[Opening Song: Kyouran Hey Kids! – By: The Oral Cigarettes]
*The sound of a guitar stringing in the background can be heard, along with drums. The scene zooms in on a man standing in a destroyed looking city, fires burning around him as he turns to look back at the camera, a smirk taking up his visage as a lone crimson red eye glows. Following along with the lyrics, he mouths the words*
"Tonight we honour the hero."
*A guitar and a set of drums begin to play wildly, alongside what sounds like a choir in the background matching the beat of the song, as a camera zooms up to a clear blue sky with white fluffy clouds, followed by the title "The Owl House - All For Luz" appears, with the Japanese Kanji " フクロウの家 - すべてはルスのために！ " Underneath it, and in smaller font.*
*The scene slams down to a forest, where in the centre of the woods, Luz stands, looking around, confused and concerned, taking a step back, bumping into a blond-haired girl wearing a white dress (Julia), who looks over at her, with a matching concerned gaze, golden eyes glimmering with worry. As they stare at one another, a large brown-skinned teen (Stanley) wraps both of his arms around them, smiling, catching both of them off guard, all the while a disembodied voice sings the lyrics to the song that's playing*
"No place for stubborn masks, broken by crazy kids"
"So full of lies and chaos are these days we live"
*The scene pans out to where Luz is looking at a large group of kids, who also look scared and confused. Luz breaks away from the hold she is in, before walking toward them, a weary smile on her face. She reaches out to them, but as she does, her hand and arm spark red, which causes her to recoil, stop what's she's doing, and look at her arms, confusion and annoyance taking up her expression. She stares at her hands, specifically the holes in the palms of her hands, before looking up at a military drone, staring at all of them, all the while the same disembodied voice sings*
"The scent of honey from the body in the air"
"So full of flavour, flavour, flavour…"
*The scene abruptly changes as the drums kick in, as does the metal guitar, to a man sitting in front of bunch of screens with a beard and slicked back hair as the lyrics "Just wanna hold your hands" can be heard in the scene, and with each time it's said, a new person takes their place along with a new location. The first time, it's a man dressed in a shirt with suspenders and black slacks, standing with his back facing the camera, the only thing noticeable being blond hair the same shade as the girls as he holds a martini. The second time, however, it changes to the man in the beginning of the opening, sitting in a throne surrounded by darkness.*
*The camera pans up to his face, red eyes gleaming as the guitar plays a little slower and suspenseful, as the man smirks, as he mouths along to the next set of lyrics "Hey people! Let's go back to zero!"*
*The Camera suddenly blasts into his eyes, as a fight scene breaks out between an orange haired boy and Luz, flames sparking off of the boys arm that barely miss her face. She ducks under a follow up punch. Anger flares in her eyes as she goes to punch the boy in the face. Just as the fist is about to connect, the scene shoots to the brown-skinned teen (Stanley) going blow for blow with a silver haired boy in a grey hoodie, who's throwing air slashes at him, that the other tanks as if they're nothing. Finally, it shows the blond girl (Julia) backed into a corner next to a cabin-like structure by another golden-haired guy, his hand having an ominous aura around it. As this entire scene is happening, the disembodied voice continues the song*
"Get crazy - Hey, Kids!"
"And ditch that ego that has held you back,"
"Why struggle pointlessly?"
"Get crazy - Hey, Kids!"
"The search for the place that you cannot return to Whoah, oh!"
*The scene abruptly changes to a solemn looking Camila, who's staring down at family photos, as the spectre of Manny lingers behind her, an almost disappointed look on his face. His spectre disappears in the wind as the front door to their house opens, revealing an old man dressed in priestly attire, looking at her with concern on his face. The scene shifts again to Luz staring out at something, a wooden wall surrounding her, a reflection of what looks to be fire and blood stains everywhere as her pupils dilate. Her brown eyes flickering from red back to brown constantly with the stringing of the guitar, and just as the rest of the scene, the disembodied voice continues the song*
"Get Crazy - Tell me"
"The times are changing as days go by,"
"Always uncomfortable!"
"Get Crazy - Hey Kids!"
"But nonetheless our future has begun to fade..!"
*The scene changes to a more frantic battle, this time between the blond-haired boy and Luz, only this time Luz has a more furious expression on her face, and her eyes are red. The blond haired boy slams the ground, creating spikes that Luz dodges, her hand sparks red, as a litany of faces belonging to several people appear behind her like ghosts, a small, venomous grin on her face, her hair raising with the red and black electricity, flames bursting across the forest, matching the same flames from the beginning of the opening, the disembodied voice continuing the song, which nears its end.*
"Get Crazy - Hey Kids!"
"And light up the doors that shut away the past"
"This urge with no release,"
"Get Crazy - Tell me,"
"Is that what you want? Then won't you call my name?"
*The opening ends with Luz, almost responding to the man in the beginning of the opening, mouthing the words "I swear, I respect the hero!" The opening ends with a final guitar riff, the camera flickering and glitching out, showing an empty forest, as it transitions to the start of the episode…*
[The Hunt Begins – Part 1]
There were only a scarce few things that Luz, quite frankly, detested. The first of those things, and the most prominent one applicable to this situation, would be being woken up. It was never for something good, and the few times it was, those were on her birthday. And even then, it was promptly ruined when her Mama would open a wine bottle after they ate dinner.
Regardless of that, someone was shaking her awake, and she could tell there was urgency behind it. How? Well, usually when someone tried to wake her up, it was usually whispering her name or asking her to wake up. Being shaken awake usually meant that it was urgent. Still, that didn't mean she had to like it. Her eyes slowly peeled open, with the first thing she was met with sight-wise was Stanley, who knelt in front of her, hands on her shoulders as he shook her in such a way that wouldn't cause her to hit her head against the tree, but enough to where it would get her to stir awake.
Behind him was the care package. It was closed, and it was a big large black box of sorts with the American flag plastered on the top lid. Two clips kept it shut, and strangely there was no lock on it. Though, she guessed it made sense, considering it was a care package. They had finally come across last night when they stumbled through the woods. She thought about opening it last night, but Stanley advised against it. Saying that they'd open it when they got back to the base.
She wasn't entirely opposed to the idea, but it was a little annoying. Whatever the case was, she didn't complain too much about it. Besides, they had found it first, meaning that it was theirs to claim. Although, a weird thing she noted was that the rest of that day she had not caught even the slightest sight of anyone else on either team.
It was almost as if they had just, vanished. They left the care package completely uncontested, which had set off alarm bells in her head. But, they weren't important enough to pay attention to. All she cared about was cracking the case open, and getting at whatever was there. Preferably a shirt that would actually fit her. And maybe a fresh change of underwear, too. That would be nice. Her current clothes were starting to stink, and it was bugging her.
But, even though that was annoying her, she was going to keep to her word. She wasn't going to touch it until they got back to the base. Besides, it would've been an all-day hike to get back from where they were now, to the base. Unless, of course, she figured out how to fly using Pyrokinesis. Then all bets would be off.
"What is it… What do you want?" Luz grumbled, slowly sitting up as Stanley took a few steps back. He looked… panicked. Why? That caused Luz to stand up, narrowing her eyes all the while. "Stanley, what's with the face, I—"
That's when she smelt it. Her eyes widened, and when she looked over in the distance, she saw a giant bellow of smoke rising from the direction of their base. They were being attacked, and she wasn't there to help drive whoever was attacking them. "We have to go," Luz said curtly, looking back to Stanley, who looked hesitant. "Stanley, we have to—"
"I know, but I don't think you'll make it in time if I come with you," Stanley interrupted as Luz raised an eyebrow. What was he going on about? She frowned, crossing her arms.
"What are you talking about?"
"Luz, you have that fire ability, right? You can get there faster than I can run. Besides, I can stay here with the supplies. Everyone else over there needs you, right? And, if the worst comes to pass…" Stanley said, frowning. Luz immediately knew what he was implying. She understood what he was getting at, but that still didn't make any of this better.
She also knew that he was right. Even with just having Pyrokinesis for a short amount of time, she knew that she could run really fast with it. Faster than even a speeding train if she put enough effort into it. Luz stared at Stanley. If she wanted to, she could just drag him, even use Vines to tie him to her back and sprint off using Pyrokinesis. And if he got injured, Repair could heal him just fine.
"I can take you there, then. My Vines can—"
"No, Luz. Just leave me here. Besides, we're being watched," Stanley said as Luz looked around. There was no one where. So what was he talking about? Did he know something that she didn't?
"What are you hiding?" Luz demanded, only for him to shake his head.
"No, Luz. It'll be alright. Oh, but, one more thing, before you go…" He reached out to her hand and made sure to grip her wrist tight enough to where she couldn't force him to let go. He then placed her hand on his forehead and smirked. "Take it. I'm not going to need it."
Luz stared at him with an incredulous, confused glare. "What are you doing?"
"I'm gonna try and escape this place. And if I fail, I'd rather die," Stanley said as Luz tried to take her hand away from his forehead, but he didn't let go. He kept it there and narrowed his eyes. "Take it. I don't need it."
"You'll die!" Luz spat, as Stanley nodded.
"I'm aware. I don't care, though. Besides, my only family is responsible for that attack. This is something Kennedy would do, and I don't want to live in a world where my family and my friends fight to the death. Besides, I want to be with my sister again." As those words left Stanley's mouth, Luz couldn't help but feel bad for him.
From what she knew, Stanley, like Kennedy, was an orphan. But he was made an orphan, rather than being born an orphan. But that was all she had known. Though, considering what he had just said, it was clear that he harboured some kind of lasting want to be with his family again.
To put it bluntly, he wanted to die.
Luz was always one to respect one's wishes. No matter how stupid they might've been, and no matter how redundant they wound up being, Luz was the type of person to care about others and to ensure that they got what they wanted.
It was a shame that no one wanted to have been her friend back in Gravesfield. It took a tragedy like this game for her to obtain any kind of comradery with anyone else. And two of those people were killed brutally while she was off fighting for her life.
And now, another one of her friends was begging for her to strip him of the only thing that he had that could possibly keep him alive whilst he ran to make a foolish escape. The way his eyes shone with desperation. The way he looked at her, broken completely and utterly, almost made her pity him. It almost made her want to comply.
If he was that desperate, why not give him the escape he wanted? Who was she to deny him what he wanted? Who was she to stop him from what was, essentially, committing suicide? She hardly knew him. He wasn't her responsibility. Sure, she was his leader, but who was he to her? What was the point of wasting her time caring for an admitted dead man?
"Luz. Do you remember what I told you?" The voice of her father echoed throughout her mind, causing Luz to flinch. Why now? Why was she now hearing her father's voice? He was dead. What good could possibly come from—
"Yeah, I did, papa!"
"And what was that?"
"Be the… uh… change you want in the world?"
"Exactly. And how do you go about making that change?"
"By being kind and selfless! Just like Azura!"
"Exactly. Just like Azura. Don't forget it, okay? If you're ever in a tough situation, just ask yourself. What would Azura do? And I promise you it will never lead you astray."
Luz felt the corners of her eyes burn. Her father was right. Back then, she didn't understand why he wanted her to remember that. Now, she understood.
"No. I'm not doing it," She said, shaking her head as she glanced at the ground. She refused to let another one of her friends die. She already lost Judy, who while not a friend, was still someone who didn't deserve to die, and Arla who was far too young.
Stanley stared up at her, a borderline scowl on his face. "Luz, just do it, please!" Stanley practically begged, to the point where he was growling. Luz was taken aback. Why was he being like this? Why didn't he want to live? What was the point in any of this?! He was being overdramatic for no reason.
"You can't make me, now let go of me," Luz said, narrowing her eyes as Stanley slumped. But he didn't let go. What was he doing? Why was he so adamant that she do this? Why did he want to die so badly? What was his angle here? "Why do you want this so badly?"
"Because this is probably all my fault…" Stanley said as Luz raised an eyebrow. What was he going on about? How would their base burning be all his fault? He was here with her the whole time, so it wasn't like he could've run off and told anyone where anything was. Besides, she had no reason to suspect that he had betrayed her.
So, that left only one possibility.
"Are you seriously trying to tell me that because you were friends with Kennedy the base being attacked is your fault?" Luz asked as Stanley narrowed his eyes. That was when she realized that he did, really, truly, honestly think that way. He actually did think that because he was friends with Kennedy he was at fault.
But why? That made zero sense. How could his being associated with someone therefore make it his fault that something bad was happening? It was stupid—no, it was foolish to think that way. "Are you serious? Are you seriously saying that you're at fault for this because you were friends with him?" Luz said, dumbfounded as he nodded. "You're stupid. You're not at fault for anything that's happening. Now let me go! We have to leave, now!"
"I'm not going with you. I'll just slow you down, take my power and leave me here. Just do it! I'm not letting you go until you do!" Stanley demanded back, glaring at Luz, who flinched. She couldn't believe this… this moron would do that! She gritted her teeth, closing her eyes. Why? Why did everything have to go to shit!
She bit back the building tears in her eyes. And as she did, she thought back to that conversation with her father.
"But, papa… what happens if I can't be… uh, whatever you said?"
"Then, if there's no way forward, do what you believe is right. Do what you think will help the most. Even if it doesn't seem like it would help."
"Okay, papa!"
"Fine!" And without saying another word, she activated All For One, and as the red sparks began to travel up her arm, past her hand, and onto his body, and as he screamed in pain, and as she felt the power transfer to her, she couldn't help but get angry. Angry at his selfishness for all but forcing her to take his power.
She didn't want this.
She didn't ask for this.
And yet, here she was.
When it was all said and done, only when the transfer was complete did Stanley let go of her hand. Only then was Luz able to stumble back and stare at the now slumped-over Stanley, who had fallen to his knees, his head low and his chest slowly moving up and down, signifying that he was breathing. That was the only silver lining in this whole scenario. Him still alive, and her not accidentally killing him.
"You idiot…" Luz said, her voice hollow, devoid of emotion. The only thing that lingered in her voice was shame directed toward Stanley, who cracked a grin.
"No… I'm not stupid. I'm ensuring your survival. Besides, I don't need it anymore. I'm a dead man walking…" Stanley said, slowly standing up as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes. She couldn't believe he still had it on him. Once he pulled it out, he opened it, and put the last cigarette in his mouth, before grabbing the lighter in his pocket.
He flicked the piece of plastic once, but nothing came. He hit it again, but there was still nothing. He glanced at Luz, and she knew exactly what he wanted. She chewed on the interior of her lower lip, before sighing. Walking up to him, she ignited the tip of her finger, and pressed it to his cigarette, making sure it caught on fire. Once it was lit, and once she had pulled her finger away, he took a long drag from it.
After he was done, he took the cigarette out, before tapping the ash to the ground. "Thanks, Luz. If I don't find my way out of this place, then it was nice getting to meet and know you."
Luz didn't say anything in response, but Stanley knew from the look in her eyes that she felt the same way. She turned to the chest, and looked it over for a moment, before turning away. She would be fine with what she was wearing right now. There was no need to change. She could change once she got back—because she was going to be back. She wouldn't leave him alone. She refused to.
And so, after getting into a crouching stance, Luz activated Pyrokinesis as flames began to build on the edge of her feet. They rose and rose till they reached up to behind her knees, and then, she kicked off and burst forward, leaving a small burn mark in the ground as wind and dirt kicked up where she launched off.
Stanley stood, watching her form shrink and shrink. He looked back at the chest, walked over to it, and opened it. There was a reason why he had gotten her to take his power. For what was inside the chest was something else.
It wasn't food, clothing, or anything of the sort. He had already opened the thing when Luz was asleep last night. He had already discovered the truth of the care package.
It wasn't a care package.
Maxwell never planned for any of them to live past this week. Because what was inside the care package was nothing tangible. It was a timer, and it was counting down to the very second. And only thirty seconds were remaining on the bomb. Stanley stood in front of it and smiled. He took one last drag of his cigarette, as the timer continued to tick down.
He closed his eyes and smiled. He gave what he could to his leader. He ensured that she would live through what was going to come next. So now, he could rest easy, knowing damn well that his friend would live to see another day. "Rachael… I'll be home soon. Don't you worry, your big brother is coming soon."
Five seconds remained on the bomb. Stanley stood as still as he could. He paused his breathing, lifted his head high, and as the final second ticked down, he opened his eyes. He took in the surrounding forest one last time, his smile turning sombre, and without even a fraction of a second of delay…
The bomb exploded.
The explosion tore through trees, uplifted the ground, and sent natural debris flying in every direction. As Luz sped through the forest, she heard the resounding bang of the bomb going off in the far distance, and it forced her to stop dead in her tracks, slowing down immediately as she looked back from where she came.
"No…" Luz thought, her shoulders slumping as she stared with her jaw wide open. The shockwave of the bomb hit her like an oncoming truck, but the force didn't make her budge even in the slightest. "Stanley…" She closed her eyes, blocking the tears from building up. She had to focus. No wonder he was rushing her to take his power and leave. The care package was a bomb, and he must've found out earlier.
"Damnit!" And without another thought, Luz bolted back toward the base. She could smell the smoke getting closer and closer, her heart pounding against her chest getting louder and louder.
Only a few questions were bouncing around in her mind right about now, all of which related to whether anyone who remained in the base was okay. Her mind flashed to Julia, and the smile she had on her face when they departed yesterday. The promise she had made to her, and that kiss on the cheek. Even if it was brief, it signified something more than just a simple smile and wave goodbye.
With a determined gleam in her eyes, she put everything she had into the next burst of flame, causing a sonic boom to erupt from the bottoms of her feet, sending her flying in the direction of her base. Her eyes narrowed the closer she got to the base, to the point where she could see it in the distance, and once she got within a kilometre of the base, she slowed down drastically to avoid slamming into the wall.
When she came to a full stop, she just was a few feet away from the entrance. The door was gone, destroyed, and she could see just a small amount within the base. And when she entered the base through the destroyed entrance, her mind ground to a halt. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers, and once again, her jaw hung low.
Blood….
There was so… much… blood.
It decorated parts of the ground like a fine carpet, some of the buildings had giant splatters of it against the walls, while most of it was haphazardly thrown around as if it meant nothing. She looked to her right and saw Johnny, lying on the floor with a giant hole blasted through his torso as a look of shock and horror marred his face. In the distance, she could see Carla's panther form without a head, blood oozing from the stump that used to be her neck.
Ronny's body was in tiny little chunks. The chunks were so small that she knew the culprit behind it was the person who had that string power. There was no other person who could've possibly done that. Theodore had several puncture wounds going through his neck, chest, and forehead. She couldn't find Giovanni's body anywhere, but maybe that was for the better.
And then, off in the distance, tucked away by the main cabin, was the headless body of Julia. And that… that was something that finally caused something in her snap. All mental facilities ground to a hideous halt.
Luz's eyes narrowed, and a small sneer made itself present on her face. She told herself that she wasn't going to cry repeatedly, over and over again. But… it didn't work. She fell to her knees, hands lying limply on her legs as she sobbed. Ugly, loud sobs fell from her face as her head hung low.
She failed them.
She failed them all.
If she had just been there, none of this would've happened. Or, maybe, the death toll would've been lessened, or something! If she had been here, then maybe she could've saved them! Maybe, just maybe if she—
"No. You wouldn't have."
Shigaraki's voice pounded against her head like a rumbling earthquake. Luz screamed in agony, as she clasped her hands around her face, her fingers digging into her forehead and scalp as she looked up to the sky, letting out a bloodcurdling scream the likes of which would be heard for miles. Black and red sparks of lightning jumped off her body as they struck the ground, singing parts of the terrain as pure, unadulterated anger rolled off of her body like a heatwave.
Something in the back of her mind snapped. A damn of pent-up aggression cracked, then exploded, allowing a tidal wave of rage to overcome her. A deep, dark realization found itself in her mind as she began to hysterically laugh to herself.
It all made sense! Of course, this is the world's final shove for her to let loose! Finally, she had an answer for it. Everyone had their breaking point, and Luz had hers. And now, it had pushed her too far.
Thanks to all of the years of being bullied. Of all the years of being called a loser. Of all the years of being treated as an outcast. Of all the years of being told to be "normal" by everyone around her, including her mom. All of it came to a boiling point. And it was all because of this… bloodbath.
Her tears were no longer of sadness but of rage. Pure, unadulterated, rage. She had kept it boxed up and refused to let it come out. Every time it had, someone had gotten seriously hurt. Even if they deserved it. But now?
No.
She refused to keep it in a box.
She refused to keep it buried deep within her soul. She refused to let everyone walk all over her. She refused. She would take it no longer.
And as her laughter ended, she slumped forward, the last few tears hitting the ground, as she balled a hand into a fist. And while she stopped laughing, Shigaraki did not. And while he laughed, she knew it was not out of mockery. No…. His laughter was of joy. Almost as if he had been waiting for something like this to happen, almost as if he knew something that she didn't. But even then, not a single part of her cared as he spoke.
"Yes, Luz! Show them the real you. The one that you had buried for so long! You allowed them to control you for years, allowed them to tell you what you cannot be, or who you want to be! Let that anger boil to the top and flow over! Let it be one with you, let it become you. Unleash it! Unleash your true self upon those that took, and took, and took from you! You are above them all, and will forever be!
They toyed with you, made you their plaything, and when they were done playing with you they discarded you and threw you into this camp and left you to rot! This is all their fault! It was their hubris and their desire that brought you here. Their desire to control the uncontrollable!
Let the anger you've let sit for years rise. Here, in this domain, you are free to do whatever you please! Do unto them what they did to you! Show them how they messed up! Show them what happens when you toy with God! Luz Noceda, do what you know you have to, and KILL THEM ALL!"
For a moment, for just a brief moment, the rational side of her tried to play reason. Tried to play devil's advocate; but the more ferocious, angry, vengeful side of her—the one that wanted repentance—ignored that side and pushed it away into a corner that it could not be heard from. Slowly, she stood up, her bangs covering her eyes, and allowing for a shadow to cover them.
A small, malice-filled grin made itself appear on her face. It looked… inhuman, devilish, and filled with nothing but contempt. She walked over to the nearest intact body, that being Ronny's body. When she touched the piece that she knew belonged to his head thanks to the piece of string, she activated All For One. Red and black sparks jumped off of her body and onto what remained of Ronny.
And then… power. Power surged through her, just like the last time when she stole Julia's, Cody's, Arla's and Stanley's powers, she felt the transfer to herself, and it made her feel excellent. When she looked over at Carla's body, she frowned. There was no string, meaning that her power had been destroyed by whatever had blown off her head.
She looked at Theodore's body, saw the string, walked over to his corpse, and took his power. She did the same to Jean, and once that was done, every power that she could collect here was taken. It was upsetting that she gained so little, but it was better than nothing, she supposed.
Vines, Pyrokinesis, Repair, Kinetic Absorption, Strength Enhancer, Blade Arms, and Sword. She had even powers nestled within her, and just by looking at her arms, slight muscles forming when she clenched her fists, showed her that at least Strength Enhancer was passively working as it should. She assumed the same as Kinetic Absorption. The others she had to "pull" the "strings" of to work, and she felt them thrumming with power.
She could tell each power apart, and she knew just how to use them. Maybe not perfectly, but she knew how to use them enough to know what each power did separately. A part of her wondered what would happen if she combined some of the powers, but right now, that didn't matter. What mattered was getting revenge for the dead.
She was the only one left in The Alpha Squadron.
She would make them regret making her the sole survivor.
A sinister smile made its way onto her face, as a gleam made itself known. It carried no real emotion other than madness, wrath, and a desire for revenge. Her eyes had changed colour from golden brown to crimson red.
All she desired, as of now, was vengeance. And vengeance was exactly what she was going to get. For Julia, for Stanley, for Arla, for Judy and for everyone who died at the hands of Kennedy and those who followed him. And then, after that, once it was all said and done, and the dust was settled…
She would kill that pathetic excuse of a Governor!
But, she wasn't going to hunt them. No. That would be a waste of her precious energy and time. Heathens like them didn't deserve to be hunted. She would wait for them. All criminals, no matter how smart they believed themselves to be, would come back to the scene of the crime.
And thus… she waited.
And waited…
And waited….
The fires from whatever caused the blaze around her began to die down once it couldn't spread to anything else. Charred walls and piles of ash surrounded her, as flies began to swarm the bodies of the deceased. She kept her head lowered, and her breathing slow to conserve whatever energy she had left in her system. Occasionally, she found herself drifting to sleep a few times but woke up at any noise that echoed throughout the base.
Unfortunately, none of them were footsteps.
There was a part of her that considered the idea that maybe they wouldn't come back here. After all, if their goal was to rid of her team, then it would only stand to reason that they had no reason to come back to their base. Especially after razing it to the ground.
But, if they were actually trying to wipe her team out, and if they couldn't find her, then they'd come back here looking for her. That was how any group of hunters worked. If they couldn't find their target, they'd come back to where they "set their trap" so to speak.
Except, she had flipped this whole endeavour on their heads. She was not the prey and they were the hunters. It was the other way around. They were the prey, and she was the hunter.
After all, the best hunters were the patient ones. The ones that halted their movements and waited for the prey to be stupid enough to backtrack to their "home."
Eventually, one day passed. She was hungry, and thirsty, but never really let it get to her. She was probably dehydrated, but even then she didn't quite care all too much about that. The only thing that was on her mind was wanting revenge. And if worse came to worse, and they didn't come back and had truly decided to move on, then she would just track them down like the rodents they were.
It wouldn't be that hard. While the forest was large, it wasn't large enough to where she couldn't clear it in a few days. And by that time, they would've more than likely been starved and weak.
In her stasis, whilst she waited for her prey to come back around, she found out that Repair could somehow make it so her stomach didn't think itself hungry. Maybe it was because of how Repair worked, but it seemed to shut that feature down.
It was strange. Arla had said that Repair didn't work on her. Maybe she never used it on herself before and believed it was unable to work on herself. If so, that was foolish. Or, maybe she just didn't want to test it and assumed that it didn't work on herself.
Oh well, at least she was able to correct that mistake.
Another day passed, and nothing happened. Her eyes opened, and she was met with the darkness of night. She was about to call it quits and begin to walk through the forest when she saw something in the distance. Specifically, man-made DIY torches.
Standing up, she got into a balanced stance between defence and offence, and narrowed her eyes, while keeping her head low. Footsteps filled her ears, and then, a laugh. She glanced at who was in front of her, and lo-and-behold, her hypothesis was right. Standing in front of her was a Kennedy, with a white pullover, black jeans, and black runners.
Next to him, on his left and right respectively, was the boy who had the string powers, and a girl with orange hair, but unlike Amber, she had pale skin and vibrant emerald eyes. She was wearing an open-faced white leather sleeveless vest, a black shirt underneath the vest, a pair of brown slacks and red runners.
"Well, guess my hypothesis was right! We couldn't find you in the forest, so we came here, and lo and behold, here you are!" Kennedy said as Luz stared at him, eyes still narrowed, but she did not move. She wasn't going to move unless she had to.
She had to lure them in. Or, one of them.
Behind the group of three was, at her count, 15 other individuals. All of them, like she had predicted, had strings attached to them—why wouldn't they? They were all super-powered here. It made sense if they also had superpowers.
"You're rather silent. Still in shock then, I suppose? I don't blame you, after all seeing everyone care about, dead and wasted… it's gotta be horrible, right?" Kennedy continued as Luz kept her expression neutral, save for the narrowed eyes. "But, you have to understand, Luz. I did this because I am trying to protect the ones I care about. And for that to happen, The Alpha Squadron, which includes you, has to die."
As Kennedy continued, he gestured for someone to walk up to the front with himself and the two that flanked his left and right. He was tall and had a similar complexion to Ronny's diced-up corpse. He was dressed in an orange and white striped shirt, blue shorts, and black sandals. "This, Luz, is Thomas. He was Ronny Armstrong's Cousin. He still participated in his cousin's death, because he too shared in my ideals. We are all victims here. But, we decided to do what we needed to do, over our morals. If you were in the same situation as we were put in, you'd do the same, would you not?"
Luz did not say anything. She simply stared. Kennedy's right eye twitched, sighing. "Are you going to say anything? Or are you just going to, ugh, you know what? Fuck it. Thomas, kill her already. I'm not going to waste my time on this anymore."
And so, without so much as saying a single word, Thomas walked up to Luz. As he closed the distance between himself and Luz, she could see the look of contemplation clear as day on his face. It was clear that he wasn't exactly too fond of this, either.
Unfortunately for him, he was on the wrong side of history.
As he got within striking distance of Luz, he stopped dead in his tracks. She watched his chest heave up and down, taking what she knew to be his last breath. Then, he reared his arm back and threw it toward her as his hand balled into a fist mid-swing. She did not intervene, she let it get thrown, and she let it connect.
The result of the impact was a loud booming shockwave that, not unlike the strike that Ronny had thrown at Stanley, caused the grass to be uplifted from the ground, but unlike Ronny's strike, the force of the shockwave was strong enough to not only crack the walls of the cabins behind Luz, it was also strong enough to rip the top half of the buildings and send them flying.
Luz, frankly, was astonished by just how much strength was thrown into that attack. But, just like what happened between Ronny and Stanley, Luz did not so much as move an inch. Kennedy and the rest of his goons couldn't help but stare in disbelief, because frankly, what they were witnessing did not make any sense. Especially to Kennedy.
"I thought she only had Cody's power. Since when did she get Stanley's? Did she kill him? There was an explosion earlier in the week on Sunday, but last I checked Cody's power was raw fire. Sure it could help him travel stupidly fast, but not cause massive explosions like that. And even then, Thomas's power was strong enough to knock down whole groupings of trees just with the air it produced! She should at least have stumbled!" Kennedy thought, narrowing his eyes.
"How the hell…?" Kennedy muttered, as, just before he was about to say something to Thomas, finally, Luz spoke up.
"Is that all you've got?" Luz asked, as, without warning, Luz coiled back her arm, and when she thrust it forward, it went right through Thomas's chest. Her small, mostly twig-like arm, rammed through the bulky body of Thomas Oakson with ease, pulling out his heart, and throwing it to the ground like disposable trash. And then, immediately afterward, she grabbed Thomas's collapsing form, as red and black sparks jumped off from her body onto his.
Kennedy never wanted to see her power in action, but now that he was looking at it, he couldn't help but take a step back. It was an instinct, like a prey animal wanting to flee from a potential predatory. It was clear to him now that he had underestimated Luz Noceda. Whatever it was that she had done in the last two days more than likely preparing for their arrival worked out for her. Because Thomas was supposed to be the one to have killed her.
But now? Now that he was dead and his power taken? He had to come up with something on the fly. But, before he could do that, Luz threw Thomas's body to the wayside, before outstretching her hand in its direction and dousing it in flames. All the while she stared at him and his group, her eyes flaming a crimson red filled with nothing but contempt and disgust.
Her expression remained neutral, all before she pulled her hand back from where she was dousing Thomas's body in flames, deactivating Cody's power, before a small smile crept up onto her face. And all he could do in response to that was utter a shocked, and horrified "What…?"
"You think you're so smart, don't you?" Luz began, a small, mirthless chuckle escaping her lips as she tilted her head in such a way that it made it seem as if she was judging them. Like an aristocrat sneering at commoners. "Coming here, killing my friends, and then turning around and saying that you're the ones who are the victims in all of this?"
With each word that fell out of her mouth, more and more venom tinged her speech. Her eyes narrowed in disgust, as the smile on her face quickly turned sour, morphing into a sneer. And then, the mirthless chuckle came back, only this time, it devolved into a full-on psychotic fit of laughter.
The kind of laughter someone like The Joker would dole out. Even someone as cold-faced as Lucas had a drop of sweat sliding down the side of his face, and Darlene was positioned to book it. He could feel the tension in the air building for every second Luz laughed, one of her hands, her right one to be exact, resting on her forehead as her fingers combed through her hair.
She looked utterly insane.
And then, her laughter suddenly halted. No warning, no wind-down, just an immediate halt. Like someone slamming on the breaks. She let her hand fall to the wayside, and for her angry, hate-filled stare to go back to being glued on them. Her left hand curled into a fist, red and black sparks flashing, ebbing and flowing, as Luz's eyes narrowed.
"No. You… All of you… None of you are victims here," as she spat that out, a considerable wave of what Kennedy could only describe as killing intent shot throughout the air as Kennedy's breath stilled as if sapped from his very lungs by her sheer presence. "If anything, you've become nothing more than his weapons."
More red and black sparks began to jolt and jump off of Luz's body, as tiny embers began to form on the back of her palms, Vines crept out from her fingertips, and blades began to slowly poke out from her knuckles. It was only then that Kennedy realized that Luz had taken the powers of those who had been murdered.
That was what she had been doing all this time. And, if he were to guess, that wasn't all of the powers she had stolen. It caused a chill to claw down Kennedy's spine, as his fight of flight instinct began to set in. But, instead of doing either, he just stared, like a deer trapped in headlights. He couldn't move from the spot he was standing in.
All he could do was watch as Luz grew more and more furious with each passing second, and the bloodlust in her eyes doubled over time, reaching a crescendo that announced her intentions to any living being in the forest. If he could see them now, he'd half bet that even the animals, predators or not, were all looking in the direction of where this whole scene was taking place.
If The Alpha Squadron had been the prey, and Kennedy and his band of men and women were the predators. Then Luz Noceda was the apex predator there to hunt those who considered themselves top dogs.
"When I am through with all of you, there won't be enough left to cremate you. All of you… Every single last one of you…! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!"
-To Be Continued-
[Ending Song: Life – By: Rude-a]
*The ending opens up with Luz sitting on the edge of a cliff, staring up at the sky with a twinkle in her eyes, all the while the sound of a guitar strumming peacefully, followed by drums matching the tempo, like a serene melody, as a disembodied voice begins to sing.*
"Lately I don't know to do"
"Hurry up, my mind is one the moon"
"Flying up to where the wind blew"
*The scene stays the same, as wind blows through Luz's hair, still staring up at the sky, before looking down at the palm of her hands, a curious gleam to her eyes. Suddenly, a hand places itself on Luz's shoulder, as she looks over it to see Julia, smiling, before she sits next to Luz. This is followed by Stanley, who sits on the other side of her. Luz smiles, as more people around her age start pooling around her, sitting, staring out at the sky above as the clouds rolls past. All the while the disembodied voice continues*
"Overflowin' in the palm of my hand, passion to be who I am"
"Spent my days all just wandering this world"
"But then there's only you who's shining and pure"
"A rusty knife'll never cut a thing now; I am burning like a fire gone wild."
*The scene changes slightly, as a total of 33 people stand around and sit next to Luz, staring up at the sky, pointing out things that look to be strange. Julia has an arm wrapped around Luz's shoulder, whereas Stanley is ruffling her hair. Kennedy looms behind both of them, smirking, as if pleased with himself as the disembodied voice continues.*
"Like in the moment that my heart began to open"
"And it had the chance to scream, loud and unbroken"
"Everything was different from that moment on, if I don't try, I'll never know."
*The scene begins to change, the subtle strum of an electric guitar, signifying something. The wind blows harder, as if trying to push them away. The clouds darken as the sun begins to set, and as it does, people begin to disappear, starting with a few people in the back. One or two people vanish, but that's all. Luz, however, looks upset, closing her eyes, her expression changing to a solemn one as the disembodied voice continues*
"I wonder why the flowers are blooming."
"Your voice still echoes out in my heart."
*More people begin to disappear, but this time more rapidly. They're not walking away. They're simply disappearing. Vanishing from sight. Leaving Luz all alone. It gets worse as it comes down to only three people. Kennedy, Julia, and Stanley. First, it's Julia, who gets up from where she's sitting, and wanders off into the forest. It makes Luz's eyes widen, her solemnness turning into Despair. Then it's Stanley, which makes her look to her left. He waves to her, before going into the forest. Then, it's Kennedy, who stuffs his hands in his pockets and leaves. Luz's eyes water, and she looks away, before looking back up at the sky, the moon taking the place of the sun. All the while the disembodied voice continues*
"Tell me why I just shouted to the sky?"
"But you are no, no longer here, that's right."
"Remembering the adventure we went on called life!"
"Just a fleeting moment…!"
"Call it just a dream, 'cause I don't mind it."
"I'll save you from the present, the one so torn and riddled with scars."
*As Luz is left alone on the cliff, tears in her eyes, the guitar strums a solemn tone. Her tears are wiped away by an older man–All For One–who puts a hand on her shoulder. Julia sits back down next to Luz, holding her hand, which makes her smile. Now it's All For One looming behind her, his expression one of pride. The ending finishes with a few more strums of the guitar, and near the end, All For One's eyes glow a deep shade of red.*