St. Epiderm School was touted as one of the wealthiest of the magical schools on the Boiling Isles. Catering more to some of the Isles' more affluential families. But all their wealth didn't mean they were equally the best as Hexside and Glandus have proven time and again. However, this accumulation of wealthy kids meant that their school was on another level. Structurally, each school was built differently. Hexside had a more gothic aesthetic. Glandus looked like a castle fortress, which fit the theme of their "might makes right" and "survival of the fittest" mentality. St. Epiderm's school looked like a miniature white castle, with tall spires, and immaculately maintained grounds.
However, with the loss of the adults, most of the school had suffered from some neglect. Nevertheless, the school still maintained its air of elegance and poshness. Which was probably why Glandus decided to go after it.
During the six months since the Day of Unity, factions had popped up across the Boiling Isles, made up of different groups of children banning together. Some were done out of a need for protection, forming their own colonies. Others were just acting like marauding gangs. Selfishly taking what they wanted and leaving nothing behind. Then there were others who saw this as an opportunity to rise to power. One such group were the students of Glandus High. Some of the students defected and left for Bonesborough to join their colony since they not only had Abomaton soldiers, and an actual adult leading them, but the last remaining Kamen Rider also resided there. Making Bonesborough and Hexside the safest places to reside in.
Glandus felt differently. They believed the strong should rule over the weak. Considering that many of the students, along with others, lost their parents or someone they cared about with a Coven Sigil, they rationalized it in their minds that those who died were weak. That was probably the only way they could cope with the tragedy, everyone who fell that day died because they were weak, and those who stayed behind had to prove their strength in the new world. In opposition to Bonesborough's Search and Rescue Parties, Glandus led Raiding Parties in an attempt to absorb more kids into their faction and become the dominating power.
We find one such raid on St. Epiderm. The kids of Glandus always felt that St. Epiderm's students looked down on them, both figuratively and literally considering their school was located near the Knee. So, they believed it was time to bring them down a peg or two. Currently, the kids of St. Epiderm were under siege as Glandus kids wielding Construction, Abomination, and Plant magic were breaking down the walls of their school to get into their main courtyard. On the opposite end, St. Epiderm had their own Construction, Abomination, and Plant witches using their own magic to counter Glandus' forces.
There weren't that many who possessed a staff due to the scarcity of Palistrom wood, but those who did have staffs acted as aerial bombers. Those proficient in Potion magic rode along with those who could fly and dropped potion bottles on the courtyard. Each that landed either exploded violently or released vapors into the air that were toxic in various ways. Unlike the kids of St. Epiderm, Glandus came for battle. They were not holding back and had every intention of conquering the school and making it a stronghold.
Three of the Glandus students stepped up, each one had large, crystalline stones tied to their chests. Together, the three students drew spell circles, upon which the stones glowed brightly. As one, the three students thrusted their hands forward, shooting forth three fireballs that were blue, pink, and yellow. However, as soon as the fireball spells were cast, the flaming orbs doubled in power and size. The three witches who cast the spell waved their hands together, weaving the three fireballs into a stream of tri-colored flames that roared straight towards the front gate. The stream of flames impacted the main gate and blew it up, sending debris flying in all directions. The St. Epiderm students that were on the other side were also sent flying; some were badly injured while others were rendered unconscious due to the concussive force of the explosion.
The three Glandus students who cast the spell grinned smugly.
"Faroush, that was awesome!" exclaimed a cyclops demon.
"Yeah, Ban, did you see how big that explosion was! Epic!" replied the lizard girl demon, Faroush."
The third member, a witch girl with long purple hair and green eyes chuckled. She tapped on the stone strapped to her chest and chuckled again.
"These Galderstones were worth the trouble after all," said the witch. "Now, let's storm in and take the school. It'll be our first real conquest before we eventually take the rest of the Boiling Isles!"
Suddenly, a panther roar echoed through the skies, catching the Glandus students by surprise.
"HEADS UP!"
Faroush, Ban, and the lead witch looked up and watched as someone dropped out of the sky. That same someone landed on the ground with enough force to push the light snow that covered the area to be blown away, miraculously, they were not dead from the high altitude drop. The person who dropped out of the sky was in a kneeling position, but slowly they rose to their feet and now gazed upon them with her cat-like eyes.
"Is that…?"
"Oh, fuck, it is!"
The lead witch clicked her tongue and took a step forward. "You must be the 'Defender of the Isles', the last Kamen Rider. Right?"
Amity glared at the three Glandus students and replied, "I am. I hope you didn't think stealing those Galderstones wasn't going to catch our attention?" The Abomination witch paused as she scrutinized the look of the lead witch. "You look familiar to a witch I saw who tried to go after the Galderstones a long time ago."
"Oh, so you met Bria. Well, we look similar because she was my little sister. My name's Mia. And Bria was always the runt of the family. She tried to get stronger by using these." Mia flicked the Gladerstone for emphasis. "But then come to find out, she went and turned into a Phantom. Figures. Even when she became a strong monster, she still wasn't strong enough."
"Bria got devoured by a bigger monster. One that even the other Phantoms feared. Hardly her fault in that regard," Amity pointed out.
"Tch, further proves my point. Only the strong survive. And now we have these stones."
Amity crossed her arms as she noticed the number of Galderstones they had. "Considering how many stones there are at the Looking Glass Graveyard, I'm surprised you didn't come out with more. Why? Couldn't handle a few traps and Matt?"
"I'll admit, the defenses weren't what we were expecting, and that brat caught us off guard. But he wasn't a match for us, and three is plenty. I mean, did you see what we just did to that wall?!"
The teen witch glanced over her shoulder at the demolished gate of St. Epiderm.
"I do see. Which is why you three are going to give back those stones. Afterwards, you're coming with me so we can make sure you don't remember a thing about where the graveyard is," Amity stated.
"We're not like the other witches you might've faced!" Mia threw out her arms, causing her cape to flap open. "We're Glandus high! Every witch here is battle ready and willing to throw down! And with these, I think we're a match for a Kamen Rider!"
Amity laughed at the statement to the point that she bent over and held her stomach. "Oh – HA-HA! – Oh, man, that, that was funny. I haven't had a good laugh in a long while. So, thank you."
Mia growled in frustration as she drew a spell circle and readied to cast a spell. "You think this is a joke?! We have the numbers and the power! You don't stand a chance!"
"If I had a snail for every Phantom who said that. Here's the thing, Mia. What makes you think I came here alone?"
"What…?"
Suddenly, the Glandus student battalion behind the three witches started to fall one after the in rapid succession. The students who were still standing began screaming in fear as they had no idea what was happening to their comrades.
"W-What are you doing?!" Faroush asked in shock.
"I have some strong friends. Now, this can happen one of two ways. You can either give me the stones and give up, I can beat you into the ground and the take the stones. Or…" Amity raised her left hand and underwent a partial transformation, changing her forearm into its Phantom form as she flexed her claws. "I can just kill you and take the stones back. Personally speaking, I'm growing partial to option three. It'll be less work for us to have to dig through your memories than it would be to just kill you here."
"No need, I'll save you the trouble."
"What?!" Faroush and Ban exclaimed.
Mia pointed her hands at both witches and fired off two mana bolt spells. The Gladerstone amplified the power of the spells, transforming what would normally be a small blast into two large beams of energy that exploded their heads off. That honestly took Amity surprise. Mia hurriedly cast a spell to remove the Galderstones from their dead bodies and attached them to her back. Once she had them, Mia's eyes shined with power, with two additional Galderstones, she now had twice the power.
"Wow didn't see that coming," said Amity.
"Don't act like this is a tragedy. If anything, this makes things better for me. I was going to kill them anyway. There was always a chance those two would blab the location, and then others would get the stones. This way the location stays with one person," Mia informed.
Amity furrowed her brow. "You killed your friends, and you don't even care?"
"Friends? HA! They were never my 'friends'! In this world, you only have those are useful, and those who are not!"
Mia's body erupted with magical power as she made the earth beneath her feet rise. Not only rocks and dirt, but Abomination slime, and Oracle spirits started to form around her.
"ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE, THAT'S THE ONLY LAW OF THE LAND NOW! AND THE WEAK SERVE THE STRONG!"
Amity's golden eyes started to glow as she glared daggers at the witch.
"Alright…if that's how it is."
A column of golden flames erupted like a fiery volcano around Amity, blowing the witch away from the shockwave it generated. Mia was thrown to the ground and growled as she propped herself back up. However, the Glandus witch paused as she watched Amity transform into her Phantom form. Not only that, but the Abomination slime that Mia had summoned now glowed and moved towards Amity. The slime began to change, breaking off and transforming into a small army of flame armored Abomination golems.
"If the strong rule the weak, then I guess that means you bow down to me," Amity proclaimed.
Mia gazed upon the small army of Abominations, and the Cat Phantom before her. The Glandus witch felt something just then that she hadn't felt in a long while. Fear. True fear. The world started to spin around Mia as she got lightheaded and weaker, and after a few seconds, Mia lost consciousness and collapsed onto the ground.
"Seems you're not going to die today." Amity released her Phantom form and swiped her hand through the air.
The space behind Mia became distorted, and within seconds it peeled away and revealed two beings. The beings were two huge basilisks, both had gorged themselves on the magic of the Glandus students, and had done the same to Mia, but neither of the basilisks made a move for Amity.
"Thank you for your assistance, Treya, Iva."
"No problem, Amity," said the tallest of the two basilisks, Iva (IV).
"After what Luz did for us, and Vee, we're happy to help you any way we can," said Treya (III).
"Hopefully, I won't need to ask you to do things like this for me again. And Gus, great work with the Illusions as always," Amity called out.
The air distorted again and peeled away to reveal Gus as he took a bow. "Had to pay them back for roughing up Matt."
"Alright, let's get them rounded up and head back to Bonesborough."
Another day, another group of kids who thought they could start ruling the Boiling Isles. Things weren't going to get good anytime soon, and Amity needed to stay strong to continue improving her power and strength. Amity would train at the ceremonial grounds where the Day of Unity took place. It served as a good place for her to cut loose with her powers since no one wanted to come here. As far as anyone was concerned, the grounds were cursed since everyone they knew and loved died here.
In a morbid way, it served as motivation for Amity to never forget, to never forgive. To keep the flames of vengeance burning bright. The structure where the Day of Unity was held was wrecked from the constant release of power from Amity. Her training here served as a kind of demolition of the area. On top of that, she could see the Titan's Skull in the distance. Remembering that it was in there that her love had been taken away.
There were several times when Amity considered remaking the portal. But one of the key ingredients in creating a Portal Door was the blood of a Titan. When she went searching for it the first time at Eclipse Lake, there was none. She doubted there would be another well of Titan Blood anywhere. Or if there was it was well hidden either deep underground, or in some remote area of the island. Unfortunately, her current duties didn't allow her time to search for Titan's Blood. There was too much work to do. Of course, Amity knew where a fresh supply of it was readily available since King was a Titan. But Amity wasn't sure just how much of his blood would be needed. On top of that, would it even be potent enough for a portal to be made? Considering he had awakened to his Titan Cry not too long ago, it was possible that King's blood may have power, but it's potency might be greater when he was older and could access more of his magical, godlike powers.
Maybe then the two of us could go to the Human Realm and kill Belos together. Me as a Phantom Kamen Rider, and King as a full-powered Titan. We could toy with him like a cat with a mouse and make him suffer just before we kill him!
It was a comforting thought, but at the same time, Amity knew it would take a long time before the Boiling Isles regained even some semblance of normal.
Eda will only grow older and older as time passes by. It's going to be on us, the older kids, to keep everything going. We'll have to be the adults that keep this society going. Otherwise…
"HEY, AMITY!"
"WHA!"
Amity pointed her staff in the direction of the voice, firing a burst of magical energy. However, when Amity saw who it was, she quickly made the beam veer to the right just in time for it to strike the wall on the far side.
"Whew…KING! WHAT THE HELL?! I ALMOST KILLED YOU!" Amity shouted.
Amity quickly ran to him and got down on her knees to inspect him.
"Are you alright? You're not hurt are you?" she asked.
"No, I'm okay, really," he affirmed.
"Titan dammit. I've told you, and everyone else, to not come inside here when I'm training. So, what's wrong? Is there something going on?"
King tapped his claws together as he glanced down for a moment. "Amity…you said once that if you had the chance, you'd go and kill Belos, right? That you'd make him pay for what he did to Luz and everyone?"
Amity raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Yes, I did. And I meant it. Why are you asking?"
"…Because I think I might've found a way to do it. To get you to the Human Realm and finally get him back for what he did," King answered.
Amity's eyes widened. "King…Don't lie to me. If there's one thing I don't need you to play or joke around about, it's that."
"I'm not lying…Amity. I…I think I found someone who can help. It's taken all this time, but I think I found the answer. Not just to get back at Belos, but even to help fix up things around here," King explained.
Now Amity was even more confused. Who could have the power to fix everything here, and help Amity cross over to the Human Realm to exact her revenge?
"King, who are you talking about?"
"Come with me back to the Skull, and I'll show you."
Amity stood up and turned her gaze on the Titan's Skull. It would figure the same place that was marked with tragedy, would be where this supposed solution to their problems could be found.
"Alright." Amity twirled Ghost around and had her staff hover as she mounted it. "Let's go."
Amity had not been inside of the Skull since that awful day. According to Eda, King had been coming back here time and again searching for something. Perhaps this is solution he spoke of was what he had been searching for during these last six months. But if that was the case, why wouldn't he have told them? Why keep it a secret?
"Okay, we're here, now what?" she asked.
"We have to go down there." King pointed down into the black abyss with his claw. "All the way down."
Amity felt uneasy about this but decided to do as he said. She took out a Light Glyph paper and activated it, creating an orb of light that followed them as she descended into the darkness. Further and further into the abyss they sank, leaving the bridge where the battle between the three magical Riders and Another Inquisitor took place. The bridge was so distant now, and the abyss seemed to stretch on forever. However, Amity was starting to see something below. After a few minutes of descent, they were now hovering over the floor of the chasm. Amity's eyes widened when she saw what was done there.
Several bones were scattered across the ground. Not just bones, but torn cloaks, degrading pieces of clothing, and masks. Amity recognized those masks. Some varied in detail, but the overall design was the same. They were all masks that belonged to the Golden Guard, or rather, past Golden Guards. This was where they all had been, this was where all the Golden Guards who betrayed Belos wound up. Discarded, like pieces of trash. Amity placed her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp as she made the realization that this was essentially a graveyard.
"So many…" Amity whispered.
"Yeah…it's kinda creepy. All these Golden Guard masks. I guess they betrayed him, or did something to make him do this," said King.
"…So, what is it that you found in this place that'll solve our problems?"
"Over here."
King hopped off the staff and walked towards a little alcove. Amity followed close behind him, and as they got closer, she noticed there was a disk-like object resting amongst the piles of bones.
"I'm back, just like I promised," said King.
Just then, the disk glowed faintly, and from the disc a shadow emerged, and began flying across the walls and flower, making Amity get on edge.
"W-What the – who–!?"
"Amity, it's okay, calm down," King urged.
The shadow finally settled and remained on the wall as it looked down at them.
}King! You did come back,{ said the shadow.
"I told you I would. This is my friend, Amity. The girl I told you about," King remarked as he gestured towards Amity.
The shadow slid onto the floor and circled around her. Amity had to tense her body to prevent herself from instinctively attacking the shadow.
}Wow, she's more different than you said! She's, like, something else. Now that's really cool!{ the shadow exclaimed.
"Y-Yeah, Collector, calm down a second buddy," said King.
"COLLECTOR?!" Amity shouted.
Amity gripped her staff firmly between her hands as it began to glow with magical energy. The corners of her eyes started to wisp with golden flames as she glared at the shadow.
"Whoa! Amity, stop! It's not what you think!"
"KING, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THAT'S THE COLLECTOR! HE'S THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR HELPING BELOS CREATE THE DRAINING SPELL! IT'S ALL HIS FAULT!" Amity yelled.
}Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey!{ the Collector's shadow form went up to the wall and glared at Amity. }First of all, don't yell at my friend! Second, if you mean Philip, then he tricked me too! He said he was my friend, and I helped him, he promised to let me out! But that total fibber threw me over the bridge and down here! I thought I'd be here forever, alone…Until King found me!{
Amity looked back at King with an expression that demanded – no – screamed she needed an explanation.
"I've been…hearing him. Hearing the Collector's voice," said King.
"Since when?" Amity inquired.
"Since Titan Trapper Island," King confessed. "I didn't tell Luz or Eda, anyone really. Mostly because I didn't know what it meant. But after the Day of Unity, I understood. The ritual that they had me undergo connected me to the Collector. I could hear him without being near this disk thing."
King lowered his head as he moved closer to the wall where the Collector's shadow was.
"…After Luz died…I didn't know what to do. I…I'm a Titan. I'm supposed to be this super powerful being, able to create life and whatever, and when my big sister needed me the most…I couldn't do anything to help her…"
King began to sniffle and shed a few tears. The Collector may not have met Luz, but even he could see that King was upset by what happened. Amity lowered her staff and dismissed Ghost as she walked over, got down on one knee, and brought King into a hug. She hadn't talked much to King after Luz's death, as she was mostly busy, and he was apparently doing his own thing. He looked up to Luz, not just as a hero, but also as his family. Her loss hurt him deeply, even more so knowing what he was, a Titan, a living god, and despite having this knowledge, lacked the power to save someone he cared deeply about.
Amity knew that pain all too well. It was the same for her. All her power as a witch and a Rider, and yet, she couldn't save the girl she loved. As strange as it sounded, there was comfort in that shared pain. Amity released King and wiped his tears before wiping away her own.
"I'm sorry…I should've…I should've talked to you more. We were all hurting, but you were hurting more," said Amity.
"No, don't be. You were in love with her. Bast lost her best friend, and you lost your girlfriend. That's what caused you two to become one, right," King remarked.
Amity placed her left hand over her chest. "It did."
"I remembered you saying that you would make Belos pay if you had the chance. So, one day, I decided to reach out to the Collector through my dreams. It took some time, but I eventually managed to connect with him."
}Yeah! King's told me all about the cool adventures you and Luz had! And I want the Philip fibber to pay for breaking his pinkie promise!{
Amity stood up and looked at the Collector's shadow. "And you're saying you have the power to do it?"
}Yep! I can create a portal that will send you right to the Human Realm! Then you can give ol' Philly a good thrashing for breaking his promise and hurting your friends!{
The Abomination witch narrowed her gaze, weary of the Collector's offer. "What's the catch? There's no way I can believe someone supposedly as powerful as you would just do this for nothing."
}Hey, I'm not Philip! I don't break my pinkie promises!{ the Collector retorted as he crossed his arms as if offended.
"I promised him that I'd free him if he'd help us. I told him all about the things Belos – Philip – broke, and if he'd help us in fixing them, I would be his best friend," King further explained.
Amity didn't like the sound of that. It was like King was offering up his life in exchange. "King…have you told Eda about this?"
"No. Just you."
"Why only me?"
"Because you're the only one who has a chance of beating him. Because out of all of us, you know how much it hurts to feel powerless to stop someone from killing someone you love. And that's why, if you say so, I won't go through with it," King stated.
}W-W-Wait, what?! But Kiiiiiinnnnggg!{ the Collector whined.
"It doesn't mean anything if Amity's not onboard. She's my friend, too, Collector. Like another big sister. This isn't my decision to make alone, buddy. It's hers too." King shifted his gaze back to Amity. "What do you say? This may be the only chance we ever get."
When Amity woke up this morning, she didn't think this was going to be something she had to consider. The chance to finally get back at Belos, to make him pay for what he had done. It was right here in front of her, and all she had to do…was to sell King's soul to some child god.
"What do you want King?" Amity asked.
"I want to release him. He's been hurt by Belos, same as us. False promises made to get what he wanted out of everyone. I'm ready to do this, I've made my decision about this a long time ago. I just want your…blessing…I guess."
Amity glanced back at the Collector's shadow. "Collector. I need you to promise me something too."
}Hmm? What?{
"If I agree to release you. I need you to promise me that you will not hurt anyone in the Demon Realm. Not King, not our friends, not anyone. Well, unless they want to hurt people…but that's a different story. If you agree to this, then I'll have King let you out, but you have to…to…" Amity thought about it for a moment, the Collector was like a child, so she had to think like a child would. "You have to pinkie swear!"
The Collector's shadow let out a gasp. }A pinkie swear?! That's, like, bigger than a pinkie promise!{
"Exactly. A promise is something you shouldn't break. But a pinkie swear is more binding, more sacred. It means I'm trusting you completely to uphold your end of the deal. Understand?" Amity asked.
The Collector, surprisingly, looked shocked to hear this. }Wow…no one's ever asked me to do a pinkie swear before! O-Okay! I pinkie swear I'll do what you say! I won't hurt anyone!{
Amity felt as if she was going to regret this later somehow. "Okay, King, do it."
King nodded and ran over to where the Collector's disk was. The shadow of the Collector flew across the wall and went back to the disk. King extended his pinkie claw towards the disk as a magic circle appeared beneath him. An ethereal light began to illuminate the dark space as a finger exited the disk and hooked itself around King's claw. King pulled back and as he did, a being in a glowing cloak emerged from the disk. Once their body had fully emerged, the disk snapped in half. King took a few steps back and watched as the cloaked figure's light dimmed, revealing their true form.
"I'M FREE! I'M FREE!" the Collector shouted in joy.
"…He really is a child," Amity observed.
"It's been so long! Way, waaaay too long!" The Collector swooped down and grabbed King by his claw and brought them into the air as they spun around. "I can finally touch things! Talk to people! And play games and have fun!"
The Collector stopped his spinning and brought King back to the floor of the cave. He stumbled around for a few seconds before Amity knelt behind him and steadied the little Titan. The Collector floated closer to Amity and King and smiled appreciatively at them.
"You really did it! You promised, and you did it!"
"Yes, we did," said Amity.
"I like you, Amity! So, I think I'm going to do something even better than sending you to beat up Philip."
"Wait, what do you mean? You promised that you could send me to the Human Realm so I could fight Belos!" Amity exclaimed.
The Collector waved his hands back and forth in a stopping motion. "Whoa, hold on. I'm not saying I won't. I'm just saying I want to do something nice for you and King, in addition to our promise. You guys have been talking about this 'Luz' person a lot. And I remember Philip saying how she was a real pain in his butt. I wanna meet her!"
"Collector, buddy, I told you. Luz…Luz is dead."
"You mean she's broken."
"No, he means she's dead. Gone…forever," Amity clarified.
"Pfft. Nah, I can just bring her back if she's gone somewhere. Although, I will need know what she looks like first."
King and Amity glanced at each other. Surely the Collector was joking. Did he really have the power to reverse death itself?
"Collector, do you…not know what death is?" Amity questioned.
"It's just another way of saying something's broken. And when a toy gets broken, you just fix it, good as new," the Collector answered.
Amity's brow furrowed as she stood up and summoned Ghost.
"You need to follow me."
Amity, with King and the Collector in tow, flew to the mass grave site of the people who died on the Day of Unity. The Collector gazed upon the many graves that were sprawled out from here to the horizon.
"Whoa…What's all this?" he asked.
"Collector, when you say when a toy is 'broken', to us, that means death. When a person can longer draw breath. When their heart stops beating. When…When they're completely destroyed. That is death to us. The Draining Spell you taught Belos, it drained the magic and lifeforce of the witches with the sigils," Amity explained.
"Yeah, I know, that's what Philip wanted," the Collector remarked.
"And did you stop to think for a second what that meant?" she asked.
"Like what?"
"Like how sad it would make those left behind feel? To see their parents, big brothers and sisters just lie down and die? Never to get back up ever again?"
The Collector went silent as he pondered Amity's words and looked out at the graves below. "You're saying…there are people there?"
"We buried all the people who died during the Draining Spell, Collector. They're all there. Every stone represents a person who died," King added.
The three of them continued to fly until they arrived at the statues of Hunter and Luz. Amity walked up to Luz's statue and gestured towards it.
"This is Luz Noceda. The girl I loved. King's big sister. Kamen Rider Witch. She fought Belos to stop the Draining Spell…and lost her life in the process," said Amity.
The Collector landed next to Amity and King and looked up at the statue of the girl, and at her Rider form. "She looks cool."
"She was," King confirmed.
"If you miss her so much, why don't you just bring her back?" he asked.
"Because we can't, Collector. None us have the power you do," Amity remarked.
King looked at his claws and balled them into fists. "And if I do…I don't know how. I'm a Titan, but my powers…my magic, I don't know how to use it all yet."
The Collector walked up to King and patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, it's alright! We're friends now, King! And friends help friends! You'll definitely be able to do some super, awesome, amazing things when you get your full powers. Heck, when that happens, you'll be stronger than me."
"Wait, what?" King questioned.
"Yeah, Titan magic cancels out my magic, that's why you guys are so cool! There's no one else like you," The Collector explained.
"Huh…interesting," Amity commented.
The Collector nodded. "But anyway, I'll just bring Luz back now that I know what she looks like!"
The god child raised his right hand and then snapped his fingers. Amity and King glanced about, waiting for something to happen.
"Huh? Hold on." The Collector snapped his fingers again. "What?"
Again, and again the Collector snapped his fingers, but nothing seemed to happen.
"Um…what are you doing?" King asked.
"I'm trying to bring Luz back! But…ugh! Something's wrong!" the Collector complained.
The little god child snapped his fingers and transmogrified one of the gravestones into a pile of gnomes. One of which uttered the word, "Shmebulock!" With another snap of his fingers, the pile of gnomes reformed back into the gravestone from earlier.
"Ha! Okay, see, that's what should happen! But less gnomes, and more her being here." The Collector placed his hands on his hips as he tapped his foot. "Hang on, let me see something."
The Collector pushed down his cap over his eyes, which only further confused King and Amity. The little god child jerked his head this way and that, as if he was looking for something. A full minute passed, and the Collector was looking frustrated. A second minute passed, and his frustration shifted to dismay. After the third minute, the Collector pushed his cap back up and revealed his sad face.
"What's wrong?" King asked.
"Uh…I…I don't see it," said the Collector.
"See what?" Amity urged.
"You know how some things, like you and King, have this glowy light inside of you? Like it's shaped like you, looks like you, but you guys normally can't see it. Ugh, what was the word someone used…?"
"…Soul?" Amity answered.
"Yeah! That! Soul! Normally when I snap my fingers, that appears first and then the rest comes after! But…I can't find it."
"Wait…are you talking about Luz's soul? What do you mean you can't find it?" Amity pushed as she started to feel anxious.
"I looked in all the normal places that mortal souls go. But I couldn't find hers. It's…It's like it's just gone. Like it never existed…I…this is the first time this has happened…"
That was impossible, the Collector had to be lying. At least that's what King and Amity thought. There was no way that Luz's soul was just gone. They didn't know what Luz believed in, but surely a girl as good, heroic, and kind as her would have her soul end up in a place that was paradise. Surely she deserved that after all she had done.
"Then look again! She must be there somewhere!" Amity insisted.
"I check over a trillion and one times just now, I can't find her…" The Collector fell on his rear, as the reality of this sunk in. "I…I can't bring her back. I…this never happened before."
"No way…W-What could've done that?! Maybe…Maybe her soul went back to the Human Realm?! Maybe Human Realm souls and Demon Realm souls go to different places when they die?!" King suggested.
Amity wracked her brain as she tried to come up with an explanation for this. Her mind flashed back to that day, and Amity recalled the words that Belos spoke when he was about to kill Luz.
"I see. Your soul is too corrupted. I can't allow you to defile the afterlife with your presence! Begone from this world…"
"That bastard…he did this…" Amity gasped as she fell to her knees as fresh tears began to fall. "Belos didn't just kill Luz…he…he erased her body and soul…I…I didn't realize it until just now…the words he spoke. It wasn't just a threat to end her life, he truly meant he was going to make sure her very soul was also destroyed along with her body!"
King's eyes widened to the size of saucer plates as the weight of Amity's words fell on him. Killing someone by destroying their body was one thing, but King had never heard of someone killing someone, literally, body and soul. It drove the point home that Luz was truly gone in all sense of the word. Belos even denied them the comfort of believing that Luz's soul resided in a better place.
"Why…Why would Philip do something that mean? I…I don't get it…"
Amity growled as she rushed towards the Collector and grabbed him by his clothes as she glared at him with her glowing eyes. "BECAUSE HE WANTED TO HURT US! WANTED TO HURT LUZ SO MUCH THAT HE MADE SURE THAT SHE COULD NEVER COME BACK! HE DENIED HER THE PEACE THAT SHOULD COME AFTER DEATH! AND NOW HE'S DENIED US THE THOUGHT THAT HER SOUL WAS IN A BETTER PLACE! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?! BELOS…PHILIP…IS EVIL! HE USED YOU TO KILL SO MANY PEOPLE!"
The brunette witch hoisted the god child up and made him look towards the multitude of graves.
"LOOK! THIS IS WHAT HE HAD YOU DO! YOU HELPED HIM 'BREAK' ALL THESE PEOPLE AND MADE SO MANY OF THEM SAD!" Amity forced the Collector to look her in the eyes again as she continued. "I understand that you have powers and magic beyond anything we can comprehend. Beyond what I'm capable of. But for us puny mortals, when someone dies, that's it! They don't come back! What you're feeling now! It's the realization that that person can't and won't' ever come back! And now…now we know…Luz is gone forever…"
Amity slowly fell back to her knees and gently released the Collector as she sobbed again. King walked up the witch girl and hugged her as best he could, joining her in her cry.
The Collector once again gazed out towards the graves, and then back to Luz's statue. This was how mortals lived every day. Knowing that they would die and could never come back. And he helped Philip in taking away so many people from life.
"I…I helped do this…? I…I helped him hurt all these people…? W-What?" The Collector felt something on his face, and when he reached up to see what it was, he found his eyes were watering. "W-What's going on…? Why…Why are my eyes leaking…? W-Why does my chest hurt…"
Amity and King looked at the Collector, noticing his confusion.
"You're sad…Collector," King answered.
"And when you're sad, you cry," Amity added.
"Is this…Is this how you feel? How everyone felt?"
King nodded. "For Amity…and me…it hurts more. Luz was like my big sister. But for Amity, they were in love."
"I…I'm sorry," the Collector apologized. "I…I didn't understand…I…"
Amity let the anger she had settle as she reached out with her hand and brought the Collector into a gentle hug.
"Belos tricked you. He preyed on your innocence. He lied and manipulated you. Just like he did to everyone on the Boiling Isles. Until Luz arrived, we all believed his lies. If it wasn't for her, me, and everyone else who's left would be dead as well. The entire Boiling Isles would have no one left aside from the bugs and beast demons left on it," said Amity.
The Collector started to cry harder as he pressed his face into Amity's chest. It seemed, for the first time in his eternal life, the Collector felt true remorse for his actions, and sadness.
A few minutes passed as the three sat in front of Luz's statue. The Collector calmed down as he finally came to terms with his actions in helping Belos with the Draining Spell.
"I'm sorry I couldn't bring her back…but…I think I can do it for everyone here," said the Collector. "I saw their 'souls,' and it wouldn't take long for me to bring 'em back."
Amity thought about that for a minute. Recalling Willow's attempt at raising the dead using Grimwalkers. "Keep that to yourself for now, Collector. But…we could use your help with improving things here. There are a lot of kids out here that need help, who need a reason to live. They…They need hope."
"You still want me to help?"
"You helped Belos, but he lied to you. That doesn't make you bad. The fact that you understand what you did means you're on the right path," said King. "For now, let's just keep that part about helping Belos a secret between me, Amity, and Eda. We don't want everyone being afraid of you."
The Collector nodded.
"You may not be able to bring back Luz. But you can at least help me another way," said Amity.
"What? How?"
"I want to play a game. One that I've been waiting to play for six long months…Hunt the Witch Hunter."
The Collector looked up at Amity and asked, "You still want to go to the Human Realm?"
Amity nodded.
"When you do…you're going to…kill Philip, right?"
Again, she nodded.
"Isn't killing bad? Like all of this?"
The Collector really was a child. Amity turned to him and said, "Yes. It is. I won't lie to you and say that it's a simple matter of it being good or bad. Sometimes, you are faced with an impossible situation that forces you to commit such an act. Others, like Belos, don't care at all and make excuses in their minds and to everyone as to why killing someone is right. And then there are people, who are so vile, so evil, so corrupted, that they pose a danger to everyone and everything you love dearly."
"Like Philip," the Collector answered.
"Like Philip," Amity confirmed. "In the Human Realm, Luz still has family. A mom who doesn't even know Luz is gone. And Belos has had six months to roam around that world doing Titan knows what. I couldn't protect Luz…but I want to try and protect what's left of her family. And that means going to the Human Realm…and killing Belos once and for all. So that he can never lie to anyone, or hurt anyone, ever again."
The Collector slowly stood up and dusted off his clothes.
"Okay."
"You mean?" King questioned.
"I'll send you to the Human Realm. I don't completely understand, but I do get that Philip is a bad person. And that he's hurt a lot of people. I don't want that to keep happening," he said.
"Can you send me there now?" Amity asked.
"Wait, right now?!" King exclaimed. "W-What about Willow, Gus, and Skara? What about telling Eda?!"
"I'm sorry, King, but this needs to happen now." Amity stood up and narrowed her eyes. "I've waited far too long for this. I'm not about to wait a moment longer. Collector, please, make the portal."
The Collector nodded his head. He clapped his hands together and then thrusted them forward. A blast of sparkling magical energy was released from his hands and struck the space in front of them. The energy began to take shape, transforming itself into a doorway similar to the Portal Door. Except this door had a big yellow star on it and was littered with sparkles and moon symbols. The Collector floated up to Amity and opened his right hand. A flash of magical energy went off, and a moment later a key appeared.
"I made this like the door that Philip had. It'll take you to the same place he went. When you want to come back, press down on the star three times. The door will appear, and you can come back any time," the Collector explained.
Amity gratefully took the key from the Collector and patted his head while smiling at him. "Thank you, Collector."
"Amity…"
The brunette witch looked down and knelt so that she was near King's height.
"You're really going?"
"I am."
"You didn't stand a chance last time," he said.
"I know. But when I merged with Bast, I became stronger. Since that day, I've only gotten stronger and stronger. I've been training and fighting for this moment, King. I'll come back. I promise."
King hugged Amity one last time, still fearful that he might lose Amity too.
"You better come back, or I'll have the Collector bring you back just so I can bite you!"
Amity smiled as she hugged the little Titan tighter. "I don't want that."
After breaking the hug, Amity gently kissed the top of King's head before standing up and walking to the door. Amity Blight took a deep breath. This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for. Now it was here. Now she could go and wreak vengeance on Belos. The fact that she knew that he had erased Luz's soul and body just added more fuel to the fire inside of her, and with that fire she would light his funeral pyre.
"For you…Luz."
Amity gripped the knob, twisted it, and opened the door. A flash of light went off, and Amity jumped through the doorway. Once she had, the door slammed shut behind her and folded up until it was gone.
"You think you're ready to help bring hope back to the Isles, buddy?" King asked.
The Collector looked up at the statue of Luz and of Witch. "That's what she did, right?"
"Yeah. She was the Bringer of Hope," King affirmed.
"Okay…I dunno if I can, but…I'll try."