Inspired by a scene from Shaman King
In the dark and foreboding depths of the Demon Realm, where shadows danced ominously and whispers of ancient magic filled the air, a sense of impending doom hung heavy over the Hexsquad as they arrived where Luz, Eda, King and the Collector were.
After successfully managing to reverse the puppet states the Collector put them in, they managed to escape the Archives, promising to return for Camilla and everyone else that was trapped there later.
They were all aware of the urgency, particularly Amity, who sensed that Luz was in peril. Their concern for her well-being was palpable. They understood that she relied on them, despite her belief that she didn't deserve it.
But upon arriving, they soon found out that they were already too late.
The Hexsquad stood frozen in disbelief as the grim reality of Luz's tragic fate unfolded before their eyes.
"No…" Amity breathed out in horror.
Alongside Eda and King they watched the mold gradually took over Luz's body. A feeling of fear overwhelmed them, paralyzing them in their spot. Luz let out a painful groan as the mold climbed up her shoulder, causing her hat to slip off and fall to the ground. Sensing the imminent danger, Stringbean transformed into her active form.
In a mesmerizing dance-like motion, Luz started to transform into small particles of radiant light, fading away into the unknown.
"Luz? What's happening?" The Collector asked fearfully.
"Eda, King, guys. Looks like we're gonna be split up again. I feel like I should be used to this feeling by now…" Luz said, crying as she spoke.
"No! No! Luz! Don't go! Don't leave me!" A crying Amity screamed in despair. With her heart pounding, she was on the verge of dashing out and soaring up to reach Luz. However, the tearful pleas of Willow and Gus managed to halt her in her tracks, even though they too were captivated by the unfolding spectacle. "Luz!"
Amity's anguished cry pierced the heavy air, her voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and devastation. Her chest heaved with every sob that wracked her body, tears streaming down her cheeks as she struggled to comprehend the sight unfolding before her. The once vibrant and fearless Luz now fading away like a wisp of smoke, leaving behind only a haunting emptiness in her wake.
Luz took notice of her friends and smiled sadly. "Amity… Willow… Gus… Hunter… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
Eda, King, and the rest of the group stood frozen in fear, their faces filled with terror. The moment Luz finished speaking, a thick layer of mold engulfed her face. It spread rapidly, covering her entire body until she transformed into numerous small orbs of radiant light. The Collector grasped onto one of the light orbs, clutching it tightly in his hand. With Luz gone, Stringbean transformed back into her staff form and dropped to the ground, landing near Luz's hat. The Collector descended gracefully and knelt down, his gaze shifting towards the others...
"Where did she go?" They asked, confused and upset.
Eda, King, and the Hexsquad didn't respond, all left speechless by what they had just witnessed.
The Collector started searching high and low for Luz, seemingly refusing to accept the fact that Luz had vanished.
"Luz? Luz? Yoo-hoo! You can come out now. Well, it's okay. She just broke, so I'll fix her." The Collector claimed, He snapped his fingers, but the spell dissipated every time he tried. "What? Why isn't it working? The Archivists aren't here. They couldn't have taken her!"
Belos fired another beam towards the Collector. In a surprising turn of events, the King let out a mighty roar and swiftly conjured a circular shield adorned with intricate glyph designs to protect the Collector.
Not only had he increased in size, but his eyes had turned a deep shade of purple and additional fangs had emerged in his jaw. A mysterious blue light emanated from his mouth, while tears cascaded down his face as he let out another deafening roar.
The Collector backed up toward Eda and held onto her. "Owl Lady, you know where Luz is, right?" he asked desperately.
"Back up, kid." Eda said as she gently pushed the Collector away from her. "I don't think I can control myself right now."
Eda let out a mighty roar, her body expanding as she transformed back into her fearsome Owl Beast form. Her eyes blazed with a fiery orange hue, and she sprouted additional pairs of majestic wings.
With another thunderous roar, she scooped up King and together they took to the skies, ready to launch a fierce assault on Belos. King unleashed his formidable powers, skillfully dodging Belos' relentless attacks.
Meanwhile, the Hexsquad found themselves in a state of shock, trying to process the events that had just unfolded before their eyes.
Gus collapsed onto all fours, tears streaming down his face, while Hunter wrapped his arms around himself and joined in the sobbing, sinking to his knees alongside Gus.
"No… No… Not her… Not her too…" he whispered, on the verge of an emotional breakdown.
As Willow stared down at the ground in shock, she remembered words that Luz once spoke to her.
"Next to Eda, you're the most powerful witch I know, Willow."
"Thanks Luz…" Willow muttered.
As he continued to despair, Gus remembered the day Luz gave him his nickname.
"I knew an Augustus back in the human world. We called him Gus."
"Gus? Nickname? Human nickname? Gus? Call me it. Wow. Gus. This is the best day of my life…" Gus emotionlessly echoed the words he said in response to getting his nickname.
As Gus repeated the words, "This is the best day of my life..." his voice cracked with emotion, revealing the deep sorrow and disbelief he felt at that moment.
Tears welled up again in Hunter's eyes, blurring his vision as he struggled to come to terms with the sudden loss of Luz. The weight of her absence pressed heavily on his heart, threatening to engulf him in a sea of grief.
"Gonna make sure you're safe too, Hunter. You're family now."
"Yeah, Luz… we are…" Hunter numbly said.
The worst off out of all of them was of course Amity, Luz's true love.
"Everything is so crazy right now, and I have no idea what my future holds, but it would be so cool if you were in it."
Those were the words Luz said to her right before she asked her out, and they echoed in Amity's head repeatedly, practically on loop.
"My Luz..." she finally managed to say while looking like her heart had been ripped out.
As Amity stood there, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as tears streamed down her face, her entire being consumed by a whirlwind of emotions. Anguish twisted her features into a mask of sorrow and disbelief, her heart shattering into a thousand pieces at the loss of Luz, the love of her life.
Amity's breaths became rapid, transitioning from gasps to angry growls as she started to hyperventilate. The abomination goo she carried with her began to bubble vigorously, resembling boiling water.
The once inert substance now seemed to mirror Amity's overwhelming turmoil and rage. Its surface rippled and churned as if reflecting the tumultuous emotions swirling within her.
The abomination goo enveloped Amity, transforming her into a towering giant of the same size as Belos' kaiju. Her eyes, tightly shut moments ago, reveal black sclera and lime green pupils as they snap open, glowing fiercely with anger.
"Give her back. Give... Her... BACK!" Amity the giant abomination screamed.
She let out a thunderous roar while joining Eda and King in their battle against Belos, continuously shouting in anger 'Give her back!'.
At the same time, Willow's anger was quickly consuming her, causing her eyes to emit a bright green light and making plants grow rapidly in every direction.
As the bespectacled young witch let out a powerful scream, the ground beneath her shattered and colossal vines emerged, stretching out all over the area. Willow confidently stood atop one of the towering vines, her gaze meeting Belos' with unwavering hatred.
Her eyes blazed with an intense green light, mirroring the color of the vines that she directed towards the monstrous witch hunter. They snaked across the battlefield, breaking apart the ground and causing small earthquakes before each of them grabbed onto Belos one after the other.
The moss quickly began to destroy them on contact, but more quickly took their place and either slammed him into the ground or moved him towards Amity, Eda and King's attacks.
The battlefield was a chaotic symphony of destruction and fury as Amity, Eda, King, and Willow unleashed their powers upon Belos. The ground trembled under the weight of their magical onslaught while the air crackled with energy, charged with the intensity of their collective rage and determination.
Before long, the deep sorrow experienced by the two boys down below, who hardly paid attention to the chaos unfolding around them, turned into sheer rage and a desire for payback.
"Hunter?" Gus finally spoke up.
"Yeah?" The former Golden Guard responded, still glaring at Belos.
"Can you get me close?" The illusionist requested.
Hunter nodded, his eyes filled with determination. "Stay close to me, I'll get you there." He said before taking hold of Gus and beginning to teleport.
They moved from one spot on the battlefield to the next in the blink of an eye, dodging debris and magical projectiles as they went.
As they got closer, the boys could feel the power emanating from the group as they battled against Belos. The air was thick with tension, and the ground shook violently under their feet as Hunter and Gus navigated through the chaos of the battlefield. They could feel the oppressive weight of grief and anger pressing down on them, mingling with the crackling energy of magic that filled the air like a tangible force. Their hearts pounded in their chests, each beat a drumming rhythm of determination as they inched closer to their target.
Suddenly, they arrived at the edge of the battlefield, where the clash between Belos and the others was at its most intense. The emperor stood tall, his eyes glowing with an otherworldly light as he unleashed wave after wave of powerful spells.
Hunter and Gus exchanged a look, their faces set in determination.
With Adrien's magic amplifier in hand, Gus cast the familiar spell he had used in his previous battle against Belos. This time, however, fueled by anger, the mad witch hunter was forced to confront his deepest, most haunting memories in an even more intense manner.
As Gus channeled his fury into the spell, the air crackled with raw energy.
Hunter watched Gus carefully, his heart heavy with sorrow and determination.
The enchantment and recollections it unearthed made Belos stumble. Yet, the ruler was not one to be quickly overcome. With a mighty roar, Belos raised his hand, unleashing a powerful counter-attack. Hunter acted quickly and grabbed Gus before teleporting him out of the way, ending the spell.
The Collector, who had been observing the chaos from afar, couldn't help but shudder at the intensity of the battle. Emotions ran high as the remaining members of the Hexsquad fought against Belos with renewed vigor.
The air crackled with energy, every spell cast by Eda, King, Amity, Willow, Gus, and Hunter pulsating with raw emotion and determination. Their bonds forged in loss and fueled by grief manifested in their magic, each strike against Belos carrying the weight of their shattered hearts.
Filled with fear, the Collector stumbles, causing him to lose his grip on the luminous sphere he was clutching.
"She's really gone..." he sadly realized.
The battle between the Hexsquad and Belos raged on, with each participant unleashing their unique magical abilities in an attempt to bring down the emperor.
However, due to their anger clouding their minds, they had completely lost control of themselves and were failing to cooperate effectively, allowing Belos to exploit the situation. The Collector's fear grew as he realized that without Luz's presence, the group's cohesion was rapidly deteriorating.
In succession, Belos struck each of them, sending them flying into a solid object with a resounding crash. A cry of pain escaped from each of them as they made impact. Slowly though, they began to pick themselves back up, ready for another round.
Amidst the disorder, Luz's staff is propelled towards the Collector. Rushing towards them, the Collector made an attempt to defuse the conflict.
"No, please stop! Run away!" he begged them. With a swift snap of his fingers, he eagerly waits for something magical to occur, but alas, nothing happens. "Why isn't anything working?"
He gasped when he saw mold growing on his hands, then refocused on trying to snap everyone out of it.
"I don't want anyone else to go away. I don't want anyone else to go missing! I'm sorry for everything!" The Collector cried. The Collector's eyes welled up with tears as he gently brushed his face, feeling the dampness without fully comprehending the emotion behind it. "What is this stuff? Wh-why won't it stop?"
He quickly noticed the mold spreading on Eda's claws and frantically tried to remove it.
"No! No, no, no, no! Get off of her!" The star child protested desperately.
The Collector trembled in fear as Belos prepared to crush them with his hand. As Belos brought his hand down, a beam of purple light suddenly deflected it. When the light dissipated, a gaping hole was revealed in Belos' hand, with a shining light glyph peeking through.
A figure resembling a Titan emerged, catching everyone's attention. Stringbean springs to life, floating towards said figure before transforming back into her staff form.
"Huh? It can't be..." The Collector said in shock.
As the mist dissipated, a familiar figure emerged, clutching her staff. It's none other than Luz, leaving Eda, King, the Hexsquad and the Collector utterly stunned. Eda, King, Amity and the others all seem to regress slightly, adding to the astonishment in the air.
"I'm back!" Luz announced dramatically.
Eda, King, the Hexsquad, and the Collector were all left speechless, their eyes wide with a mix of astonishment and disbelief as they gazed at her.
Amity couldn't help but blush intensely as she continued to gaze at Luz.
"L-L-Luz...?" Amity finally sputtered out in disbelief, hoping beyond hope that what she was true.
"She's alive!" Willow exclaimed, crying happy tears.
"W-what?! But... how?" Hunter asked, unable to process what he was seeing.
Gus stared at Luz, his eyes filled with both hope and confusion. "But... she's supposed to be dead..." He whispered. "Is it... really her? I-I mean... she looks... different."
After a moment, Luz finally realized what she said.
"I - wait - Uh. Couldn't keep me away from - Hang on. Ugh! I still can't think of anything to say!" Luz complained in frustration.
Eda let out a joyful squeal and transformed back into her Harpy form as King embraced her with happiness.
"It's Luz, all right!" she happily confirmed with tears in her eyes.
Amity approached Luz cautiously, not quite sure what to make of the situation.
Luz turned to her girlfriend and smiled. "Hey sweet potato," she said.
"I... I can't believe it," Amity replied, still in disbelief. "How... How are you...?"
"It's a long story," Luz said, her smile widening. "I'll tell you all about it later, promise."
Amity quickly enveloped Luz in an emotional hug, clutching her tightly and desperately listening for the reassuring thump of her heart. When she finally heard it, she couldn't hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes.
"I thought I lost you..." she whispered while sobbing.
Luz rubbed the back of her head affectionately. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere, never again," she assured her.
Hunter, Willow, Gus, and the Collector all stared at the reunion between Luz and Amity with a mix of confusion and disbelief. Hunter seemed to be in shock, Willow was overjoyed, Gus looked like he was trying to process what was happening, and the Collector simply stood there, watching the scene unfold.
Luz noticed their reactions and decided to address them. "Guys, I know it's a lot to take in, but trust me, I'm really here," she said, her voice full of determination. "We have some unfinished business to take care of, don't we, Eda?"
As the group stood there in stunned silence, Eda let out a triumphant cackle. "Oh, you have no idea!" she exclaimed, spreading her wings wide. "Belos won't know what hit him when we're done!"
King chimed in, his tiny form bouncing up and down with excitement. "That's the spirit!" he cheered. "Let's teach that tyrant a lesson he'll never forget!"
Hunter couldn't believe his eyes. "Luz, you're... you're really alive?" he asked, his voice cracking with emotion. Luz nodded in confirmation, and it appeared to bring a smile to Hunter's face, along with tears of joy.
Willow squealed in delight and ran up to hug Luz next, tears streaming down her face. "Luz! I'm so glad you're alive!" she expressed.
Luz enveloped Willow in a tight embrace, returning the hug with sincere love. Tears of happiness cascaded down Willow's cheeks as she clung onto Luz, experiencing the comforting warmth and unwavering support of her dear friend.
The immense relief and pure joy that washed over her were tangible, akin to a healing spell that gently eased the pain in her heart after the chaotic series of events. The young witch couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the sheer miracle of Luz's homecoming, causing her emotions to overflow.
Gus, on the other hand, looked at Luz with a mixture of awe and disbelief. "I... I can't believe it," he stammered. "I thought... you were... you're not an illusion?"
"Nope! Not a ghost either!" Luz smiled at him.
Gus couldn't believe his eyes as he gazed at his dear friend, who had miraculously come back to life. His eyes widened with astonishment as he absorbed every single detail.
In the end, he embraced Luz alongside Willow, with Amity and Hunter joining in. Tears were streaming down their faces, but their smiles were as bright as ever. Belos let out a deafening roar, sending tremors through everything around him.
Luz turned towards him, her eyes narrowed before turning to her friends with a smirk. "You ready, guys?" she asked. The group nodded in unison, their determination clear as day. "Then let's go!"
As the Collector observed from afar, a surge of emotion welled within him, his heart pounding with anticipation. Witnessing the steadfast resolve of the group of friends as they readied themselves for the impending confrontation with Emperor Belos filled him with profound admiration and respect.
With a sense of awe, the Collector silently wished them success in their quest, knowing that their bravery would undoubtedly shape the course of the impending battle and the fate of the Demon Realm.
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