Many revelations and many regrets. For Willow, the young witch girl still holds a burning flame for her best friend and crush. As for young Augustus, he has yet to forgive himself for not helping more and, in his own way, seeks to change the image of his dear friend.
And poor Luz's show of appreciation and words of encouragement have led to the formation of a cult that worships her.
The Boiling Isles is near the brink of full panic at the return of a person they saw as the ultimate evil and clamours for the protection of its new government.
And finally, the former Head of the Plant Coven, Terra Snapdragon, has in her possession the body of a Jyamato.
Many forces are threatening to crash into each other all at once and, unfortunately, Luz is at the centre of it all. But, ah, it seems a new development is on the horizon…
Luz and Amity came down from their shared room, positively glowing as they entered the dining room together. To their surprise, they found Tsumuri already sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in hand. The DGP navigator had a slightly irritated look etched on her face, along with bags under her eyes.
Sasha and Marcy entered behind Luz and Amity, and both human girls shared the same look of surprise when they saw Tsumuri's current state.
"Tsumuri, you don't look so good," Amity observed.
"Yeah, no offence but you kinda look like Hunter did when he worked for Phillip, bags and all," Luz commented.
"Did you not sleep well?" Marcy inquired.
Tsumuri's left eye began to twitch as she attempted to maintain her composure.
"As a matter of fact, Ms. Wu, no, I did not," she confessed.
"Oh, sorry. Was the bed not comfy?" Emira apologized as she walked in.
"No, Ms. Blight, the bed was satisfactory." Tsumuri's gaze then fell on Luz and Amity. "If I may be honest, the cause of my sleep deprivation was the noise."
Luz and Amity gulped.
"W-what noise exactly?" Luz dared to ask.
"Hmm, let me see. There was certainly a lot of screaming and moaning, the constant squeaking of bedsprings, and of course, the rather vulgar language used such as, ahem, 'Fuck me harder, Amity!' and 'You want me to fill you up?!'."
Luz and Amity's faces turned so red that they could have been used as signal flares at this point, while the heat radiating off their faces was so intense that you could cook a hot dog on them.
Tsumuri had heard them last night. She heard every single thing they did last night.
Sasha couldn't hold it in and just burst out laughing, doubling over as she held her stomach.
"AHAAHAAHAHAAHAAHAAA! OH, MY GOD! You two kept Tsumuri up all night because she heard you two fucking each other's brains out?! AHAHAAHAHAAHAHAA! Holy shit, that's-that's– AHAHAHAHAAA!" Sasha laughed hysterically, threatening to fall to the floor and roll around.
"S-Sasha, could you not?" Marcy urged as she saw Luz and Amity become increasingly redder. Amity's blush even reached the tip of her ears. "You're embarrassing them."
"Well, well, well," Emira teased while shooting her little sister a devilish look. "My dear baby sis, who knew you were such a beast in bed? Guess you two switch when it comes to who tops."
"Titan, kill me now…" Amity groaned, hiding her face behind her hands.
"You know, giving myself up for execution doesn't seem so bad right now," Luz mused.
"Well, to be honest, your…activities…didn't go on for long, and I was able to go back to sleep." Tsumuri's harsh gaze then fell onto Marcy and Sasha, the latter who immediately stopped laughing. "But then I heard another commotion from the room adjacent to mine."
Emira, Amity, and Luz looked confused.
"Wait, but the only other room next to yours is…" Luz turned her head towards Sasha and Marcy, who were now blushing as bright red as they were.
"And if I remember correctly – which I do – the noise from Ms. Waybright and Ms. Wu's bedroom activities filled the rest of the night. Consisting of more vulgar language, such as 'Sasha, please screw me like a hentai doujinshi girl! I want to have an ahegao face!' and 'I'll make you scream my name, you slutty nerd'."
Amity and Emira slowly turned their heads towards the two human teens. Marcy hid her face behind her hands, her face practically steaming from how embarrassed she was. Sasha, to her credit, managed to keep a straight face, but it was obvious by her quivering lips that she was just as embarrassed as her girlfriend was that their little lovemaking session had been heard by the navigator as well.
"Damn," Emira commented as she glanced between the two couples. "You girls are horny as hell. Should I be worried about my chastity as well?"
"I'm going to go find a Coven Scout and turn myself in right now," Luz offered.
"I'm going to throw myself into the Boiling Sea," Amity groaned.
"Sasha, we're going to destroy each other's ID Cores!" Marcy pleaded.
"Agreed, can't be embarrassed if we don't remember this happened!" Sasha eagerly agreed.
"Embarrassing as it is, I still don't think it's worth such extremes," Tsumuri deadpanned before taking another sip of her coffee.
Emira had walked over to Tsumuri and leaned over to speak with her.
"It's just their overactive hormonal teenage brains going into overdrive from embarrassment. Don't worry about them." The eldest Blight child looked back at the still panicking group of teens. "I never did get an answer! Do I need to lock my door tonight?!"
"NOT HELPING!" all four girls exclaimed.
The residents as well as their house guests were all seated at the table for breakfast. When Willow, Gus, Edric and Alador eventually joined them, the couples decided not to speak of what happened earlier. Even Emira swore to silence while Tsumuri couldn't care less as she simply wanted to put the whole matter behind her.
The meal was made with the diets of the humans in mind so everyone had something to eat.
Edric was reading the newspaper at the table, which Emira scolded him for.
"Put that thing down, Ed, and eat your breakfast," she ordered.
Edric ignored his sister as he turned the page and then his eyes bugged out of his skull when he read what was on it.
"Oh, my Titan!" Edric yelled, and he spread the page across the table. "Guys, look at this!"
On the page were wanted posters of the DGP Riders. It depicted all of them in their Rider forms, all except for Luz who was drawn to look like Empress Oscura. There was even a poster for Tsumuri.
"This is not good," Amity remarked when she saw herself as Gato with a reward of 5,000,000,000 snails under it. Marcy and Sasha also had the same amount listed as a reward for their capture as well.
"Wow, that is a lot of zeroes," Marcy commented when she saw there was a reward of 5,000,000,000 snails for her.
"That's nothing." Sasha pointed at Luz's picture. "Check this one out."
The reward for 'Empress Oscura' was listed at 10,000,000,000,000 snails. That was a huge bounty, much higher than Eda's. It also encouraged her to be taken in, dead or alive.
"This is not good," Luz blanched.
'I know! We should be worth way more than that!' Luz's inner demon complained.
'I seriously hate you.'
"Hey, even Tsumuri is here." Marcy pointed out a picture of Tsumuri. "And it looks like she's worth only 100,000."
"Maybe it's because she wasn't doing anything," Luz suggested. "But this is going to make it harder for us to move around."
"We could always use concealment stones to disguise ourselves and stay here until Tsumuri's tablet is fixed," Amity suggested.
"Oh, right," Alador said as he drew a spell circle, which transported Tsumuri's tablet into his hand. "I almost forgot. I've already fixed it."
"You did?" Tsumuri asked, surprised by how quickly Alador was able to repair her tablet.
"I may have made a few modifications," Alador stated as he handed the device to her. He had studied the device, finding it an amazing piece of technology, before he began fixing it. He managed to figure it out, despite how foreign it was.
Tsumuri studied her tablet, which looked like it had been patched together with Blight Industries tech. There was a metal panel on the back with a glowing purple power source and the cracked screen had also been replaced. Tsumuri recited a prayer under her breath and switched it on. This was the moment of truth.
It turned on.
"It's working!" Tsumuri cried excitedly before regaining her composure. "Thank you, Mr. Blight." Alador nodded before returning to his meal. Tsumuri immediately tapped the icon that would allow her to contact the Game Master. As soon as she did, the holographic screen popped up over the dining table. "Game Master!"
{Tsumuri,} the Game Master greeted, sounding pleased. {I am so glad you are able to contact me. I was worried when we lost contact with you. Are you alright?}
"Yes, I am, as well as the players," Tsumuri answered.
{That is wonderful news. Oh, and congratulations to the players for completing the mission.}
"That's great and all, but can you take us back now?" Sasha asked.
"Do we have to leave so soon?" Marcy asked pleadingly. She so wanted to explore more of the Boiling Isles.
"Marcy, wanted posters," Sasha reminded.
"They only got our Rider forms. They don't know what we really look like underneath," Marcy countered.
"Guys," Amity interjected. "Think about Luz."
While Luz was happy that Eda and her friends were doing alright, being back in the Boiling Isles had brought back some bad memories for her. She was also worried about the cult. She had not even had a chance to speak to Bria and it would appear she would never have the chance.
{I apologize, Soaron, but I can't transport you back to the Desire Temple just yet,} the Game Master denied.
"What do you mean you can't?" Sasha narrowed her eyes threateningly.
{The game is not yet over. You still have one more mission,} the Game Master informed the players. {Allow me to explain: this is a two-part mission and you've only cleared the first half by defeating the Elf Jyamatos. However, while you were sleeping, the Krampus Jyamato had kidnapped children from their homes and taken them to its lair.}
"Wait." Luz narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You couldn't contact us, and yet the game is still going on?"
{It is how it is, Oscura,} the Game Master said without a hint of shame. {Now, your target is located here.} A map of the Boiling Isles appeared to take over the screen and there was a big red Jyamato symbol on a location.
"That looks like the Knee," Amity recognized. She had studied the geography of the Boiling Isles.
"What's the Knee?" Marcy asked.
"A mountain that's covered in snow," Luz answered. She had travelled there once before as Empress Oscura to stop Belos and his Golden Lords for good. "Makes sense that a Christmas demon would live somewhere that's always cold."
{Riders, your mission is to defeat the Krampus Jyamato and to rescue the children before nightfall,} the Game Master explained. {Good luck.} The holographic screen vanished after he finished.
"Looks like we gotta go," Sasha said.
"Yeah," Amity nodded. "And it looks like we're going back after this."
"Gonna miss you, Mittens." Edric went and hugged his little sister. Emira joined in as well as Alador.
"Take care of yourself," Alador smiled at his daughter, bidding her farewell too.
"And don't forget us when you're getting married, alright?" Emira added, trying to fight her tears.
Luz watched, sad that their family reunion had to be cut short but that was how the DGP worked.
Willow and Gus got up from their seats to bid Luz farewell. If this was going to be the last time they saw each other, then they were going to have a proper goodbye.
"Good luck, Luz," Willow heartfully said to her crush. "I hope you win."
"Yeah, make sure to kick Jyamato butt for us," Gus encouraged.
"Thanks, guys," Luz smiled, hugging both her friends. "Tell Eda, King and Little Luz I said goodbye."
The four players were transported to the Knee, clad in their DGP uniforms. It was cold on the Knee but, fortunately, their uniforms were insulated to keep them warm.
"So, where is Krampus' lair?" Sasha asked, looking at the big white space around them. There was just snow everywhere. Suddenly, Marcy plopped down on her back. "Marcy, what are you doing!?"
"Just making a snow angel," Marcy giggled. She was still feeling excited about being in another world and wanted to leave a mark on it. Sasha rolled her eyes and grabbed Marcy's hand to pick her up.
"Cut that out, you goober," Sasha teased.
Luz looked around the Knee. She remembered the last time she had set foot here. She had believed Philip to be dead, but it was here on the Knee that she was proven wrong. Thanks to a report, Luz found out that the madman was still alive and that he was the leader of the loyalist cult, the Golden Lords.
In an effort to bring an end to him and his ambitions once and for all, Empress Oscura personally led her Phantoms in an assault on the Golden Lords' hideout. After mowing through several of the Golden Lords herself, she found Belos, but he was no longer Philip anymore. He could hardly be considered a human considering he wanted to commit genocide on every inhabitant of the Demon Realm, but when Oscura found him, he had completely shed his humanity, becoming a Phantom known as Lich. A fierce battle broke out between them, but even after becoming a monster in every sense of the word, Philip was still no match for her. In the end, he used the last remnants of Titan's Blood buried deep under Eclipse Lake to escape their world. Later, he would eventually meet his end at the hands of Witch and Amp.
It probably should've ended there. After all, once he was gone and beyond her reach, he was no longer her problem. She could have just continued ruling the Boiling Isles. But that was not how it happened, rather, maybe that's how it should've happened. Instead, Oscura made a discovery and met the Collector in that same cave where she battled Philip. And it was thanks to that seemingly all-knowing being that Oscura discovered the existence of the Multiverse, and it was also how she learned of the other Luz who became Kamen Rider Witch. This version of herself had become what she did not: a hero. Beloved by all, with friends, magic, and none of the suffering that Oscura had to endure.
Oscura snapped in that instant. It was so unfair!
Why was she destined to be the Luz that got hurt?
Why was she meant to suffer?
Why did another Luz get everything that Oscura wanted?
It was here that the villain known as Empress Oscura was truly born. She was no longer a harsh but fair ruler. Instead, she embraced full tyranny and madness. On that very day, she swore that every other version of herself that walked in the light would be destroyed, that every single alternate version of Luz Noceda who basked in happiness and the warmth of love and friendship and hope would be crushed by fear, despair, and darkness. Oscura wanted to be the hero, the chosen one, and if she couldn't, then no one could.
Thinking back on it now, Luz remembered just how insane and bratty she sounded. Yes, she was a child, a child with near omnipotent magical power and a broken heart. She had given into her primal urge, the desire to make everyone suffer because she had suffered. Her cosmic temper tantrum nearly cost her the lives of everyone in this world, her mother, newly adopted sister, and the lives of every version of them in the Multiverse.
'I was so willing to burn entire worlds…entire universes…just so I could make everyone feel the pain that I felt… I can't believe how stupid I was…' Luz lamented.
Luz took a deep breath and exhaled to try and calm herself. The Latina turned her head upwards, peering into the sky, and for the first time realising just how bright and visible the stars were. She could always see the stars from the town below. However, here, on practically the top of the world, they seemed to glow much more vividly - and that was when Luz squinted her eyes.
'What's that?'
Luz focused more on the sky, noticing a pattern of some kind Was it a constellation? It had been years, and she never really looked into the astronomy of the Demon Realm as space didn't really hold any interest to her. Considering she had not been in her right state of mind at the time, one could hardly blame her. Still, this particular constellation looked very familiar. The longer she looked at the pattern of stars the more they looked like…
'No…is that…the light glyph?'
The longer that Luz looked at it, the more she started to realise it was not the light glyph, but it did look very similar to it. Luz kept staring at the pattern in the stars for a moment longer but then blinked. When she did, the pattern was gone. The Latina rubbed her eyes and blinked a few more times, scanning the sky to see if she could see the pattern again.
"What's wrong?" Amity asked.
"I thought I saw something," Luz said, and she knelt down to trace what she had seen in the snow. Amity watched as Luz began drawing a glyph, starting with the circle before she drew the pattern inside. When Luz was finished, they saw what she had drawn.
"Is that a new glyph?" Amity questioned.
"I think so," Luz answered. The new glyph had one straight horizontal line going across it, and another curved line over it. The second line overlapped a kite-shaped or diamond-shaped rhombus with a vertical line that cut across it. Luz gently tapped the glyph, causing it to light up. Then, suddenly, a column of ice burst from it. "Holy shit!"
"What? What is it?" Sasha ran over with Marcy.
"Luz, did you do that?" Marcy asked, pointing to the short column of ice.
"I-I did!" Luz answered, still unable to believe it. "Guys, I found my third glyph!" She had discovered the fire glyph on her burning effigy, and now she had found the ice glyph at the Knee.
"So cool~!" Marcy's eyes sparkled as she touched the column. "Luz, you gotta show me that glyph!"
"Guys, the mission?" Sasha reminded them. "We've got until nightfall to find Krampus and save the kids."
"Right," Amity nodded. "That means we'll have to-"
"Do not say 'split up'," Luz interrupted.
"Luz, we'll cover more ground that way," Amity reasoned.
"Yes, exactly," Luz agreed. "But now we're in a Christmas monster movie and whenever the characters split up, they end up getting picked off one by one."
"Noceda's right," Sasha agreed. "If this is anything like that slaughter fest we entered at that camp, it'll be safer if we go together."
"Then we'll split into teams of two to check the caves," Luz explained.
"And whoever finds Krampus first gets to take him out," Sasha finished.
"Yeah," Luz nodded, and the two shared a firm handshake.
"Good luck, Noceda."
"You too, Waybright."
The two couples split up to look for the Krampus Jyamato's lair.
"Luz, that glyph..." Amity started.
"I know, Amity," Luz interrupted.
"Maybe, maybe you could find all the glyphs just like the other you?" Amity suggested. "Wouldn't that be great?"
"Yeah, it would be," Luz admitted. She would be able to take something back from the Boiling Isles besides her trauma this time. Unfortunately, she would not be able to use the glyphs back in the Human Realm since they were connected to the Boiling Isles.
As the couple walked, they did not realise they were being followed.
"Sasha, check that out," Marcy pointed excitedly.
Sasha paled when she saw her girlfriend was pointing. It was some kind of strange creature with white fur like a polar bear that allowed it to blend in with the snow of the Knee. It had the body shape of a gorilla and did not appear to have a head until she spotted the long line that went across its body. It was also fast asleep.
"Maybe we shouldn't bother it, Marcy," Sasha advised.
"I'm gonna take a picture of it," Marcy insisted as she brought out her phone to take a picture of the creature. It was going to be proof that she had come to another world.
Sasha really wanted to get back to the Human Realm as soon as possible. Despite how fantastic and magical this world was, it was also dangerous. A fairy had tried to eat their skin, and this thing did not look friendly. It may try to eat them whole if it had its claws on them. There was also the fact that they were pretty much wanted criminals. The sooner they finished this mission, the sooner they could leave. Marcy would be disappointed that she would have to leave this world so soon, but it was better than being stuck here...to die here.
Marcy took a few more pictures before pocketing her phone.
"Alright, now, Krampus' lair has to be in a cave," Marcy decided logically. "And I think I see some over there."
"OK, let's go," Sasha nodded as she followed Marcy's lead. She just hoped they did not come across anything like the creature that they had just seen, or something worse.
Luz and Amity found a cave and entered to check it out. They turned on their phones' flashlights to light the way. Amity held onto Luz's arm for safety and to make sure they did not get separated.
'You must be happy that you found another glyph,' Luz's inner demon said.
"Shut up," Luz whispered but Amity heard her.
"What did you say?" Amity questioned.
"It's...nothing," Luz answered, trying to play it cool.
"It's her, isn't it?" Amity frowned. "She's talking to you again." Luz could only nod. "We really need to find a way to shut her up."
"It's fine..." Luz insisted. "I can handle it."
"No, Luz." Amity removed her hand from Luz's arm. "You need help."
Luz sighed. Amity was right that she needed help. She did not need that voice whispering in her head anymore.
'Oh, trust me, Luz. You need me more than you think.'
Ignoring her inner demon's voice, Luz continued onward with Amity. The deeper they went, the more familiar everything seemed. Luz soon realised where they were heading to.
Amity felt a tug as Luz had stopped walking. The pink-haired witch turned around and saw that Luz had a very troubled expression on her face.
"Luz, what's wrong?" Amity asked out of concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"E-Eclipse Lake…" Luz shakily uttered as she unclenched her jaw.
"Eclipse Lake?" Amity parroted. "What's that?"
Luz pulled her arm away from Amity and hugged herself as she recalled one of the worst moments of her life.
"Amity…t-this…this cave we're in… I wasn't sure earlier but…but now I am. Up ahead is a dried-up lake that a long time ago used to be filled with Titan's Blood that was called Eclipse Lake. It's…It's also the same place that the Golden Lords used as their secret base of operations… the last place I fought Philip when he became a Phantom… the same place…where I officially became the monster everybody hates… the monster I hate… this is where I learned about the existence of the Multiverse and about the other Luz…"
Amity's eyes widened with shock. No wonder her fiancée looked so off. This was the place where Oscura was born, not just in name but also in mind. Amity moved closer to Luz and pulled her into a hug.
"Luz, let's go. We'll contact Marcy and Sasha, then have them check this one out instead."
Just as the two were about to turn back, they suddenly found their path blocked by a group of Elf Jyamatos that spawned there. At the same time, another group of Elf Jyamatos had spawned behind them. The couple was now stuck between two groups of Elf Jyamatos who were prepared to end them.
"I don't think we'll be able to reach them now," Luz said as she took out her Shark Buckle.
"Right," Amity scowled as she took out her Abomination Buckle.
[Set!]
The couple stood back to back as their Raise Buckle logos appeared next to them.
"Henshin!" they called simultaneously as they activated their Buckles.
[SHARK!]
[ABOMINATION!]
Their Entry suits appeared before their armour materialised and slid onto them. At the same time, their designated Rider Heads dropped and landed on their heads, completing their transformations.
[READY, FIGHT!]
"Now, it's showtime," Oscura declared as she reached behind her back and removed the Shark Crescents, prepared to battle. At the same time, Abomination slime flowed out of Gato's gauntlets and swirled around her. The two then went into action, running in opposite directions to battle the Jyamatos.
Sparks flew as Oscura engaged the Elf Jyamatos who swung their candy cane hooks at her. She sliced through them with her blades before knocking them down with a roundhouse kick. One nearly hit her chest but she sidestepped it before she took its head off with a swing of her left Shark Crescent.
Meanwhile, Gato had fashioned blades out of her Abomination slime and was using them to cut the Elf Jyamatos down. They struck her with their candy cane hooks but she countered with her blades, running them through before ripping the swords out to cut down another pair. The Jyamatos fell at her feet before exploding as she continued her assault on the enemy monsters.
A couple of Elf Jyamatos swung at Oscura, who caught their hooks with her blades. But then a couple more of the monsters hit her from behind, causing sparks to fly as she grunted. Her arms fell and she was struck in the chest before the Elf Jyamatos began to furiously assault her with their candy cane hooks.
As Oscura came under their assault, her hand moved to her Desire Driver and rotated it.
[Revolve On!]
The Jyamatos were thrown back as the metal circle suddenly appeared, and Oscura's body rotated with parts shifting before her Shark Armour ended up on her legs. She now had the reel-like gauntlets on her shins as greaves and the shark fins on her knees. What had been her chestplate was now protective armour for her thighs.
The Jyamatos recovered and came at her again but she leapt up to drive her right knee fin into one of their faces, causing one of them to go down. As she landed, she dropped down and performed a leg sweep, knocking the rest of them off their feet.
[SHARK STRIKE!]
Watery energy gathered around her legs and she darted towards the Elf Jyamatos while they were picking themselves up. She landed a straight kick into one and a huge projection of a shark's jaws clamped shut around the Jyamato, causing it to explode. She delivered this attack three more times, watching as the shark jaws appeared and bit down, causing the rest of them to blow up too.
[ABOMINATION STRIKE!]
The Abomination slime around Gato glowed with power as she willed it to swirl around her. She then made the slime take the shape of a hoop with a sharpened edge. The hoop of the Abomination slime rotated rapidly, picking up speed as it expanded. The Elf Jyamatos had nowhere to run as the hoop pinned them to the wall before sawing through them, causing them all to explode.
"Alright, that's all of them," Gato stated as she regrouped with Oscura.
"Good, now let's get out of–"
*Crack!*
The two paused and looked down to see the ground beneath them had cracked. They carefully and quietly tried to move when, all of a sudden, the floor collapsed right under their feet. They screamed as they fell into the dark abyss.
Back at Blight Manor, the family, Tsumuri, Gus and Willow were all gathered in the living room to watch the round together. The Blight family were stunned to witness Amity transform into a Kamen Rider along with Luz, whose appearance reminded them of Oscura.
"Wow, Amity's skill has not dulled," Emira observed.
"Yeah! Get them, Mittens!" Edric cheered, waving flags with Amity's face on them.
Alador was silent, observing how the Drivers worked. He was disappointed that he could not study them more closely.
They watched as the couple finished wiping out the Jyamatos but then they screamed out as they witnessed the icy floor collapse under them.
"Tsumuri, are they alright!?" Willow cried.
"Yes, they are," Tsumuri confirmed as she saw the Riders' icons to show that they were still active. "We should have some more footage of them soon."
"How are we able to see them?" Alador inquired.
"The DGP has an audience that needs to see the players in action, so we have invisible camera drones following them," Tsumuri answered, not once trying to hide the DGP's true nature.
Alador could understand why people could find this entertaining. He remembered his time in the Bonesborough Brawl. The audience just loved to see two participants duke it out in the ring. It would appear that everyone was attracted to violence.
Luz groaned from the rough landing as she regained consciousness.
"Ow..."
She looked up to see a faint lighting shining down from the hole above her. She was amazed that she survived from such a height. From what she could tell, the armour took the brunt of the impact, but unfortunately, it disappeared due to taking too much damage at once. Luckily, it seemed her ID Core and Buckle were still intact.
She grunted in discomfort as she rose to her feet, and immediately began scanning the area for any sign of Amity.
"Amity…! Amity!" Luz called out. "Amity, if you're there, answer me!"
The Latina wasn't aware, but there was someone there or rather something. This creature stuck to the shadows, moving just at the edge of her peripheral vision. This same creature waved its right arm, and when it did, small glowing blue spores started to drift through the air.
Luz saw the spores but mistook them for glowing bugs. Unfortunately, the spore cloud managed to hit her, causing the teen to cough violently as she waved her hand through the air to fan away the cloud. It had no odour to it nor taste but she was aware that she had breathed it in, whatever it was.
"Oscura…"
Luz placed her hand on the Shark Buckle, prepared to transform. However, she froze when she saw who it was that called her by her former name.
There was a vague figure standing at the edge of the dim light. She hadn't heard the person make a sound until just now, but that was not her main concern.
"I don't want to hurt you! Just stay back!" Luz ordered.
It was a being dressed in a crudely done version of the Golden Guard's uniform, except the mask bore an avian look about it with small horns that poked out of the hood. A dirtied white cloak was draped over their body, obscuring the rest of their form.
"You already did…Oscura… You killed all of us…"
Luz's eyes widened when she saw who it was. Her right hand trembled violently as her mind feverishly tried to make sense of the impossibility of what she was seeing. A member of the loyalist group, the militia made of former Coven Scouts that opposed her after Oscura took over the Boiling Isles, the Golden Lords.
"No…N-N-No why are you here?!" Luz questioned.
"We never left…"
"W-We…?"
More figures began to appear at the edge of the light. Luz glanced over her shoulder, spotting more. There were more Golden Lords on her right and her left as well. She was surrounded. The first Golden Lord who spoke opened his cloak, revealing his tattered uniform, and on the other side of the rips and tears in the clothing were signs of decayed flesh and bones.
"No…No… T-this isn't real!" Luz shouted, shaking her head in denial.
The Golden Lords stepped into the light and removed their masks at the same time. Luz's pupils shrank to pinpricks when she beheld the faces of each of the Golden Lords. All of them had faces that were in various states of decay. Some were nothing but skulls, some still had flesh clinging to their bones, and others were in various states of decay. Eyes were missing from some of them, along with different amounts of teeth, and some didn't even have their lower jaws. All of them opened their cloaks as well, showing that their bodies matched their faces. They were nothing but walking corpses, corpses that she had made.
"You did this to us… You killed us all…"
"I…I'm sorry…!" Luz apologized.
"Our souls cannot rest while you still live…"
Luz could feel all of them bearing down on her: the guilt, the hate, the shame. Her legs turned to jelly as she collapsed to her knees, gripping the sides of her head as her heart pounded in her chest.
'You fool! Stop snivelling like a coward and fight!'
"But...I killed them!"
'Yes, you did. But have you forgotten your wish!? You wished for everyone who died because of you to be brought back to life and that includes them!'
"NO! THEY'RE STILL HERE! THEY'VE BEEN WAITING FOR ME TO TAKE THEIR REVENGE! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!" Luz cried.
Luz looked up again, and this time the Golden Lords weren't the only ones in attendance. Odalia Blight, Adrian Grey, the Coven Scouts, Eda's parents - all of them stared down at her, all rotting corpses, all raised from the dead.
"You've escaped justice for far too long…"
"You never paid for your crimes against us…"
"For the lives you took…"
"For the pain you caused…"
"We had families…"
"Lovers…"
"Brothers and sisters…"
"And you took us all away from them…"
"All while you lived with your happy family…"
"All while you continued living…"
"IT IS TIME YOU JOINED US IN DEATH! ATONE FOR YOUR SINS, OSCURA!"
Luz watched as all her undead victims reached out for her, ready to tear her apart. The Latina screamed as she shut her eyes, but then…
Several blasts of yellow light rained down from above, sending the walking corpses flying as sparks erupted from their bodies. Another batch of the undead attacked, but they were stopped by an assault of purple energy bolts. In unison, both yellow and purple bolts of energy began shooting in a circle, keeping the undead at bay and forcing them back.
"LUZ!"
The Latina suddenly felt herself getting embraced and she blindly lashed out, trying to get away from the creature that had grabbed her.
"LET ME GO! LET ME GO! I'M SORRY, PLEASE, I'M SORRY!"
"LUZ, CALM DOWN! MI AMOR, IT'S ME! AMITY!"
Luz stopped her thrashing and slowly opened her eyes. Just as she heard, Amity was the one embracing her and was now looking at her with tears in her eyes.
"A-Amity…?"
"Shh, shh, it's okay, we're here," cooed Amity.
"W-We?"
"Ugh…hangovers are a bitch…"
Luz looked over her fiancée's shoulder and was shocked to see none other than Lumina and Amara, their supporters, both of them wielding hi-tech blasters.
"W-what are they doing here?!" Luz asked in utter shock.
"The GM asked us to step in. Although, I wish he had told us about this before we downed all those bottles of apple blood," Amara complained.
Lumina rolled her eyes as she placed her left hand against her head.
"Like you haven't fought with a hangover before," Lumina argued.
"I have. Still sucks."
"I don't get it," Luz said, confused. "The Game Master asked you to come? Why? Isn't it against the rules or something?"
Amara glanced at Lumina, silently telling her to take the lead on this one.
Lumina sighed, turned around and explained, "The magic of the Boiling Isles doesn't seem to like the DGP's technology all that much. The reason why you guys weren't brought back immediately after Tsumuri's tablet broke was because it acted as a beacon, so we lost your position. We were sent here because, well, who better than two witches from the Demon Realm to help out and make sure things run smoothly?"
"We'll make sure to deal with the cannon fodder. You guys just need to take down the Boss," Amara instructed.
"No! You don't understand!" Luz shot to her feet as she waved her arms out towards the corpses. "They're here for me! Please, Lumi, Amara, don't destroy them! They've been through enough!"
Lumina, Amara, and Amity looked at each other in confusion.
"Luz, what are you talking about?" Amity questioned as she stood up.
"All of them, Amity! The people I killed!" Luz retorted.
Now Amity was even more confused.
"Luz, you brought back everyone Oscura killed with your wish," Amity reminded.
"No! They're right there! My wish didn't work! They've been waiting for me to return so they can have their revenge!" Luz ranted.
Lumina stared at her great-aunt for a long minute. She walked closer to her, looking Luz in the eyes.
"Sorry, Aunty, but this might sting for a moment."
Lumina drew a spell circle with her left hand before thrusting her fingers through it. The tips of her fingers struck Luz's forehead, shooting a wave of magical energy into her mind and making Luz reel back. The Latina let out a string of curses in Spanish as she felt like her head was about to split open.
"LUMINA, WHAT THE FUCK?!" Amity yelled.
"Give it a second."
After about two seconds, the pain subsided. Luz blinked several times, and soon she saw why everyone was giving her odd looks. The undead victims she thought she saw were not the droves of people she had killed in the past. No, they were in fact Elf Jyamatos.
Luz thought that they were shapeshifters like the ones Amity and Sasha fought, but considering that everyone else saw their true forms, that couldn't have been the case.
'That cloud of blue dust! It made me see things!'
'Finally back to your senses? Sheesh, you were going off the deep end there.'
'Hi pot, I'm kettle. Have we met?'
'Touche.'
Luz furrowed her brow and gritted her teeth. She was getting really tired of her past being used against her, and she was about to get some payback. However, Lumina threw her hand up in front of Luz to stop her.
"Don't waste your time and energy with them. Instead…" Lumina grinned. "Let us take care of them."
"Wait, you two?" Amity questioned. "You guys may be armed, but they're still Jyamatos! You're not Riders!"
"I wouldn't say that," Amara grinned as both she and Lumina pulled out hi-tech-looking cards from their pockets and loaded them into their blasters' cartridges. "Let's show off a little to our favourite aunts, Lumi."
"Indeed, Amara."
Lumina and Amara snapped the cartridges onto their weapons.
[Lumina: Set.]
[Amara: Set.]
Lumina waved her arms around, like she was drawing a large spell circle, and then pointed her Laser Raise Riser forward.
"Henshin."
Amara crossed her forearms and slashed the air with one arm before pointing her Laser Raise Riser above her head.
"Henshin."
[Laser On.]
They pulled the triggers, firing beams that flew around them as digital blocks gathered onto their bodies, forming their suits.
[Lumina: Loading.]
The suit that formed over Lumina had a black bodysuit with teal armour. Yellow lines on the chest formed the image of the light glyph. Her helmet resembled the head of a great horned owl with yellow eyes. Hanging from her back was a teal cape modelled after owl wings.
[Amara: Loading.]
Amara wore a black bodysuit with violet accents and matching purple armour. Deep purple lines glowed across her forearms and shins as she wore a purple helmet that resembled a cat with a black V-shaped visor. A purple scarf was wrapped around her neck and hung down her back to look like two tails.
"No…way," Luz gasped.
"You two…are Kamen Riders too," said Amity in awe.
Amara chuckled as she replied, "A perk of being a supporter: you get one of these badass Laser Raise Risers. Call 'em an…upgraded version of the Desire Drivers. And the name's Kamen Rider Amara."
"Looks like being Riders runs in the family, eh, Aunty? Oh, and you may call me Kamen Rider Lumina," Lumina said with a graceful bow.
"...You just use your real names?" Luz deadpanned.
"Sorry, I guess that is a bit tacky, Kamen Rider Oscura," Lumina countered with a giggle.
"…" Luz facepalmed herself.
'She's got us there.'
Lumina and Amara turned their attention to the large group of Elf Jyamatos that had them surrounded. The future Riders smirked under their helmets as they took count of the creatures.
"I'd say there are about…twenty, twenty-four maybe?" Lumina surmised.
"Seems like it. So, do we split this down the middle or do you wanna see who can bag the most?" Amara challenged.
"Don't let your hangover slow you down, love," Lumina teased.
Luz and Amity glanced at each other. There was something about that exchange that made the engaged couple wonder.
[Ready, Fight.]
Lumina and Amara took off, running towards their respective groups of opponents.
As Amara ran directly to the Elf Jyamatos, the creatures raised their candy cane hooks and prepared to strike her. The future Rider smirked. Just as the first Elf Jyamato was about to strike, the plant monster's right foot slipped on some ice, causing it to fall backwards and into the sharp end of one of the other Elf Jyamato's hooks. The other Elf Jyamato let out a shriek when it saw that it had accidentally impaled its fellow Jyamato. But just as it was mourning the loss of its comrade, the fallen Elf Jyamato's candy cane hook went flipping around in the air above it. The candy cane then fell, sharp end first, straight into the head of the mourning Jyamato, skewering it like a kebab. Amara used that same ice to slide under the legs of the two dead Elf Jyamatos, before quickly getting into a kneeling position and firing two shots and destroying the other two Elf Jyamatos standing beside them.
"…What the hell was that?" Luz questioned. "That…That was not right."
"Uh, maybe you should ask me when you can explain what your future niece is doing," Amity retorted as she pointed at Lumina.
Lumina was practically dancing around the Elf Jyamatos, moving with the grace of a bird in flight as she dipped, bobbed, weaved, and spun, avoiding their hooks. Whenever she dodged an attack, Lumina made it a point to touch the Elf Jyamatos. She would tap their shoulders, arms, heads, backs, and chests, but she didn't fire a single shot. When she was done, she had touched at least seven Elf Jyamatos and was standing in the middle of them, as if waiting for something to happen.
The Elf Jyamatos didn't know what Lumina was doing, but they weren't going to waste this moment to kill a Rider. They all raised their candy cane hooks, but when they did, the tips of their hooks cracked and fell off. Lumina grinned as she spun around like a ballerina and began shooting. Each yellow laser blast hit them right in the chest, piercing through them. The future Rider ended her spin with a flourish as seven explosions went off around her.
"That's seven for me, Amara!"
"One sec!"
Amara engaged with one Elf Jyamato, throwing a few kicks its way and firing shots at the same time. The Elf Jyamato was putting up a good fight, blocking most of her shots and making sure they went up instead of towards its fellow Elf Jyamatos. In total, Amara missed about five shots. Four Elf Jyamatos were about to converge on her to help out their comrade, but they never reached her. From the ceiling, five sharp icicles fell from a great height.
"Heads up!" Amara warned.
Four of the Elf Jyamatos looked up just in time to have their chests run through by the falling icicles. The fifth one broke away from Amara just in time to miss getting its own body run through. But in the process of backing away, the Elf Jyamato went too far and smacked itself into a wall of ice. Taking advantage of its stunned state, Amara shot several purple energy blasts at the monster, each one exploding against its body until the Elf Jyamato itself exploded.
When the initial explosion went off, a crack formed and ran down the wall before going across the floor, causing it to open up under three Elf Jyamatos that were coming at her. They fell into the opening, leaving their heads stuck above the floor. Amara let out a laugh as she saw the three heads of the Elf Jyamatos wiggle about as they struggled to free themselves. Her laughter turned to a giggle as she took aim and shot each of them while they were immobilised.
"That's twelve for me!" Amara called out.
Lumina grumbled and decided to up the ante. The future Rider pressed the Cross Alternator of her weapon and drew a circle with it.
[Support Mode.]
Lumina ran through the circle of light. Upon exiting the other side, her entire body had undergone a transformation as her humanoid form shifted into a bestial one, adopting four legs, six mechanical wings, a bulky body, and long construct energy claws. The mecha owl beast had a sharp face, with pointed fins on the side of its head that mimicked ears. Its eyes were sharp and glowed bright yellow, along with the inside of its mouth that was filled with golden fangs.
Lumina flapped all six of her mechanical wings, shooting herself into the air as she hovered over the battlefield. She locked onto all the remaining Elf Jyamatos and once she had, all six of her wings glowed bright yellow. The wings fired twelve beams of light that weaved through the air and struck each of the remaining Elf Jyamatos at the same time. A moment after releasing the beams, the last of the Elf Jyamatos exploded one after the other.
Once they were destroyed, Lumina flew back down. Before she landed, a circle of light appeared in front of her. When she passed through it, her body returned to its humanoid Rider form and she landed softly on the ground.
Amara shrugged when she saw that all of the Elf Jyamatos had been destroyed.
"Guess this is a draw," Amara remarked.
"Were you even trying to win?" Lumina questioned.
"Mmmmmaybe."
"Ugh, I think I liked you better hungover."
"I know you like me when I'm drunk."
Luz and Amity's jaws hung open. Their future relatives had made short work of the Elf Jyamatos. If Luz was being honest, it looked like most of those kills were environment-based.
"Okay…what the heck did you guys do to them?! It-it was like the universe was giving you a hand!" Luz exclaimed.
Lumina and Amara returned to their civilian forms and chuckled at Luz's confusion.
"The Laser Raise Risers grant us the power to shape reality as we want it to be, granting us powers that most of you in the competition can't achieve. For instance, in Rider form, my power is called 'Curse'. Whoever I touch is cursed with bad luck and it always ends with the worst outcome," Lumina explained.
"Mine is called 'Charm', which is basically the opposite of Lumi's ability since it grants me good luck. I guess the best way to explain it is if I find something funny like, 'Hey, sure would be funny if a Jyamato slipped on something', then it makes it happen. And it's always the best outcome for me," said Amara with a smug grin.
Luz glanced at Amity and said, "Amity, our nieces are broken as fuck."
"Of course, the supporters get the most overpowered weapons in this game," Amity stated.
"Perks of being a supporter, Aunt Ami," Amara winked. "Let's head for that Jyamato so you guys can get back to the Human Realm."
"Tsumuri, who are those Riders?" Willow asked when she saw Lumina and Amara in action.
"And why does one of them look like Mittens?" Emira added.
"They are supporters," Tsumuri answered before she elaborated, "They are members of the audience who act as sponsors for specific players. In fact, those supporters are the ones who selected Ms. Noceda and Ms. Waybright for the Desire Grand Prix."
"And are all supporters Riders?" Alador questioned.
Tsumuri chose not to answer and remained focused on the screen.
Luz and Amity walked ahead of Lumina and Amara to find the boss Jyamato. Their supporters decided to stick with them. They would do nothing but observe until more mooks got in the couple's way.
"Soooooo…Lumina, care to explain?" Luz asked as she looked over her shoulder to look at her adoptive great-grandniece.
Lumina gulped and responded, "Uh…explain what, Luz?"
"What we saw back there. You two seem awfully close."
"Oh! Oh, that!" Lumina chuckled nervously, feeling a bit of relief that Luz was not talking about the Oscura Buckle.
"Yeah, that," Amity clarified. "Sorry if this is intrusive, but…are you two…?"
"We used to bang," Amara answered, unashamed.
"AMARA BLIGHT!" Lumina yelled.
"What? It's true," Amara shrugged.
Luz immediately stopped walking and turned around to face her future niece. The Latina's eyes were sparkling as she hugged her.
"AAAAH! Lumina! You're taking after your dear tia!" Luz wiggled her eyebrow at the smaller girl. "So, who tops?"
"AUNT LUZ!"
"Oh, I definitely like her," Amara commented.
"Just remember who she's engaged to, my dear niece," Amity warned.
"She said, 'used to', Luz! As in past tense, no more, we broke up!" Lumina cried.
Luz's excitement fizzled as she released Lumina, allowing the witch to smooth out her clothes.
"Oh…s-sorry…"
Lumina saw the guilty look on her adoptive great-aunt's face and sighed.
"Look, it's nothing for you to be sorry about. It's not as if you knew, nor have we mentioned it." Lumina reached up and then flicked Luz in the middle of her forehead. "And just because I know how you think, don't use this as an excuse not to marry Amity. Just because it didn't work out for us, doesn't mean it's destined for you two."
"So, what happened? Why did you two break up?" Luz inquired.
"We had...a difference of opinion," Lumina slowly answered.
Amity glanced at her future great-grandniece, asking with her eyes for Amara's answer.
The future teenage punk witch put her hands in her pockets and released a sigh.
"Lumina's a Clawthorne, and I'm a Blight. She knows the true story of Oscura, and our family is hailed as heroes. Not gonna lie. At first, I dated Lumina just to piss off my 'rents. It's not like Lumina's family is hated or anything. But, you know, they had their own idea of who I should be shacking up with," Amara explained. "You know what that's like, Aunt Ami."
Amity, unfortunately, knew exactly what she meant. Boscha and Skara were not just meant to be her friends after Odalia forced her to break her friendship with Willow, but also her potential paramours. It was an arrangement set up by her mother in an effort to further her own goals. Honestly, it made Amity angry to see that cycle repeat itself in the far future with Amara. To think that her future descendants didn't learn from Odalia's mistakes and instead went back to those same practices that nearly brought about the end of the Demon Realm.
"Amara was the first person outside of my family that I told Oscura's true story. For years, we've been told to keep the story alive so we would not forget and to make sure another Oscura would not rise. If we did see someone walking that path, we would make sure to steer them away from it," Lumina confessed. "I told Amara because, well, she confided in me that she hates to be compared to you, Amity. She hates that everyone expects her to be perfect just like the 'great hero of the Isles'. So, I told her the story to free her of that burden, to let her know that Amity Blight was not so perfect and that she did not have to live her life based on unrealistic expectations." She paused, looking slightly apologetic. "...No offence, Amity."
"None taken."
Amara rubbed the back of her head as she sheepishly added, "And of course, my stubborn ass didn't believe her. I mean, parts of her story matched up with what Great Grandma Emira and Great Uncle Edric told me. But…when you're fed a lie for so many years…you tend to be an asshole to people who try to open your eyes to the truth."
"It starts simple enough. A difference of opinion, yes. But then it turns into a disagreement, that turns into arguments, and eventually fights…and then, it's over," Lumina concluded.
Amara was a little shocked to see what she saw in Lumina's eyes, and just as much when she heard her voice. The punk witch growled as she quickened her pace and walked ahead of the group. Amity glanced at Luz, who nodded at her to go after Amara. The pink-haired witch hurried to catch up with her future niece and began walking alongside her.
"Amara, tell me something: do you still love Lumina?" Amity questioned.
"You heard her, we broke up," Amara answered quickly.
"That's not what I asked you."
"It doesn't matter."
"Why not?"
"Because it doesn't!"
Amity got out in front of Amara, stopping the punk witch in her tracks.
"Amara, talk to me. You know what I've been through, what I've experienced. If there's anyone who could come close to understanding you, it's me. Let me be your aunt to you right now. Please, tell me what happened," Amity pleaded in a gentle voice.
"We blew up at each other… I just…I just got tired of hearing Lumina ramble on and on about how the people of the Isles were a bunch of idiots, how none of them wanted to accept the truth. Every day I felt like she was going to do something stupid to force everyone to see the truth! I told her she needed to just let it go, that there was nothing she could do."
"I told her that we shouldn't just accept the lies, that the people needed to know the truth! Because…Because otherwise, we could one day cause another Oscura to rise. Only when that happens, it won't be a human that they can so conveniently place the blame on. You were robbed of the chance to be a hero, Aunt Luz. Despite your fall into the darkness, you still tried to show these ungrateful people that there was a part of you that still clung to the light," Lumina explained.
Luz gently placed her hand on Lumina's shoulder and asked, "What happened? What did you say to each other that ended it?"
"I told Amara that if she was so hellbent on defying her parents, then she should just go out and commit as much debauchery as she could! But the closest she ever got to that was dating me and wearing those clothes. She still couldn't make the hard choices because she spent her whole life suckling at the teat of her family's fame. She talks a big game about defying them, but I told her that she was well on her way to being the good little puppet her parents want her to be."
"…And I told her that she's just afraid. Otherwise, she wouldn't try to keep up appearances at school, in public, or anywhere else. If she wanted people to know the truth, then she should scream it to any rando she came across. But she couldn't jeopardise her image. Lumina's a real proper lady back home, she's elegant and all that shit. So…I called her a coward, an Oscura fanatic…crazy even. And that was it…"
Amity brought her future niece into a half-hug.
"Amara, you didn't know the truth," Amity consoled.
"Still doesn't make it right for me to say all that to her."
"Even if she's changed since then, it doesn't erase what we said to each other. I called her a puppet and a whore…and yes what she said hurt me as well…" Lumina sadly confessed.
Luz hugged her future great-grandniece and gently stroked the witch's head.
"Guess you two are more like us than you think. You've hurt each other, just like we did. It hurts even more because it was by someone we love," Luz said softly.
"How did…How did you and Amity overcome it?" Lumina asked in a small voice.
"Not overnight, that's for sure. It takes time, Amara. The pain will still be there…you won't forget. As much as you want Lumina to forgive you, you need to forgive yourself too," Amity advised. "Let me ask you one more time: do you still love Lumina?"
Amara slightly glanced over her shoulder and timidly answered, "…I do. But what if she…what if she doesn't feel the same way anymore? What if she doesn't want me?"
Amity lightly shrugged. "You won't know until you ask. Even if that's the case, it's better to know than to wonder. At least that way you can both move on."
"Just take it one day at a time, Lumi. If you two need to start over, then start over. It's up to you two," Luz advised her future adoptive niece.
Lumina chuckled and then hugged Luz tighter.
"I really am grateful I got to meet you."
"Likewise, Lumi."
Luz and Lumina ended their hug as they heard footsteps approaching them. Amity and Amara were now standing before them, with the former motioning with her head to leave them. The Latina nodded and walked ahead with Amity. Amara and Lumina brought up the rear again, awkwardly glancing at each other.
"Lumina…"
"Amara…"
"Sorry, go ahead," Amara prompted.
"…I'm sorry for what I said to you," Lumina apologised. "And, you're right, I was being a coward. I was eager to clear Luz's name so that it wouldn't be hated so much but I was afraid of losing everything, of dragging my family through the mud because of my ambitions."
"And you were right about me," Amara conceded. "I was scared to completely defy my parents. Let's face it, I dress like a punk, I act like a punk, but at the end of the day, I'll do as they say. With Ed and Em gone…I didn't have anyone else in my corner, nobody left to encourage me. I just did all this to make me feel like I was defying my parents, but I knew that I wasn't able to disobey them completely."
Lumina moved closer and placed her hand on Amara's arm.
"We're kind of messed up, aren't we?" Lumina snickered.
"Have you seen who we're related to?" Amara pointed at the couple in front of them.
"HEY!" Luz and Amity cried out.
Lumina and Amara laughed, a genuine laugh of relief as a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
"So…does this mean we're…you know…or no? I mean, it's okay if you don't want to," Amara asked.
"I know I still love you," Lumina confessed. "But I don't really feel like starting over completely from square one. Let's just see where this goes. Is that alright?"
Amara smiled and moved a little closer to Lumina, intertwining their hands together as she did.
"I don't mind."
Luz and Amity looked at each other and shared a high-five.
"Lumara is back on!" Luz exclaimed in a hushed tone.
"Why 'Lumara'? Why not 'Amina'?" Amity suggested.
Luz put on a pervy expression.
"Oh, I think you know why."
Amity blushed and retorted, "Just because you screw me senseless most of the time, doesn't mean your niece does the same to mine."
"I dunno…I kind of like the idea of a tall girl like Amara getting dommed by a shorter girl like Lumina."
"You know we're talking about our nieces right?"
"Our nieces who technically haven't been born yet. So, we're really just hypothesising."
Meanwhile, Sasha and Marcy were still searching for the cave that could lead them to the Krampus Jyamato's lair but so far found nothing.
"Ugh, at this rate, Luz and Amity will find the Boss before us," Sasha complained.
"It has been a while, and we haven't found a single cave," Marcy agreed. "I think we should turn back and go in their direction."
"Yes, that is a wise choice, Master Marcy."
All of a sudden, Sasha cried out and pulled Marcy close. Standing near them was a humanoid newt who was dressed in a nice suit.
"Oliver!" Marcy gasped.
"Marcy, you know this-this thing?" Sasha demanded.
"Greetings, Master Marcy and Ms. Sasha Waybright," Oliver introduced himself to the duo, his tone showing annoyance at the blonde for rudely calling him a 'thing'.
"...You're a lizard," Sasha observed.
"I'm a newt," Oliver corrected.
"A talking newt."
"Yes. Yes, I am," Oliver confirmed. "Honestly, how are you shocked by this after everything you have seen and experienced since you began participating in the DGP?"
"Marcy, who's this guy?" Sasha asked.
"He's Oliver and he works for my supporter," Marcy answered.
"Supporter?" Sasha blinked. "Wait, like a sponsor?"
"Something like that," Oliver confirmed. "You see, as members of the audience, we are given special privileges, which include selecting players for the DGP. Master Marcy, yourself and your dearly departed friend Anne Boonchuy were chosen by my king, the King of Amphibia, to participate in the Desire Grand Prix."
"Wait, your king chose us?" Sasha questioned, surprised. "Why would he choose us?"
"Oh, because he sees something special in all of you, my dear," Oliver smiled.
"Well, tell your king that he shouldn't have chosen us! Because he chose us, Anne's dead!" Sasha snapped.
Marcy quickly put herself between Sasha and Oliver, out of fear that her girlfriend might accidentally harm the newt and in the process get them kicked out of the DGP.
"Sasha, calm down, please," Marcy pleaded.
"His king is the whole reason why we're in this shit show, to begin with, Marce!" Sasha furiously exclaimed. "We–!"
"Don't say that we were better off before!" Marcy cut off. "Yes, Anne would still be alive, but that doesn't negate the fact that if things kept going the way they were, eventually, you might do something you'll regret to Anne, something that you can never take back. Because of everything we went through, you're willing to change, you want to change. To be someone worthy of Anne's love, and to be the best version of the girl I know and love!"
Sasha closed her mouth. She really couldn't argue with that. If things went on as they did, how long would it be before she did something similar to what Boscha did with Amity? The very thought of that made Sasha feel ill.
"Sorry…"
"It's quite alright, Ms. Waybright. I understand losing Anne Boonchuy has hurt you and Master Marcy deeply. And, truly, nothing would make my king happier than to see the three of you reunited."
Ah, it is lovely to see an old love rekindled.
Luz has returned to the place where it truly began, where her dark turn fully took hold. And now we learn that it was Oliver's king who elected Sasha, Anne, and Marcy to become Riders for the Desire Grand Prix.
I can hardly stand the anticipation of what is to come next.
Wouldn't you agree?
Dr. X: The chapter got long, so I decided to split it in half. To find out more about when Empress Oscura was at the Knee, please read Kamen Rider Witch Alternative: The Ballad of Oscura Chapter 12.
In this chapter, we get to see Amara and Lumina use Laser Raise Risers to transform. We also get to see their abilities.
Oh, and this fic, as well as the parent fic have TvTropes pages. Please, could you all contribute, please?