"Niña…Niña…! LUZ! WAKE UP!"
Luz groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. When she did, her vision was filled with two walls that extended into a black abyss. The young teen tilted her head to the side and noticed that the walls had portrait hung on ornate, gold-colored walls, lit up by torches that ran down the entire length of the corridor. One of the portraits in particular caught Luz's eye as she stood up. It was a painting of Belos, posing in a "heroic" manner as he brandished his staff like a mighty weapon, and radiated his power outwards towards his enemies as fire bellowed around him. His enemies were people she recognized. One was Eda in her owl beast form, the others were Lilith, King, and…herself.
"What…this never happened…" Luz got closer and gasped when she read the title of the painting. "'Triumph Over Wild Magic'?! Oh no, don't tell me we got sent to another alternate universe!"
"Oh, don't play dumb…You know exactly where we are, human!" a voice accused.
Wait was that–?
"It is. That annoying voice is recognizable anywhere," Lal Lechuza complained.
Luz whirled around and that's when she saw Hunter, glaring straight at her through narrowed eyes as he clenched his fists at his side.
"You got us trapped…IN THE EMPEROR'S MIND!" Hunter yelled.
"¡¿QUÉ?! Belos' mind?! T-That's bananas!" Luz retorted.
"I don't know what those are, and I don't care to, but that's where we are! Because of you," Hunter reiterated.
"How is it my fault that we're stuck in here?! I don't even have a ring that lets me do that!" Luz argued.
"Uh, ahem, Niña. Your Oracle Ring."
Luz blinked and chuckled nervously. "Okay…maybe I do. But that was more like sending my mind into another mind. And I was nowhere near Belos to even use it! So, how did we even get in here?!"
Hunter folded his arms as he gave an exasperated sigh. "Ugh, really? Think, human. Try and remember what happened at the Night Market…"
(A few minutes ago…)
The news of Witch and Heka's misdeeds, and the subsequent destruction that was wrought from their Phantoms, had spread across the Boiling Isles. Fear of the rogue Riders was spreading, but the people had a beacon of hope in the form of Kamen Rider Crusader, otherwise known as the Golden Guard.
Hunter should've known better than to trust that human, or Blight. They were playing everyone for fools from the beginning. And then there was the Captain and his Flyer Derby teammates. It made Hunter question if they were aware of Blight and Noceda's true nature, or if they were just held captive by them. There were so many scenarios, but Hunter was praying to the Titan that it was a case of brainwashing and not something they were willing assisting the rogue Riders with.
In any case, the situation was dire. With people afraid that Witch and Heka could attack again and send their Phantom army out to do more damage, the Day of Unity needed to happen. Unfortunately, it was still a week or so away, and that was still plenty of time for Witch and Heka to pull something. Which accounted for Hunter's presence in the Night Market. While Hunter was contemplating all these things he heard someone behind him.
"Teeth! Get your teeth!" cried a demon with two pairs of eyes and two mouths. "We got all varieties and qualities!" The shady demon approached Hunter from behind and placed a hand on his shoulder and added, "I even do trades."
The demon took out a pair of sharp pliers, his tool of the trade. However, when Hunter felt the demon touch him, he turned around and looked down at the short merchant. The demon immediately recognized him and released Hunter as he backed away slowly.
"Oh, I mean, why would I trade teeth? That's illegal and unsanitary!" the demon stammered. "B-But, I mean, if y-you're interested…"
Hunter was about to lay into the demon peddler, but his attention was grabbed by the very thing he had been looking for. Three robed figures were stealthily making their way through the market. He had heard whispers about someone attempting to invade Emperor Belos' mind with the use of Wild Magic. Hunter believed it had to be Witch and Heka, but then again, he figured that they may have sympathizers who were willing to do their bidding. How sad it would be if that were the case, to have people blindly follow false figures like that.
"Begone with you," said Hunter. "And if I see you again, you'll be spending the rest of your life in the Conformatorium."
The merchant gulped and quickly nodded his head. "Yes, sir! Sorry, sir! Bye, sir!"
Hunter watched as the teeth peddler ran away with all due haste. With that distraction out of the way, Hunter began his pursuit of the three robed figures. Thankfully he managed to catch up to them without being seen. Following them down an alley until they came to a dead end. Once they were in the little alcove, the three figures began to enact their plan. One of them was drawing a spell circle on the ground while another prepared a vial filled with some unknown substance. The third member of the group played on a flute, using their magic to resonate with the circle below them, which revealed to be a series of six circles drawn in a specific pattern. The figure with the vial drew a spell circle, and from it a small amount of an unknown liquid poured into the vial. The blue liquid in the vial mixed with the newly added purples substance, the reaction of the two mixing created a glowing, yellow-gold liquid.
The one who had prepared the vial placed it at the center of the conjoining circles and raised their left arm. That same figure transformed their left forearm into a hammer made of Abomination goo, while his two cohorts readied themselves to be sent to the Emperor's mind. Something that Hunter was not about to let them do. The Golden Guard jumped out from around the archway that separated the alcove from the rest of the alley, and brandished his staff as he pointed it towards the three fugitives.
"HALT!" Hunter shouted. "For crimes against the Emperor, you're all under arrest!"
"Whoa-whoa wait!" Luz exclaimed.
"What?" Hunter complained.
"I remember! My turn now."
"Wait, what – hey!"
"Too late, chico."
(A few more minutes earlier…)
Things were not going too well for Luz, like at all. Not after what Belos and his secret Dark Rider, Kamen Rider Inquisitor, did. It never occurred to Luz that Belos would create a Dark Rider, but what was worrying was how powerful he was. Compared to Hunter's Rider powers, Inquisitor was in another league, it took her and Amity using their final forms to stand up to him, despite Inquisitor never changing his form. Speaking of Final Forms…
The Wonder Style ring is still…
"Don't fret about it, Luz. We still possess the power of Twilight Style. For good or ill, our little trip to the Alternate Demon Relam gave us another option to fight back with," La Lechuza reminded.
True…I just wish I could get it glowing again.
La Lechuza, who had perched herself on Luz's right shoulder, didn't know how to do that, well, not in the way that would work. The power of that ring was fueled by Luz's belief and hope, and right now, after everything that happened, she took a moderate blow to her confidence. Ironic as it was, Luz feeling even a little despair was something that the owl Phantom would've relished months ago, now, she felt the need to "cheer up" her wayward companion. Trouble is, Phantoms weren't exactly known for "cheering up" people.
"Hello? Prim?" Eda called out.
Oh, Luz almost forgot what they were doing. Tonight, Eda brought her and King to the Night Market. With all the recent activity and battles they've been getting into lately; Luz's witch's wool cloak was in need of some repair. So, in order to get it repaired, Eda brought them to a trusted seamstress she knew to obtain more witch's wool so she could do the repairs herself. Currently her mentor was peering through the window of the shop the seamstress was doing business from, but so far Eda's attempts to contact the seamstress were not working.
"Did you get into the Night Juice again? Helloooo~" Eda called out.
In place of the witch's wool cloak, Eda gave Luz her old Grudgby letterman jacket until they could get the cloak repaired. While it may not be magically enchanted like the cloak, it was something that Luz was proud and happy to wear all the same. In her right hand, Luz held a walkie-talkie that they had dug up from some of Eda's Human Realm junk. The device was shaped to look like a bunny and was colored pink with blue eyes.
{Hey, is this thing on?} King's voice asked. {Demon King to Luzura. You copy?}
Luz smiled, and turned to where she knew King was hiding and replied, "Sure do."
King emerged from a pot of glowing skulls as he spoke into the walkie, "Luz, use the walkie!"
Turns out King was just around the corner, but she decided to indulge her surrogate little brother. She needed some fun. Luz turned her back and got "serious" as she replied, through the walkie, "Ten-four, Demon King. Luzura here with Echo Delta Alpha. What's your twenty? Over."
"Uh, oh. Uh... Hable más lento, por favor," King responded, attempting to apply some of the Spanish lessons that Luz had taught him and Eda.
Luz smiled after hearing his reply. She could tell that King tried at least. "Aw, you remembered your lesson. But that wasn't Spanish, buddy. Good try though, and I read you loud and clear. Over."
Eda was starting to get frustrated by the lack of response from her seamstress friend and yelled, "Hey, Prim!" The Owl Lady was about to pound on the door, but as soon as she hit it once, the door opened. Eda's gaze drifted downward, smiling upon seeing her friend. "Oh, there you are. I need more witch's wool. I got a kid with cold shoulders and a knack for getting into trouble."
The seamstress, Prim, was a short witch woman with a blue shall draped over her shoulders, a maroon dress, and sandy brown hair. She didn't open the door fully, only cracking it open enough to see Eda and Luz, while keeping one hand on the door.
"I'm sorry, Eda. I've…I've decided to finally join a Coven," Prim informed as she rolled up her long sleeve and revealed an Oracle Coven sigil.
"Prim…"
"Emperor Belos says Wild Witches celebrate destruction and pain," Prim stated.
Eda grimaced a little as she replied, "I mean…I know I can be abrasive, but…"
"He also says that the Titan punishes those who aid Wild Witches. And with the recent attacks by those Riders, Witch and Heka, it's no wonder. I'm sorry, Eda, but…I can't have you here," said Prim as she closed the door.
Luz couldn't believe it. I mean, in a way she could, but at the same time, it was just so…so frustrating. She knew he was evil; she knew he was up to something, and she had had enough.
"Well, what does he know?!" Luz shouted. "Belos is a liar! He just wants power! Think about it! If that were all true, then why is Emperor's Coven the only one allowed to mix magic?! I thought mixing magic wasn't even allowed, that it was considered 'Wild Magic', so why are Belos and his Coven the only ones allowed to do that?! Does the Titan give him a free pass?! And you know what! I bet dollars to doughnuts that he CAN'T speak to the Titan!"
Luz knew for a fact that Belos did not and could not speak to the Titan. Considering that until a few months ago, the Titan was trying to kill off everyone by using the power of the Phantoms. A fact that Luz had kept secret all this time, and on top of that, she felt that it wouldn't exactly go over too well with the people if they knew the deity they all worshipped went mad for a time before coming to its senses.
Unfortunately, her little outburst was met with sharp gasps of fear and shock.
"Do you think it's true?" one witch asked.
"She does kind of have a point when you think about it," a demon stated.
"Shh!" Another demon hissed. "Don't let the Titan hear you say that! Belos says he can read minds."
"…Hey, what even is a 'dough nut'?"
Eda noticed the crowd giving Luz odd looks, so she quickly kneeled in front of her young ward and said, "Hey, don't worry. I'll be fine. You're one the who needs to be careful."
"But this is so…wrong! Eda! The people should know who Belos really is! He's been manipulating everyone and everything!" Luz argued.
"And who is he really?" Eda questioned.
Luz opened her mouth to reply, but her answer died in her throat.
"Listen, Belos has been Emperor for fifty years. Everyone is used to this. No one's gonna risk change unless you have proof that he's up to something." Eda then whispered, "Even if we know he's the one using the Coven Phantoms, and has someone like Inquisitor, unless we have proof of that…"
Luz's mind flashed back to her time in the Alternate Demon Realm. She was starting to understand how Alt Luz felt now. To have all this power and feel like you want to do something good because you know you could. But with how everyone saw Witch and Heka, if Luz did the exact same thing Oscura did, she would be repeating the past of a different universe.
"Ah, c'mon. We'll figure something out," Eda promised as she gave Luz a little punch on the shoulder, "But first, let's see if there are any respectable criminals left in this city."
Eda stood up, pulled out her staff from her hair and began walking. As she did, the crowd parted for her, not wanting to get close or be accidentally associated with the Owl Lady. All the while the muttered and whispered things about Eda, which only proved to increase Luz's fervor about getting some kind of evidence on Belos.
"It's not fair, Lala," said Luz. "I hate seeing people look at Eda that way. And I hate how everyone just takes Belos' word like holy writ."
"I know, Niña, but Eda has a point. We cannot act without information. As a connoisseur of knowledge, not knowing something vital, especially regarding one's enemy, frustrates me as well," said La Lechuza.
"There's got to be some way we can prove he's evil!" Luz complained. "It feels so obvious, to us, so why does no one else see it?! Even not knowing what we know?! UGH!" Luz growled as she ran her hands through her hair in frustrated manner. "I don't know what to do!"
La Lechuza patted the side of Luz's head with her wing in an attempt to calm her partner down.
King hopped out of the bin filled with glowing skulls from earlier and walked up to his big sister. "I think I kind of understand it. No one wants to think they've wasted their whole lives following the wrong person. All we need is that one something that'll change their minds, and we'll find it."
Luz watched as King walked away and gave a sigh as she calmed down some. "King's right, Lala. But where do we even start?"
The owl Phantom was about to say something but paused when her keen eyes spotted familiar person running through the market. "Perhaps, it might be better to get an insider's knowledge? Look there."
La Lechuza pointed with her right wing, Luz followed the direction that her partner was pointing, and gasped as she saw Hunter making his way through the Night Market, and he was moving fast.
"Perfect timing," said Luz with a bemused smirk.
Luz and La Lechuza gave chase, following close behind Hunter as he ran down an alleyway. They kept following the Golden Guard until he arrived at his destination, an alcove where three robed figures were doing…something. Luz couldn't quite make it out, but that didn't' matter. She had Hunter in a corner, and now was her best chance to try and get some answers out of him. The Latina quickly moved closer and got on top of a barrel, crouching like a cat about to pounce on its prey.
"Niña, what are you doing…?" La Lechuza mentally asked.
Hang on, Lala…
The Golden Guard jumped out from around the archway that separated the alcove from the rest of the alley, and brandished his staff as he pointed it towards the three fugitives.
"HALT!" Hunter shouted. "For crimes against the Emperor, you're all under arrest!"
"HUNTER!"
"NIÑAAAAAAAAH!"
"GAH!"
Luz launched herself off the barrel and tackled Hunter in the back, sending herself and Hunter straight to the ground. La Lechuza somehow managed to hang onto Luz as she hugged the side of the human girl's head.
"Hey," Luz greeted, "Can I bug you with a few questions?"
Hunter sat up and shouted, "HUMAN?! Ugh, of course you'd be here!"
The robed figure who used a flute earlier played it again, using their magic to instantly create a smokescreen that flooded the entire alcove. Hunter hurriedly rose to his feet and rushed after them, but as the smoke cleared, it was evident that the three figures had left the area.
"NO, NO, STOP! I FORBID YOU TO FLEE!" Hunter screamed as he glanced about the area. The Golden Guard released a frustrated groan as he rounded on Luz. "Of course, you'd interfere! So, was I right that those three were your accomplices?!" Hunter summoned Flapjack in his staff form, preparing to take Luz down before she had a chance to use her powers. "Well, I'm not going to let you continue doing any more harm to the people of the Isl–!"
*Crack!*
Hunter's left eye twitched as he slowly looked down, and to his horror he saw that he had accidentally stepped on the vial that contained the magical liquid that the fugitives from earlier had made.
"Uh…Hunter…what's that?" Luz asked with trepidation.
"Oh…shoot…"
The vial of magical liquid connected to the magic circle, releasing the power it contained and activating the spell. A huge flash of light engulfed them before a pillar of golden light shot straight into the air and disappeared in another flash of light. The only things left behind were the broken vial, Hunter's Golden Guard mask, and Flapjack.
The cardinal Palisman shifted into his living form and looked around for his witch partner and gave a worried chirp.
(Present…)
Hunter broke out in mocking laughter after hearing Luz's story. But Luz wasn't laughing. "Oh, wait, you're serious? AHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Hunter, please, listen to me. Amity and I weren't anywhere near the school when that fake Witch and Heka attacked! We were fighting another Kamen Rider, someone named Inquisitor! He's super strong, and working for Belos, he even said so himself! Look, I don't know if he does work for Belos or Belos' real boss, and he said that to throw us off our game. But either way, all of what happened was a setup, Hunter!"
"Please! Like I'd believe your lies! I know you fought my uncle when the Owl Lady was about to be punished for her crimes. Then you create those 'Coven Phantoms', attack the Isles, and attack your 'friends'! And you thought I would help you in framing the Emperor?!" Hunter accused.
"Chico, you don't seem to understand the gravity of this situation," La Lechuza retorted.
Hunter paused and just now noticed the silver owl perched on Luz's shoulder. "What is that? Your Palisman?"
"Actually, this is my best friend, teacher, and hermana mayor (big sister). Her name's La Lechuza, or Lala for short. And she's…well…"
"I'm a Phantom," La Lechuza stated bluntly. "And if I hear you call me 'Lala', I'm going to peck your eyes out."
"AAAH!" Hunter yelled as he jumped back. "A Phantom! I knew it! Another one of those 'Coven Phantoms'!"
"Do not compare me to those ill contrived fakes you and Luz have battled," the owl Phantom corrected. "Those things aren't true Phantoms, unlike me."
Luz gently patted La Lechuza on the head as she explained, "Lala's not like those other Phantoms I've fought, or the Coven Phantoms. She's a Phantom that lives inside of me, inside of my Underworld. She's the whole reason why I can even transform and wield magic the way I can now. I wouldn't be able to fight and protect those I love without her at my side."
"…Wait, if she lives inside you, then how is she out here?" Hunter inquired.
"Oh, I made a ring that creates a construct body for her. Her real self is still inside me, but this form is so that she can move around and interact with me and everyone," Luz explained.
Hunter was still dubious of the silver owl Phantom on Luz's shoulder, but there was still a question he needed answered. "What did you mean earlier when you said I 'don't understand the gravity of the situation'?"
La Lechuza gave a lilting chuckle as she answered, "Did you forget where we are? We're inside your dear uncle's head. Which means…"
Luz's eyes widened as a broad smile formed on her face. "It means we can learn the truth! I can show that Belos is a total liar and prove his connection to Inquisitor!"
Hunter quickly slipped on his transformation ring, getting ready to summon his Driver. "I'm not going to let you just walk around and mess with my uncle's memories!"
"Careful now, Guardia Dorada, you don't want to start a fight here," La Lechuza warned. "I've seen Luz's memories, and I've seen what happens when you damage a portrait here in the mindscape. If a memory is destroyed or damaged, it causes serious mental repercussions to the holder of those memories. You could inadvertently be partly responsible for wiping out the memories of your dear uncle."
Hunter hesitated. The owl was right, if he started a fight with Luz inside this space, their battle could mentally damage Emperor Belos severely. And with the Day of Unity around the corner, having the Emperor crippled in any way would be devastating to their people.
"Well, it's your move, niñito," La Lechuza goaded.
Hunter growled, but relented as he relaxed his stance.
"You were kinda channeling your past evil self, weren't you?" Luz asked.
La Lechuza puffed out her chest and held her head high as she smirked haughtily. "I may not be 'evil' anymore, but I'm still 'bad girl'."
Luz crossed her arms as a smug smile appeared on her face. "Ha, nice one." The Latina glanced about the mindscape, now paying more attention to how it looked. "Now that I really look at it, this place is waaay different from Willow's mindscape. I was expecting more trees."
Hunter released a defeated sigh. "Makes sense. Mindscapes reflect the individual. I've read a lot about this subject."
"Ah, interesting. So, it operates on the same principle as an Underworld," said La Lechuza.
"You mentioned an 'Underworld' before, what is that?" Hunter asked.
"It's like a mindscape for your soul. Everyone has an Underworld. But only a rare few people can be 'Gates'. When the original Phantoms appeared, a ritual was conducted to force despair onto people and allow the Phantoms to break through. Once a Phantom destroys the Underworld of a person, they take over completely. Any trace of that person is gone, and the Phantom pretty much wears that person's body like a suit," Luz informed.
Hunter looked Luz up and down, and then to the silver owl. "And…you said that thing lives in your Underworld?"
"Luz was among the original batch of individuals kidnapped and forced to undergo the transformation. However, this little one had an abundance of hope and optimism. And due to that, instead of me breaking free and obtaining her body, I ended up being trapped by her."
"You don't seem very…angry for something that's trapped," Hunter observed.
"Oh, trust me, she was. But we've bonded over these last few months. A bond forged in the heart of battle, and the occasional hijinks," said Luz.
Hunter did not know that. But now he knew why Luz was so powerful, she had a Phantom living inside of her, providing her with a huge amount of magical power like some kind of mana battery. Now that he thought about it, Blight must've been a "Gate" too, and possessed a Phantom inside of herself. Now it made sense why he couldn't overpower her. She drew her power from a Phantom.
"Still doesn't help your 'I'm not responsible for the Coven Phantoms' story," Hunter pointed out.
"Ugh…" the two went.
Hunter turned his gaze away from them, and as he did, he found himself drawn to one of the paintings. "Whoa, look at this memory."
Luz watched as Hunter headed to the painting that caught his eye. It was an image of Belos. From what she could tell, it was from a time when Belos had not yet become the ruler of the Boiling Isles. If anything, he looked more like a cleric. The painting showed Belos leading a crowd of fleeing witches and demons from a city that was on fire.
"You know, unfettered Wild Magic wiped out our family," Hunter mentioned. "Everyone knew too much and got themselves hurt. That's why Belos took in the survivors and dedicated his life to making the Coven System!"
Hunter, like an excited child, ran to another painting. This one depicted Belos as a benevolent figure performing acts of "controlled" magic as the people flocked to him.
"It's why he's so well liked! Our sigils protect us from ourselves and make the Titan happy!" Hunter turned to this left and gasped when he saw another painting. This one was of Hunter, kneeling before Emperor Belos with his staff in hand, and Belos himself performing a kind of knighting ceremony before the Coven Heads. "Oh! This is when I inherited my staff! You know, I'm the youngest Scout to become the Golden Guard. I…um…I never found out hat happened to the previous one." As Hunter recalled that moment, he noticed something about the painting, that of Darius and his expression. "Huh, why does Darius look so sad here?"
La Lechuza scoffed at the idea of "Wild Magic". "Oh, child, don't make me laugh. Do you hear what you are saying? In order to protect you from yourselves, he brought you under his control and his rule. The sigils you wear lock someone into one type magic and exclude them from all others, but yours and the rest of your Scouts' sigils allow you to freely wield all types of magic, unbound, and unchecked. You understand the contradiction in that statement, don't you?"
Hunter bristled when he heard La Lechuza speak and retorted, "I don't expect a monster to understand such things. And of course you'd advocate for that, considering how strong a normal Phantom is, you'd love it if there was chaos and misery with unchecked magic."
"Ha! So, you'd rather live a life of ignorance and limitations rather than pursue knowledge and shatter your limits? Even the era you consider the 'Savage Age' was the farthest thing from 'Savage'. The people were happy, magic flowed freely."
Hunter raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you sound like you've been there? Are you saying you've been here before?!"
"Uh…" Luz rubbed the back of her head as she explained, "Lilith and I may've stumbled onto some Time Pools that sent us back in time to the days of the Savage Ages. That's how she knows."
Hunter blinked, and then began laughing as he held his sides. "Seriously? 'Time Pools'? That's just an urban myth! Ahahahaha!"
La Lechuza puffed out her chest and put on a smug expression. "Shows what you know, chico, we were there, and we witnessed for ourselves how everything was peaceful, even without a ruler. A far cry from the restrictive era you live in now. Poor boy chooses to remain blind to the truth around him."
"Heh, I don't see why you're so smug, you vermin-eating-know-nothing-nightmare-monster," Hunter argued.
"KNOW-NOTHING! HOW DARE YOU!"
La Lechuza flew off Luz's shoulder and began pecking at the top of Hunter's head. Hunter swiped his hands through the air in an attempt to stop La Lechuza's pecking.
Luz sighed as she facepalmed. The Latina was going to go and break it up, but stopped when she heard something amidst the griping of Hunter and La Lechuza.
Was that…crying? Luz thought.
Luz followed the sound of the sobbing, rounding the corner to find a child huddled against the wall. It was then that the child noticed Luz and quickly sprang to his feet. He was wearing a wooden mask that looked very similar in design to Belos' mask. The boy's clothes looked old, not in the sense that they were raggedy, but more related to the era of it, same could be said of his shoes as well. There was a short wooden sword sheathed at his left hip, and overall, the boy's body was compromised of varying shades and hues of purple.
It didn't take long for Luz to realize who this was as she spoke aloud, "Belos?"
"Belos?"
Luz watched as the little boy ran, but quickly turned head around when she heard Hunter utter the same name as herself. When turned, La Lechuza had stopped her little pecking attack and hovered in the air as a figure resembling Belos appeared at the other end of the hallway. This figure did indeed look like Belos, but his body was strange. It looked viscous, with dark swirling colors inside of it. It was almost like looking at a lava lamp.
"Emperor, you're here!" Hunter exclaimed.
"Careful, boy, I don't like the look of that thing," La Lechuza warned.
"Oh, who asked you bird," Hunter retorted. The Golden Guard got down on one knee as he said, "We beg for your assistance to return to the physical world so that I may capture your enemies! And so that she can finally be put in the Conformatorium where criminals belong!"
It was then that Luz saw the child version of Belos appear from behind the taller, more intimidating version. Child Belos was frantically waving his arms and shaking his head, almost as if…he was warning them.
"HUNTER, LALA, GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Luz yelled.
"What are you talking about, hu–?!"
"FLEE!" La Lechuza shouted as she flew back to Luz.
Hunter returned his attention to the other shadow Belos, and as soon as he did, Hunter gasped in horror. Shadow Belos began to utter terrible wailing and moaning sounds. Blue orbs started to appear along its body, but then those many orbs transformed into slit eyes that glowed along its ethereal body. Hunter fell onto his back as the nightmare creature wailed again and looked to attack him, but Luz, acting, rather than thinking, dashed towards Hunter, and put herself between Shadow Belos and Hunter.
Luz pulled out a Fire Glyph and channeled her mana into it. The charged-up Fire Glyph released a powerful explosion that sent all three of them flying backwards, punching through the wall – which seemed to easily rip as if it were made of paper – and began falling through a void.
La Lechuza managed to correct herself and began flying alongside the two.
"Niña! Look down!" La Lechuza warned.
Luz looked down and gasped. It wasn't an infinite void as she thought, because there was ground below them, and it was quickly approaching. Luz reached into the pocket of the jacket and pulled out a Safety Hover combo.
"LALA, GIVE ME A PUSH!" Luz yelled.
The owl Phantom flew at Luz and bumped her in the shoulder, angling Luz towards Hunter. Luz reached out with her left arm and hooked it around the Golden Guard. With her right hand, Luz tapped the Combo Glyph with her thumb and pressed it against her chest. As soon as she did, the spell activated, coating both teens in its bluish aura. The two were about to hit the ground, but the spell managed to slow them down and stop them, keeping witch and human in a hovering position about a foot off the ground before releasing them and letting them fall.
La Lechuza floated down and landed on the ground next to them as she asked, "Luz, are you alright?"
"Ow…I think so," Luz groaned.
"Ugh, where are we now?" Hunter asked.
Luz turned her gaze towards the bleak and dark sky and noticed the hole they had made. Which was soon repaired a moment later. "I think we must be in the Emperor's real mind."
Hunter rose to his feet as he scoffed. "What do you mean, the Emperor's 'real' mind? That gallery–!"
"Was made of all the lies he tells," Luz interrupted.
"She has a point." La Lechuza interjected. "A mind, human or witch, has layers. What we saw was possibly his ego, how Belos sees himself, and how he sees the world. Meanwhile…what we see here. This dank, and dark forest, this is no doubt what he tries to push to the deepest recess of his mind."
"Listen to her, Hunter, the Emperor is not who you think he is," Luz urged.
Hunter spotted something. He bent down and picked up a Palisman, one that resembled a bird, but was cracked in half, dead. The Palisman remains crumbled to dust in his hand, and Hunter briefly envisioned this happening to Flapjack. The thought of it caused the Golden Guard's hand to shake, but he quickly got ahold of himself. The last thing he needed was to give the human girl and her pet monster any more of an excuse to see him as weaker than them.
"We're probably being punished because you provoked his Inner Self!" Hunter accused as he pointed at Luz.
"Well, his Inner Self had thousands of eyeballs!" Luz retorted.
"Oh, no, eyeballs!" Hunter mocked in a dramatic voice. "Tch. In case you forgot, we're intruders in his mind, of course that's going to invoke some kind of defensive response! Considering your followers were trying to invade his mind!"
"What do you mean by my 'followers'? Are you talking about those three who escaped earlier? I don't know them!" Luz argued.
Hunter scoffed. "Whatever, human. Keep denying and lying."
{Boo!}
"AAAH!" Hunter yelped. "What was that?!"
"Jumpy little fella, aren't we?" La Lechuza teased.
Hunter grumbled.
{Luz, where are you?} Eda's voice called out.
The young teen reached into her jacket and pulled out the bunny rabbit walkie.
"Wow, we can get reception here in Belos' mindscape?" Luz commented.
"This world continues to surprise me with how it works," said La Lechuza.
{Oh, wait, hang on. Hey, blondie, your friend wants to talk to you.}
"What?"
{*chirp*, *chirp*!}
"Flapjack!" Hunter cried out as he took the walkie from Luz. "Are you okay? Have they hurt you?!"
"Oh c'mon, like we'd hurt a Palisman. And give me that!" Luz griped as she snatched the walkie back. "So, Eda. We may kinda sorta be trapped in, uh…the Emperor's mind."
There was a loud gasp over the walkie. {WHAT?! HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU – No, we don't have time for that. Has the Inner Belos spotted you yet?}
"Yes, but we were able to get away…with help," Luz answered. "Question: can there be two Inner Selves?"
{No. But I have heard of strong emotions materializing.}
"Perhaps…"
"What is it Lala?" Luz asked.
{Wha'cha got, Lal?}
La Lechuza rubbed her beak with her left wing as she said, "This but a theory…a farfetched one, mind you. But what if the child we saw was…a culmination of his guilt and innocence? Unlike Phantoms, most humans aren't born evil, some are raised in it and grow beyond what they've been raised in. Others embrace it. The point here being, Belos may not have started out as a being with evil intentions. The child and the shadowy creature may be two halves of the whole. One representing all his evil and the other what small amount of good he may've had."
Luz gasped. "If that's true, then…maybe there's a chance we can reform Belos?"
"Wait, what are you saying, human?" Hunter asked.
"Look, maybe the Belos you know isn't the real Belos. And if that child is the good part of him, the non-evil part, then maybe he can help us?" Luz deduced.
"Tch, the 'good part' of the Emperor? Are you kidding? All he's done has been for the good of the Isles!"
"The level of delusion with you is honestly astonishing," La Lechuza stated.
{Alright, for now, just stay safe. If you're devoured in his mindscape–}
"We'll be trapped!" Hunter exclaimed as the gravity of this situation had dawned on him. "Dragged down into his subconscious forever!"
Luz and La Lechuza blinked.
"I told you I read about this stuff."
{Well, we're gonna get you out!} King stated. {We'll make a return spell as fast as we can!}
{Just don't lose the walkie-talkie. It's our only connection to you. And Lal, you keep her safe.}
"Naturally."
"Copy that Owl Lady," said Luz as she gave a salute. "Over and out–"
"Wait!" Hunter quickly snatched the walkie back as he added, "I'll be home soon, Flapjack. Stay safe."
{*chirp*, *chirp*}
"I love you. Over and out."
{Awwwwww!} Eda and King teased before ending the transmission.
Hunter tossed the walkie back to Luz, with both her and La Lechuza smiling at him. Well, La Lechuza's was more of a teasing smile rather than the honest one that Luz was giving. Suddenly, there was a rustling sound to their left, putting them on edge as they looked in the direction of the noise. To their surprise, it was Kid Belos.
"Kid Belos!"
"What?" Hunter gasped, now finally seeing the child.
Luz approached Kid Belos and got down on one knee to bring her eye level with him. "Thank you for warning us before. You don't seem nearly as scary as your Inner Self."
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The roar of the Shadow Belos shook the mindscape. Kid Belos rushed towards Luz and grabbed onto her arm out of fear.
"See, Hunter, I wasn't making it up before," said Luz.
"Ugh, I told you before. Belos has never done anything worthy of feeling 'guilt' over. It's obviously innocence. His pure intentions for all the witches and demons on the Boiling Isles," Hunter argued.
"If that is true, then what do you call that monstrosity earlier?" La Lechuza questioned.
"It's…It's…" Hunter tried to come up with an explanation but was blanking on how to answer that question.
"Well, whichever he is, I think he can help us stay safe. And maybe you can show us who Belos really is," Luz suggested.
Kid Belos didn't speak, but he did nod his head in affirmation.
"What was that last part you said?" Hunter inquired.
Another shriek pierced through the mindscape.
"No time! Let's go, go, go!" Luz shouted as Kid Belos grabbed her by the wrist.
Kid Belos brought Luz and Hunter to one of the portraits, the one depicting Belos leading a group of witches and demons away from a burning town. Luz and Hunter watched as Kid Belos jumped into the portrait, into the memory itself. Luz was about to do the same but paused when Hunter called out to her.
"Wait! You're just gonna invade his memories? That's sacrilege!"
Another shriek shook the mindscape yet again.
"Do you have a better option?!"
"Yeet!"
"Yeet? What does that mean – WHOA!"
Luz grabbed Hunter and threw him into the portrait. The Latina didn't waste any time and jumped right after.
Eda, King, and Flapjack rushed back to the Owl House as fast as they could. They were on the clock. With Belos' Inner Self aware of their presence, it was only a matter of time before they were in a position they couldn't get out of. Eda assumed, worst case scenario, if Luz was cornered, she could always transform and fight against Belos inside of his mind. She may not have her Wonder Style, but Eda remembered Luz had another form that was almost if not just as powerful as Wonder Style. Although…
"Hey, wait, what if Luz just transforms into Witch while she's in there?! She can beat up the Emperor from the inside out!" King suggested.
"…Not gonna lie, King, with everything that's been happening lately. I sure would. But that's a double-edged sword. If Luz does fight Belos inside of his mind, and manages to 'beat him up', she'll basically render him a mindless idiot who can't tell up from down. On the flipside, that also risks trapping her inside of his empty mindscape for all eternity if we don't make a return spell. Plus, you know Luz. As bad as Belos is, she won't go that far," said Eda.
King figured that was the case. Luz wasn't so ruthless that she would resort to turning the Emperor's mind into mush.
The trio arrived at the Owl House and burst through the door with all due haste.
"Hooty! I need you to lock down the house!" Eda ordered as she began assembling some of the basic ingredients she would need. "Windows shut, curtains drawn, absolutely zero distractions! King, go grab all the textbooks you can find!"
"Got it!"
Eda sat down on the couch as King ran off to find the books she needed. The Owl Lady groaned as she tried to think of how she was going to pull this off. "This is gonna be tough without magic. HOOTY! Chop-chop! I wanted this place locked down yesterday!"
"Ma'am!" Hooty replied.
Every window in the house had metal shutters slam down. At the same time, spiraling wooden spikes pierced out of the ground, with more spikes sprouting from the bigger ones, and more bunting off those. The entire perimeter of the Owl House was now a fortress. And for the finishing touch, Hooty hung a little sign that read "BRB".
In the distance, the three cloaked figures were watching the Owl House. One of the figures, who seemed to be wearing glasses, looked as if he was preparing to go to the Owl Lady's home. But their partner stopped them by reaching out and putting a gloved hand on their shoulder. The figure with the gloves shook their head at their partner, telling them it was not a good idea to go to Owl House.
"Oh, hey, your buddy's trapped too, right?" Hooty asked. "The angry blonde kid?"
The gloved, cloaked figure quickly moved his glasses wearing partner aside and listened closely to what Hooty was saying. It seemed that Hooty was having a conversation with a worried Flapjack.
"Eda's smart, but without magic, I'm afraid she can't do much," Hooty lamented.
The glasses figure looked at their gloved partner, who was now having second thoughts about wanting to help the Owl Lady. The third of their group, the short, cloaked figure, looked up at the gloved figure, wondering what their next move should be. The glasses wearing figure knelt and picked up a stick. With the stick, they began to write in the dirt, with their companions watching. After a minute, the glasses wearing figure stopped to allow their partners to see what they had written.
"I KNOW HOW TO GET PAST THE BIRD"
"OWL?"
"TUBE?"
"HIM!"
Hunter, La Lechuza, and Luz fell out of the portrait and landed inside of the memory. The moment they did, Kid Belos materialized and began running ahead of them. The two teens and one Phantom followed Kid Belo as he rounded the corner of the street. From what they could tell they had been transported to some old town. Luz and La Lechuza were getting a sense of déjà vu. The feeling only got stronger as they ran towards a group of villagers who were gathering near a stage in the middle of the street.
"Luz, this place looks like…"
"Okay, good, it's not just me. It does remind me of baby Bonesborough," Luz interjected.
"Baby what?" Hunter questioned.
"Like we told you, we visited this place back during your so-called 'Savage Ages'."
Kid Belos disappeared as soon as he reached the crowd. Once they were there, Luz and Hunter slowed down. La Lechuza perched on Luz's shoulder as they entered the crowd.
As they did, one of the male villagers said, "He says he can talk to the Titan."
"The Titan is dead. How is that possible?" the female villager asked.
The villagers, Luz, Hunter, and La Lechuza watched as a figure stood upon the stage. The three immediately recognized this person as Belos. Although his outfit was not the normal, regal garments they were used to seeing him in. He wore a white and gold cloak and hood, along with gray robes underneath, and a wooden mask that was carved in the same likeness as the one he currently wore. In his left hand was a staff, it was shaped like a trident, with the center barb possessing a glass orb with a crimson node at the center.
"Fellow citizens! We are born into chaos. Our lives anger the Titan. My own family has been hurt by the darkness of Wild Magic," Belos preached.
As he spoke, Belos' staff sparked and began to emit a thick black smoke that covered the stage and obscured him from sight. For a moment, no one could see him, but after a few seconds, the smoke began to clear as nine orbs of different colored light began to shine through the smoke of the thick smoke, pushing it away as of shooing the darkness away.
"But fear not! For I have been shown the healing light! It shines in nine hues!" Belos announced.
As they watched, Hunter smiled broadly. He was getting to see Emperor Belos' beginnings, how he became the Emperor they all know today.
"See," said Hunter as he lightly elbowed Luz in her right arm. "He's always been helping people."
La Lechuza rolled her eyes.
Suddenly, several explosions started to go off all around them.
"THE WILD WITCHES! THEY HAVE FOUND ME! RUN!" Belos cried out as he ran.
More and more explosions continued to go off, forcing the citizens to scatter. Luz, La Lechuza, and Hunter broke away from the chaos and ducked into the alley where the portrait was located. The three managed to get away, but when they did, a familiar voice shouted, "You incompetent fool!"
Luz, Hunter, and La Lechuza watched as Belos was verbally berating someone, but upon closer look it was clear who it was. They wore a white cloak, and gold colored mask to hide their face. This had to be the first Golden Guard.
"You nearly took my head off with that blast!" Belos scolded.
"I'm sorry, Lord Belos!" the Savage Ages Golden Guard apologized as he bowed.
"Ugh, let us be on our way. It's time to go to the next town."
The Savage Ages Golden Guard grabbed a tarp that was hiding something underneath. Once he pulled it off, the trio gasped. Crates filled with bombs and wrapped with "caution" tape. Some were already cracked open, while some had yet to be used.
"What about the rest of these?" the Savage Ages Golden Guard asked.
Belos stopped, turned his head, and answered, "Put on a bigger show."
"What…?" Hunter gasped.
The Savage Ages Golden Guard struck a match ant tossed it into the crates filled with bombs. Once he had, the Savage Ages Golden Guard and Belos opened a door and walked through, presumably getting to a safer distance. As the bombs started to sizzle, Kid Belos materialized out of nowhere and grabbed a bag filled with bombs before running away and passing through the portrait behind them. Luz, La Lechuza, and Hunter hurriedly passed through the portrait, not wanting to be around for the big boom that was about to occur.
Once they landed on the other side, Luz exclaimed, "Belos was lying! Wild Witches weren't attacking him! How could you help someone like that?!"
Hunter scrambled to think of a reason for what they had seen. "That…That was probably a special technique to get people to listen to his message! It's…It's for the greater good!"
"If there's one time you're going to heed my words, then let it be now, chico. As a Phantom, I am a connoisseur of despair. And let me tell you, the despair caused by someone committing evil deeds in the name of the 'greater good', always leads to misery and pain for others," La Lechuza warned.
Hunter looked away, unable to come up with a response to La Lechuza's words. As much as he hated it, the owl Phantom's words…they…
"AAAH! HE FOUND US!" Luz exclaimed as slimy tentacles started to creep out of the portrait. "I'VE SEEN TOO MUCH ANIME TO KNOW WHERE THIS COULD GO!"
Just then, laughter could be heard echoing in the twisted woods of Belos' mindscape. The trio watched as Kid Belos ran into another portrait, this time it was the one that showed people flocking to him. Without much of a choice, all three of them followed Kid Belos into the next memory and emerged into a snowy field. It didn't take long for them to figure out that they were at the Knee. Up ahead was a crowd of witches and demons, all of them had their staffs out, and Kid Belos was heading towards them. Ahead of the crowd was a Savage Ages Belos standing atop a hill as he looked down at the crowd of gathered witches. Kid Belos ran up to one of the witches and swiped some rope that was wrapped around them.
Luz wondered if the witch would react to Kid Belos taking the rope, but it seemed like the memory didn't react to Kid Belos' actions.
"What's that kid doing?" Hunter questioned.
"Shh!" Luz hissed as she pointed towards Belos.
Behind the Savage Ages Belos was a city in ruin. Smoke bellowed into the sky as fires raged, turning the sky in that direction an ominous shade of orange. As Luz looked upon the burning city, it struck her that the ruins at the Knee were in fact the remnants of this city.
"Look at what Wild Magic has done to your city!" Belos stated as he motioned towards the burning buildings in the distance. "Now imagine what it's doing to you. A city can rise from the ashes! But a soul…"
Savage Ages Belos shook his head, letting his actions speak for themselves.
"W-What does this mean?" asked a demon-witch.
"Wait, what?" a demon questioned.
"I can make your magic pure again, as the Titan intended!" Savage Ages Belos preached.
The Savage Ages Golden Guard walked up to the crowd and slipped on a glove, with the index finger glowing bright yellow.
"An early version of the branding glove, no doubt," La Lechuza observed.
"So, this was the moment Belos started the Coven System," Luz observed.
"Exactly. This is the day the Emperor started to save lives and end the evils of Wild Magic," Hunter announced smugly.
"Please, my fellow witches! Please grant me the chance to save your souls! So that this evil does not spread and destroy you from the inside out! Do it for your family and loved ones, if nothing else," Belos beseeched.
Some looked hesitant, but after seeing the destruction of their city. Let's just say, fear outweighed their hesitancy. One by one, each of the demons and witches rolled up their sleeves and held out their wrists, ready to accept the help of the man who said he could save them. The Savage Ages Golden Guard walked up to each demon and witch and tapped their wrists with the index finger of the glove. Each one was branded with one of the nine sigils at random, until every witch and demon in attendance were now given a sigil.
"Welcome to your new Covens!" Savage Ages Belos proclaimed.
The look on the peoples' faces was one of relief and happiness. They thought they were safe…but they were wrong.
Almost immediately after receiving their sigils, something went wrong. All the sigils began to react, their energy spreading through the veins of everyone. The glow in their veins continued until it reached their eyes, and they too began to glow. One after another, the witches and demons began to go down like blocks of dominos until not a single one was standing.
Luz and Hunter watched all with horror-stricken faces, while La Lechuza narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized what it was that Belos had done to the witches and demons.
Savage Ages Golden Guard walked up to one of the downed witches and checked their pulse. Afterwards, he confirmed, "They're still alive."
"Then it seems we still have some work to do," said Savage Ages Belos in a callous and nonchalant tone. "Gather the Palismen."
Savages Ages Golden Guard picked up a couple of the staff and brought them to Savage Ages Belos. Upon which the liar broke off one of the Palismen from its staff and walked off. Savage Ages Golden Guard glanced back down at the witches who were still in their paralyzed, or perhaps comatose state. Many of them were either twitching or had tears falling from their eyes. It made one question if they were in constant pain and unable to vocalize it. After giving them a possible pitying glance, the Savage Ages Golden Guard continued his collection of their Palismen.
"What say you now?" La Lechuza questioned.
Kid Belos appeared and ran past the three of them as he ducked into the portrait. Hunter was the first to run after him, with Luz and La Lechuza right behind him. Kid Belos exited the portrait, with Hunter right behind him, followed by Luz and La Lechuza.
"You can't deny it now! Belos is trying to hurt people! You saw it with your own eyes!" Luz stated.
"He was just trying to perfect sigil magic!" Hunter defended. "Besides, maybe he's remembering things wrong! Who knows how mindscapes work!"
"I thought you said you knew about mindscapes?!" Luz rebutted.
"Well, maybe I'm an idiot!" Hunter sniped.
Just then, Hunter heard laughter coming from his left. When he turned, he saw Kid Belos peeking from behind one of the twisted trees that made up this already twisted forest of memories.
"You, get back here!" Hunter ordered as he ran after Kid Belos.
It can't be, it's a lie! It's a lie, right?! The Emperor's mind is just being muddled by our presence, that has to be it!
Kid Belos stopped in the middle of a clearing where more portraits were hung. Luz and La Lechuza had followed Hunter, but stopped when they heard the sounds of Shadow Belos approaching.
"We have to hide!" Luz shouted.
The three didn't think, they just moved. Diving into the nearest portrait in an attempt to evade capture by Shadow Belos. They passed through into a new memory, and when they arrived, Luz and La Lechuza gasped. Belos was in some kind of a workshop, and along with him were the disguised forms of two Phantoms Luz had met before.
"Is that…Tiamat?!" Luz exclaimed.
"And Set!" La Lechuza added.
From what they were seeing, apparently the three were watching the battle between Luz and Grom. That was the day that Luz had achieved her Wonder Style power, her Final Form. Belos, Tiamat, and Set were watching as the battle came to its conclusion, with Witch defeating Grom, or as he was known at that time, Nuckelavee.
"Well, Belos, it seems Witch has gotten much stronger, but as a result, has put down that rabid beast for good," said Tiamat.
"Indeed, she has." Belos walked away from Tiamat and Set, until he was standing next to a table. "And tell me, what will be your next move?"
Tiamat smiled sinisterly. "Need you really ask? You should know by now what it is."
Belos sighed. "Predictable. So very predictable." The Emperor of the Boiling Isles turned around and faced the two Phantoms. "I'm sorry, dear Tiamat, but I cannot allow you to kill that young girl just yet. For the sake of my future, and the plans I have in store. She must live for a bit longer."
The trio watched from around the corner, eyes wide and fixated on the interaction happening between the two factions.
"What did he mean by that?" Luz questioned.
"Hush, something is wrong," La Lechuza hissed.
"You say that as if I care. Our Master brought us into this world, and our mission is to convert all of you mortals into Phantoms."
"Ah, yes, the Titan is quite the task master. But so be it, onto plan B."
"Wait, the Titan?!" Hunter exclaimed.
Luz and La Lechuza hissed. They knew that was not going to go over well later.
Belos snapped his fingers, and upon doing so, the floor beneath the two Phantoms began to glow as a complex magic circle appeared under their feet. The circle glowed blood red as tendrils of dark red magic rose from it and speedily lashed towards the two Phantoms.
"LADY TIAMAT! MOVE!" Set yelled as he pushed her out of the circle.
Tiamat fell to the floor outside of the circle and quickly turned around as she watched Set transform into his Phantom form. But it was too late, the tendrils wrapped around his body, and within seconds began to break down his entire being. Set tried to cast his spells, to use his chaos magic to disrupt the spell, but it wasn't working. The circle was somehow sapping all his magical energy, breaking it down as soon as he mustered it. Set growled and yelled as his body was painfully broken down, his red eyes locked with Tiamat as the Phantom Leader stared with wide eyes.
"RUN, MY LADY! RUN!"
"SET!"
Those were the last words of the Phantom General before his entire body was broken down completely. The particles were captured within the circle, and with a flash of light, all that energy was reformed and materialized into a crimson stone. Belos reached out with his right hand and used his magic to make the stone fly to his hand where he snatched it out of the air. The ruler of the isles pushed open his cape and revealed an Arcane Driver that lacked a crystal.
Luz and La Lechuza's eyes widened, they couldn't believe their eyes.
"He…He recreated the Sabbath ritual…and…he used Set to create the Driver and stone!" Luz shouted in shock.
"I thought that magic felt familiar. When we were fighting Inquisitor, I wasn't sure, but the magic he used had a distinct Phantom signature to it. I'm not sure if Bast picked up on it either, but now…"
"I was hoping to get both of you. But it seems he was enough to fashion this artificial Philosopher's Stone."
"A what?!"
"Not quite a Philosopher's Stone. It's a – how to put it? – facsimile of the Philosopher's Stone. But no less immensely powerful. The one that my ward uses is an artificial magic stone, or magi-stone, made by other means. Powerful, but how strong it can get depends on him. Unlike this perfected version." Belos inserted the stone into his Driver, bringing it to life as the stone's energy flowed into it. The Emperor took off his gloves and slipped on a ring over his left middle finger. "If I want to stand on equal or higher ground against that girl, then I'll need to fight her at her own game."
"No way…" Luz uttered.
"Let's see, what was the word again? Oh, yes. Henshin."
[Purging evil.]
[NONE SHALL ESCAPE!]
[Eradicating the wicked.]
[ALL SHALL BE JUDGED BY…!]
A red magic circle with gold-colored runes appeared under Belos. Dozens of red construct hands rose from the circle and wrapped around his body, and in flash of crimson light, Tiamat witnessed the birth of the Boiling Isles' Dark Rider.
[The Inquisitor.]
Luz, Hunter, and La Lechuza couldn't speak, all they could do was watch with shock on their faces at the revealed identity of the Dark Rider, Kamen Rider Inquisitor. The very same Inquisitor that Luz and Amity had fought, was Emperor Belos the entire time. What followed next was a shifting of locations, where the tiro watched as Inquisitor and Tiamat engaged in a fierce battle, but even with the powerful five-headed dragon unleashing her great power, it was clear how one-sided this battle was. Inquisitor was practically toying with her, dissecting Tiamat with every one of his spells. It wasn't until Tiamat was on her last legs that he uttered something revealing.
"Just like the noble knights of the medieval era, I will slay the dragon that threatens my people," said Inquisitor.
Tiamat's water head turned to Inquisitor and retorted, "HA! 'Noble'! You are the furthest thing from noble you pretender! You don't care one bit for the mortals of this realm!"
Inquisitor pointed his right hand at that head and fired another Omega Blast. The beam completely destroyed that head. He pointed his hand at the shadow head and destroyed that one. Each head lost made Tiamat cry out in more pain as she felt herself growing weaker.
"You're right, I don't care for these demons and witches. I don't care if you slaughtered them all or enslaved them for your own needs. I wasn't speaking of them to begin with." Inquisitor blasted the vine head next. "I was speaking of my people who exist in the other realm, my home." The diamond head was going to fire a light beam, but Inquisitor destroyed that one, too, leaving the fire head. He jumped off Tiamat's back and landed a few feet away from her. "I can't allow your kind to continue existing. Even if I abandoned this realm to your machinations, I know it won't be long before you set your filthy sights on my beloved home. So, to protect my fellow humans, I will make sure that your kind are forever gone from these shores."
Luz, Hunter, and La Lechuza couldn't watch anymore as they ducked out of the portrait and returned to the mindscape. The two teens were panting, their minds still trying to make sense of what they had witnessed.
"I…I always wondered what happened to them. It felt too easy for all the Phantoms to have been defeated, but now…now it makes sense! Belos…he…he killed Tiamat and used Set to create his Arcane Driver and some kind of…of…Pseudo Philosopher's Stone!" Luz shouted.
"That…That…creature is even more conniving than I had thought! Luz, did you catch what he said at the end? He said his 'fellow humans'!"
"Yeah, what was with that?! He's a witch! Is he trying to be human?! Does he think he's human?!" Luz questioned. "Hunter, has Belos ever said anything about wanting to be human?!"
Hunter was still reeling from the revelation that his uncle had managed to become a Kamen Rider. All this time he had the power to fight back against Witch and Heka, and yet he kept it under wraps. For what purpose? What reason could he have to not go into battle? And yes, that last comment was disconcerting. His uncle had spoken of the Human Realm before and said he had been there before. When the Emperor talked about it, he did so fondly, as if he missed it. Did he somehow become so enthralled by the Human Realm that he wanted to abandon the Demon Realm?
"Hunter!" Luz called out.
"I DON'T KNOW!" Hunter yelled.
Frantic, Hunter looked around for another portrait, he needed more information. He needed to figure this out. Surely one of these memories held the truth. One of the portraits drew his attention. It was of the Emperor in the form of Inquisitor, standing atop the head of the Titan with…himself?
I…I don't remember going to the Skull! I don't remember seeing uncle in that form until now! Hunter thought.
Without a word, Hunter ran for the next portrait and dove right in.
"Hunter, wait!"
"After him, Niña!"
Luz didn't need to be told twice as she ran and dove into the painting as well.
Luz rolled onto the ground, and when she stood up, she saw that they had arrived at the Skull. The Latina spotted Hunter standing just ahead of her. She rushed towards him, and asked, "Hunter what were…you…thinking…"
The words stopped as Luz, La Lechuza, and Hunter were shown another revelation. Inquisitor was standing a couple of feet away from Hunter, although, it didn't appear to be Hunter.
Hunter, or rather, the Titan, was preparing. He was fully aware of the battle that was taking place but paid no heed as he stood atop the gigantic skull of his rotting corpse. The Titan chuckled, not bothering to turn around as he sensed a presence standing there.
"So, you have come."
"How and why."
The Titan turned around and saw Belos, or rather, Kamen Rider Inquisitor. The ancient being chuckled deep and forebodingly as he said, "This thing you made was created from an amalgamation of none living things. Possessing one of these parasites requires too much energy, but for something like this thing, it's quite easy. And the beauty of it is that he doesn't even know when I've possessed him. As for the why, mainly, to aggravate you. But because of this thing's station in your Coven, it made it easy to procure the hapless parasites I needed to create the first Phantoms. Some were criminals, others were just in the right place at the wrong time. They seem to show respect for this thing's held station. Using that and the Ghouls, it was easy enough."
"I see…so, that's how you did it." Inquisitor held his hands behind his back as he said, "I know you have dispatched an army to fight against Luz Noceda and her partner, Amity Blight. So, with that said, how did you breed an army that size in just under a day? If that many of my subjects were turned it would've been hard to not notice. But then again, all of them looked the same with the exception that there were some that were canines, birds, and humanoid. If you had that up your sleeve, why not do so earlier? You could've easily overwhelmed the Riders and my forces and had me dead to rights."
The Titan chuckled. "In hindsight, you should be glad I didn't. Otherwise Nuckelavee would've become immensely more powerful than he was."
Inquisitor shuddered. "Point made. But now, what is your goal? Surely you don't think that your army stands a chance against the combined might of those two. And if things get too out of hand, you know my power could wipe them out."
"It doesn't matter, the process has already begun, it's just a matter of time now."
Just then the entire island shook again, but this time it was stronger.
"What are you doing?!"
"I am going to take all the magical energy within my fallen body, and I will release it all at once."
Inquisitor's eyes widened behind his helmet as he heard the plan of the Titan. "YOU'RE MAD!"
The Titan cupped his chin and said, "Hmm, 'Mad Titan', has a nice ring to it."
"That much magical power being released at once; you'll obliterate your body and everything on it!" Inquisitor stated.
The Titan laughed loudly into the air and then glared at Inquisitor. "Isn't that what you wanted in the end? For all these parasites to die?! What does it matter how it's done? Oh, that's right, you're still stuck here, aren't you? I guess you have nowhere to run. Don't bother running either, once I release this blast, even the Boiling Seas will rumble, and cause a wave so big that any other corpses of my kind that lay about will be engulfed in the waters, and whatever parasites exist on them will be burned away. You'll get your wish, but in the end, you'll be all alone. Trapped in a world you despise with no way to leave. Such a fitting ending."
Inquisitor raised his right hand, brandishing the Omega Destruction ring. However, the Titan didn't seem to care.
"Go ahead, you'll only succeed in destroying this vessel. You can't touch my spirit. Actually, I'm done with this thing. You can have it back."
Upon saying that, the Titan forcefully separated himself from Hunter, throwing him forward before Inquisitor where he fell to the ground unconscious.
Inquisitor looked down at Hunter and growled in frustration as he switched out his rings.
[Alpha \A/ Creation, Now.]
The Dark Rider held out his right hand over Hunter and created a portal beneath the young witch boy. Hunter fell through it, now the boy would not be able to see him in his current form.
"No…I…I don't remember…I don't remember any of this!" Hunter exclaimed. "Did you know?!"
"I…We knew about the Titan being behind the creation of the Phantoms. The Titan had gone mad over these centuries, losing sight of what he was trying to do for the people, and went down a dark path to get what he needed done. But we managed to release him from that madness, hopefully, brought him peace. I swear, Hunter, none of us even knew he used you as a puppet!" Luz stated.
The scene shifted again, this time bringing the three to the where the battle with Echidna and Goblin had taken place. But they were brought to the outside of the cave where the battle was taking place. The pseudo-Phantom army outside screeched in pain as they felt their creator's demise. One after the other the pseudo-Phantoms all began to break down into dust right where they stood, or in some of their cases, flew. However, before all of them could be destroyed, three of each type were wrapped in a sphere of crimson magical energy. A portal opened and inside was Inquisitor.
"These'll do nicely."
Inquisitor waved his hand, and the nine spheres flew into the portal and disappeared.
The trio were ejected from the memory and rolled onto the ground.
Luz hurriedly rose to her feet and shouted, "THAT'S WHEN HE GOT THE PSEUDO PHANTOMS! HE SNATCHED THEM UP AND HE TURNED THEM INTO COVEN PHANTOMS!"
"No…No this can't be true! It just can't!" Hunter dashed again, this time just heading into a random portrait.
Which, again, Luz and La Lechuza had to follow due to his seemingly distressed state. Once they were through, Luz was brought back to a moment she wished to not have happened at all. They were back at the Skull again, but it was not the same memory as before. This one showed herself as Witch, with Amity as Heka, and Inquisitor staring them down. This was the memory of when Luz lost her Wonder Style power.
Witch and Heka watched all this transpire with shock and horror. Not just the fighting that was going on at Hexside, but the destruction that was taking place in the other cities. The lesser Coven Phantoms were destroying businesses and homes as the Super Coven Phantoms took the lead and attacked multiple people who dared to get in their way.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Witch yelled.
"̷̻̓I̵̢̋'̷̯̔v̷̨̑è̸̙ ̸̤̈́s̵̤̍i̶̡̍m̷͎̌p̸̻͊l̵͚͆y̴̭͆ ̶̨̅s̵̗̊h̶̠͂ỏ̴̗w̷͙̒ñ̴̝ ̸̦̽t̷̞͝h̸͉̾ě̵͈ ̷̺̂p̶̖͊ē̶̝o̶͔̕p̴̪͘l̶̩͑ẽ̴̝ ̸̰̈́t̶͓͐h̴͉͘ẻ̴̪ ̶̘̓ẗ̷̮́ŕ̴̮u̸̕͜e̶̖͆ ̷̱̂e̸͍͒n̵̪̅e̴̹̓m̸̞̑y̵̛͇ ̵̭̅t̸̖͂h̷͈̄e̸̋ͅÿ̶͇ ̸̡̃s̶̻͝ḧ̸̗́o̴͔̍û̸̺ľ̷̢d̷̜̚ ̵̖͝f̵̨̐ė̴ͅa̶̜̚r̸͚̎,̶͇̔"̸̥̊ ("I've simply shown the people the true enemy they should fear,") Inquisitor answered.
"Luz, we can still stop this! We just need to break through this barrier! After that, I'll go to one city, and you go to another, we'll stop it all!" Heka assured.
"̴̙̊E̵͇͌v̶͈͝ȇ̵̦n̷̜͂ ̷̢̀i̷͖̿f̴̬̏ ̷̠͠ẏ̵̟o̷̞̽u̶̼͆ ̸͈͝d̷̗͂e̷̘̿f̵̻̿ë̷̠́a̶͍̒t̵̫̏ ̴̨̑m̵͚̒e̴̜͗,̵̻̅ ̵̱͌a̷̔͜ñ̵͔d̶͉̿ ̶̢̀b̴̭́r̷̹̄o̴̮͌k̶̺͆e̵̓ͅ ̵͍̈́m̴̦̆y̵̮͒ ̶̈́ͅḅ̶͝ǎ̴̼r̶̠̽ŕ̴̞i̵̝̕e̵͕̅r̶͉̊ ̶͜͝t̷̗̀ö̶ͅ ̴̢̚ṟ̵̍ǔ̷̧n̴̲̚ ̵̜̏ö̸̭́f̸̕͜f̷͇̿,̸͉̽ ̵̬͘ĩ̶͖t̸͔̃ ̷̠̈w̵͍͑o̸̭̊n̶͉͝'̸̞̓t̵̯̎ ̵̫͋m̷̧̄á̷̱t̵̬̕t̴̮͗ę̸͝r̸̥͊.̷͇̐"̸̱͑ ("Even if you defeat me, and broke my barrier to run off, it won't matter.")
"And why not?!" Heka asked.
"̷̻̇B̴̡̍e̷̲͗c̵̗͑a̶̯͆ü̵̜s̴̯̓e̵̻͘ ̸̱͐t̶̛̩h̴͓̅ę̸̔ ̸͓̎d̶̟̏ȁ̶̹m̷̟͝a̸̪͋g̸̫͊ě̶̞ ̷͕͐ḧ̶̬́a̷̪̔s̵̮̓ ̵̙̚a̶̺͛l̷̟͂r̴̝͝e̴̞͠ả̸͙d̸̝̾y̸̠͐ ̸͔̕b̷̳͛é̵͉e̶̫̐n̷̦͊ ̵͓͗d̸̟́o̷̗͝n̴̙͛ẹ̷͘.̸̥̒ ̷͈̊F̷̪̅r̷͗ͅo̴͍͊m̸͔̄ ̷͇̽t̵̜͝h̴͙̎e̴͚̋ ̵̗̽m̸̮̚ŏ̴̝m̸͎̈ȩ̸̛n̴̡͒t̷̞͒ ̶̻̈́y̷̡͠o̸̱̅ú̶̩ ̸͖̕l̴̘̕ę̴̐f̴̟̐t̵̩̉ ̶̹̅B̴̜͝o̴̥͋n̸̛͖ĕ̴̦s̷̤͑b̴͙̕o̸͖͒r̷͇̔ȯ̵͈u̷̹̚g̷̢͒h̶͘͜,̸͕̂ ̵̟̌t̸̜͘ǒ̵͚ ̴̈́͜t̷̻̂h̴̢̓ë̶́͜ ̵̰͆t̶̲͛i̸̤̿ṁ̴̖e̸̖̔ ̶̟̀ỷ̶͇õ̸̰u̶͜͠ ̸͙̈s̴̤̃p̴̮̔ȅ̷̗n̴̙͋t̴̢̀ ̶̢̓f̵̰͂i̶̱͛g̵͉͘h̴̙̓t̴͘͜ĭ̶̺n̶͈̕ğ̸̥ ̴̦͆m̵̥̚e̴̠͊,̷̛̦ ̸̗̃ȁ̴̫ľ̵̝l̸̯͐ ̷̛͜o̵̺͐f̸͈̈ ̷̝̓ţ̶̋h̸̬̒i̸͎̅s̸̛̳ ̷͙̅ḧ̸̩́ä̷́͜s̵̤͑ ̴̪͗a̴͈͘l̷̦̏r̷̩͋e̸̯͆ä̷͉d̷̥̈́y̶̛̝ ̵͔͌t̸̨͆r̵̤͛ǎ̸̠n̵̙͛s̷͌͜p̷͙͝i̶͔̓ṛ̴̆e̷̝͝d̷̻̄,̸̞͗"̸̞̊ ̶̯̌ ("Because the damage has already been done. From the moment you left Bonesborough, to the time you spent fighting me, all of this has already transpired,") he informed.
"…What…?" Witch gasped.
"̷̨̌Ĩ̷̢ņ̴̎ ̶̲͋o̴̥̓t̶͓͛h̵̬͠e̸̹̽r̷̦̉ ̷̪͑ẅ̸̘́o̶̻̊r̴̳̓d̶̗̈́s̴͙̓,̶͚̀ ̶̡̌'̸̖̀h̶̤̓e̸͔̍ṙ̴͉o̶͚͐e̵͓̎s̷̛͈'̷̘̂,̸̰̌ ̸̳̓ÿ̴̦o̶͈̐ũ̴̪'̷̨̈r̴̥̃è̶̬ ̴̑ͅą̸̅l̸̟͝r̷̻͛e̶̜͝a̶͖͛d̶̉ͅy̶̜̍ ̵̬̉t̸̝̍ō̸̼o̸̰̊ ̸͍͑l̸̝̇ă̵̯t̷͍͗e̶̟͊.̶̞̐"̷̖̒ ("In other words, 'heroes', you're already too late.") Inquisitor snapped his fingers, and now the screens showed the damaged cities, and the people who were left struggling to sift through the remains. "̴̱̊S̴̖͊ę̶̍ë̴̥ ̷̲̑f̷͈̏o̴͙̅r̸͖̒ ̴̭̂y̸̬̿ǫ̴̎u̷͖͌r̶̖̄s̸̤͆e̴͎͠l̴̤̽f̷̥̋.̵̬͘"̴́͜ ̶̼͌ ("See for yourself.")
Witch and Heka looked back at the monitors, which now showed the destruction of the different towns in real time. The people were sifting through the rubble, while some were being carried out to Healing Coven Hospitals. Each person, man, woman, and child, all had sullen, angry, and confused looks on their faces as they gazed upon the remnants of what was once their homes and businesses.
{Why would Witch and Heka do this…?}
{They were supposed to be heroes!}
{They were never heroes! They were playing us all along!}
{Haven't they toyed with us enough?!}
{We can't trust either of those two! I hope the Emperor takes them down!}
{Yeah! I hope she gets petrified like the other Wild Witches!}
Hunter remembered this, he remembered this battle with Witch and Heka back at Hexside. But…they were fighting Inquisitor, the Emperor, when that was happening. The human was telling the truth, that wasn't her he was fighting. But if that was true, then…then, was everything he knew truly a lie. Was everything he had just seen not something caused by their presence in Belos' mind, but really his true memories of these occurrences?
Just then, Shadow Belos appeared, now in a monstrous form. The three made haste and ran through the portrait, returning to the forest. When they arrived back in the twisted forest, they saw Kid Belos near a strange tree. It was white in color, studded with glowing stars and crescent moons. In the center of the tree was a face, a sun with a crescent shaped face, and three half-moons that formed a happy smile and happy eyes. Below the face was another portrait, but unlike the others, this one didn't have Belos in it, instead, it looked like the portal door Luz had destroyed.
Kid Belos was the first to enter, followed by Luz, but she paused halfway through when she saw Hunter hesitating as the monster drew near. No doubt he feared learning more from jumping into another memory.
"HUNTER!" Luz called out.
"MOVE OR YOU'LL DIE, CHICO!" La Lechuza yelled.
The silver owl flew towards him and used her talons to grab ahold of his hood. The owl Phantom flapped furiously as she managed to pull Hunter away and closer to the portrait.
"HUNTER, PLEASE!" Luz cried as she held out her hand.
Hunter seemed to stop resisting La Lechuza's efforts and grabbed ahold of the human girl's hand. Once he had done that, La Lechuza flew through the portrait just as Luz pulled Hunter into it.
The three were once again in another memory, with Hunter catching his breath and La Lechuza hovering over them. Shadow Belos stuck his elongated mouth through the painting, sniffing like a predator searching for its prey. Luz, La Lechuza, Hunter, and Kid Belos stayed low and pressed their backs against the twisted tree, holding that position for several tense seconds before Shadow Belos pulled back. A collective sigh was released by them, but as soon as the danger passed Kid Belos darted forward, leaving the safety of the group and off to do, Titan knows what. Kid Belos huddled near a pillar, but when Luz followed him with her gaze, she gasped yet again.
"He's got the portal! He rebuilt the portal door!" Luz exclaimed.
"Crafty bas – ahem – mortal," said Lechuza, stopping herself from cursing in front of her ward.
Luz turned her gaze to Hunter as they got up and asked, "Did you know about this?!"
"Of course. I helped him rebuild it," he stated.
"I can hear you."
All three froze. How was that possible? Only the Inner Belos should be aware of their presence. They couldn't interact with a memory, and neither could a memory interact with them. The trio watched as Belos stopped walking and turned in their direction, and for a moment they believed he had seen them. However, a child's laughter drew their attention away from him. They looked towards the branches of the gnarled tree and saw a pair of glowing eyes staring at them from the shadows. Or rather, at Belos.
"You caught me," said the voice of a child.
From the shadows a figure appeared. They were two dimensional, flat as paper. With a single white line running down the middle of their body. The left side of the being was gray with black crescent moons, while the right was black with gray suns. The two dimensional being flew along the walls, like a shadow.
"To you who stray so far from home."
The being kept moving along the wall, then passed onto the floor before winding around a pillar next to Hunter.
"To me who's trapped beneath these bones."
The shadow morphed their body, transforming into a black and white fist. At the center of the wrist was a crescent moon symbol, with white lines radiating from the symbol in jagged patterns. The shadow morphed again, now transformed into several moving silhouettes of demons and witches, all of which looked frightened as they seemed to gaze upwards.
"We'll play forever, me and you–"
The shadow kept moving along one surface after the other until it arrived at the giant ring that was built around the portal door.
"–when you paint the land in nine bright hues!"
The shadow moved to the top of the giant ring, taking the form of nine silhouettes. The humanoid silhouettes raised their arms into the air and melded together to form another silhouette. This one now took the form of the Titan's skull, with the ribs on the right and humanoid figures on the left, lastly at the top was an image of an eclipsed sun. The image started to break apart before the humanoid figures seemingly evaporated.
The shadow figure began to laugh as it resumed its original form, now holding a smaller version of the Titan's skull in between its left thumb and index finger.
"What can I do for you, Collector?" Belos asked.
The Collector floated over to a statue, letting himself drape over its extended arms as he said, "I'm booooored. Is the Draining Spell ready yet? I wanna play and see everything go all…" The Collector molded his shadow body over the statue, as if to demonstrate what would happen as the crescent mark he generated onto his left wrist began to release the jagged lines again. His body broke down as he playfully cried out, "Aaaaaaaah!"
"You'll have your fun on the Day of Unity," Belos placated.
"Betrayed, beguiled, alone, deceived! We'll have our revenge on…" The Collector paused. "Ugh, 'unity' is so hard to rhyme."
Luz glared at Hunter, but the Golden Guard had no response. Just then, Hunter, well, the Memory Hunter, ran through the real one, like a ghost passing through walls. The Memory Hunter was dressed in a normal Scout outfit as he rushed towards Belos and stopped before him.
"I-I know you didn't want me going to Eclipse Lake, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't' have found this!" Hunter exclaimed as he produced the portal door's pilfered key.
Belos swiftly snatched the key out of Memory Hunter's hand as he raised the item up and gazed upon it with reverence.
"Some of the Titan blood did spill…but if you let me explain–!"
"Leave. Now," Belos ordered as he glanced over his shoulder and glared at Hunter with a single glowing eye.
Without a word, Memory Hunter walked out of the underground workshop. Closing the door behind him. As soon as Memory Hunter left, the Collector slid out from behind the door, smiling whimsically at Belos as he did.
"Oooh~, you were maaaad," the Collector teased. "I thought you were going to go all…" the Collector swiftly took the form a creature with writhing tentacles that bore the same mask as Belos, but with jagged teeth as he shrieked. "…on that kid."
"Not so long as he stays on the right path," Belos retorted. "I say, 'The Titan has big plans for you,' and he does what he's told. Unlike the previous attempts."
The Collector smiled as he made an observation. "I'm starting to think you make those things just to destroy them. You have fun with it. Admit it! AHAHAHA!"
Belos shook his head. "Of course I don't, Collector. It hurts every time he chooses to betray me."
"Hunter…"
"'Make'…he…he said, 'make'…"