The cultists are getting a firsthand experience of what happens when someone questions the power of the one they worship.
But is this demonstration of power by Luz a wise move?
Or could it end up bringing out her worst tendencies?
"REJOICE!" Bria shouted out loud, spreading her arms, drawing the attention of the cultists as well as Luz's concubines and betrothed. "AFTER FOUR LONG YEARS, THE TRUE RULER OF THE BOILING ISLES, HAS REVEALED HERSELF! AND HER NAME IS KAMEN RIDER OSCURA! GAZE UPON HER, FOR SHE SHALL LEAD US INTO A GLORIOUS FUTURE!"
The reaction was instantaneous as many of the cultists fell to their knees and began to chant Oscura's name.
"OS-CU-RA!"
"OS-CU-RA!"
"OS-CU-RA!"
It spread throughout the flock as they were able to gaze upon the six-winged form of their grand ruler.
[READY, FIGHT!]
"It's showtime," Oscura growled as she tucked her wings away. Raising her right arm, she pointed her index finger at Armstrong's four-armed Armoured Abomination. "Explosion, Now!"
She shot a tiny marble-sized sphere from her fingertip, which struck the Abomination dead centre in the chest. The spell caused the Abomination to instantly explode, splattering the barrier with slime and bits of debris. The explosion also knocked Armstrong off his feet. Dazed, he tried to focus his eyes on Oscura, his vision blurry before it cleared up with a quick healing spell.
"Is that all you've got, Armstrong?" Oscura mocked.
"I can still fight!" Armstrong snapped as he picked himself up.
"Then how about you show me how strong you really are?" Oscura challenged. "C'mon, I'm waiting~!"
Armstrong drew two large spell circles, gathering the rubble and Abomination slime to form a small army of life-sized versions of his Armoured Abomination.
"GET HER!" Armstrong ordered, and his Abomination army attacked.
Oscura flexed her fingers and rushed at the Armoured Abominations with her arms spread to the sides.
"Is she 'Naruto running'?" Sasha asked, having seen weebs do it. Marcy nodded.
The smaller Armoured Abominations attacked Oscura; but she slipped past them, dodging their attacks as she weaved between them. She soon crossed the distance and ended up right in front of Armstrong, who gasped in shock. Quickly, he cast a fireball spell and blasted her with it, causing an explosion that obscured her in smoke.
"Luz!" Amity cried out.
"Don't worry." Sasha crossed her arms. "I doubt something like that could kill her."
And she was right. The smoke cleared to reveal Oscura, without a mark on her.
"Is that all you've got?" Oscura sneered. "Let me show you how to use real fire." She snapped her fingers. "Onyx Flame, Now."
Black pillars of flames burst out from under the feet of the Armoured Abominations, the flames so hot that they instantly melted the rock that made up their armour while causing the slimy bodies to evaporate into nothing.
Armstrong's eyes widened as his unstoppable army was destroyed with a single spell.
"Any other tricks, Armsweak?" Oscura taunted.
"Sick burn!" Sasha praised.
Armstrong's wide eyes narrowed furiously at Oscura, and he cast another spell. Only this time, he cast it on himself. Oscura watched as Armstrong turned himself into a beast as his muscles bulged. This caused his robes to be torn apart, leaving only his pants on. His body became covered in black fur while his horns grew larger. His teeth became razor-sharp, and he grew claws from his fingers.
Oscura identified this as a Beast Keeping spell, which allowed the caster to take on aspects of various beasts. But it was a bit more than that since Armstrong had also cast a strengthening spell. Now enhanced, Beast Armstrong let out a deafening roar and swiped at Oscura who simply slipped into a shadow portal beneath her feet to avoid his attack.
"I don't get it. Why doesn't she just get it over with?" Amity wondered in confusion. She knew how powerful Kamen Rider Oscura was, so why had Luz not yet beaten Armstrong? She knew her fiancée could do it effortlessly.
"Don't you get it, Blight? She's playing with him," Sasha answered, observing the fight. "She's playing with him, like how a cat plays with its food. She knows she can beat him easily, but where's the fun in that?"
'She's playing with him, just like how she played with me every time I went to assassinate her,' Amity recalled while biting her lower lip. She knew Empress Oscura could have easily killed her whenever she wanted. However, she chose not to as she found the youngest Blights' attempts amusing.
Oscura stepped out of a shadow portal a distance away from Beast Armstrong, holding her FeverSlot Buckle. She was not doing this just to play with Armstrong, but to show off to the cultists. She knew there might be some sceptics among her flock, so this was just an act to prove her strength to them. However, she also felt like giving them a show. Finishing Armstrong off with one blow would be too quick and boring. He needed to learn his place, to know how truly unmatched he was. The cult needed to be reminded that she was Empress Oscura for a reason, after all.
"Now, let's see what this thing can do for me," she said as she rotated her Driver and inserted the golden Buckle.
[Revolve On!]
[Set Fever!]
She pushed down the Buckle's lever, causing the reel in the window to spin until it stopped at '?'.
[GOLDEN FEVER! JACKPOT! HIT! GOLDEN DARKNESS FEVER!]
Oscura's coat took on a golden hue with four-pointed star ornaments mounted across her pauldrons. The flame-like patterns on her coat also took on a silver, metallic sheen. At the same time, the orange Greed Stone in her Oscura Buckle began to shine while her eyes took on the same colour.
Many of the cultists fell to their knees in worship, witnessing Oscura's golden brilliance. Even Bria could not help herself as their Dark Empress shone brightly before them. It was truly a magnificent sight.
"REJOICE!" she shouted again. "GAZE UPON OUR EMPRESS' GLORIOUS BRILLIANCE! FOR SHE IS THE LIGHT WHO SHINES WITHIN THE DARKNESS!"
"She's like Luz's own hype man," Sasha whispered to Marcy, making her girlfriend giggle.
[READY, FIGHT!]
Beast Armstrong roared and charged at Oscura. She raised her fist to point her index finger at him like she was holding a gun.
[Magnum Shooter 40X!]
The corresponding weapon of the Magnum Buckle appeared in her right hand, but with a golden colour scheme instead of its normal white. She pulled the trigger, repeatedly blasting Beast Armstrong. The bullets blasted sparks off his durable hide but failed to penetrate it. However, he still felt the impact of each round as he grunted. Despite the pain, he powered through the shots until he reached her. Raising his fist, he attempted to bring it down to crush Oscura's head, but she was ready for him.
[Beat Axe!]
A golden version of the electric guitar weapon materialised, taking the place of the Magnum Shooter, and she batted away Beast Armstrong's fist. She then spun and swung her weapon, slamming it against his midsection to knock him back. Holding it properly in both hands, she hit the Elementadrum thrice.
[Rock Fire!]
[Metal Thunder!]
[Funk Blizzard!]
She played quickly, her fingers dancing across the strings to perform a powerful guitar solo. The cultists who excelled in Bard magic began to yell and holler, headbanging to the melody. Finally, once Oscura's solo reached its crescendo, she unleashed her attack.
[TACTICAL FIRE! THUNDER! BLIZZARD!]
She swung the Beat Axe, throwing a combination of frost, fire and lightning at Beast Armstrong. He was electrocuted, frozen and then blasted out of his frozen prison by the fireball, knocking him off his feet. He had electrical and fire burns all across his body from the attack, but was still able to maintain his beast form.
[Zombie Breaker!]
As Armstrong rose to his feet, he sent streams of Abomination slime at Oscura to stop her as she charged at him. As the streams were about to touch the Dark Empress, she slid the Deadly Pump up the length of the golden chainsaw blade.
[Poison Charge!]
The chainsaw's rotation sped up and she sliced through the streams of slime, the poison in her blade causing them to dissolve. She soon reached Armstrong and slashed him across the chest. He screamed as the chainsaw blade successfully cut through his flesh, causing him to bleed. The spell he had cast on himself should have prevented the injury, but something about Oscura's sword had nullified his defence.
Meanwhile, the players were surprised by what Oscura had done.
"She summoned the Magnum Shooter, the Beat Axe and the Zombie Breaker," Marcy observed excitedly. "I think this form lets her use any weapon from any Buckle!"
"That can't be right!" Sasha protested. "That makes her OP as fuck!"
[Ninja Dueler!]
Marcy deadpanned, gesturing to Oscura who had just summoned a multitude of the named weapon. As the golden Ninja Duelers hovered around her, the Dark Rider flicked her wrist, making them ignite and spin rapidly before sending them flying. They were like flaming disks as they struck Armstrong, exploding violently against his skin, chipping away at the armour spell he had cast to protect his body from harm.
Armstrong grunted, falling to his knees, his body smoking from the assault he had experienced.
"You know what? This was fun when it started, but now you're just boring me," Oscura deadpanned, pushing down on the lever of her FeverSlot Buckle. "Time for the grand finale."
[GOLDEN DARKNESS VICTORY!]
[DesWizarSwordGun!]
In a flash of gold, she summoned two copies of her signature weapon - one in Sword Mode and the other in Gun Mode. She watched as Beast Armstrong got back on his feet. With a roar, he drew two large spell circles and he ripped the tiles off the floor to cover him, giving him stone armour. He then charged right at Oscura in a fit of rage.
She threw an energy slash before firing an energy shot. The two attacks merged before hitting Armstrong, creating an explosion that shook the throne room. The cultists were speechless as they witnessed this. When the smoke cleared and dust settled, Armstrong still stood, back to normal, with numerous injuries all over his body. He tried to say something, but then his eyes rolled up to the back of his head and he fell flat on his back.
"Does anyone else wish to question my authority?" Oscura questioned the various cultists, daring anyone to say anything.
There was a moment of silence as nobody dared to breathe or say a word. Then, all of a sudden, the entire throne room erupted in cheers.
"ALL HAIL EMPRESS OSCURA!"
"THE GREAT AND POWERFUL!"
"OS-CU-RA! OS-CU-RA! OS-CU-RA!"
"Os-cu-ra!" Marcy cheered as well before Sasha stopped her, shaking her head. Marcy looked sheepish for getting carried away by the atmosphere. "Sorry."
"My Empress, what shall we do with the blasphemer?" Bria asked, referring to Armstrong.
Luz undid her transformation, glaring coldly at Armstrong as she made her decision, "As the winner, I shall decide his fate, and I decide that he shall..." Amity braced herself for what her fiancée would decide. "Live."
"You wish to let him live?" Bria asked in shock. She never expected Her Empress to be so merciful today.
"Yes, he gets to live, knowing how truly weak he is compared to me and that he only lives because of my mercy alone," Luz justified. "Now, get him to a healer and make sure to tell him that once he wakes up."
"Yes, My Empress," Bria complied, bowing her head. "As you wish."
"Good," Luz acknowledged. A couple of cultists went and grabbed Armstrong's arms to drag him away so he could be healed.
"I would like to say that your newest form was quite brilliant," Bria praised, looking up at Luz with starry eyes.
"Thank you, Bria. Now, is there any other business?" Luz asked the assembled cultists. They were all silent and submissive, gazing at the floor. The atmosphere was tense. After all, they had just witnessed their Empress display her power. Any doubts they had about her strength had evaporated.
Then one voice finally broke the silence...
"LET'S HAVE AN ORGY!"
Luz looked at a male witch, who was beginning to undress.
"You, stop," Luz ordered. She then turned to Bria. "Bria, who's that?"
"That's..." Bria grimaced. "Kevin."
"And does he often suggest orgies?"
"Yes, too often, My Empress."
The other cultists nodded in united confirmation, and the deadpan expressions on their faces made it clear that they were both used to this and annoyed by it.
"Does he have a background in potions?" Luz questioned.
"...Yes," Bria confirmed.
"OK," Luz blinked, taking note of that tidbit of information. "Everyone, please make sure Kevin stays away from my food and drink. I don't want to wake up in the middle of a naked orgy pile."
"My Empress, if that is your wish," Bria blushed. "However, if you were to ever permit it..."
"No, no orgies," Luz protested. "Please, just no. I don't want this cult to turn into a cliché. Now, go on about your day. This concludes the meeting."
"THANK YOU, MY EMPRESS!" the cultists happily shouted as they began filing out of the throne room.
"IS THAT A 'MAYBE' ON THE ORGIES!?" Kevin yelled before he was dragged out by the others.
"My Empress, I wish to apologise again," said Bria as she bowed before Luz. "It seems my discipline of the followers was lacking. I formally request that you punish me as well!"
"Huh? You want me to punish you, too?" Luz approached Bria and pressed her right index finger against the bottom of Bria's chin. Bria was forced to tilt her head up, looking straight into her Empress' eyes. Bria's heart started picking up speed. "What sort of punishment do you want Bria? Shall I strip you, tie you up in my bedchamber and use you as a toy for the next week without rest?"
Bria's face turned crimson red as her heart pounded in her chest.
"M-M-My E-Empress! I-I…If-if t-that is what you desire…I-I will accept it…!" Bria stammered.
"Luz!" Amity scolded.
"What the hell, Noceda?" Sasha commented.
Luz blinked her eyes and then shook her head. She quickly retracted her hand and looked around the room.
"Uh…s-sorry, Bria. I was just teasing you a little. You will not be punished."
"B-But, My Empress–!"
"You can't be expected to control what goes on in everyone's head. And I doubt after today any of them will make this mistake again. Now, go and do…whatever it is you normally do around this time. That's an order."
Bria bowed again as she gratefully said, "Thank you, My Empress."
"Oh, and please have a throne made for Amity," Luz added. "She's my betrothed, after all. She needs a place where she can sit at my side."
"I'll have one made for her at once, My Empress." Once Bria left the room, the girls moved closer to Luz.
"Luz, that was…kind of weird," Marcy admitted.
"I get that you need to play pretend, but that was a little much," Sasha pointed out.
"It almost sounded like you meant it," Amity noted in concern.
"Sorry, sorry, I…I was just…thinking it would be easier to keep Bria in line if I threw her a bone like that once in a while," Luz explained with a nervous smile.
Sasha raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Really? 'Cause it kind of sounded like you wanted to do something else with that bone."
"Ugh, can you drop it, please? I need to go lie down. Excuse me."
As Luz walked away, Sasha teased, "Want Mar-Mar and me to keep you company, 'Mistress'?" Luz's response was to flip Sasha off as she left the throne room.
Once she was in her bedchamber, Luz stopped in front of the full-length mirror. When she did, her reflection started to move of its own accord, and with a devilish smile on its face.
"You made me say all that crap, didn't you?!" Luz accused.
"Oh, you just realised that?"
"Stop it! I'm trying to figure out a way to help these people! Not to make them even more devoted to this…" Luz gestured to her reflection. "Facade!"
Empress Oscura sighed as she retorted, "That's the thing: this isn't a facade, this is who we really are. No matter what you do or say, the fact of the matter is that you are Empress Oscura and you will always be Empress Oscura to them. They will follow you to the gates of Hell, and into Hell itself! This is our chance; don't you get it?!"
"…Our chance to do what?" Luz questioned.
Empress Oscura scoffed as she began pacing in the mirror.
"Don't play dumb with me, Luz. We're back in the Demon Realm, and right now, we have a chance at regaining everything we lost! But this time, it'll be even better!"
"How do you figure?"
"Because this time, we won't make the same mistakes we did before. This time, we won't be alone. We hated being alone, remember?"
Luz looked away from her inner demon, hugging herself as she thought about those awful days. The days she spent crying when she realised that she had no one.
"We went mad when we found out another version of us had the life we should have lived, the one we deserved. After that, we just snapped and wanted to destroy everything. But now we have a chance to make something better. We can rule this world, but this time we'll have everyone at our side. Don't you want that?"
"But at what cost?! I'll essentially be declaring war on the Boiling Isles! The council, the people, they'll all fight back! I'll be starting a civil war on the Boiling Isles, and people will die!" Luz argued.
"There won't be a war if you change the world," Oscura suggested. "The DGP can make it happen, and nobody has to get hurt."
"You want me to change my wish?! But I have to get Anne back! That's the whole reason I've been fighting! The reason we've been fighting! I promised Sasha and Marcy that Anne would come home!"
"You don't have to change your wish. You just have to win. Once the DGP calls you again to defend your title, just wish to merge both realms so you can rule them together. Everybody wins."
"…Everybody wins if I rule both worlds…? I mean…but…Sasha and Marcy…then again, they won't remember our promise if the world gets remade," Luz pondered aloud. "A-and Amity won't either, nobody will."
"See how perfect it is? By the time they realise it, it'll be too late. Everyone gets a clean slate. Amity will wake up in the new world believing that you have always been the ruler of both worlds, along with Sasha and Marcy."
"The DGP might call on them again too. Marcy was popular in the rankings, and Sasha might be brought back if the audience demands a rematch between us. When they get their memories back… Oh God…if Amity gets called back…!" Luz panicked.
"That is a risk we will have to take. But again, all you have to do is win. Then Anne will be brought back, and everything will be right with the new world." Empress Oscura reached out and placed her hand against the mirror. "We'll finally have the world we've always wanted, a world that reveres and loves us, a world where we are loved, and it'll be a world where we can make things better for everyone. It can be a place for all those who have suffered like we have, a world where no one is made to feel like they don't belong! Don't you want that? I know you want that. It's all we've always wanted!"
Luz gingerly reached out with her left hand, moving closer and closer to the reflection to press her hand against Empress Oscura's. But just before they touched, Luz jerked her hand away.
"Goddammit, I almost got sucked into your little mind games again!" Luz cursed. "You don't want to make a better world, you just want power and control! Even after all this time, you're still a greedy, childish, little devil! All I want is to get Anne back, marry Amity and have a life with her in the Human Realm! But you're not content with that! You just want more, and it will never be enough for you!" Luz released a sigh of frustration. "I'm done with this conversation. Go back to whatever corner of my mind you call home and fucking stay there!"
"You need me, Luz. Once you realise that, you'll know where to find me." The voice faded away as her reflection turned back to normal.
Luz threw herself onto the bed to lie down, curling herself into a ball as she tried to rest. However, rest did not come easy, at least not here. She couldn't do it here.
"Luz?" Amity asked as she opened the door to see Luz curled up in bed, trying to get some rest. The pink-haired witch climbed on the bed to gently run her hand through her fiancée's hair. "It'll be OK, Luz."
"Will it?" Luz questioned as she sat up. "I...I just don't know anymore, Amity. I just feel like I don't know what I'm doing."
"It's her again, isn't it?" Amity asked, referring to Luz's inner demon problem. The inner demon must also be the reason why Luz was flirting with Bria earlier. Yeah, that had to be it.
"It's like, the more I act like her, the more I feel like I'm losing myself," Luz confessed. "I know I need to be Oscura to keep these cultists in line, but I'm afraid that the more I play the part, the less it'll be an act."
"You won't become her, you know why?" Amity questioned rhetorically. "Because you got me."
"I had Willow, Eda, Gus and King too," Luz said pessimistically. "They saw what I was turning into but couldn't stop it either."
"It's true." They had failed Luz and turned their backs on her, which cemented her decision to embrace the darkness. "But I won't turn my back on you, Luz. I promise you that."
"Thanks, mi amor," Luz smiled, caressing Amity's cheek. "But...I think I need to go out so I can think."
"Alright," Amity accepted. "I'll wait for you."
"Oh, and if Bria asks, tell her I went out for some fresh air."
[Set!]
"Henshin," Luz called while pulling the Oscura Buckle's ring switch.
[OSCURA! DARKNESS, NOW! READY, FIGHT!]
"Transport, Now."
Amity watched as the magic circle appeared under Oscura's feet before she vanished.
The magic circle transported her to the middle of a forest clearing. Removing the Oscura Buckle, Luz made her armour vanish.
"Finally," Luz breathed. "A place to think."
She found a stump and sat down on it, resting her chin in her hands. She needed some alone time without everyone else, so she could process her emotions.
The Demon Realm, the Boiling Isles, the place she had called home long ago. It was a place where she felt accepted, despite being human. She made friends here, had a mentor who would teach her magic, and she could also reach her dream of becoming a good witch like Azura.
And then the Witch's Duel between her and Amity happened, and it all went to Hell. The scars may be gone, but she remembered how she got them. Each scar was a reminder of when she failed to cast the light glyph, the only spell she ever learned.
Maybe it was symbolic, and losing the light glyph was just the start of her descent into darkness. Not even her friends could help her, despite how much they tried. She even gave Willow a scar when she tried to stop her from hurting herself.
She had hurt so many people here. Azura would be ashamed of her. No, her dad would be ashamed of her. Her dad, who on his deathbed, had given him the 'Good Witch Azura' book and told her to become a good witch like her. Instead, she ended up becoming the opposite.
She heard movement and stood up, raising her guard.
"Who's there!?" she demanded. She saw a squirrel come out from the bushes. "Huh? A squirrel?"
The squirrel came up to Luz, holding a flower which she took with a soft smile. As she looked at the flower, she saw a pattern in one of the petals.
On close inspection, she saw it was another glyph which resembled a flower. Inside the spell circle was a small circle with a dot at its centre, near but not touching the bottom of the aforementioned spell circle. Two short lines stretched from the top of the smaller circle facing out at a 45-degree angle. A triangle was roughly opposite of the small circle, with one vertex facing the smaller circle. A line stretched from the triangle's tip to the circle. There was a horizontal line across the middle of the triangle.
"Another glyph?" she wondered, studying the image to commit it to memory. The squirrel was not the only creature as she saw what looked like a lizard, a mouse, a small kangaroo, a crow, a magpie and all sorts of animals crowding around her. Such a weird assortment of creatures, and they just came out to see her.
"Hello, there." An old man stepped out from the bushes, holding a cane with him. He had a thick mane of white hair, and a beard while his left eye was scarred shut.
"Oh, hello," Luz greeted politely. "Are these yours?"
"No, they aren't," he shook his head as the creatures went to gather around him. "I help to look after these Palismen for an old friend."
"I see..." Luz nodded. So these were Palismen. No wonder they did not behave like normal animals. "...Aren't you afraid of me?"
"Hmm? Should I be?" the old man asked.
"I mean, you should know who I am already." Luz used her hands to emphasise her imperial garb. "Shouldn't you be screaming and running away, or begging me not to kill you right about now?"
The old man chuckled as he approached Luz, with the Palismen following suit, "My dear, at my age and given my condition, I'm not in the right shape to do any running. Now my wife, on the other hand, can still run circles around me. And given how powerful they say you are, I doubt begging or running would do me much good. So better to just enjoy the moment rather than wasting time worrying about death. Besides, you don't seem as hostile as the stories say."
"I…I used to be, but…not anymore," said Luz. "Here, you can take my seat."
"Thank you." The old man made his way over to Luz, limping along the way before he sat down on the stump. He stared into the distance, with the sun hovering just over the Boiling Sea, making the waters shine with yellow and orange sparkles. "Pardon, I can walk and stand for a long while, but I try to rest when I can. Sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. You probably come here a lot, and the 'evil' Empress Oscura just came and hijacked your private spot." The Latina sighed as she turned away. "I'll leave you alone, you really don't need someone like me hanging around and ruining the mood."
"I never said you were," he replied. "And the Palismen don't seem to mind you at all."
Luz looked down and saw that the little Palismen were gathering around her and making happy noises. Some squeaked, some chirped, and others chittered and growled.
"Oh, uh…there-there, little guys," Luz awkwardly said, trying not to upset the Palismen who had taken a liking to her.
"Palismen are a good judge of character. Why not sit with me for a spell?"
"Again, you do know who I am. Aren't you afraid I'll hurt you or the Palismen?" Luz incredulously asked, still flabbergasted that this old man and the Palismen weren't running for the hills right now. Not that she disliked that, but it was just baffling given the current state of things.
"Again, nothing I can do if you want to hurt me or the Palismen," the old man reiterated. "Forgive me if I seem presumptuous, but it seems as if you have a lot on your mind, Oscura."
"Luz."
"Pardon?"
The Latina got down and sat next to the stump, allowing some of the palismen to jump onto her lap as they curled up and took a nap.
"My name's Luz. 'Oscura' is the name I took after I crowned myself empress…when I was trapped in the dark."
"That is an interesting name, Luz. Tell me, what does it mean?" the old man asked out of curiosity.
"In my world, the Human Realm, my name means 'light'," Luz explained. "My parents told me, when I was born, I was the light of their life but I failed to live up to that name by becoming Oscura, which is the opposite."
"I see..." the old man noted. "Light and dark, two sides of the same coin. You know, my daughter had two sides to her too."
"Oh, what happened?"
"She gave me this." The old man pointed to his scar. "She never forgave herself for it, but I've forgiven her a long time ago."
"Is that so? I hope she can forgive herself. I'm assuming it was an accident, but – not to make light of your injuries – compared to what I've done, what your daughter did is barely a blip on the radar. No offence," Luz respectfully said.
"None taken, my dear. Forgive me for saying this, but you're nothing like what I imagined the Dark Empress to be."
"What you're seeing is the real me…but…I guess you can say that was also me." Luz squatted down to pet one of the palismen as she recalled her past, "I may not look like it anymore, but I had scars too. I discovered a way to use magic, but it was taken away from me. After that, each attempt I made to cast magic again caused me to get a scar. All the bitterness, the heartbreak, the sadness and the desperation, it all led me to discover a power that I shouldn't have…"
"I see," the old man nodded as he stroked his beard. "And it was this power that allowed you to become Empress Oscura."
"I never set out to be an 'empress', I never wanted to rule anyone or anything! I…I just wanted to be accepted… I wanted to be a good witch! I wanted to use that power to help everyone! I was still a child…so…I just recklessly wielded that power, I killed so many people and didn't bat an eye… When people saw me as a monster, I became one just to spite them!" Tears began to well up in Luz's eyes, causing some of the other Palismen to look at her with sad expressions. "But even then…I still wanted to do good. I wanted to help, but I…I just couldn't get past the pain and anger. Everyone saw me as something unnatural, even in my world. So I went out to try and make everyone notice me, to see that I had the power to make things better, whether they wanted to admit it or not! But in the process…I just hurt more people…and came close to destroying this world…"
"And now here you are, back here again. You feel lost, don't you?"
"Yeah," Luz confessed. "There's this crazy cult that worships the old me, and I'm trying to fix them."
"Fix them? Are they broken?"
"Yes! 'Coz they're all messed up in the head, and it's all my fault! I need to fix this! I have to fix this! If I don't...I don't know how I can live with myself!"
"My dear, I'm so sorry."
"Why are you sorry? I'm the one who messed up."
"I'm so sorry that someone so young has to be burdened by so much."
"Yeah, well, it's my burden and it's something I gotta fix. It's the right thing to do."
"Then maybe I can help lighten that burden," the old man offered as he stood up to stand in front of Luz. He gently took her hand in his. "I forgive you, Luz."
"...Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," the old man chuckled. "I guess I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Dell. Dell Clawthorne."
Luz jumped to her feet, shocked.
"You're Eda's dad!"
"Yes, that's me," Dell confirmed. "And let me tell you, coming back after four years and meeting my grandchild for the first time was a huge shock for me as well."
"Yes, Little Luz..."
"And you..." Dell smiled. "Eda considers you her daughter too, and that makes you family."
Luz's eyes teared up again as she shook her head and shouted, "How?! How can you consider me family?! Eda I kinda understand, but you?! I…my Phantoms killed you and your wife! I took your lives! Why don't you hate me for it?! No, you should hate me!"
Dell kept up his smile as he approached Luz, but stopped when she jumped back again. She was like a scared animal, and the last thing he wanted was for Luz to run away.
"Because Eda told us what you did after your minions killed us. It was not an order you gave; and because of what they did, you destroyed them," said Dell. "I know you would never intentionally hurt Eda. Considering my daughter never suffered any retribution from you, my wife and I had to assume that you still cared about her."
"But they were still my Phantoms! I'm still responsible for killing you both!" Luz retorted.
"And yet here I am, four years later, brought back to life along with my wife. And now, we have a lovely granddaughter who we love dearly," Dell countered. "Somehow, I feel as if you had a hand in that. Resurrecting the dead is no easy feat."
"I…" Luz rubbed her left shoulder as she sighed heavily. "I had to go through some challenges, but…yes …As a reward for my efforts, I was granted a wish. And my wish was to bring back all those I and my Phantoms have killed. You and Mrs. Clawthorne being among them."
"Well, that proves my point then. You have suffered through so much, and from what my daughter has told me, many things gave rise to the one we call 'Oscura'. No child should have to suffer like that, and I can tell you deeply regret your actions. These people in that cult, it is not your duty to 'fix' them. They chose to follow an image of you, a hurt and twisted version of yourself," Dell kindly argued.
"I know it's not my duty to fix them," Luz conceded. "But I still feel responsible for how they turned out. I can't just do nothing."
"You know, when carving a Palisman, you don't always know how they'll turn out either," Dell stated.
"But you're the one carving them. Shouldn't you know?" Luz questioned, puzzled.
"Oh, but the form they take is the one they tell me to take," Dell informed. "Whenever I hold a piece of palistrom wood, I listen to it and it tells me what form they wish to take. I follow what the wood tells me, giving them form. When the Palisman is bonded to their witch, they come to life. It's a slow process, but once I finish a Palisman, I feel satisfied that I created something new. What they do from there is up to them. If you wish to change the cult into something better, you need to take things slow. Here, let me show you." He blew a whistle and several of the Palismen came over, carrying a piece of palistrom wood and his carving tools. "Take it."
"What's this for?" Luz asked as she took the palistrom wood.
"I taught my daughters how to carve their Palismen, so I thought I should teach my other granddaughter too," Dell smiled.
"You're going to teach me?" Luz asked again, stunned.
"Yes, because every good witch needs a Palisman," Dell smiled again.
As tears of joy welled up in Luz's eyes, her Spider Phone began to ring.
"Excuse me." She answered her phone, putting it against her ear. "Hey, mi amor."
{Luz, where are you? Are you OK?} Amity asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Luz smiled, glancing at Dell. "Just spending time with my abuelo."
{Your grandfather? Wait, what do you mean?}
"I'll be back soon, sweet potato. Don't worry. OK, I love you. Bye."
Darius was in his study when he received a message on his scroll. He looked at it and grimaced.
"So, Oscura has made contact with her cult," Darius said, frowning. This was troubling news. The fact that Empress Oscura had returned was bad enough, but now she had an army of devoted followers who had been waiting for her to command them.
For the past four years, the Children of Oscura had been a nuisance. Founded in Glandus High, the members were mostly children who were awed by Oscura's power and had since been converted to follow her way. They were not swayed when Oscura attempted to destroy the Demon Realm. They believed that being destroyed by Oscura meant they would ascend to a higher plane of existence.
They had tried converting people to their way of thinking. While the council had tried to stop them, the cult had not broken any laws. The new laws allowed everyone to have their own beliefs, and worshipping Oscura - while very frowned upon - was not entirely illegal. The spy he planted in the cult reported that they would have daily meetings as they worshipped Scyn Oscura's statue.
Darius now knew where Oscura was, but sending a squad of Coven Scouts to capture her now would be suicide. They needed a plan. He would need to discuss things with the council. They could not allow Oscura to restart her plan, the one that was thwarted four years ago.
Terra was smiling with maniacal glee. Adrian's transformation had been a success and now, after some fine-tuning of her concoction, she was ready to take that one final step. If her theory was correct, transforming herself into a plant creature would enhance her magical powers, possibly pushing them to greater heights, and making her the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles... No, the most powerful witch in the Demon Realm. Either that or it would turn her into a mindless rampaging monster that could end up destroying the Demon Realm.
"Oh well, you only live once as they say…or in my case, twice. Bottoms up!"
Terra, without hesitating, downed the bottle of her special concoction. Once it was emptied, the Plant witch threw the bottle across the room, letting it shatter upon impacting the wall. That was surprising. However, not as surprising as when every single vein in her body started to glow bright green, followed by every nerve shooting off in excruciating pain.
Terra fell to the floor as she began screaming in agony, kicking and thrashing about as she desperately sought refuge from the pain wracking her old body. Vines started to pierce through her skin from the inside out as her body started to morph into a plant-witch hybrid monstrosity; but at the rate things were going, it seemed as if Terra's old body wouldn't survive the transformation process.
But her wails of pain slowly morphed into grunts and growls as she gritted her teeth, eyes glowing bright green as she managed to get to her hands and knees.
"I…WILL NOT…SUCCUMB…TO DEATH AGAIN! I…AM…TERRA…SNAPDRAGON! I AM THE STRONGEST PLANT WITCH ON THE BOILING ISLES! AND I WILL NOT BE TAKEN OVER BY A DAMN PLANT! YOU! OBEY! ME!"
Terra released a violent scream of defiance into the air as her entire body glowed with intense green light. Vines rapidly sprouted from her body at that moment, covering her completely, and snuffing out the light she emitted.
Meanwhile, Adrian stood wordlessly against the opposite wall, watching in silence.
As I said before, there are many moving parts.
Luz seems to have found some manner of comfort from reconciling with a past victim from her days as Oscura and, as it so happens, it was her adoptive grandfather.
Unfortunately, it seems that the consequences of her return to the Boiling Isles are about to catch up with her…
Dr. Exposition: OK, this chapter was a bit short but it manages to tell what I need to tell. Luz is having an internal crisis, but a talk with Dell helps her. And now we see her new form called Golden Darkness Fever and it kicked Armstrong's ass! Its abilities are similar to Gaim Kiwami Arms, allowing Oscura to summon any of the DGP Riders' weapons, which she demonstrated by summoning the Magnum Shooter, Beat Axe, Zombie Breaker, and Ninja Dueler.
*Wrath (red): Dark Magnum
*Greed (orange): Golden Darkness Fever
*Pride (yellow): ?
*Envy (green): ?
*Sloth (blue): Dark Boost
*Gluttony (indigo): Dark Zombie
*Lust (violet): Dark Beat