(The Deadwardian Era/Present-ish? Ugh, screw it, you know it's time travel)
Luz and Lilith entered through the time pool, standing now in the Deadwardian Era. Lilith "borrowed" a sunhat from the witch woman Luz saw earlier, and Luz took the helmet from the skeleton of the triclops warrior. Now with sufficient covering, the witch and human made their way towards early Bonesborough, and stopped once they reached the gate entrance to the town.
"Now, Luz, we are technically in the Savage Ages, way before Belos banished Wild Magic. These denizens may be dangerous," Lilith warned.
"Don't worry, Lilith. With my powers, I'm sure I can keep us safe," said Luz.
"Oh, yes, that's another thing I needed to warn you about. If you can help it at all, try not to transform into Witch. You're Kamen Rider form is a figure of the modern era, not the current era. Revealing it here might 'cause a paradox of some sort. So, try to keep any magic you use limited to just your rings," Lilith instructed.
Luz nodded as she said, "Shouldn't be a problem. There're no Phantoms here anyway, so we should be fine."
"Alright then, let's go."
With the ground rules set, Luz and Lilith entered the town. They kept their guard up, unsure if any of these Savage Age witches and demons would attack them at the drop of a hat. One of the demons who was walking by stopped, causing Luz to raise her hands in preparation for a fight.
"Good tidings kind witches," the demon greeted as he tipped his hat to them and went about his way.
"Uh…"
"That was…unexpected."
Luz and Lilith kept walking further into the town, and as they did, they realized that something was way off. The textbooks and history books from Hexside and at the library painted this time as an age of debauchery, wickedness, and rampant, blasphemous use of magic in all shapes and forms. So, one would think this place would be a dystopian wasteland, however, it was the complete opposite. The buildings and streets were neat and tidy, the people were dressed in well made finery, and were quite hospitable, if not outright friendly.
Along the way, they witnessed several witches and demons in the act of mixing magic. One demon was injured, and his wagon had a broken wheel. A witch, who happened to walk by, saw this poor soul and used his magic to not only levitate the demon back onto his wagon, but also fixed the wheel and healed his broken arm like it was nothing. Another instance they witnessed was a young witch girl who conjured an Abomination, and then made a crown of flowers around its head before having it carry her off to whatever destination she had wanted.
There were other such events, they watched as a witch mixed Bard and Illusion magic to tell a story to some passersby. Another used Plant, Potion, and Healing magic to make an elixir that made a person who looked deathly ill instantly be cured, if his little happy jig was any indication. So many people were mixing magic, and each had various and wonderous results from it as well, it was honestly a sight that made Luz happy.
"This doesn't look dangerous. This looks awesome! Look at this, everyone's mixing at least three or four different types of magic, at least from what I can see," Luz gaped in awe.
"So, this is what a society unbound by the Coven System looks like. This only makes things even sadder, so much potential, lost. So much advancement, quashed. Knowledge forbidden by a tyrant." La Lechuza's feathers ruffled. "It's unforgiveable."
"Lilith, why did Belos even want to banish Wild Magic, again?" Luz asked.
"Well…supposedly, the Titan doesn't like it. That it goes against his will and intention for how we use the gift of magic which the Titan has bestowed upon us," Lilith explained.
"HE DOES NOT SPEAK FOR ME…!" Luz remembered the words of the Titan's spirit, so she knew that was a lie. "But what if Belos is lying, like, totally lying about being able to speak to the Titan?"
Lilith stopped walking as she contemplated Luz's words.
"It's…That's a hard pill to swallow, Luz. Or else…it would be if I hadn't witnessed two instances of historical inconsistencies. The first one being the ruins on that island that King was born on. The markings in that place were unlike anything I've ever seen before and match no known historical texts. And now…" Lilith waved her arms over the everything in front of her. "You and I are seeing with our own eyes how the supposed 'Savage Ages' were. Not a time of hostility, but a time of peace and prosperity."
"A false prophet, a tyrant. He's quite the manipulator. He managed to rewrite the entire history of this land within the timespan of fifty years. Either his magical power is greater than he's let on, or he's multiple accomplices that have helped him to solidify his rule."
"Lilith, Lala was just thinking, do you think Belos has more magic power than he lets on, and that's how he's managed to rewrite history? Honestly, I don't think so since I almost beat him the first time we met. And now, if I fought him, I'm pretty sure I'd wipe the floor with him. And if that's not the case, do you think there are people helping him do it?" Luz asked.
"A good question, and a dangerous one. If the former, to be honest, I'd put my snails on you being far stronger than him. But if it's the latter, then it could mean there's a vast conspiracy that's – Oh, my Titan!"
"W-What?! What?!"
Lilith rushed over to a building and gawked at its roof as she whipped out her journal.
"Look at this thatch work! Each segment looped by hand! Haha!"
And Lilith's nerding out. Well, guess I'll ask around for Philip.
Luz walked up to one of the early Bonesborough citizens who was sitting on a bench, whipped out a simple silhouette drawing of Philip, and asked, "Excuse me. Have you seen a human around? Round ears. Super smart. Honestly, he's probably a celebrity around here."
The demon shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
"Oh…well thank you."
Luz moved onto the next citizen but struck out again. The two time travelers went from demon to demon, and witch to witch, but no matter how many they spoke to, nobody seemed to know who Philip was. After about an hour of asking around, they had come up with nothing.
"You'd think someone would know about him, considering that humans seem to be a rarity here in the Demon Realm," Luz commented.
"Perhaps Philip hasn't been to Bonesborough yet? We are in the Deadwardian Era, but since we can't be sure what exact year the time pools take us to, we could be here before Philip ever arrived in this town, or we arrived after he left?" Lilith proposed.
"Oh, I really hope it's not the second one. But if it's the first one, that's also bad since he could be anywhere on the Boiling Isles."
"Dance, human! Dance!"
Luz and Lilith heard voices, and most notably, they heard someone say "human". They quickly rushed towards where the noises were coming from but stopped as they peeked from around the corner. From their hiding spot, they watched as two demons, one with a green fang and another with a red fang, were playing keep-away with the book of someone. This person was dressed like someone from the old colonial days of America, he had long brown hair that was tied into a ponytail, piercing blue eyes, and a long shaggy beard. His right leg had a splint around it, but the most notable thing about this person was the fact that he had round ears.
Lala, it's him!
"I'll be damned, so it is."
"Give that back!" Philip exclaimed as he tried to get back his journal. "I can't believe this, after the bonds of fellowship we forged–!"
"Bonds?! Ha! You still owe us!" Red Fang stated as he pushed Philip to the ground.
"When I accomplish my mission, I promise you, you'll have your snails," said Philip.
"Listen to this," said Green Fang as he opened the journal and read in a mocking tone. "'With my new and bravest companion, Blue Fang, I set forth. His strength should make fast work of any task.'"
Red Fang took the book from Green Fang, held it in his left hand, and drew a spell circle that created a flame at his fingertip.
"His pretty little words should make pretty good kindling," said Red Fang.
NO! If he destroys the journal, then I won't be able to make a portal in my time!
Luz quickly broke out an Ice Glyph and slammed it against the ground. Within seconds, ice crept along the road, snaking its way towards Red Fang as Luz commanded it to rise up, creating a spike that struck the journal out of Red Fang's hand, sending a few pages flying at the same time. When the book landed, Luz walked out from behind the building and stood resolutely before the two demons, keeping Philip at her back.
"That doesn't belong to you. Now, why don't you guys just back off and leave him alone," Luz warned.
Red Fang growled as he moved to fight Luz, but Green Fang stopped him.
"Don't waste your time on the kid. We should keep looking," said Green Fang.
"Tch. You should ask your friend there what happened to our brother Blue Fang and his Palisman, just some friendly advice," said Red Fang.
With their warning given, the two demons walked off, leaving Luz alone with Philip. Once they were gone, Philip collected some of the papers that were jettisoned from the journal and placed them back in. Luz picked some up as well, but when she did, she saw that one of the pages showed a depiction of Eclipse Lake.
"So, he's already gotten to the Titan Blood," Luz whispered.
Luz noticed something in the upper left corner of the page, an image she hadn't seen before. She recognized one of the silhouette drawings as Philip, but there was another she didn't know. Yet, at the same time, the image was strangely familiar the longer she looked at it.
"Huh, who's this?"
Philip saw Luz looking at the paper and snatched it out her hands as he said, "That's private."
"You're Philip Wittebane, aren't you? The human?" Luz asked.
Philip groaned as he turned to Luz and Lilith and retorted, "Here to gawk? I may not have a bile sac, but I do have my dignity, thank you very much. Good day."
"Wait! I've heard of your exploits. And I know what it's like to be far from home. Could we talk?"
"…No."
With that simple answer, Philip began limping away from them. Luz began to panic, this was her only chance to get answers about the portal door, to find out what she did wrong in its construction, she couldn't let this chance pass her by.
"Wait! I can give you snails! I can make you crutches! Um…Uh…Uh…I CAN HELP YOU FIND THE COLLECTOR!" Luz blurted out.
Philip immediately came to a halt.
"You know of The Collector?" Philip asked.
"I-I've only heard mentions of The Collector. And I heard that you, Philip Wittebane, are on a quest to locate him. I believe we can help each other!" Luz lied. "My Aunt is a very knowledgeable witch, and I am pretty gifted in magic of a different variety. Perhaps, the three of us, together, can find The Collector and get the answers we seek?"
Philip looked at the young girl before him, and then at her aunt. He regarded them for a moment longer before turning around and hobbled towards them. Philip extended his right hand towards Luz, and Luz happily shook it.
"Well then, let us make haste to The Collector, and obtain what we seek."
(Early morning, modern era…)
Amity sighed as she stood out on the balcony, gazing into the distance. Last night was eventful, if not a bit frustrating to a degree. Thankfully, Amity's display of power made it so no one had the guts to make her do any kind of challenge that would put her in a position like that again, although the few times she had to switch it up and lie, they weren't Kamen Rider related, or anything that would make her divulge the truth of her identity and Luz's. She managed to lie well enough that she was never found out, a mask that Odalia taught her to put on whenever dealing with others.
Ugh, why do I resort to falling on Mom's lessons, Amity thought.
"As annoying as that woman is, some of her lessons have practical use. So, I wouldn't go dismissing all of them. Personally, it's all about how you use them. Power is power, it all depends on how you use it that determines whether it is good or evil in the eyes of others."
Wise words, Bast.
"Eh, Laly is rubbing off on me. I must say, this is the most time I've ever spent interacting with her."
Huh, do the Phantoms not interact much in the world you originally come from?
"From time to time we cross paths. There are some who reside in the higher echelons of our realm that interact more, general and lieutenant class mostly."
Huh, I have been wondering. Where do you and La Lechuza fall in that category?
Amity could feel Bast grinning from within.
"Would it surprise you to learn that both of us are of the General class?"
Amity's eyes widened when she heard that.
No way! You're saying you're as strong as those Phantom Generals?!
"Eh, more like lower ranking generals, but yeah. Laly isn't exaggerating, there's a reason why she acts all haughty. You can imagine how her pride took a hit when she found herself attached to a human and used to fuel her magic."
Amity was shocked to say the least, this whole time she thought Bast and La Lechuza were the same as the low ranked Phantoms that they've fought, but this whole time they were ranked as generals.
Guess being attached to us lowered your power, huh?
"You two have been steadily growing in power. You've taken our magic to different heights than even we could've imagined. And, Kitten, being attached to you two has been the most fun I – and Laly – have had in centuries."
Amity smirked as she leaned on the railing.
Heh, well, glad we could provide you with entertainment.
"There you are."
Amity turned around and saw Boscha walking onto the balcony as well.
"Morning, Boscha."
Boscha yawned as she walked up to the balcony's railing and leaned her back against it.
"Sorry about last night, the girls got a little carried away," said Boscha.
"It's fine, I'm over it," said Amity.
"To be honest, it did kind of tick me off how they talked about you. Like you were less than."
Amity raised an eyebrow and glanced at Boscha as she said, "Me? They said more about Luz than me."
"You know they're not going to badmouth a member of one of the most prestigious witch families on the Boiling Isles. It's easier to attack the human than it is you, in a roundabout way, it was an attack on you through her."
The slights at her, personally, were not lost on Amity. High society witches like her family and others had their own way of throwing jabs at those of higher social standing than them, veiling it behind badmouthing someone connected to them, or bringing up someone else that was in a similar disadvantageous position as the person they were really talking about.
"I don't care, Boscha. Let them say whatever they want, I know I'm still a strong witch, and I've proven it time and again. And I don't need their approval when it comes to those who I determine are worth my affection," said Amity proudly.
Boscha furrowed her brows a bit, but smiled as she glanced down at the floor.
"Damn it, Amity, how is it that you can look so cool saying that, and at the same time frustrate me," Boscha admitted.
"Why do you care, Bosch?"
"Because I don't like other people badmouthing you or looking down on you because of who you're with. You're a strong and powerful witch, you're the best Amity. And Luz…okay, I get you like her, but she's dragging you down!"
Amity rolled her eyes.
"She's not 'dragging me down', if anything, she's lifted me up higher than I could have ever imagined," Amity retorted. "I don't feel like I have to be someone else around her or maintain some perceived image. Luz just likes me for me, and I can just be myself around her."
"…So, you couldn't be yourself with me? That's why you chose to be…friends…with her over me?" Boscha asked.
Amity sighed as she turned around and leaned her back against the railing as she crossed her arms.
"Boscha…Since I was little, I've been told what to do, and I've done it. I was told to end my friendship with Willow, and I hurt her. I was told to be friends with you and Skara, and I did. I was told to become the best student in Hexside and become a member of the Emperor's Coven. I did become the best student; I am the best student. When Luz came here, I came to realize something…"
"What?" Boscha asked.
"None of it was mine. All my choices were made by someone else. So much so that I believed that they were my choices, but ever since I met Luz, seeing how free she was, how she wasn't afraid to voice what she wanted or how she wasn't afraid to pursue her goals despite everyone telling her to the contrary that humans couldn't do magic, and yet, she found a way, and is continuing to grow each day. That's when I realized what I wanted."
Boscha turned to face Amity and asked, "You wanted her, was that it?"
"I didn't even think she would want me. Not after our rocky start. But what I really wanted was the ability to choose for myself what I wanted in my life. Choosing Luz to be my girlfriend, and having her accept me as her girlfriend, was the first step towards that goal. I don't know what the future holds for me, but I want it to be something that I choose, not someone else," said Amity.
Boscha sighed as she walked towards the balcony doors.
"Did you ever stop to think that, maybe, you could've had another choice?" Boscha inquired. "One that was there the whole time, if you just looked a little closer?"
"Wait what are you–?"
"The servants will have breakfast ready soon, let's head down."
Boscha walked on and left Amity alone on the balcony.
"That was…odd."
Yeah…Bast…do you think that Boscha…likes me?
"Kitten, this will be the one time where I will openly admit it. I don't know. The question is, how do you feel about it?"
Confused…I never even considered that Boscha might like me the same way I like Luz.
(Back in the Deadwardian Era…)
Luz, Lilith, and Philip were walking through the woods. Luz had finished giving Philip a made-up story about her and Lilith's origins. They had to preserve the timeline and make sure that nothing they did hindered the progression of Bonesborough or the Boiling Isles as a whole. It was honestly stressful, but Luz didn't want to end up coming back to a Demon Realm that was suddenly inhabited by savage demon dinosaurs. Or accidentally erase her existence, or Eda's, or King's, or her friends, or Amity.
Time travel gives me a headache…
"So, Luzura, you and your Aunt Dirtrude started traveling together after the Tog-gres attacked your castle and covered it with an impenetrable mist?" Philip confirmed.
"Yes, and that's why we, too, seek The Collector. We need him to tell us how to clear the mists so we can return home. Snap, snap, snap," said Luz as she started snapping her hands like crab claws.
"I see, well then, it's a good thing we met. Let us work together and obtain the answers we seek."
Philip led the way towards a cave entrance. The trio entered, but the further in they went, the darker it started to get.
"Oh my, did anyone bring a torch? After all that unpleasantness back in town, I forgot to stock up," said Philip.
Luz smiled and took out a Light Glyph paper. With a single tap, Luz created a sphere of light that floated in the palm of her hand. Philip gasped and looked upon the glowing sphere with great fascination and surprise.
"Astounding! I thought I was the only one who used picto-glyphs," said Philip as he took out his journal.
"You use glyphs too?" Luz asked.
"How else could a human survive here for so long? I've discovered three so far, plant growth, ice, fire. It took years to find them." Luz gave Philip another of her Light Glyph papers, and when she did, Philip drew the Light Glyph in his journal. "Almost as if the world didn't want me to find them. I even found one in a snowflake once if you can believe it."
"My dude, me too!" Luz exclaimed.
"A warrior and a scholar. You are a truly impressive young lady, Luzura," Philip said as he started to create more light orbs with the new glyph he learned.
"Ah! I can't believe I taught Philip something new!" Luz gushed.
"Hmm…"
If Lilith could hear La Lechuza, they would both be on a similar page in regards to Philip Wittebane. Lilith couldn't shake the uneasy feeling she was getting from him, and neither could La Lechuza. Neither one of them could quite pin it down, but there was just something about the way he talked that was so disarming that it was almost unsettling. As they walked deeper into the cave, Philip continued to make light orbs as he muttered to himself and wrote down more in his journal.
"A line there, a curve there. Fascinating. Absolutely… Fascinating." Philip was not unaware of the suspicious gaze that "Dirtrude" was giving him. "Your niece is very talented, dear Dirtrude. I'm sure she takes after her aunt."
"Oh, heh-heh. Maybe I had a little something to do with it," Lilith replied, modestly.
"I don't like him."
What?! Why don't you like him, Lala?!
"I just don't. He ruffles my feathers, and I feel on edge around him. Do not let your guard down around this man, Niña."
You're being too paranoid, Lala.
"Hmmmm…"
"Alright, I think it's time I showed you all a few tricks of my own," said Philip.
After saying that, Philip limped over to where he saw a stick and picked it up. Once in hand, Philip started to draw something on the ground. After a couple of minutes Luz and Lilith started to recognize what it was he was drawing, it was a Glyph Combo, and a big one. From what they could tell, it mostly utilized the Plant, Fire, and Ice Glyphs.
"Wow, Philip, I've never seen a combination like this before. What does it do?" Luz asked.
"In short, no pun intended, it's a shortcut. To The Collector."
As soon as Philip said that he placed his hand against the combination circle, and immediately the Glyph Combo activated. All the glyphs started to glow bright as the entire cave was bathed in light. Within a matter of seconds, a flash went off, and when they opened their eyes, Luz, Philip, and Lilith were no longer in the cave. Now they were in a grand hallway, it appeared to be made out of polished marble. Up ahead was a bridge that was supported by long columns of the same marble-like stone connecting it to the huge ceiling above them.
"Whoa, where are we?" Luz asked.
Luz looked behind her and saw that there was a hole in the wall. The Latina looked through the circular opening and gasped when she realized where exactly they were.
"Lilith! We're inside the head of the Titan!"
Lilith stopped in her tracks when she heard Luz say that, now feeling very uneasy about where they were, for more than one reason.
"We're what?! B-But this is sacred ground!" Lilith exclaimed in shock.
"I suppose that's why nobody wanted to accompany me." Philip began walking across the bridge, with Luz and Lilith following behind. "I understand that the Titan is a kind of deity to you and considering that all of witch and demon kind were spawned from its very body is a great testament to its sacredness to you all, it also makes a perfect place to hide what we seek. For you see, every legend regarding The Collector says that he lies there, beyond that door."
Luz, Philip, and Lilith stopped a few feet away from a huge ornate door. At first glance, the design just appeared to be for looks, but upon closer inspection, one could see that the center had a complex and ancient locking mechanism.
"I've tried many times before, but I just can't get it to open. And I fear my adventures are taking their toll on me," said Philip. "Ahh!"
Luz watched as Philip went down on his left knee as he nursed his injured leg. The Latina quickly rushed to his side, feeling deep concern for his wellbeing.
"Philip, you okay?" Luz asked.
"Sorry, Luzura. Your world is not too kind to a fragile human like myself. And I feel as if I'm at my wits end here."
"Don't worry, we can help. Puzzles are in my blood," Luz said. "Literally. My Mom had to stop me from eating puzzles when I was a kid."
"You know what, I believe it."
Oh hush, you.
"You stay here and rest up; we'll take care of the rest."
"Thank you for your kindness, crab maiden. Your people can surely rest easy knowing they have a young hero like yourself fighting for them," Philip said as he placed his hand on Luz's shoulder. "Perhaps we were destined to meet, you and I."
Luz smiled as she replied, "I think so, too, Philip. I really am glad we met. Maybe there's more you can teach me, and I can teach you?"
"Indeed, there may be."
"Can you make him remove his hand. Even though he's not touching me, having him touch you irritates me."
Lala, please stop being rude. I know he can't hear you, but I can. And fine, I'll go and check on Lilith.
"I'm going to go see how Aunt Dirtrude is doing, be right back."
Luz headed towards Lilith, who was busy figuring out the locking mechanism for the ancient doorway before them. She touched different panels, and as she did, she made different sections of the door glow.
"Luz, this mechanism is unlike any I've seen before! It'll make a remarkable addition to my exhibit," Lilith giddily remarked.
"Lilith, remember, we can't take anything back with us, or we'll mess up the timeline," said Luz.
"I know, I know. But at least I know where this is, so when we go back – provided it's still intact by then – I'll add it. There's just…something odd about all this, though."
Luz raised an eyebrow and asked, "Odd? What's odd about it? C'mon, Lilith. We can't stop now. We're getting everything we could've hoped for and more."
"Yes…that's just it, look at it, Luz." Lilith gestured back to the puzzle door. "Most of this puzzle has been solved already."
"Well, he did say he's tried to solve it on his own before we came along, maybe this is as far as he's gotten on his own," Luz speculated.
"That's just it, Luz." Lilith turned around and glanced at Philip, who was, again, writing in his journal. "The confidence, the compliments, the way he says everything you want to hear. It feels…uncomfortably familiar."
"Niña, listen to her, something isn't right."
Luz rubbed her left arm as she started to really think about what La Lechuza and Lilith were saying, and as much as she didn't want to think about it, there was something a little off about all this.
"I mean, I get it, something's a little weird about all this. But it's the Boiling Isles. Everything's a little weird here, right?" Luz glanced back at Philip. "Lilith, why don't you keep working on this and I'll go talk to Philip?"
"Alright, but tread lightly, please. Otherwise, Eda's going to have my head on a silver platter if something happens to you," said Lilith.
Luz smiled and hugged Lilith, she was taken by surprise by the show of affection, but after getting over it, Lilith returned the hug. Afterwards, Luz broke the hug and headed to Philip while Lilith completed the puzzle. As she approached, Luz looked over Philip's shoulder, and read the passage in his journal he was currently writing, and as she did, her concern rose.
"'I single-handedly defeated the beast behind the door. Tragically, I could not save my companions.' Why did you write that?" Luz took a step back as the man before her rose to his full height, his back still turned. "Philip, why did bring us here?"
Just then, Luz heard a shuddering thumb, and quickly turned around. Unfortunately, Lilith seemed to have opened the door.
"Ah! I did it! I solved the puzzle!" Lilith exclaimed with joy.
Philip turned around as well and answered, "I needed a sacrifice, Luzura. And you and your aunt are exactly what I needed."
"What'd he say?" Lilith asked.
"LILITH! GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR!" Luz warned.
But it was too late. A large claw shot out of the darkness grabbed Lilith and dragged her back screaming in terror.
"LILITH!" Luz screamed.
"Well, with the beast distracted, I can finally get through those doors."
Luz, angered, grabbed Philip by his coat and stared the deceitful man right in the eyes.
"You knew! You knew there was a monster behind that door! And you let us open it anyway!" Luz shouted.
"Now, Luzura, this was–"
"Meant to be? Destiny?! Balderdash!"
Philip chuckled and corrected her.
"I was going to say, 'inevitable'. Truly, you and your aunt were so easy to trick. Easier than Blue Fang," Philip informed. "Hopefully, you and Aunt Dirtrude can last longer than him."
Luz's mind flashed back to those two demons, remembering the one with the red fang's warning.
"You–!"
Lilith's screams snapped Luz back to the immediate problem. She quickly released Philip and ran to the door.
Lala, I'm so sorry! I should've listened to you!
"This isn't a time for 'I told you so', Luz! We need to save Lilith!'
Luz nodded and ran faster, when she passed through the door, she came to a skidding stop and beheld the creature that had attacked Lilith. It stood over nine feet tall. Its body was made of polished marble and held together by some kind of goo-like substance. The creature's head was an upside-down triangle, and two slits carved into its face where two bright blue glowing eyes peered back at Luz. The creature's back was rigid, and had several spikes protruding from it, and also had four claws on each hand. Its feet had two talons in the front, and one in the back. Overall, the creature looked humanoid, and it oddly looked familiar to her. But that was a comparison for later, the creature had Lilith in its left hand.
Sorry, Lala, Lilith, but I can't hide this!
Luz quickly took out her Connect ring and scanned it with the Hand Author buckle.
[Connect, Please.]
The Witch magic circle appeared to her right. Luz quickly thrust her hand into it pulled her WizarSwordGun. It was in the default Gun Mode, so Luz wasted no time in firing multiple rounds at the monster. The creature raised its right arm, when it did, the forearm grew a shield that blocked all the incoming shots.
"Okay, then how about this!"
Luz fired the WizarSwordGun again, but instead of flying in a linear direction, the rounds weaved around the monster's shield and struck against its left arm several times. Unfortunately, the monster didn't let go of Lilith, despite each hit hitting the mark.
"Whatever this thing is, it's not organic. We'll need to hit it hard if we're going to make it let her go!"
Dang it, guess we have no choice.
Luz switched her weapon to Sword Mode and stabbed into the ground as she switched out her Connect ring and put her Driver On ring in its place. At the same time, Luz slipped on her Light Style ring, and placed her right hand over the Hand Author buckle.
[Driver On, Please.]
Within seconds, the WizarDriver materialized around her waist.
"My, my, my."
Luz glanced over her shoulder as she watched Philip enter the room, having just witnessed her summon the Driver.
"Quite the fascinating weapon and items you possess, Luzura," Philip remarked.
Luz wanted to retort, but she had to focus. Quickly she switched the Hand Author to the left.
[Shabadoobi touch to henshin!
Shabadoobi touch to henshin!]
"Henshin!"
[Light, Please.]
[HI~KA~RI!]
A magic circle appeared under Luz's feet. The circle rose over her body, and immediately transformed her into Kamen Rider Witch.
Philip stared wide eyed at the transformation, watching a young girl not only grow to the height of an adult, but also was donned in armor that he had never seen anyone in the Demon Realm wear before. And more curiously, her pauldrons seemed to bare the same Light Glyph pattern as Luzura taught him.
"Remarkable." Philip made to write what he saw and sketch it but paused. "Later, perhaps."
Witch took up the WizarSwordGun and dashed towards the rock monster. The rock monster transformed its right forearm from a shield into spike a covered fist as it raised it up and launched it straight at her. Witch jumped straight into the air, twirled around, and came down with an overhead strike, slashing against the left forearm of the monster, but even with the added strength of her Rider form, Witch barely nicked the monster's arm.
"You've gotta be kidding me! How tough is this thing?!"
The Hero of Hope landed on the ground before the monster, where it raised its right arm to smash her, but Witch backflipped away, just in time dodge it.
"Hang on! I'll get you out of there!" Witch stated as she opened the Hand Author on the WizarSwordGun.
[C'mon slashing, shake hands!
C'mon slashing, shake hands!]
} LIGHT, SLASH STRIKE! {
The blade of the WizarSwordGun shined with yellow light, releasing sparkles as Witch twirled it around and readied herself to attack. The monster launched its right arm again, and Witch ran towards it. Timing it just right, Witch jumped just as the spikey fist neared her, letting it crash into the ground below her as she came down and slashed at the goopy, connective part of the creature's arm, severing it from the spike fist. Once she had, Witch made a beeline for the left arm and slashed upwards, severing half of the left forearm and making it release Lilith. Witch dashed towards Lilith and caught her before she could hit the ground.
"Thank you," said Lilith.
"No problem. Now all I need to do is – oh c'mon!"
Witch watched as the stone monster's body reconnected to the lost rock arm, retracting it back to its body. And the portion of the left forearm that she cut off regenerated almost immediately. The stone monster reached behind its back, and pulled out two of its spikes, and within seconds transformed them into giant marble swords.
"Lilith," Witch warned.
"I know, and be careful," Lilith responded as she headed for cover.
However, as she did, she stopped and watched as Philip made his way to a raised platform. Once there, the human reached down towards his splint and undid it, revealing that he was not injured at all, but was instead hiding a tool. With the push of a button, the tool he had in hand turned into a shovel, and with it he began digging at the platform he was on.
"HEY! THAT BETTER BE YOUR OWN GRAVE YOU'RE DIGGING!" Lilith yelled. "WAAAH!"
Lilith quickly ducked as the blade of the monster came close to beheading her. Witch was using her WizarSwordGun to deflect the attacks, but it was a bit of a futile effort as each strike merely threw her back and made her bones rattle painfully upon impact. Witch dismissed her weapon and switched out rings.
[Construction, Please.]
"You're made of some kind of rock. So, let's see how you do against this!"
Witch thrusted her right hand out just as the stone monster brought down its swords. A faint brown aura coated the swords, stopping them in place. But Witch was struggling, she could feel this thing fighting her control, but she wasn't about to give up either. The Hero of Hope managed to spot Philip, watching as he dug something up from the platform he was on.
"Philip! Listen to me! I know you want to get home! Believe me, I know how you feel! But it's not worth hurting people!"
Philip chuckled as she replied, "Oh, I disagree. It was nice making a cat's-paw out of you two."
The stone creature continued to fight against Witch's hold, but Witch managed to pour more of her mana into the spell, making the stone creature take a step back. As she did this, Philip was drawing another Glyph Combo pattern, the same one that they used to get into the Titan's skull.
"Good luck with your, 'crab castle' or whatever. Tch, honestly, you witches really do come up with the worst lies," Philip mocked. "Ta-ta."
The stone monster suddenly turned its head towards the platform and Philip. It quickly released the swords, letting them float in midair as it rushed towards the platform, raising its fists up to crush Philip where he stood. However, it was too late. Just as the monster brought down its fist, a flash of light went off. The monster was successful in smashing the platform, but when the dust settled, there was no sign of Philip.
"He used us as bait! And then he runs away! That coward!" Lilith exclaimed, angrily.
"Philip!"
Witch furrowed her brow as she took control of the marble swords and flung them towards the monster. The stone monster took notice but was too slow to stop both of the swords from striking against its body, piercing its head and abdomen. But that didn't seem to stop it as the stone monster grabbed onto the hilts of both swords, broke off the blades, and then absorbed the marble blades that were piercing its body.
This thing is tough, thought Witch.
"It is, but you're on the right track. Your Construction ring is giving you control over it. You just need more power."
Then let's turn up the heat!
Witch removed the Light Style ring and replaced it with her Fire Style ring. She quickly switched the Hand Author to the left and scanned her ring.
[Fire, Please.]
[Hi~HI~HIIII~!]
A red version of Witch's magic circle appeared below her, and rose over her body, switching her to Fire Style. Now with the increased magical power of this form, Witch focused that power into the Construction ring. The monster came charging at her again, but this time, instead of Witch stopping its swords, she stopped its body. A bright brown aura wrapped around the monster's body, making it freeze where it stood. Witch concentrated, pouring more and more of her mana into the spell as cracks started to appear on the stone monster's body.
Witch closed her hand into a tight fist, and when she did, the monster's body shattered to dozen upon dozens of stone fragments that fell to the floor. However, while the marble portions did crumble, the goop didn't, and one other thing didn't. At the center, where the monster's chest was, now floated a blue orb that seemed to command the goop.
"What the heck is that?"
"Probably the core of that creature! Look, it's reforming it!"
The orb glowed and made the goop latch onto the marble pieces that were scattered onto the floor. The pieces were then getting reassembled into the creature, but Witch wasn't about to let that happen again. She switched from the Construction ring and slipped on her Flare ring.
[Flare, Please.]
Witch raised her right hand into the air as fire swirled around it, she let the flames condense and swirl until it was a bright burning ball. The Hero of Hope dashed towards the control core of the monster, jumped into the air, and came down with a palm-heel strike, sending all the flaming energy she built up exploding forward in a piercing blast. The goop around the control core was instantly incinerated, and cracks formed around the control core. A moment later, the core shattered into five different pieces that fell to the floor, joining the rest of the stone monster's body.
When Witch landed on the ground, she readied herself just in case the fight wasn't over. However, when she looked down at the broken control core, its blue glow was no longer there, now it was a dull blue color. Witch released a sigh of relief as she lowered her hands and dismissed the flames around her hands. Lilith walked out from behind her hiding spot behind one of the marble columns and crouched down to get a better look at the remains.
"What was this thing?" Witch asked.
"Some sort of guardian, perhaps? Whatever Philip dug up, the moment it realized it was taken, the monster switched targets and went straight for him instead," Lilith observed. "Whoever made this place, also must've made this creature to keep people from stealing what Philip took."
"Say, Lilith, did that monster look familiar to you?"
Lilith stood up and adjusted her glasses as she said, "I was going to say something, but I wanted to see if you noticed too. It looked similar to…"
"Jean-Luc, the stone monster that was protecting King back on that island," said Witch.
"Then…Whoever constructed that tower, also constructed this space inside of the Titan's skull. Right under everyone's noses. This is truly fascinating, to think such a thing was made and no one knew anything about it."
Witch dismissed her transformation and returned to civilian form. Luz glanced at the destroyed platform where Philip made his escape and sighed.
"I'm sorry, Lilith, I should've listened to you, and Lala, when it came to that jerkweed," Luz apologized.
"Your humility is appreciated, Luz. But please, don't beat yourself up over it. Something tells me you weren't the first person Philip has tricked, and you likely won't be the last," said Lilith as she patted Luz's shoulder.
"I agree with 'Cool Aunt Lilith' over here. The man clearly knows how to manipulate people, and he took advantage of your kindness."
"Thank you, both of you. But we're done yet."
[Ride, Please.]
Philip, after obtaining his prize, began his walk back to his dwelling place. And as he did, the human wrote down his latest exploits in the journal he carried.
"And so, I doggedly limped home, but I had my prize." He finished the entry and took out the object he dug up earlier. It was a disk that was made out of an unknown polished stone material and had the symbol of a crescent moon and the sun. "Now, how best to describe you? Oval? Oblong? A round boy?"
Suddenly, a shadow passed overhead that made Philip look up. When he did, he saw nothing. Figuring it was his imagination, he began walking again, but that lasted about a few seconds before Luz and Lilith dropped out of the sky on the Witch Speeder, causing Philip to stumble back a few steps as he gawked at the flying machine is shock.
"What in the world?!" Philip exclaimed.
Luz and Lilith dismounted the Witch Speeder, both with cross expressions on their face.
"Tell me how that thing's gonna help you build a portal to the Human Realm!" Luz demanded, at this point, she could care less about the timeline.
Philip looked at the disk and replied, "Oh, this? No, no, this is for something else." The human man put the disk back in his satchel and turned to address the two before him.
"Wait, you mean that thing isn't even for a portal door?! Then what is it even for?!" Luz questioned.
"Young lady, if it's information you want, then it will be at a price. Perhaps we could work out an exchange? You seem to possess a different sort of magic than the other witches and demons I've met. And are quite skilled. Plus, your aunt here is – as you said – very knowledgeable. I don't doubt I'll face other such obstacles going forward. So, having a couple of capable companions would make things far easier, what do you sa–AAAAAAH!"
Lilith, who had had enough of hearing Philip talk, walked up to the man and punched him right in the face, sending the human sprawling to the ground.
Philip clutched his face as he rolled on the ground in pain. After a moment, he looked up at Lilith and growled, "AAH! You HATEABLE sorceress! You vile strumpet!"
Whoa.
"I have newfound respect for Lilith."
"Stay mad. Come, Luzura. We're finished here," Lilith stated as she got back on the Witch Speeder.
Luz headed back to the Speeder, but not before making a few gestures towards him as she said, "Cool Aunt."
The Latina mounted the Speeder, revved the engine, and took off into the sky, making sure to fly fast enough to cause a gust of wind that flung Philip backwards a few feet before ascending higher into the sky. As they flew, Luz had a look of disappointment on her face. Something that Lilith did not overlook.
"You know, Luz, if some jerk like Philip can build a portal, then I'm sure you can to," said Lilith.
"Thanks, Lilith." A thought occurred to Luz, which caused her to smile. "Hey, we have a little time before the tide comes in. You wanna do something exciting?"
"Hmm? Like what?" she asked.
"One word: balusters."
"…AAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!"
"I'll take that as a yes."
(Present Era…)
After exiting the Deadwardian Era, Luz and Lilith began their flight home, however, as they ascended into the sky, they watched as the tide came in and completely washed away the time pools. Their connection to the past was gone, for all the good it did them. Luz never got the answers she wanted, and the only thing she did find out was that Philip was a colossal jerk, to put it mildly.
Thankfully, it seemed as if their exploits in the past didn't change anything in the present. Which was good, because Luz was not ready to deal with yet another alternate timeline of the Boiling Isles. One version was enough for her. Instead of using the Speeder to fly back, Lilith used her staff to fly them back to the Owl House, since they no longer needed to trek on foot to find the pools, they could cut the time in half.
"Well, that was an adventure," said Luz.
"Indeed. But we got lucky, Luz." Lilith brought them in for a landing behind the Owl House, and both dismounted the staff. "The next time those time pools show up, they could be on the other side of the world."
"I don't know if I want to go back to the past again, if Philip was a jerk then, he'll still be a jerk even before that. I'll just have to hope the echo-mouse gives me more details from his journal," said Luz.
"Take them with a grain of salt this time. Since now we know he's lied about how his exploits really happened, he might also be lying about some of the components needed to make a portal," Lilith warned.
"Ugh…one step forward, two steps back," Luz groaned.
"Hey nerds!" Luz and Lilith watched as Eda walked towards them, a little pep in her step. "How was your nerd quest? You find that dead nerd?"
"Layin' it on a little thick, there, Eda. But, yeah, we did find Philip," Luz informed.
Eda blinked; she was not expecting that.
"Whoa, wait, seriously? You found the time pools? And that Philip guy?" Eda asked.
"Tch, yeah, he was a total jerkwad."
"I punched him in the face," Lilith added.
"Groovy, auntie," Luz praised as she began making finger gun gestures.
Lilith did the same back, and the two of them kept this up for a bit.
"Uh, you guys – You need to stop that. Ugh, anyway, Lily, Mom and Dad are here, why don't you say. And why don't you say hi to them too, Luz? You haven't met my Dad yet," said Eda.
"Whoa, really?! I'd love to!" Luz exclaimed.
The three of them started to head towards the Owl House, but Luz paused when she heard something go off. She reached into her pocket and realized it was her Scroll. She opened the magical device and found that there were some pictures posted to Boscha's Pentagram account. One of which read, "Hangin' with my witches! #Sleepovernight". In the picture, she saw Amity, and Boscha had her in a headlock hug when the picture was taken.
There was another that made Luz eyes widen with shock. It was a picture of Amity, on her hands and knees, in front of Boscha. The triclops witch looked as if she was sitting down, and she was blushing as Amity got within kissing distance of her. There was a caption on this image that read, "Lie or Challenge make out! #Kissthatgirl".
"…"
"…"
"Uh…what did I miss?"
(Deadwardian Era…)
Philip stumbled through the forest, his face was in pain since that woman, Dirtrude, punched him. His nose was scarred from the assault, but worse than that, his condition was acting up again and he didn't have what he needed on hand to take care of it. As he walked, Philip was stopped as the ground shifted beneath him, and threw him to the ground. That's when he heard the familiar laughter of Green Fang and Red Fang.
"Heh, looks like you found what you were looking for, human," said Green Fang.
"And you got your ass kicked by that woman on top of it all. Ha! Serves you right, surprised they made it out alive considering you were with them," Red Fang said.
Philip growled under his breath.
"I don't know what you wanted so badly, but you got our brother killed for it," Red Fang stated.
"And whatever it is, it's rightfully ours since our brother paid for it with his life. Now, we can either do this the easy way, or the hard way, human," Green Fang threatened.
Red Fang balled up his right fist and struck the palm of his left hand as he said, "Please, for the love of the Titan, choose the hard way."
"You…You pieces of filth!"
Green Fang and Red Fang glared at the human.
"All of you! Filthy, godless, heathens! Wicked corrupters!" Philip rambled.
"Okay, now I'm getting mad," said Red Fang as he readied to strike Philip.
However, before he could lay a hand on him, Philip took off his satchel, and within a matter of seconds, both Red Fang and Green Fang could be heard screaming bloody murder as all three of them were whisked behind the bushes. Squelching, and the sounds of bones cracking and snapping could be heard, along with the continued screams. Then, all was silent. The bushes rustled for a moment before Philip walked out, the only one who walked out of that.
Philip picked up his satchel, panting, and made haste to his secret dwelling spot. He kept walking, even as a small puddle of blood started to leak from under the bushes where he had emerged from. The human kept up his pace until he arrived at a rock face. He pressed his right hand against it, causing a Glyph Combo pattern to appear on the surface of the rock. A moment later, the rock face split in half and revealed a secret cave. Philip walked in and the opening closed behind him.
Some sections of the cave floor had piles of broken Palismen strewn about, there were workbenches set up, each having varied materials, along with sketches and notes. Far off to the side of the cave there were these square shaped tubs, six in total, filled with a strange substance, and one of which had a decayed hand rising from it.
"Those barbarians! Those – Those WITCHES!" Philip shouted with utter hatred.
The human, using the new Light Glyph that he was shown, formed three orbs of light that illuminated the space inside. However, when he did, Philip started to experience the pain again. It didn't originate from his face, but rather, his entire body. He pulled up his right sleeve, and there, carved upon his very flesh, were glyph symbols. They were etched into his arm in patterns, much like the Glyph Combos. They glowed an angry red color, almost as if they were rejecting him. Whatever the case was, it showed in the fact that his whole right arm was rippling, expanding, as if it was morphing into something, but was being kept at bay, but the struggle was being lost.
Philip hurriedly moved closer to the back of his little workshop, and dropped down to his knees before the pile of Palismen that were laid out. He picked them up one after the other, chucking them over his shoulder as each one he grabbed was already broken. He had to hurry, the pain was getting worse, he could feel himself losing control, he could feel it eating away at him. Just then, he found an unbroken Palisman. Philip quickly grabbed it and snapped the wooden creation's head off from its body.
The moment he did, green magical essence came pouring out of the broken Palisman. The essence flew straight towards Philip, flowing in through his eyes and nose as he absorbed the essence. After a moment, the two halves he broke off melted away, and the pain was gone. Philip inhaled deeply before releasing a relieved sigh.
"…At this rate, this body will not last. However, it doesn't matter" Philip reached into his satchel and took out the disk. "I just need to live long enough to see my mission through, no matter the cost."
Philip brushed his hand over the disk, and immediately upon doing so, the disk began to glow. Suddenly, the disk released beams of multicolored light against the wall of the cave, forming the images of stars, the phases of the moon, the rays of the sun, a generic looking globe, and within that globe, was a face. A face that was half-moon and half sun, and then, the eyes of that face looked down directly at Philip. The human smiled up at the face, but as he did, the scar on his face started to grow.
"And you're going to help me…Collector."
A/N: This was tricky as time travel is, by nature, a tricky business. But it's done, now we'll maybe have a couple more original chaps before we hit the next canon ep chap, which will be the one where Hunter and Willow first meet. Yeah, I know you all wondering how I'm gonna make that work. Anyway, now I begin my break.