the identity of your daughter, molded her body and face in her likeness in some sick and twisted mind game. She's probably been targeting you and Luz for a while now, and I'm willing to bet she devoured the real Luz's soul in order to gain her likeness. And then, she lived with you."

"Why?!" Camila wailed. "Why would you do this to me?! Why would you make me believe my daughter was alive?!"

"Mamá, it's not true!" Luz retorted.

"Don't listen to it, Camila. Hollows are notorious for being sadistic creatures, they like to play with their prey, and when the time is right, they reveal themselves. A living soul that's been tormented and then sent into the depths of despair right before they are killed is like seasoning for their meal. I've seen it done hundreds of times, and each time is worse than the last. But I'd rank this one up there in my top five."

Luz angrily glared at Amity as she said, "Amity why would you do this to me?! We…We're together! We've slept together! You said–!"

"I hated every moment of it."

Thunder roared louder overhead, and that's when the heavens opened, releasing a deluge of rain upon them.

"You don't mean that…"

"I do. Did you forget my mission was to investigate why Hollows were disappearing, and once discovered, eliminate it? Everything I've done has been part of my mission, 'Luz'. Did you really think a Soul Reaper could love a Hollow?! If it wasn't for the sake of the mission, I wouldn't have let you touch me at all! I'd sooner die on my sword than ever be with a creature like you!" Amity exclaimed with venom.

It was all falling apart; Luz's life was falling apart and there was nothing she could do. The one she thought she loved never really loved her, and the only other person who did sees her as a monster.

"…Get rid of it…" Luz's eyes widened as she looked at her mother. "Amity…please…KILL THAT THING!"

"Mamá…you don't mean that…" Luz begged.

"Kill that thing and avenge my daughter!" Camila shouted.

Amity placed the Soul Badge against her body and separated her soul self from the Gigai. Now in full Soul Reaper form, Amity drew her Zanpakutō, and leveled it at Luz. The Latina backed away, but suddenly, two hands broke free from the dirt, rotted, and boney. Luz screamed with terror as the being who had grabbed her was the decaying corpse of her father. But her torment wasn't over, as Luz felt two arms hook themselves under her pits and held her in place. Luz turned around and screamed again as she now saw herself. Rather, her old human body. It too was decayed, with flesh having been rotted away and revealing bone.

"Look at that, 'Luz', even your deceased father and the original you are rejecting your existence. Can't say I blame them, you are an abomination, something that should not exist in this world!" Amity took a stance as she readied her sword. "Someone like you, who only knows how to make trouble for others, whose mere existence is a burden to others, is destined to wander the void!"

"AMITY, WAIT, PLEASE WAIT! MAMÁ LISTEN TO ME! I'M BEGGING YOU; I LOVE YOU!"

Camila glared at Luz with utter disdain as she said in an angry tone of voice, "…¡Vete demonio! (Begone you demon!)"