When we last left our protagonists, Amity Blight had reunited with her family. Though Edric and Emira were ready to attack Luz for what she had done in the past, Amity managed to smooth things over with her siblings. Though they were doubtful, they were willing to listen to Amity and granted sanctuary to Luz and her friends from the DGP. But now, Luz faces another obstacle in the form of Alador Blight who may or may not approve of his daughter's choice of a future spouse.
Meanwhile, back in Bonesborough...
The door slammed wide open as Adrian Graye, former Head of the Illusion Coven, trudged his way into the house. Paint of various hues stained his attire in splotches, papier-mâché clung to him, and a palpable mix of anger and frustration was etched across his face.
As Adrian entered the living room, the other occupant of this dwelling lowered the newspaper she was reading and looked at him with confusion. Her name was Terra Snapdragon, the former Head of the Plant Coven. She had an inkling of why he was in such a state but waited to hear him confirm it for her. Once Adrian was past the front door, he turned around and slammed it shut, shaking some of the knickknacks they had on the shelves and cabinets. Terra heard something else clank against the floor. Her eyes travelled further down and noticed that Adrian had a helmet that was crudely made to resemble Oscura's glued to his tail.
"Can you believe it, Terra? I just came back from a dreadful Day of Liberty show and everyone's performance was simply atrocious!" Adrian complained.
"Weren't you the director?" Terra asked.
"Oh, those ingrates fired me! Can you believe it? They called me 'demanding', 'pretentious', and a 'drama queen', among other things," Adrian scoffed. "It's not my fault I have high standards and demand the best out of my performers."
"Wasn't it a play performed by kindergarteners?" Terra deadpanned.
"That's no excuse! When I was their age, I was spectacular! That was when I realised I was a natural thespian."
The two former Coven Heads had become roommates after they were revived. Since they could no longer get their old jobs back, they had tried to make a living some other way. Unfortunately, Terra was simply too unpleasant to work with, and whatever place employed her would let her go almost immediately.
As for Adrian, well, he was a good actor, but he had such impossible standards that nobody wanted to work with him either. He would look down on mediocre plays or demand his actors to give more than their best, which was never good enough for him. And it didn't exactly help that his directions were extremely vague as all hell. He was always expecting the actors and stagehands to grasp the meaning between his vague directions. It would almost be encouraging if he was not so full of himself and snapped at them when they 'failed to grasp' his 'true meaning and direction'.
Nobody could stand either of them, so it was a miracle that they could even function as roommates. About the only things they had in common were that they were both outcasts in the new government, not even considered for any leadership roles, and were generally unwanted for even normal jobs despite their incredible magical skills. Another thing they had in common was the hatred they shared for the one who put them in this situation, to begin with: Oscura.
"It seems the little devils voiced their opinion as well," Terra noted.
"Actors and stagehands are soooo touchy, and the PCA isn't any better! 'Oh, Mr. Graye, they're just children, let them have fun' they say! Ha! When I was their age, I was giving it my all! That's how great actors are born! The stage isn't just a place to willy-nilly and play pretend, it's a serious craft!" Adrian ranted as he struck a dramatic pose.
Terra didn't exactly disagree with the 'drama queen' comment, but she could relate to his plight.
"I tried another teaching job," Terra told him.
"And how did that go?" Adrian asked.
"Heh, 'Oh, Ms. Snapdragon, you're being too harsh. Let them mix their magic, it's the only way for them to learn what works best for them'! Argh, this new 'mixed magic' system is horrid! How can you expect any of these children to remain disciplined in their craft if their attention is divided between two or three different forms of magic?!" Terra argued. "And now they've created magic-dampening fields so that students can 'safely cast their magic' during duels! Feh, a bruise here, a scar there, a limb or two lost here, it builds character and weeds out the weak."
"And they call me draconian," Adrian muttered as he managed to get the helmet off his tail. "At this point, I'm starting to wonder if we were better off dead. Nothing's the same anymore."
After their revival, they learned that Belos had been a human witch hunter hell-bent on mass genocide who passed himself off as a false prophet of the Titan. Then, after Belos was dethroned and killed, he was usurped by another human who became the next tyrant ruler of the Boiling Isles.
That was yet another point Terra couldn't argue: while most of the people who were resurrected managed to adjust and integrate themselves into the new Boiling Isles, she and Adrian were practically relics of a bygone era.
On top of that, the person they had followed without question, their Emperor, turned out to be using them all like puppets on strings to do his bidding so he could wipe out all life on the Boiling Isles.
What they used to believe in was shattered. What they had now, they no longer recognized. Terra could already see signs of change even before Belos's fall, little seeds planted here and there, but nothing she thought she should be concerned with. Now though…those seeds had blossomed and thrived in this new garden. As far as everyone else was concerned, she and Adrian were the unsightly weeds in an otherwise beautiful garden.
"Our time will come, Adrian," Terra assured. "I promise you it will."
"Right. Oh, and did you hear? Sounds like that child from four years ago came back. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to run into her and get burned alive again! Ugh, I'm going to go take a shower…"
Terra watched as the former Coven Head dragged himself upstairs, with the slamming of the bathroom door telling Terra he was completely out of sight and earshot.
"Oh, I am aware, dear Adrian," Terra smirked. "I am well aware."
After a long minute of father and daughter hugging and crying, both released each other and took a step back.
"Well then, I believe some introductions are in order," said Alador as he finally noticed their guests.
"Of course. Dad, Em, Ed, this is Sasha Waybright and Marcy Wu," Amity introduced. "They're my friends."
"Rivals, and friends," Sasha clarified.
"But mostly the second part," Marcy added.
"And this is Tsumuri," Amity gestured to the DGP navigator. "She's an...acquaintance."
"Pleasure to meet you," Tsumuri bowed.
Edric and Emira immediately moved towards the two human girls, giving them both half-lidded stares.
"Wow, Mittens sure has great taste in friends. Huh, Em?" Edric marvelled as he flirted with Sasha.
"Definitely, Ed. Total cuties," Emira observed as she winked at Marcy.
The Taiwanese girl blushed bright red, and how could she not? Amity's twin siblings were unapologetically hot as hell.
"Uh…Uh…t-thanks," Marcy stammered.
"Not that I don't appreciate getting hit on by a hot guy, but…" Sasha reached out with her left arm and brought Marcy close to her, causing the nerdy teen to squeak in surprise. "This is my nerdy girlfriend. So politely keep your hands off."
"Ah, shoot, both taken," Edric and Emira stated in dejection at the same time.
Amity facepalmed herself as she groaned, "Seriously, you guys just had to hit on them?"
While Amity's hand was up, Alador noticed a ring around her finger. Not only that, but when he looked at the girl he once knew as Empress Oscura, he noticed that she had a matching ring.
"Amity, is there some significance behind your matching rings?" he asked out of curiosity.
Amity paused. She was not entirely certain how her father was going to react to the news of his youngest daughter being engaged to the person who once ruled the Boiling Isles with an iron fist and murdered their mother – his wife – in their living room. Such a thing had to be approached delicately.
"Oh, apparently Mittens and Luz are engaged. You remember Luz, right, Dad? She used to be Empress Oscura," said Edric obliviously.
Both Amity and Emira shot Edric a death glare that practically screamed, "ED, YOU MORON!"
Alador's gaze narrowed as he now fixed it on the Latina.
Now, Luz had faced many dangers in the DGP so far. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, being in the sights of Amity's father was making her feel the shadow of death creeping up on her. The older man walked towards Luz, his steps deliberate and unwavering as he now stood before the human girl who once crowned herself the empress of the isles. There was zero fear in his eyes as he gazed down at her, and Luz couldn't help but gulp. Amity quickly rushed over, pushing Luz back a little and putting herself in between them.
"Dad, please, let me explain," Amity pleaded.
"Please. Explain," Alador seriously prompted. "I'm listening."
From there, Amity went into a long explanation regarding the events of the Desire Grand Prix—her battles, the wish that Luz made, and her re-entry into the games. Of course, Amity made sure to keep Odalia's name out of her explanation. Titan knows that was the last thing either her siblings or her father needed to know about. She ended her explanation by telling her father about how humans proposed to each other and started an engagement, which was what the rings represented. The rings were a promise between her and Luz that they would soon get married.
"…I see," Alador slowly nodded.
"Dad, please, I know you might have some mixed feelings about Luz, but she's not that person anymore. She's been fighting this whole time to atone for what she did, and I trust her with my life," Amity vouched. "I…I love her, Dad. I want to spend my life with her! I know you might not accept Luz as my wife, but can you at least respect my decision to choose who I want to be with?"
Luz began to sweat a little. It was fair to assume that Amity was going to marry her no matter what her father said. After everything they had been through, Luz was certain of that. But it would be nice to have the patriarch of the Blight family give them his blessing.
"Luz, is that correct?" Alador questioned.
"Y-Yes?" Luz squeaked.
"Do you love my daughter?" Alador pressed on.
"I do, without question," Luz answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Sadly, that was absent in my marriage. In hindsight, it was less a marriage and more of a business partnership," Alador sadly admitted. "I acquiesced to Odalia's decisions time and time again because I believed it was more efficient, and…well…I'll be the first to admit I am not that good with people."
"Oh, believe me, I can relate," Luz sympathized.
"Ditto," Marcy added.
"But I can see that Amity has strong feelings for you. While I may have some reservations with this…I do hope you and my daughter live a happily married life. So long as Mittens is happy, that's all I ask for," Alador relented.
Luz, feeling confident by Alador's acceptance, stood at Amity's side and looked the man in the eyes.
"I promise, Mr. Blight, I will make sure we have a happy life together. And I also promise I will never become that monster ever again," Luz declared.
"For all our sakes, I should hope so. And speaking of, I heard that there was quite the commotion at the Day of Liberation celebration." Alador drew a spell circle and summoned his scroll to show them the messages that were flooding his account. "Penstagram is on fire after you were spotted. It's a good thing that you came here instead of going to Edalyn's home; no doubt the Scouts would go looking for you there."
"That's why I asked Raine to handle things. Since they're on the council, they can stall for time," Eda said.
Luz groaned. Of course, Penstagram was blowing up. The vanquished Dark Empress had somehow returned. It might as well have been a sign of the End of Days as far as the people of the Boiling Isles were concerned. As Luz was lamenting this turn of events, she just now noticed that Alador had taken a squatting position, his gaze squarely fixated on Luz's Desire Driver.
"What a fascinating device you, Mittens, and your friends each have on. But the centre appears to have different symbols painted on them," Alador observed.
"Uh, yeah, that's actually–"
"Ah, and they come right out." Amity and Luz looked down at their Desire Drivers and gasped when they saw that their ID Cores were missing. When they looked up, they saw Alador holding one in each hand, bringing them close to his face as he examined them directly. "They seem so simple, but perhaps these are integral to your devices' functionality?"
"DAD, GIVE THOSE BACK!" Amity yelled.
"MR. BLIGHT, PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH THOSE!" Luz warned.
As Luz and Amity were busy trying to get their ID Cores back, Edric and Emira decided to switch gears and focus on the other human that their baby sister had brought into their home. The twins appeared next to Tsumuri, with Edric on the right and Emira on the left, both wearing flirtatious smiles as they looked at the Asian woman.
"So, is everyone in the Desire Grand Prix as pretty as you?" Emira flirted.
"'Coz I love that outfit. It really brings out your eyes," Edric added.
Tsumuri ignored the twins' flirting, trying to get her tablet to work. The DGP navigator released a huff of frustration when her efforts to try and repair her tablet proved futile. Without her tablet, they would be stuck in the Demon Realm for the foreseeable future. Or at least until the Game Master decided to take notice of their absence and recall them himself.
"What an interesting design."
Tsumuri suddenly felt nothing in her hands. The DGP navigator finally took notice that her tablet was no longer in her hands. When she looked up, she saw that Alador – somehow – had gotten ahold of her tablet. Her head shifted between Alador, then to Luz and Amity who looked relieved to have their ID Cores back, and then back to Alador.
"B-But when did – how did–?"
"I'm going to tinker with this."
"Sir, not to be rude, but that tablet may be too advanced for you to understand," Tsumuri informed him, but he ignored her as he began walking to his lab. "Sir? Sir!"
"Yeah, you won't get that back until my dad fixes it. When he sees a new project, he focuses 100 percent on it," Amity said. Growing up, Amity thought her dad did not care about them, neglecting them in favour of his work. However, he only worked so hard for their sake. Odalia just exploited that so he could make products for their company.
While Emira was still a little annoyed that Tsumuri didn't react at all to either her or her brother's flirting, she decided to help her sister and her friends out with another matter.
"You guys really should get changed," Emira pointed out.
"Why?" Marcy asked, confused. "Is something wrong with our uniforms?"
"Well, besides looking terrible, people are going to be on the lookout for anyone dressed like you," Emira answered. "And besides, don't you want to get out of those clothes and get into something more comfortable?"
"She's got a point, Marcy," Sasha concurred as she pulled down the zipper of the jacket.
"Luz, Amity, come with me," Emira instructed. "I've got some clothes you can borrow."
"I'm coming too," Willow offered. The opportunity to play dress-up with Amity and Luz was too much to pass up.
Throughout the interactions, Gus felt ignored.
"So, crazy, huh?" Edric asked his fellow illusionist.
"Oh, you mean Luz and Amity being back? Yeah," Gus nodded.
"No, that they're both going to be hitched," Edric clarified. "And I may not be able to see my little sister get married." From what he understood, once their mission here was complete and they could return to the Human Realm, the DGP players would be gone and neither Edric, Emira or their dad would be able to see Amity again.
"I know how you feel, Ed," Gus sympathised. "I thought I'd never see Luz again." After Luz was banished, all items from the Human Realm were confiscated and disposed of. Gus' Human Appreciation Society was also shut down as a result. Everyone just wanted to forget about humans.
"Yeah, kinda wished I knew her before, you know, she went..." Edric tried to find the right words. "Um..."
"Went to the dark side?" Gus offered. A few years back, Luz had found a DVD player among the human items that Eda had acquired and even a DVD box set of Star Battles movies. They had a movie marathon, which was one of Gus' fondest memories.
"Yeah, you could say that," Edric agreed, understanding the reference.
Luz, Amity, Willow, Sasha, and Marcy were in Emira's room, which had gotten bigger thanks to renovations and the hefty paycheck from being Co-CEO of Blight Industries. Emira decided that she'd start with her baby sister and Luz first, wanting to spend as much time as she could with her long-lost little sister, and at the same time, interrogate Luz for some juicy information regarding their relationship, typical future sister-in-law/teasing big sister protocols.
"Sooo~, Luz, be honest with me," Emira started.
"Yes?"
"Have you deflowered my baby sister?"
"Emira!" Amity exclaimed.
"What? I'm just making sure that your future wife didn't just ravage you like a Slitherbeast in heat," Emira teased.
Willow snickered at how Luz was getting flustered over having to recall her bedroom activities with Amity.
"Oh, this oughta be good. Do tell, Noceda, how did you 'deflower' Emira's precious little sister?" Sasha teased with a Cheshire Cat grin.
"Sashy, c'mon. Can't you see Luz is getting embarrassed?" Marcy chastised.
"Oh, I know, and I'm loving it."
"Uh…well…um…" Luz gulped. Normally, such topics would not bother her. But considering that this was her future sister-in-law, she was feeling nervous. "Y-Yes, we did do it, and we have on other occasions…"
Willow blushed as her mind briefly imagined the 'other occasions' that Luz mentioned.
"Uh, huh, probably went at it like rabbits in heat," Sasha teased again.
"What do you take me for, Waybright?" Luz challenged.
"A girl with a possibly overactive libido, and a hot witch girlfriend that you can't help but want to ravage her any chance you get."
Luz opened her mouth to rebut that comment.
"Luz, don't even try, it's more or less written all over your face," Willow interjected.
The Latina deflated, crossed her arms, and grumbled a little under her breath.
"Well, in either case, I hope it was magical for you, Mittens!" Emira said cheerfully.
Amity groaned from inside the closet.
"Yes, it was a magical and wonderful moment for the two of us! Okay! Now, change the subject, because I am not about to discuss my sex life with my big sister and my friends in the same room!"
"She can be a real killjoy sometimes, huh?" Emira asked.
Luz shifted her gaze back and forth before leaning in close to Emira to whisper to her.
"Kind of, but she's cute when she's pouty."
"Does she still get all goremato-faced when she's embarrassed or angry?"
"Oh, totally. Sometimes I tease her just to see it."
"Titan help me," Amity moaned. "We're in the Demon Realm less than a few hours, and you two are already double-teaming me."
Luz put on a teasing smirk.
"Amity, I didn't know you had that kind of fetish. But I guess I'm okay with it if Emira is."
"LUZ NOCEDA! ¡No debes mencionarme a mí ni a mi hermana bajo ningún tipo de circunstancias lascivas o sugerentes! ¡Ni siquiera insinuar tales cosas! ¡Alguna vez! (You are not to mention me or my sister under any kind of lewd or suggestive circumstances! Nor even imply such things! Ever!)" Amity yelled.
Sasha bellowed out with laughter upon hearing Amity's reaction. Marcy's mind went places that she did not mean for it to go, but now the image was in her mind, and it was not leaving anytime soon.
Willow briefly glanced at Luz and Emira. She did recall back when she was little, that she found Emira attractive. But that was back when she was a child, and children often had crushes on cool kids who were older than them.
"I don't exactly know what you said to Luz, but it sounded like a 'no'. That's a shame, Mittens, we haven't spent any quality time together. Might be a good way to reconnect, if you know what I mean," Emira suggested, wiggling her eyebrows. Marcy's nose gushed out blood like a fountain.
"I am going to love having you as a sister-in-law, Em! I've always wanted an onee-chan!" Luz smiled.
"Marcy, you good?" Sasha asked, looking at her lover in concern.
"S-She…Emira…an 'onee-chan'…to Luz and Amity's imouto…hentai…eeeh." Marcy's face had gone completely red as steam practically bellowed out of her ears.
"Great, you guys broke my girlfriend," Sasha complained.
'First Luz, then Masha, and now my big sister…Just once I'd like a family member – aside from Vee – who is NOT perverted!' Amity mentally screamed.
"If you two are done cracking lewd jokes, I'm done in here," Amity announced.
"Alright, show us," Emira permitted.
Amity walked out of the closet and dressed in Emira's old attire from when she was sixteen. However, Amity seemed to be very uncomfortable.
"Amity, what's wrong?" Luz asked in concern.
"Does it not fit right or something?" Emira inquired.
"Well…to be honest it's really tight around my hips, and, ahem, around the chest, too."
Emira and Luz looked at Amity's hips and noticed that the skirt was hugging them tightly. Not only that, but the shirt she was wearing looked as if it was straining to stay buttoned.
Luz felt her cheeks flush and for a second thought, she was going to have an anime nosebleed moment.
Sasha glanced down at her own body, and pouted a little, feeling a bout of jealousy towards Amity at this moment.
Marcy leaned closer to Sasha and whispered, "It's okay, Sashy, you'll always be hot to me."
And just like that, Sasha's confidence was restored.
Willow had to admit, that while she still harboured feelings for Luz, she was not above admiring Amity's beauty and physical attractiveness.
Meanwhile, Emira's left eyebrow twitched. She was twenty years old, and not to be vain, but she knew she had a hot body that made boys and girls alike stop and gawk at her. But her proportions didn't really start to develop more until around her current age. So, to hear that her little sister was more well-endowed than she was at sixteen, even eighteen, was a slight blow to her ego.
"Guess you got one good thing from Mom's genes," Emira admitted in annoyance.
Luz made a fist with her right hand as she smiled.
'Thank you, Titan, for having my future wife inherit only the BEST parts of Odalia Blight! The woman was a bitch, but even I have to admit she had a hot bod! And Amity will have a hot MILF bod in the future! I am so blessed!'
Amity gave her fiancée a deadpan look.
"I can't read your mind, but I'm sure you were thinking about my body, you perv."
"I plead the fifth!"
"Alright, my turn next." Sasha stepped forward.
"Hm..." Emira walked around Sasha, studying her build. "What's your favourite colour?"
"I'd say red," Sasha confessed.
"I think I got something in red." Emira looked at Marcy. "And you? Marcy, was it?"
"Well, I'm more of a green kind of girl," Marcy admitted.
"Me too," Willow added, and the two high-fived.
"What about you, Luz? Got anything in mind?" Emira inquired.
'Something purple with a cape and crown,' Luz's inner demon proposed.
"Anything's fine, Emira," Luz said, ignoring her inner demon.
'Bitch,' Luz's inner demon cursed.
"And throw in some concealment stones too," Amity added. "People are going to be on the lookout for a group of humans, not witches."
"A concealment stone, like the one you wore?" Marcy asked, remembering that Amity wore one to disguise herself as a human.
"Yeah, Ed and I used to wear them too," Emira confessed. "All because Mom wanted us to look perfect all the time. They also save time in making ourselves look good." Why bother brushing her hair and putting on makeup when a concealment stone could do it all in seconds?
Everyone was left to their own devices, and the guests were allowed to explore Blight Manor. While Luz and the others were doing that, Amity had pulled Willow aside, wanting to have a friendly chat with her former best friend – and as it turned out, a possible rival. She brought Willow to one of the many guest rooms in the house and cast a privacy spell to prevent any eavesdroppers from listening in on their conversation, as well as a lock reinforcement spell to keep someone from just casually opening the door.
Willow glanced around the room for a moment, placing her hands on her hips.
"Are you planning on doing something to me here, Blight?" Willow questioned. "'Cause that combo of spells is kind of suspicious."
"I almost forgot about that sass," Amity remarked. "But we do have something to discuss, and I think you know what it is."
"I see. Are you mad that I kissed Luz before I was Retired?"
Amity rubbed the back of her head as she let out a sigh.
"Part of me is mad, but another part understands why you did it. I know we talked about you still having feelings for Luz, is that still true?" Amity asked, and Willow looked away for a moment. "I know you did what you did back in the maze because you knew that you'd forget, right? You transferred your Rider Credentials so that I could fight alongside Luz, but also because you knew that you'd be Retired and have your memories erased. Were you hoping to forget your feelings for Luz, too?"
Willow chuckled a little, although not with an ounce of humour.
"I can never forget Luz and what she means to me. Meeting her made my life better and she helped make me who I am today. It's only thanks to Luz that I managed to become stronger. She gave me the push I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself, and to stop seeing myself as less than anyone. And my feelings for her will always linger, even in the bad memories from when she was Oscura… I'm sorry, Amity. I know it's probably something you don't want to hear with everything that's going on, and with your engagement, but I still love Luz. I know I can move on, but part of my heart doesn't want to give up on her."
Amity figured that was the case. Willow and Gus had the most contact with Luz. They got to know the girl before the monster that was Oscura consumed her, before Amity inadvertently set that monster loose. How ironic it was that Willow fell in love with Luz, the real Luz, back then. And now, Amity fell in love with Luz after getting to know her, and bonding with her. Although it was through a shared trauma, they still managed to build a strong bond.
'If I had just gotten to know Luz like Willow did…I might've fallen for her a lot sooner,' Amity thought bitterly.
"You just thought that if you met Luz sooner, you'd be crushing on her too," Willow guessed.
"What?! How did you know?"
"It's written all over your face, Amity," Willow answered as she went to sit on the edge of the bed. "And to be honest, I thought that would've been the case as well. Heh, funny. The three of us could've been in a love triangle back then, both competing for Luz's affection."
"Willow…I'm sorry. I stole your best friend from you and your first love…"
Willow looked down at the floor before closing her eyes.
"I won't deny that you did either of those two things. But after meeting the other Luz, part of me wonders if it would've ever worked out."
"What do you mean? She was best friends with her Willow and…apparently…going out with the other me," Amity retorted.
"True, but that other Luz was totally shocked when I kissed her. Like the thought never occurred to her that I might like her, or that the other Willow might've had feelings for her. Maybe all Willows are just not meant to be with Luz, no matter what universe. So, why fight it at this point?" Willow questioned rhetorically. "When this mission's over, me and everyone else will have our memories wiped. It'll be like none of this ever happened." Amity had forgotten that fact in all the chaos. When they eventually managed to figure out a way back to the DGP and Earth, Willow, Eda, Little Luz, and her family, everyone would forget all this happened, and it would just be another memory in the minds of the DGP players. "I am happy for you and Luz. If nothing else, I know that there's at least one other person, besides her family, who really loves her, and will be there for her. But until you all go back, I'm going to have some fun."
"Uh…what do you mean by 'fun'?" Amity inquired.
"I'm going to get my fill of Luz right up until you guys leave." Willow put on a smarmy grin. "Even though I won't remember anything, at least Luz will."
Amity felt a little uneasy about the way Willow put that.
"You're just speaking about spending time with Luz, right?" Amity questioned. "If that's the case, I don't mind stepping aside and letting you hang out with her more. But why do I get the feeling you meant more than that?"
"Hmm, dunno. Maybe I just mean some friendly hanging out together. You know, girl time and junk like that. Oooor, I could mean sneaking Luz off for some very friendly girl time. Who knows?" Willow drew a spell circle and undid the spells that Amity placed on the door. Afterwards, the bespectacled witch girl walked towards her former best friend/love rival and whispered into her ear. "Be on your toes, Blight."
Amity watched as Willow left the room, leaving her just a little stunned. It was never going to be jarring to see Willow act like that. In her mind, she still recalled that little witch girl who had a hard time casting even the simplest of spells, compared to the woman she was now. Strong, confident, bold, and even a little devious as it seemed.
'Oh, Titan…this is going to be a ride.'
"Hey, Marcy." Luz found the Taiwanese girl in the Blight family's library, sitting at a table with a stack of books. Marcy had changed out of her DGP uniform and put on a green blouse with a black vest as well as a black skirt and leggings. Luz had also changed into much casual attire, which was a pair of jeans as well as a purple and white t-shirt.
"Oh, hey, Luz," Marcy smiled as she put down a thick book on magical theory. "What's up?"
"I was just looking for you," Luz replied as she approached the table and saw the stack. "Did you read all of those?"
"I was just skimming through them," Marcy said. "I'm surprised that they use the same alphabet we do, and they speak the same language."
"Some things are just universal, I guess." Luz never questioned why the people of the Boiling Isles could speak and write in English. That was just how it was. "So, are you just gonna spend the whole day in the library?"
"I mean, I'm in a whole other world," Marcy justified. "Gotta learn everything I can about it, right?"
"You want to learn magic?" Luz asked as she looked at the title of the book Marcy was reading.
Marcy shot Luz with a deadpan look.
"Luz, I'm in a world of literal magic and monsters. I've seen fairies, witches, demons, and all kinds of creatures that – until today – only existed in the pages of manga or a movie! So, yes, I want to learn magic!" The Taiwanese teen grabbed a hold of Luz by the shoulders as she stared the Latina straight in the eyes. "My weebness demands I learn magic, Luz! Don't deny my weebness!"
Luz chuckled as she gently removed Marcy's hands from her shoulders. Marcy's excitement to learn magic mirrored her own from the past.
"Okay, okay, I get it." Luz knew of something she could teach Marcy, but it had been so long since she last did it and part of her was…afraid to try. "Hey, can you hand me some of that paper and a pencil?"
Marcy grabbed both and handed them to Luz. The Latina gratefully accepted them and took her seat across from Marcy. Luz laid the sheet out in front of her and took the pencil into her right hand. However, when she brought it down to the paper, she stopped. The lead of the pencil hovered a mere inch off the paper and remained there.
"Luz, are you alright?" Marcy asked.
"Uh, y-yeah, why do you ask?" Luz responded.
"Your hand is shaking," Marcy pointed out.
Luz looked down and saw that her right hand was shaking. Was she afraid? That was absurd, why would she be afraid? The Everlasting Oath had been broken four years ago, so nothing bad was going to happen to her.
Painful memories started to flash through Luz's mind, memories of her younger self furiously trying to cast the one spell she had learned and each time she got a scar for going against the Oath. Even now, Luz could remember the stinging pain of the Oath when it hurt her, punishing her for trying to go against it.
What if it was still active? What if her obtaining the Philosopher's Stone when she was Empress Oscura only made it so the Oath's curse was smothered by her power and unable to activate? For four years she had been in the Human Realm, where magic was non-existent, so there was never a reason, or even a need, to try to cast the spell again.
'I'm not that scared little girl anymore. If it is still active, then that's it. After everything I did, it'd only be fitting that I'd still be cursed. But…maybe…maybe it's gone? Maybe…I can do it again?' Luz thought in acceptance.
The Latina steeled her resolve, gathering her courage as she focused and made her hand stop shaking. With determination, Luz recalled the first spell she had learned, the first feat of magic she was ever able to perform that did not come from the Darkness Ring. She pressed the pencil against the paper and began to draw.
Marcy watched with concern and fascination as Luz began to draw a circle on the paper. She then followed up by drawing something inside of the circle. First was a wide triangle, and next was a line bisecting the triangle, going straight down the middle. Luz drew two diagonal lines going through the centre line inside of the triangle next. Afterwards, she drew a smaller circle at the peak of the triangle, followed by another triangle at the top of the smaller circle until the tip touched the outer circle. To Marcy's eyes, it almost resembled a bird, but other than that, the Taiwanese girl had no idea what Luz had drawn.
"What is that?" Marcy inquired.
"The first spell I ever learned. It was the spell that gave me hope…the spell that made me realise that my dreams weren't out of reach," Luz answered. Luz put down the pencil, and with her right hand, she tapped the centre of the sheet and screwed her eyes shut as if she had just set off a bomb and was waiting for the explosion.
"OH, MY GOSH!" Marcy exclaimed.
Luz, fearful, opened her eyes, believing that the paper had surely turned to ash and was about to scar her, but it was the exact opposite. The former dark empress watched as the paper crumpled in on itself as the centre started to glow brighter and brighter. Luz's eyes widened as her head slowly shook back and forth. Her hands moved to her mouth, as if to stifle a gasp, or a sobbing fit, but her eyes were wide and watering as she witnessed what was no less a miracle to her.
'It…It can't be…!'
The paper was eventually swallowed up by a sphere of shining light, which now hovered a few inches off the table. This was the first spell that Luz ever learned when she first came to this world, a spell that was the physical embodiment and meaning of her name, a spell that produced light: the light glyph.
Marcy's eyes were wide with awe as she studied the glowing orb of light. She couldn't believe her eyes. Luz had performed magic without the Oscura Buckle. Although it wasn't like how she had seen Amity, Boscha, or any of the other witches and demons in this world cast magic, this was still in fact magic that Luz had performed.
"Luz, this is amazing! How did you do this?!" Marcy questioned. When she received no answer, she looked at Luz who was crying. "Luz? Luz, what's wrong?!"
"I did it." Luz started to break down. "I used the light glyph. For the first time in four years, I…I forgot how beautiful it was, forgot how good it felt to use this magic…magic that didn't come from my pain and hate." She openly wept, both from the pain of the past and the joy of being able to use magic that was not born of her darkness.
"Oh, Luz." Marcy got out of her chair and quickly hurried to Luz's side to embrace her, letting the Latina weep against her chest.
"I'm sorry. I'm just so happy right now, but I can't stop crying," Luz apologised.
"It's okay, Luz. I know you've been through a lot. Just let it out."
As Marcy comforted Luz, the door to the library opened and when it did, both girls saw Amity. The pink-haired witch had a worried look on her face as she looked at them both.
"Luz, Marcy, what's wrong? I could hear crying from down the hall! Luz, what's wrong?! Why are you crying?!" Amity asked frantically.
Luz managed to compose herself and wiped the tears away. Despite how she looked, she managed to smile.
"Batata, you won't believe it, but I can do magic again. A-and not the bad magic I used when I was the Empress, I mean the good kind. The kind I wanted to learn since coming here," Luz announced. Amity looked visibly confused. Of course, Luz never did show Amity the light glyph. "Hold on."
Luz reached across the table and grabbed another piece of paper, and Amity watched as she drew something on the paper. Once Luz was finished, the human girl tapped the centre of the paper. That was when Amity beheld something wondrous: the paper crumpled in on itself until it transformed into a ball of glowing light, one that matched the first that was now floating above the table.
"Luz…what…what is this?" Amity asked in curiosity.
"It's the spell that I learned when I came to the Demon Realm, the very first spell that Eda taught me. This one spell is what made me realise I could be a witch," Luz confessed.
Amity looked upon the orb of light more intently. She vaguely recalled the conversations they had with the other Luz, about something called 'glyphs'. Was this what she was talking about? Casting spells using drawn symbols?
'And Luz could do it even though she doesn't have a bile sac…she can use magic,' Amity thought as a smile crept across her lips.
"The Oath is hurting her! Every time she tries to use magic, it cuts her! And then burns those cuts and leaves scars on her body! She can't even do a simple light spell because of you!"
"W-Wait…she could do that before?"
"YES! She could! But not anymore thanks to you! She's in pain, sad, and in despair because of you, Amity Blight!"
"Oh, Titan…Oh, Titan what have I done!?" Amity exclaimed in absolute horror.
Luz and Marcy quickly turned to look at Amity, whose face was contorted with sadness as tears streamed down her face.
"Amity! What's wrong?!" Luz frantically asked as she bolted from her seat.
Amity dropped to her knees as she looked at Luz with regret.
"I'm sorry…Luz…I'm so sorry!"
The realisation of what she had done to Luz all those years ago finally hit Amity like a train at top speed. She knew she had wronged her fiancée and hurt her terribly, but there had been a level of detachment. She had never really seen Luz cast magic before she became Oscura, never got to see what she could do, what she was capable of. But now, the proof was right in front of her. Luz had a way to use magic. It wasn't the conventional way done by witches and demons, but the fact remained that Luz could use magic. A human could become a witch.
"One of the conditions was that she has to announce to the entire Covention that she is not a witch, and from this point on, she can no longer train to use magic. Forever."
"I…I-I'M…N-NOT…A-A-A-A…W-WITCH! I'M NOT A WITCH! I'M NOT A WITCH!"
"You hurt my friend, Amity! It's one thing when I have to put up with you and your friends' crap! But Luz! She doesn't know what an Everlasting Oath is or does! And yet you just cast the spell anyway?!"
"Then it's her fault for being ignorant of magic! She wants to be a witch, but if she was serious about it, she would've at least read up on some basic spells! Humans can't do magic, but she can still read, right?!"
Amity slammed her fists against the floor. Hearing the ghostly echoes of her past self infuriated her now. She could not believe how arrogant she was back then; how cruel she was. She did not have to cast the Everlasting Oath. She could have just beaten Luz. But no, she had to drive the point home. She had to make a spectacle of it, make Luz understand her place in the social hierarchy and life, that humans could never become witches.
"I don't deserve to be with you!" Amity shouted in complete anguish.
"Amity, please, break the Oath! I'm sorry…I don't know what I did to make you angry with me, I just…I just wanted to learn magic. I wanted to be a witch so badly…I'm sorry I didn't take it as seriously as you do…but in my own way I was!"
"Willow told me you could use magic, and even you said you could, but I didn't listen!"
"Amity, I swear, if you undo the Oath, I'll do anything to prove that I'm taking magic seriously! No matter what it is, no matter how humiliating it might be! If you want me to be your slave or whatever, I'll do that without question! Just…please…break the Oath and let me prove to you I care about being a strong witch as much as you do!"
"EVEN WHEN YOU CAME TO ME, BEGGING ME ON YOUR HANDS AND KNEES, I STILL DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Amity yelled, both in frustration and anger at her past actions.
"Amity, calm down, it's okay," Luz comforted as she knelt in front of her fiancée.
"NONE OF WHAT I DID WAS OKAY, LUZ! DON'T YOU GET IT?!" Amity grabbed Luz by the shoulders as she looked into the Latina's eyes with her own tearful eyes. "I took away your hopes…I took away your dreams…and callously crushed them and threw them away! I'm sorry…I'm sorry it took me so long to finally, truly understand the pain I caused you then, but I am so sorry!" Amity removed her hands from Luz and looked at the ring on her finger. "I…I don't deserve to be loved by you…and I don't deserve this ring!" Amity was about to remove her engagement ring, but Luz quickly stopped her by grabbing onto Amity's wrists. "Luz, let me go!"
"What did I say about what happened in the past?" Luz questioned.
"I know, but –!"
"No! What did I say?" Luz insisted.
"'...Playing the blame game gets us nowhere…'"
"Exactly." Luz released Amity and pulled her into a hug. "There's fault all around, Amity. I messed up, you messed up, it was one long chain reaction that led to the rise of a darker side of me. Yes, I still carry some scars from that time, and they will take time to fade. But I don't regret any of the decisions I've made when it comes to you these past four years. I love you, Amity Blight. I want to be with you, as your wife, and make a life with you, wherever that ends up being."
Amity felt a fresh wave of tears coming on as she stopped fighting Luz and buried her face in her lover's chest.
"I don't deserve you," Amity wept.
"Funny, sometimes I think the same thing, mi amor," Luz replied, tears falling from her eyes as well.
Silently, Marcy observed. The sight of these two, back in the world where it all began — where Luz inadvertently embarked on her journey towards darkness, and where Amity relinquished her home as an act of atonement — stirred a myriad of emotions. The world held profound significance, especially tied to a small but potent ball of light. However, it appeared that Luz and Amity might genuinely be on the road to recovery. Maybe coming here was a necessary evil after all, a step toward healing the wounds of the past.
'For better or worse, getting stranded here in the Demon Realm was something that needed to happen for them. Now, they can start healing and moving on with their lives, at least, I hope so.'
Outside the library, Sasha and Willow watched through a crack in the door. Sasha now wore a black leather jacket over a red tank top as well as black jeans with combat boots.
Willow had mixed feelings, watching Luz and Amity comfort each other. But she was happy to see the joy in Luz's face when the Latina cast the light glyph. Because of the Everlasting Oath, casting the glyph has only given her scars. Now, Willow could see that a bit of light had returned to Luz's heart thanks to it.
At the same time, Sasha smiled, happy that her former rival and Blight were getting over their past. She knew how significant the Boiling Isles was to them. For Luz, it was the place where she had experienced great wonder and pain. For Amity, it was the home she had abandoned in penance for her sins. She wondered if the Game Master had planned all this just so the audience would be able to enjoy an emotional scene.
"Not going to go in?" Sasha asked Willow.
"No." Willow shook her head. "I don't want to intrude."
"Suit yourself," Sasha shrugged before she opened the door and stepped inside the library. "Hey, nerds. What are you working on?"
"Sasha!" Marcy ran over to her friend before dragging her to the table. "I can do magic! Watch!" She proceeded to draw the light glyph like Luz had shown her then tapped it, causing the paper to crumple into a ball of light. "Isn't it amazing?"
"Wow." Sasha touched the ball of light, and she could feel how warm it was. "This could save us money on electricity bills."
"I wouldn't recommend it. They don't last very long, and I don't know if they'll work outside the Demon Realm," Luz advised as one of the light orbs from earlier died and faded away.
"Is there any other magic you can teach us?" Marcy requested.
"Hm...when they were burning effigies, I saw something inside the flames," Luz told them. She grabbed another sheet and drew what she saw.
"Wait, you can draw a perfect circle without any tools?" Sasha observed.
"Can't anybody?" Luz asked.
"No!"
"It just comes naturally to me, I guess," Luz shrugged as she finished drawing the new glyph. It featured a larger circle at the bottom of the spell circle with a dot in the centre. On top of it was a smaller circle with a curved triangle on top. Another curved triangle was also included on top of the bigger circle, which went over the smaller circle.
"So what does this one do?" Marcy asked.
"Only one way to find out," Luz answered and she tapped the glyph. It immediately glowed with a red light and the sheet of paper suddenly caught on fire. "Fire! It's the fire glyph!"
"Guys, we're in a library," Amity pointed out.
"Oh, shit!" Luz grabbed a book and repeatedly smacked it down on the flame until it was put out. "There, it's gone."
"Noceda, you gotta teach me that!" Sasha exclaimed excitedly.
"Um, Sash, are you sure?" Marcy asked.
"Hey, I wasn't sure about this magic business at first, but if I can make a fireball at will, I'm all for it!"
Meanwhile, robed figures encircled the imposing statue of Scyn Oscura. The ambience was charged with an air of clandestine anticipation.
"The Dark Empress has returned," one hooded figure declared, their words shrouded in a veil of reverence.
"We can finally emerge from the shadows and claim what is rightfully ours," another conspirator added, their voice resonating with a blend of zeal and malevolence.
A sinister smile played on the lips of another robed figure.
"Yes, for far too long, those blinded by the light have revelled in their ignorance. With the return of the Dark Empress, we can now unveil the true might of darkness."
As the murmurs of anticipation grew, a collective chant erupted from the congregation.
"ALL HAIL, THE DARK EMPRESS! LONG LIVE, EMPRESS OSCURA! OS-CU-RA! OS-CU-RA! OS-CU-RA!"
Yet, amidst the fervour, an unexpected voice disrupted the solemnity.
"GET YOUR OSCURA BODY PILLOWS NOW! SHOW YOUR DEVOTION TO THE DARK EMPRESS BY WELCOMING HER LIKENESS INTO YOUR BED!"
A disapproving scowl crossed the leader's obscured visage as they snapped, "Kevin, for the last time, quit trying to sell your merch during meetings!"
And so, Luz Noceda and Amity Blight have begun to heal from the tragic events of four years ago. Luz has rediscovered her ability to cast the light glyph, and Amity has finally realised the gravity of what she had done. Such a thing would have torn them apart and left their relationship in a state of disrepair, but it has only helped their bond grow stronger. However, a threat now looms in the shadows ready to cast the world into darkness in the name of Empress Oscura.