Luz's words were heard all around the world; every person, animal or even plant, in their incredible simplicity, was able to hear them. Everyone knew what was happening, everyone understood why suddenly the earth began to shake and the sky became dark, and everyone felt fear and desperation, knowing that at any moment everything would be destroyed by the Belos' relentless hunger and murderous fury. But soon after, their hearts were calmed when they heard the puppet say that there was a way to stop what was in effect the end of the world; initially very few believed it, since they knew well the immense power of the sea monster, and therefore considered Luz's words absurd, nothing more than an illusion of a little girl who didn't understand who she was actually pitting herself against; after all, how could a puppet succeed where every army in the world had failed? It was silly to even think about it, it was obvious that it was ridiculous.

Yet as Luz spoke, more and more people found themselves listening to her, first with skepticism, then increasingly with interest. All around the world every magical being and not began to wonder if what she said was true or even possible. Everyone found themselves wondering if there really was hope, and if it wasn't worth clinging to it, however miserable and unsafe it was. After all, the world was ending... why waste time despairing? If there was only a chance, or even half a chance, of being able to see tomorrow, wasn't it right to pursue it?

All around the world, mothers and fathers looked at their children, and began to wish that they could live to be great and old and happy as they should be; sisters and brothers looked at each other, and both wanted those other people to be able to continue to exist in that world that was so messed up and at the same time so wonderful; the lovers held hands, both wanting the best for each other, and began to believe that the next day they might see their faces next to them when they woke up. Men, women, children, animals, the shy basilisks, the fairies who lived to protect their pupils, the witches who hid in dark caves, the dragons who sailed the skies, the mermaids who reigned in the depths of the sea, the djinn who emerged From their temples in the arid deserts, even the last very rare Titans still living in the mortal world, all of them looked up to the sky and listened to Luz's voice, which itself seemed to contain a hope greater than any mortal being would have known. never been able to experience, and which with every syllable gave greater courage to their hearts.

In the middle of the ocean, there on Belos' old body, Luz's friends and family had listened to her in turn as they watched the sea monster try to hold back within him that energy that was literally splitting him from the inside. And at that point Camila stepped forward and with a wide smile exclaimed: "Luz, why do you think you need to ask me? Do you think I ever had any doubts that you can defeat this monster? If there's anyone who can win there where all others fail, it is you! Take all my hope, you will have as much as you want! I will always believe in you!"

"The same goes for me!" Eda said, opening her wings and arms as if she wanted to appear more imposing than usual. "I've never stopped believing in you, Luz, and I certainly won't now! Go, kick that bastard's ass!"

"EDA!" Lilith exclaimed, unable to stop herself from scolding her sister for her ridiculous behavior even at that critical situation, but then she smiled and said: "Luz, you have always been a light at the end of the tunnel to everyone who has ever been around you. I saw you give warmth and happiness to my pupil even when I couldn't. Take my hope, I have no reason not to place it in you!"

"Yeah, you did a good job with our sister! Not putting hope in you is ridiculous, isn't it, Edric?" Emira said loudly.

Her brother nodded vigorously. "Absolutely. Not believing that you can defeat that monster is like believing that the sun can go out!"

"I don't believe what I'm about to say, but... yeah, fuck, I believe in you too!" Boscha exclaimed, but she didn't seem to mind saying those words at all. "You've always done strange and absurd things, but I'm grateful for all of them... well, almost all of them. And you've always been the one to find the right solution at the end of every mess we've gotten into since you entered our world. So get busy and punch that bastard, because even if no one has ever done it, you can definitely do it!"

"Yeah! I've told you many times, Luz, you are a living miracle!" Skara said with a wide smile. "And if a miracle like you is real, I don't see why we shouldn't hope for another miracle!"

"Yeah. You always do miraculous things" Cat confirmed.

"You do so many that it's practically impossible for us to think that you could fail! Ours isn't even hope, it's certainty!" Amelia added.

"Wow, the wooden girl has made some really good new friends since last time" Viney commented as she heard the girls talking, and then shouted out loud: "And I'm proud of you! You did well, Luz! Even in that moment when you had lost everything, you stood up again, and allowed new people to enter your heart and be illuminated by your light! Very few others would have succeeded, and certainly no one would have succeeded like you did! If this doesn't prove that you are miraculous, then there are no miracles! I believe in you like I did on that pirate ship!"

"We all believe it" Jerbo added. "After all, you have always been too unique a person not to be capable of accomplishing a great feat!"

"Yes, although I'm still offended that you and all your friends rejected me!" Barcus said jokingly.

Captain Salty's laughter rang across half the sea. "Ha ha! Well, if my whole crew is so hopeful and believes so much in that adorable little shrimp, I don't see why I shouldn't! Just take all the hope you need from me!"

"Wise words, buddy!" Darius exclaimed, laughing too. "I mean, not believing in Luz is ridiculous, I'm curious to know the crazy person who wouldn't believe in her! Right, Raine?"

"For once, there isn't even a word of yours that I think is wrong" was the response of the bard, who seemed more proud than ever. "Come on, Luz, I had that asshole inside me and it was enough! I couldn't do anything to him, but you could! You are much stronger than me!"

"Oh, there's no doubt about that, old man!" Amber yelled at him from the airship. "Come on, Luz! Kick his ass!"

"We've seen you do amazing things plenty of times, this will just be one more!" Katya said.

"Yeah. This is probably not even the most amazing one" Derwin commented with a laugh. "Come on, we're talking about killing a giant monster; it's nothing compared to the way you can sneak in everyone's hearts!"

Hearing them talk, Alador took a deep breath, and he put on a determined expression. "I saw that puppet protect my children when I didn't have the strength to do so. I saw her give courage and love to my daughter. If I would doubt her now, I would be showing great ingratitude!"

And having said that I looked at Odalia, who remained silent for a moment, and then she sighed. "I can't believe I'm doing this" she said in a tired voice. "Okay... I believe in her too"

Masha smiled when they saw that scene, and then they turned to Vee: "Your sister was a miracle for many people. Believing in her is natural for me. What do you think? Do you also believe in her?" they asked in a sarcastic and at the same time confident and complicit tone.

Vee puffed out her chest proudly. "Luz was a light to me. While I was in that prison, sure that no one would ever love me, she showed me how much love there could be if only I believed in it. I will never regret meeting her, and I will always be with her grateful for having welcomed me into her heart as her sister. And I want to spend so many more moments with her. So do it, Luz! Don't stop and defeat that monster! I believe in you, like you believed in me right away when no one else did!"

Her last words seemed to resonate louder than the others, and a small tear fell from the basilisk's right eye, but her expression remained fierce and proud. Gus in turn hit his chest with his fist and exclaimed loudly: "I learned to be brave thanks to Luz! I went from being a spider scared of everyone to the person I am today thanks to her! And I regret absolutely nothing of what happened from the moment I met her! And I won't regret that either, because Luz will defeat that monster, I know it! Right, Matt?"

Matt, unlike usual, didn't roll his eyes but looked back at Gus in a rather complicit way: "I met my best friend thanks to Luz. I don't think I need anything else to put my trust in her"

Gus gave Matt a small punch on the shoulder at those words. Willow sneered as she saw them, and then she spoke up: "Luz has made me despair many times, and we've often gotten into trouble because of her, but despite that, I'll put my trust in her whenever it's needed. Because Luz is a magnet for trouble, but she's also my best friend, and she taught me to be strong and courageous and to fight for my friends. She's the most trustworthy person in this world!"

Hunter leaned against her and stood up, and he looked defiantly at the giant monster as he kept trying to hit them, failing due to the terms of the contract. "Luz, I'm sorry for being an asshole to you" he said. "But even though you never knew my true identity until today, you still taught me what it meant to have friends and to feel love for someone, and to put the needs of others before my own. You turned my horrible life into something beautiful, and I have no doubt that now you will do it again, eliminating this disgusting monster once and for all!"

At that point Amity was the only one who still hadn't said anything. The lavender-haired girl walked confidently towards the monster, and looked him straight in the eyes, challenging Belos with her gaze; and then she said: "Luz, you are the best thing that has ever happened to my life. You have made me a better person, you have swept away my insecurity and my obsession, you have broken the chains that kept me bound, and you have entered my heart so much that I can no longer imagine living without you. So... don't you dare let him defeat you now! But I don't even have to tell you this, because I know for sure you will make it! You are like a jewel that shines with its own light, you are a star that I will chase forever! So do it! Defeat Belos once and for all, and return to me! Let's grow old together like we always promised each other!"

Belos' body was shaken from the inside, and more and more bright cracks opened on it, and it seemed about to explode. Inside, Luz felt all the hope and love of her friends, family and girlfriend come to her, and the light magic inside her exploded with light and warmth, making her a true beacon. And it wasn't just them... more hope kept coming, from every corner of the world. It was the hope of every person who chose not to give up, and believe that there would be a tomorrow. It was the hope of the old Bump who was sitting on one of his circus carts looking at the sky with a smile, or that of the salesman Morton who despite hiding in his shop out of fear still believed that he would make it, or that of the Bat Queen who believed in a future for all the Palismen she guarded and protected; it was the hope of every single kid who, like them, had been brought to Belos' body by deception, and of all those in the rest of the world who had transformed back into kids after years spent in the form of donkeys, and refused to abandon their lives now that they had them back; it was the hope of every husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, father, mother, son, daughter, friend or lover who wanted to continue seeing their loved ones. The universe Luz was creating expanded more than ever, and trillions of stars appeared in every corner, coalescing into dancing galaxies, filling the darkness with pure light...

"No... no, that's not possible!" Belos exclaimed. "How much... how much light magic... too much! I have to leave! Urgh! Why... why can't I leave this body...!?"

"I only said I would let you enter my body" Luz replied with a mocking smile. "I never said I'd let you out"

Belos' eyes narrowed. "You filthy puppet, you won't win!" he roared, and all of his power poured into Luz in the form of deep darkness. "Even if you were able to gather all the good feelings in this world, there will never be enough to defeat me...!"

"Then other worlds will come to her aid"

Around Luz four enormous figures materialized in an ethereal form, but that still gave off a strong presence. One of them was the Collector, and another was Grometheus; the other two were a being wrapped in a large cloak who was undoubtedly the Great Archivist, while the last was a creature very similar to King who was undoubtedly Papa Titan. "You will also have our help" the latter said.

Luz was surprised. "You?" she murmured. "But... how can you talk to me...?"

"You are not in the mortal world now. We are communicating directly with your soul, just as we do with our acolytes in their dreams" the Great Archivist answered her. "The Collector has told us what you are doing, and if it is one last bit of help you need, we will provide it"

"Take our hope too, Luz Noceda" Papa Titan told her in a voice that sounded like a deep trumpeting. "All the worlds believe in you"

Streams of energy emerged through the four ethereal figures and flew towards the puppet, and she exploded with even more light than before. Luz felt magic overflowing like never before in her life. Belos had finally abandoned any challenge and seemed to be retreating. "No... this can't happen! You can't stop me! You can't defeat a god...!"

"Oh, shut up!" Luz exclaimed. "You keep calling yourself a god, but you're not a god at all! A god is not a monster who destroys the world and tortures people at will, much less a parasite like you! You have never been anything!"

The puppet raised Stringbean, and the magical scepter glowed as her power flowed through her. "You've never grown up! You've always been anchored to a primitive worldview, refusing to use your immense power to break it and create something better! You've always refused to change, you've never learned anything! You've always just followed a script you had set for yourself, no, a simple natural characteristic, without thinking with your head! You have never had a real life, you cannot define yourself as a god!"

She moved Stringbean like a vortex, and an immense explosion of light emanated from her. "You are not a god! You had never been a god, and you had never been a man!" she screamed. "You are nothing but a PUPPET!"

A beam of light exploded through the magical scepter, directed towards Belos' face. "NOW TAKE THIS, SUCKER!"

The beam hit the giant monster's face squarely, and a roar of pain exploded throughout the space around them, and the dark void that surrounded them seemed to split as if it were made of glass.

I don't think there's any need to specify where the last sentence said by Luz comes from, it's too iconic