[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 Raging Flame of Battle]
Luz had no time at all to avoid the flaming helicopter kick that was aimed directly at the right side of her head. The best she was able to do was quickly move her arms up to block it. As the side of Cody's foot made contact with the two forearms that made the block, a burning sensation coated her arms as she bit back the pained howl that was building up in her throat, all the while she was launched to the side, slamming into the side of the tree closest to her.
Her arms slumped to her side, the flames coating her hands as Vines sprouted in an attempt to smother the fire—which barely worked, mind you. Luz had no idea what she was supposed to do in this situation, further compounded by the fact that Cody did not let up. As a matter of fact, he pressed forward, grabbed her by the throat, picked her up, and launched her into the air with a throw that no human should have been able to pull off without some form of super strength. Yet, Cody managed it.
For what felt like an eternity, Luz found herself floating in the air. For the split second that gravity did not permit her existence on solid ground, she was able to catch the bloodlust in Cody's eyes. It was ravenous, like a predator looking for food, and that now it had found its prey, it decided to wear it out. Play with it for a while until it was ready to eat.
And that terrified her.
Instead of floating there and doing nothing, in the split second that it took for Cody to seemingly begin to crouch down to propel himself up to her, Luz, despite her badly burned hands, flexed her charred fingers, biting down on her tongue to prevent her scream from slipping out. Cody stared up at her, incredulously, almost as if to tell her that what she was doing was stupid.
She knew that, but, she had to try something. As the vines extended, rather than go for Cody himself, they diverted to the two trees surrounding him. With relative and shocking ease, her vines ripped the trees out from the ground, shocking Cody, as they were thrown in his direction, all the while Luz was able to land on her feet, if only for a moment, before quickly falling to a knee as her chest burned with pain.
The two trees came dangerously close to Cody, and in response, he crouched into a ball, and second later, he sprung out from his balled-up form, as a burst of flame exploded out from his body like a bomb, blowing the trees up into shrapnel. Some of the scattered pieces of bark and wood stabbed into his shoulders and back, though they immediately caught on fire and turned to ash, the shallow puncture wounds being cauterized immediately afterward.
Luz, however, did not let that stop her from immediately acting while he was momentarily distracted, shooting out her vines toward the nearest large rock, wrapping her vines around it, pulling it out of the ground, and throwing it Cody's way in an attempt to smack him upside the head. Cody, in response, stuck his hand out toward the rock, blasted one ball of fire at it, and destroyed it into pieces.
Before Luz could follow it up with something, Cody cleared the distance between himself and Luz and threw an uppercut, hitting her directly in the jaw, and sending her off the ground. Before she could try and reorientate herself, Cody blasted her with a short-range burst of flame, the propulsion of which sent her back down to the ground, before being immediately stomped on by Cody smack in the center of her torso.
The force of the stomp caused her to spit up a few specks of saliva, mixed with blood. Her vision immediately blurred, only catching the rye smirk on Cody's face. "Is this all you've got?" Cody mocked, drilling the heel of his shoe into her, which let the pained wail escape her lungs, prompting Cody's smile to grow wider.
"I've always loved the screams of the dying. Call it a fucked up thing about me, but, I mean, it's like a final message, you know?" Cody said, before stomping down on her torso yet again. This time, a crack followed the sound of him stomping down, which implied that either one or multiple of her ribs cracked or broke. Neither of which was a good thing. "I could so easily kill you right here, right now. But, that would just be disappointing…" Cody drawled, a sinister twinkle in his right eye. "But I want to play some more~!"
And then, the onslaught began.
With the tip of his foot, he ripped her from the ground, all 100 pounds of her body without so much as breaking a sweat, and as she hovered in the air, Cody palmed her square in the chest. Where his hand met the impact zone, a faint orange glow emitted from underneath his palm, as the air distorted around the area.
A burst of flame, bright, orange, and red hot, launched Luz back even further through gaps in the trees. But, that wasn't all. Cody kept up with her propulsion, landing blow after blow. Jab, punch, kick, followed by another punch, ended with a swift uppercut sending her into the sky. Blood trailed from her mouth and nose, a distorted look of pain coating her whole expression.
But Cody was not done. He stopped, just underneath her, and with that monstrous glare in his eye, and his all too predatory smile, his entire arm transformed into pure fire. Using his normal hand, he shaped the fire into the shape of a bow, his hand being the arrow. All of this was done in less than a second, her eyes having a hard time keeping track of his movements.
Cody got down on one knee, before loudly declaring what it was he was going to do. The name of his attack. And it sounded just as devastating as it was going to be.
"Armageddon Arrow!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the flaming arrow shot up at Luz, striking her in the stomach. The force of the attack was enough to cause her eyes to roll back, but that wasn't where it ended. The arrow exploded into a pillar of flames, that congealed into a ball and imploded within. A shockwave loud enough to be heard across the forest echoed out, blasting away all of the nearby trees's leaves, and even knocking a few smaller trees down in the process.
Cody stared up at the marvel of his handiwork, his chest heaving up and down as sweat trickled down his face. Despite the spectacle, all he cared about was seeing the results. And once the flames were gone, there was nothing but burning embers remaining.
Cody smirked, turning his arm back to normal, dropping it to his side as he stood up straight. But as a few seconds passed, a frown took up his visage. "That was almost too easy," Cody commented, narrowing his eyes. For some reason, he refused to believe that this was the end. After what he had heard from Kennedy, he was supposed to worry about Luz Noceda.
But why? She was so weak. So unbelievably pathetic. He wanted to be proven wrong, especially because of the way that Kennedy spoke of her. As if she was a dangerous threat. And here he was being proven right about his previous assumption of her being nothing more than an ant to be stepped on. She was dead with nothing to show for it. Not even a single piece of clothing remained. That should have been the end of it.
So why, oh why, did he believe that it wasn't over?
Simple…
He had watched one too many anime to know that someone with such a power would die that easily.
And he was right.
Out of the corner of his eye, vines shot out toward him as they went to wrap around his neck. He burnt them to a crisp with the wave of a hand, before turning on his heel and blocking a punch by grabbing the fist that it belonged to. He stared down the person whom he was assigned to kill, the entire right half of her face practically burned to a crisp, and yet despite that, here she stood.
But that wasn't all that was burned. The entire right side of her body, save for anything past her mid-torso, was burned heavily. To the point where the skin was molten, or what was left of it anyway. She was even missing an eye, and the skin around the right side of her mouth was gone, only showing burnt muscle and charred teeth. And yet, despite the life-ending damage to her body, she stared him down, him holding back the fist that she had swung at him.
Only one question bounced around in Cody's mind, and it was a rather important question at that. "How are you alive?" Cody asked though he received no response. Just a simple grunt, and the flare of a single crimson eye. That caught Cody off guard, and not because there was only one eye, but because of the colour of it. "Crimson? Weren't her eyes a golden brown?" And just as he thought that he was met with a strong enough force to push him back. He skidded back a few feet before being met with a whip across the face by five vines. They didn't hurt, but they did sting.
"Enough of this!" Cody spat, before flinging another fireball her way. In response, she created a shield of vines just as tall as her, and when they burned away, Cody had to brace himself. Why? Because a giant fist made of vines was coming his way. It slammed into his stomach, causing him to go flying backward into a tree, only stopping from taking most of the impact by propelling flames from his back.
More sweat began to drip from his forehead as his breathing hastened. He was beginning to overheat. Pyrokensis was a strong power, he knew that from the day he awakened it six months ago. But, it came with a heavy drawback. The more he used his flames, the more hot his internals would get, to the point where his body would begin to melt from the inside out.
Right now, if he were to put a thermometer up to his mouth, the mercury inside would skyrocket to the point where it would explode out of the other end. That was how hot he was right now. If he used his Pyrokensis any longer, he would run the risk of overheating. And if he overheated, then he would most likely die from heat stroke or worse.
But, even so, he had to kill Luz Noceda. Both because he wanted to, and because the lives of his parents were being held over his head. Not to mention his freedom. And he would do anything to be free. Even if it meant killing everyone else, he wouldn't care. Besides, it wasn't like he gave a rat's ass about anyone else here.
Just as he was about to outstretch his hand to blast Luz with a wave of fire, his vision was blocked by a charred hand. In the center of that hand, smack in the middle of its palm, there was a hole. It wasn't even the size of a dime, and now, he was staring it down.
Time began to slow down around him, as he could make out every detail of the charred palm. It was so close to his face, and it was nearly touching him. Through the fingers, he could see Luz's sole remaining eye, and deep within it bore a hatred and rage unlike anything that had seen before.
It even rivalled his fathers at times.
At that moment, Cody knew he was going to die. There was nothing he could do about it. He had no time to react, and the worst part was that he knew that not only was he going to die, but he was also going to lose his power. The hole began to glow a deep red as the charred hand made contact with the center of his face. He felt the searing agony of the charred skin burn his flesh, as Luz's fingers wrapped around the top of his forehead, and squeezed as if her life depended on it.
And finally, after all of that was done, only a single word left his opponent's face. One so chilling, so haunting, that it would be left engrained into his soul for the rest of his life. It wasn't just a word. It was a command. An order. From a higher being to another lower lifeform.
"Die."
And then, as that word entered his ears and filled his mind, he was met with a pain that he could not describe. Black and red lightning danced over the charged hand, as he felt the excruciating pain of what he imagined being torn apart felt like. A howling scream escaped his lungs, but it didn't last for long as he grabbed onto Luz's wrist, clawing at the charred skin.
But it was all for naught. His hands slumped, along with the rest of his limp body. The moment that he did, flames began to coat Luz's arm, travelling up it like a spiral as they burst to life, covering it from fingertip to shoulder. Before anything else could happen, the flames erupted from her arm in a thick collum, reducing Cody and the center of every tree spanning for at least twenty feet into nothing but ashes in the wind.
When the fires died, Luz lowered her charred arm, narrowing her lone eye. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, and she knew the moment it ended, she'd collapse and more than likely die. As much as she disliked the idea, she needed to either force Arla to use her power, or, straight up steal it from her unprompted if she didn't.
It was a gross idea and one that made her feel sick. But, at this point, she didn't care. She just needed to be healed. That, and she needed to regroup with everyone else. And so, she reached inside of herself and pulled at the string connected to Pyrokensis.
It was strange, how she immediately knew which one was which. And it was also strange how her stolen powers were categorized by strings. But, it made sense. After all, if powers looked like strings to her when they were still attached to their original hosts, it made sense if it remained the same way once she stole them. Either way, it was something she'd have to ask the nuisance in her head at a later date.
The fire began to build at the bottoms of her feet, and as she got into a sprinting stance, the flames began to build and build. "The others. Must make it to the others." And with that, a loud boom resounded from the forest, as an explosion of flame propelled her forward kicked up dust and left a small crater in her wake.
She would not let them die.
She could not let them die.
No matter what it would cost her.
And if they were already dead?
She would kill whoever killed them, and then, the rest of the sorry fucks who called them allies or friends.
Meanwhile, back where Stanley and the other attackers had been, Stanley swung a swift right hook for Amber's face, the strength of which was enough to leave a lasting dent in the side of her face. Saliva rocketed out of her mouth as she was sent colliding into a tree, before being promptly kicked in the torso immediately afterward, rendering her unconscious.
Hilbert jumped backward, narrowing his eyes as swiped at Stanley's direction multiple times, sending several air-slashes his way, all of which washed over him, doing basically nothing other than making him flinch. Lucas followed it up by wrapping his right arm with string, pulling it up in the air. Lucas tugged, trying to cut into his skin… only for the strings to snap.
"WHAT?!" Both Lucas and Hilbert thought simultaneously, as Stanley smiled wide, a burning fury in his eyes as he launched toward Hilbert next. His golden eyes widened, as a fist came dangerously close to his face.
Luckily for Hilbert, he was able to hop over it using a precisely aimed cleave at the ground, leaving a deep trench in the ground as he hopped over Stanley, before twisting around in the air and firing a cross cleave in his direction, hitting him square in the back.
This, like the last time, did nothing. All Stanley did was turn around, pick up a rock and chuck it at Hilbert, who dismissed it with another cleave, which split the rock in half, the two halves flying past Hilbert's head. Lucas then fired more string at Stanley, keeping his high ground in the trees, the strings wrapping around his body to keep him still, even if it was only for a few seconds, as Hilbert narrowed his eyes.
"So, the gorilla's skin is more durable than a rock? That means I have to put more power into my Cleave then. But, doing so will cost me greatly. I have to time it just right…" As that thought ended, Stanley broke free from the strings, but before Lucas to fully retract them back to his person, Stanley grabbed onto the strings that had still been attached to Lucas, pulling him down from his high ground.
Hilbert's eyes widened, as Stanley wound up a punch aimed directly at Lucas's head. In response, Lucas created a string barrier around his face, the string coming out of his back. The fist made impact with the strings as they tightened. No matter how taut they became, Stanley's skin did not break. But why? How?
From what Hilbert understood, Stanley's power was something called Shock Absorption. It absorbed the shock of the attack. Not the damage. Unless his body was just that strong. But, then, if that was then how did that make sense? If his skin was more durable than a rock, then surely the string that Lucas was using would cut through his skin.
Regardless, Stanley powered through the barrier, snapping the string in twain, before his fist caved in Lucas's face, sending him flying into the tree across from Stanley. The power of the blow was so strong that it caused slight wind pressure to build up around the impact zone, and when Lucas hit the tree, he bounced off of the trunk, his eyes rolling back as he crumbled to the floor.
Now, it was just Hilbert and Stanley, who glared over his shoulder at him. Hilbert fired another Cleave in his direction, only for it to brush over him as if nothing happened. Sweat began to build up on Hilbert's forehead, trailing down the side of his face all the while. In a panic, he sent three more Cleaves in his direction, only for them to do basically nothing. All they did was stagger him.
"YOU FUCKING MONKEY! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Hilbert all but screamed, casting his arms wide, as if to do a cross-slash using his power. But, it wasn't just a cross-slash. This was a hyper-powered version of Cleave. The kind where it not just distorted the air around where Hilbert shot out of the attack, but bent it in such a way that its edge was sharper than a razorblade strong enough to cut through steel.
It had to work.
It had to kill the damn gorilla.
This lowly scum, who dared live through his Cleaves.
Stanley got into a stance to brace for the impact, confident that he could not only survive the attack, but push through it, smash the bastard's face into the ground, and reduce it into paste for killing Arla. And so, just as Hilbert was about to launch his penultimate attack, and just as Stanley was about to get ready to block it…
…a flaming foot came crashing into Hilbert's vapid face, shocking Stanley, and confusing Hilbert who, upon glancing in the direction of where it came from, was met with the lone, glowing red eye of Luz Noceda.
"But… wasn't her power… just holes in her hands…?" As soon Hilbert's thought ended, and as soon as the firey kick made contact, a large flaming explosion reverberated from the center of impact, knocking off Hilbert's now charred and burnt head as it tumbled to the ground along with the rest of his body. The small explosion kicked up enough wind to blow some bushes out of the ground and blow some leaves off of smaller trees.
Stanley could only stare at Luz, eyes wide and pupils small. Her body was burned beyond belief, and yet, she was still alive. Luz landed, crushing Hilbert's charred head like a grape as she turned to face him and looked at the chaos surrounding him. Her sole eye glanced down to Arla's split-in-half body, and without saying a word, she walked over to the body, crouched down on her haunches, touched the left side of her split-in-half head, and activated her power.
Stanley dared not move from where he stood, only watching as Luz's charred and burnt arm sparked red with electricity. After a few seconds passed, Luz stood up to her full height, breathed in, and as she did, she placed her left hand on the right side of her face. A green aura began to glow around her hand, and as soon as it did, the burnt skin began to peel away and become replaced with fresh, non-burned skin.
A new eyeball began to form out of nothingness, filling the empty socket, and the rest of her face began to repair itself. The healing spread from her face down her neck to the rest of her body. Stanley was quick to look away, especially given how the right side of Luz's shirt was burned away. "Uh, Boss, I—"
"Not right now, Stanley," Luz interrupted as she breathed in deep. Her body was no longer aching, and any damage had been repaired using Arla's power, Repair. "Your shirt, please." Without another word, Stanley took off his tank top and handed it to Luz, who took it from him. When she did, she took off her damaged shirt and replaced it with Stanley's tanktop, which was two sizes too big for her. Not that she cared. As long as it did its job to cover her body, that was all that mattered.
Stanley turned around, looking back at Luz. When he did, he was met with a frown. Before he could open his mouth, she spoke. "What happened." It wasn't a question, it was a demand. Stanley gestured to the scene around them as if that explained anything. It earned him a scowl, prompting him to speak.
"We got ambushed. Simple as. Once you were launched off who-knows-where the rest of that guy's buddies jumped us. We didn't have a chance to defend ourselves. I was only able to fend them off because of my Shock Absorption. Though, I'm pretty sure most of it was thanks to the other part of it."
"The other part of it?" Luz asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, the other part of it. It is Absorption after all. It's a double meaning. It absorbs the shock and converts it into kinetic energy that I can use in both strength and defence. Meaning that the more that I get hit, the more I can dish out. It's why I asked Ronny to punch me back at base. Not just to show off, but to build up my tanks, so to speak," Stanley explained as Luz nodded.
"I see…" Luz muttered, before letting out a shaky sigh. She was too late. Judy and Arla were dead. But, in return, so was Cody and whoever that silver-haired guy was. Probably Hilbert, as Judy had mentioned back at base.
"Should we ret—"
"No," Luz once again interrupted, before walking over to Amber. There was a searing hatred in her eyes, unlike anything that Stanley had the displeasure of seeing before in his life. "We'll ask her what happened and why they decided to attack us. I don't care what you do with the other guy. Though, we should probably get rid of him before he wakes up."
"Why don't you take his power? Wouldn't it be useful for later?" Stanley asked as Luz shook her head.
"Vines is the same thing but better. Don't need it. It would be redundant to have basically the same power but in a different format. Now c'mon, help me restrain her before she tries anything funny." Without another word, Luz created vines that wrapped around Amber's unconscious form, and Stanley looked over at Lucas.
A part of him considered just killing him, but, then again, it would be more fitting if he was left to be killed by someone else. At the same time, though, if he tried to follow them…. "Damnit…" Stanley walked over to Lucas's unconscious form. He lifted him to his feet, and then, once he got both of his arms wrapped around the top half of his head, and the lower part of his jaw, in one fell movement, Stanley broke Lucas's neck, as his body crumpled to the ground.
Luz watched the whole thing, and just as she was about to move on, Lucas's body turned into string and disappeared. Stanley and Luz stared at the body, eyes wide in realization, though, it was Luz who vocalized it. "That wasn't the real one, was it?"
[XXXX]
"Cody and Hilbert are dead, sir, my string clone is destroyed, and Amber is captured. On the bright side, Judy Valentina and Arla Thatcher are deceased," Lucas's annoyed tone of voice was all that really needed to be heard to understand the severity of the situation. Frankly, Kennedy had hoped that Cody would've done the smart thing and just assassinated the major player at the scene, but no, he should've figured that hothead was going to try and make it a spectacle. Hilbert, on the other hand, Kennedy expected more from him.
"Well, that was our only shot at a weakened Luz. Now, not only does she have Cody's power, but she also can heal herself," Kennedy noted, before shooting a glance at Emelia. "I should've asked for someone other than Amber. Tyrone would've been better than that useless sack of flesh."
"Don't look at me like that. Hilbert's smart, he could've been hard-countered. We know basically nothing of The Alpha Squadron. That, and Amber was our best bet against Stanley. His Kinetic Absorption power was something we weren't expecting. He said he had Shock Absorption when we first met on that bus, not what he just admitted to having" Emelia spoke up, crossing her arms as Kennedy frowned.
She had a point, which wasn't exactly something that he was fond of. "Yeah, ya know what? Fine. Then I guess we don't really have a choice anymore, now do we?" Kennedy said, defeat in his voice.
He really didn't want to do this. But, The Governor wasn't exactly giving them any other options. "Well, that's not entirely true," Another voice spoke up, as Kennedy turned to face its direction. Another redhead, though this time with slightly tan skin had been the one to speak up. She was dressed in an open-faced white leather sleeveless vest, a black shirt underneath the vest a pair of brown slacks and red runners.
Her hair went down her shoulders, she had a slight scar above her upper lip, and her vibrant emerald eyes shone like the gems they shared the colour of. Kennedy knew who it was, though mostly because they had been more than a little friendly in the past, namely before this whole death camp ordeal. She was two years younger than him, her being 16 and him being 18.
"Then what do you suggest, Darlene?" Kennedy asked as Darlene smirked.
"We could always wait a few days. Let them collect the cargo, and while they're distracted, let's say, by tomorrow, we should head out and take advantage of their strongest not being in the area. We'll ambush them, and kill every single last one of them. Leave none of them standing. And then, we draw out the last two, and then it's over," Darlene explained as Kennedy raised an eyebrow.
"But why? Why not go now?" Kennedy asked as Darlene's smirk turned into a frown, crossing her arms just below her chest. Kennedy had a hard time looking away from it. He blamed his oversexual brain for not being able to look away. That, and she was surprisingly, uh, big for her age, to put it lightly. Looking past that, Darlene spoke.
"If we go now, then those two lugnuts would be expecting something. But, if we wait them out for a little while, we should be good to go. Besides, if I were a pair of people who were recently attacked, I would be expecting a follow-up immediately after the assault. Think as if this was a war, Ken. Because it is," Darlene noted as Kennedy nodded.
He understood what Darlene was getting at. But still, it was a little strange to have to wait. The violent part of his brain just wanted to go now and have it be done with. But the more rational side of his brain—the side that allowed him to think properly, and the side that had been slowly beginning to drown out due to the lack of his bipolar meds—told him to listen to Darlene.
"Alright, we'll wait. But only for two days. The distance between bases is already a day apart, but as a group, we can make it in less than a day. The center of the forest is 12 hours away with directions, but because this forest is a maze, they should be at the search for a little while longer," Kennedy said, before turning to Lucas. "Do me a favour, and clean up the loose end, if that's okay with you, Emelia. Amber is from your team."
"She's a bratty cunt, I don't care what happens to her, the sooner she's dead, the better," Emelia said as Kennedy nodded. Lucas snapped his fingers, and as he did, a string clone that came out of his leg began to form into an exact replica of himself, clothes and all. He waved it away, seemingly giving it a mental command.
Kennedy smirked. This was going to be fun.
[XXXX]
Night had coated the forest in an eerie silence as Luz sat across from a tied-up, unconscious Amber. Luz had elected to tie her up using vines she had ripped off from her fingers. Surprisingly, it hadn't been a painful endeavour. She had thought it would be, what with the vines coming from her fingers, but she guessed it was separate enough from her actual body that wouldn't hurt. Kind of like cutting one's hair.
Luz had created a small campfire with Stanley's help. Earlier, they had caught and killed a rabbit. Stanley had done the skinning part and Luz cooked it—obviously, seeing as she was the one with the literal fire superpower.
The pair sat in silence, quietly eating rabbit that they had caught, de-furred, and cooked. Amber was still unconscious, which was starting to annoy Luz. Stanley looked uncomfortable with Luz's silence and lack of emotion regarding their teammate's deaths. Though, to be fair to Luz, she didn't really know how to emotionally handle it.
Just a few hours ago, they were alive. And while she and Judy weren't exactly on the best of standings, seeing her body in literal chunks was something that Luz had never expected to see. And as for Arla…. She was only twelve years old. Whatever she did, which she highly doubted she did anything, she didn't deserve what happened to her.
Neither of them did.
And yet, heedless of that, they were killed. Brutally.
A subtle rage burned in Luz's eyes, which had now turned back from crimson red to golden brown. She had no idea who was on who's team, but frankly, Luz didn't care. Whoever ordered this to happen, whichever of the other two leaders out of Emelia and Kennedy ordered whatever the hell that was, they were going to pay dearly for their choices.
"Luz…" Stanley tried to start a conversation, but Luz ignored him, only shooting him a glance that made him flinch. She had no idea what the expression on her face was, though she knew it was probably blank. Emotionless.
After a few more seconds of silence, she finally spoke. "Yes, Stanley?"
"What happened back there… I'm sorry I couldn't save them…." Stanley said as Luz sighed, her shoulders drooping as she turned to fully look at Stanley.
"It wasn't your fault. You had no idea that we were going to be jumped by those guys. It's not you who I'm angry at. It's Kennedy and Emelia because I have a sneaking suspicion that they had something to do with this," Luz said as Stanley nodded, pursing his lips in such a way that it looked as if he was trying to stop himself from saying something.
Luz wasn't going to poke for answers. She turned away from Stanley and took a large bite out of the rabbit's leg in her hand. The meat was bland, but that was to be expected. They didn't have anything to cook it with. It was just meat. And frankly, Luz was too hungry to care about what was used to make what. All she cared about was getting something in her stomach here and now.
An hour passed in silence, and Luz had finished the rabbit leg that she had ripped off of the cooked carcass. Stanley was leaning up against a tree, eyes closed and arms crossed. He was trying to get some kind of sleep. Luz was tired, too. But she needed to be awake in case Amber woke up. That way, she could question her the moment she woke up.
Her eyes narrowed at her unconscious form. Alternatively, she could just kill her. And while she really wanted to, especially because of how much she had put her through and yes, she would never forgive her for that, not even remotely, she was going to wait. Wait until she outlived her usefulness.
Finally, after another hour of waiting, Amber began to stir. Her eyes squinting as Luz sat up straight, having taken a page out of Stanley's book. When Amber's eyes fully opened, and when they spotted Luz, her eyes widened as she tried desperately to get up from where she was tied up, only to fail and realize that she had been tied up.
"Y-You!"
"Me," Luz all but growled, walking over to Amber before crouching just a few feet away from her. "And I've got questions for you that you're going to answer. And maybe, just maybe, I'll let you live."
"Fuck you!" Amber spat, literally, at Luz, making her recoil in disgust. "I'm not telling you shit! Go fuck yourself! You ruined my l—"
Luz was not going to sit here and listen to her complain. And so, rather than let her finish her sentence, Luz simply grabbed her face, and rather than use All For One, she simply set Amber ablaze, and watched as she was engulfed in crimson red flames. She screamed, which caused Stanley to wake up, jolting from the spot where he had been resting.
"Luz! What the—"
"She refused to talk, " Luz interrupted curtly, "and we don't have the time to waste trying to pull teeth and get answers. We need to get to that care package, and soon. Sleep, and when you wake up, we'll leave for the care package. Everyone else is relying on us."
As those words left her mouth, Stanley stared incredulously, before looking back at the burning, now slumped form of their prisoner. A part of him wondered if he was even talking to Luz anymore, or someone else entirely. The way she was acting, was so unbelievably out of character for her. Like a robot going through the motions.
Then again, if he had to guess, the reason for it probably had something to do with almost dying. She was more than likely still grieving for Arla and Judy. Some people grieved differently than others. Stanley couldn't judge.
Resting his head against the tree trunk behind him, he breathed out, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. As for Luz, she sat down across from the campfire and left it be. It would burn out on its own. She closed her eyes as well. She was too tired to care about anything else other than rest. Tomorrow was going to be hectic, that much she knew.
Little did she know just how hectic it would be.
[XXXX]
[The Next Day]
It was peaceful. Too peaceful as far as Julia was concerned. And it was in that peacefulness that she felt a wave of paranoia wash over her. It had been a day since the scouting party had left the base. A day since that loud explosion echoed throughout the forest. A day before Luz and the others were safe with them.
Obviously, a fight had broken out. She knew that Luz would be fine—after all, why would she need to worry about someone like Luz? She had the power to take someone else's powers. That explosion was probably caused by Luz taking someone's power and using it. Right?
Even so, that didn't change the fact that she was still extremely nervous about what was potentially happening out there. What if that wasn't the case? What if Luz was gravelly injured? Or worse? What if she was—
"No… don't think like that. Luz will be okay. She has to be…" Julia thought, frowning. She would be fine. After all, she put her faith in Luz. And when she put her faith in someone, only good could come from it. That being said, she couldn't wait for Luz to come back. Everyone was getting a little restless. They all heard the explosion too, and Johnny along with Theodore were worried sick about Arla.
Ronny was also concerned about Judy and Stanley, but most of everyone there was worried about Arla. She was the youngest, after all. Everyone had faith in Luz to be alright. Which, honestly? Made sense. That still didn't mean that she couldn't be worried.
That anger she displayed against Judy… she could tell it was only a fraction of a pent-up rage that had been building up inside of her for the longest time. This whole situation was bringing out the worst in everyone, and the last thing she wanted to happen was for that damn to be breached. She could tell nothing good could come from it.
Still, even with that in mind, there was something that was bothering Julia. Call it a sixth sense, but she felt as if something bad was going to happen. No, worse than bad. Something downright horrible. She didn't know why she felt that way. She just did. Like an oncoming calamity was going to rock them like nothing ever before.
Now, granted, it wasn't like she had some sort of sixth sense, but there was just something about the air that set Julia on edge a little more than the days prior. She was always known for having potent gut instincts. Back when she was still going to school, that same gut instinct got her out of a lot of trouble. And now, it was telling her to start running.
A part of her wanted to ignore that gut instinct, but she knew, deep down, that listening to it was the correct choice. Julia looked up at the sky, the sun beginning to rise off in the distance. Everyone else had gotten up earlier than normal. Stress was starting to get to everyone, and the rations that their kidnappers had given them from the beginning of the week were starting to disappear.
They needed that care package, and they needed it sooner rather than later.
Leaning against the wall of the girl's cabin, Julia looked out across the front of the base. Carla was grooming herself, Ronny and Theodore were boxing, Johnny and Marcone were looking through towers, and Jean was sitting at the campfire, seemingly lost in thought.
Which left Julia, who was pretty much acting as a supervisor. Now, it wasn't that Julia didn't mind being a supervisor, but it did make her feel useless. Then again, it wasn't like she felt useless, it was just that she was bored. She had nothing to do, especially considering she had wiped down both cabins with a spare cloth that was found in the rations crate that they started with, along with a bottle of spray cleaner.
Needless to say, it wasn't a fun five hours yesterday. But, at least everything was clean. The less she talked about the putrid smell in the boy's cabin, the better. But, at least it was no longer putrid. It was still a bit stinky, but that was just a natural man smell. Body Order and the like. There was nothing she could do about that.
Overall, things had been going pretty well. And while she was bored and people were more than a little antsy, at least things couldn't get any worse, right?
Oh, who was she kidding?
"Huh, what's that?" Johnny said, catching Julia's attention. She looked over to where he was standing. He was leaning forward, a hand raised over his forehead to block out the daylight to look at what was in front of him.
In a world full of superpowers, and those who would seek to use them as weapons…
"Johnny? What's going—" Julia wasn't able to finish her sentence, when, without warning, an icicle burst through the center of Johnny's chest, leaving a large, gaping hole in its stead as the icicle exploded into fragments.
Things could always get worse.
Julia stared with horror painted over her expression. Johnny's body fell from the spot on the wall, before hitting the ground with a sick thud. Carla lunged over to Johnny's body, horror on her face as the realization that they were being attacked, in their own base, dawned on everyone.
"Shit!" Marcone spat, going to pull something out of his pocket, but not before he found himself blasted by a beam of what looked like plasma. When he fell, his body seemingly disintegrated, as if what had hit him was unwinding his cellular structure. Not even his clothes were safe when he touched the ground.
Ronny stood up, as did Jean, and they got in front of Julia faster than she could blink. Carla scratched herself, transforming into a panther, feline eyes narrowed as Julia took a step back. In the next moment, a tapping sound echoed from the draw bridge. And when it did, the whole thing blew apart into tiny fragments.
Carla, in her panther form, lunged toward whoever first walked through the door, and Julia was the first to recognize Kennedy. Her eyes widened, betrayal written all over her face as Carla went to swipe at him. Kennedy, without so much as a care in the world, tapped Carla on the snout. And when he did that, her face blew up in a splatter of blood, gore, bones and grey matter.
Ronny was the next one to die. He charged forward, cocking his fist back to punch Kennedy in the face. Julia knew that he was going to die based on how Kennedy smirked. But, it wasn't him to did the finished blow. He was wrapped up in string, and cut into tiny pieces, falling apart at the seams.
The person responsible for that was a boy with grey hair and green thick-framed glasses, steely cold blue eyes filled with zero emotion was the expression on his face, and it looked like something only a horror movie villain would have. The lack of emotion after murdering another fellow human being.
"You piece of shit!" Theodore roared, charging toward the boy who manipulated string, his arms transforming into two broadswords. Before he could make the distance between himself and his target, a redhaired, pale-skinned girl jumped out from behind Kennedy and String Boy, and extended her hand toward Theodore, before large, thin, jutting blades came out of her fingers and impaled him through his neck, chest, and between his eyes.
It stopped Theodore in his tracks, killing him instantly as he crumpled to the ground. That just left Jean and her, and the last thing that she wanted to do was die. So, in an act that she would grow to regret, she shoved Jean forward, pushing him toward the now crowd of 18 pouring into the base, Julia ran, hot-footing it away from the building group….
Only to be stopped when she felt someone grab the back of her neck. "Nuh, uh, uh! You're not going anywhere!" The voice belonged to someone who was enjoying what they were doing. "Uh? Oh, you don't have a power? I take it the parasite took it from you? How unlucky." When she looked over her shoulder, she was met with a pair of brown eyes, short black hair, and pale skin.
"L-Let me go!" Julia begged as she saw in the distance that someone leapt over the wall, landing on Jean, who had been fighting the girl with extending fingers. When they landed on him, he was flattened, his head crushed under what looked like a boot.
"Aw? Now why would I do that? The parties just getting started. You know what they say, they can't have a party without something to eat," the boy said, as Julia's eyes widened. Was he saying he was going to eat her?
"H-Huh—"
She wasn't allowed to finish her sentence before she was forced to the ground. She had no idea what was going to happen, but it didn't look good. Maybe she was a bit naïve to assume she could've escaped, but she had to try, damnit. She kicked him in the chest, but it seemingly did nothing.
When he licked his lips, dread sunk in. "Oh no…! I'm going to die!" As she thought that, he opened his mouth to say something. "I'm gonna enjoy—"
"The fuck do you think you're doing?" Kennedy's voice was the last thing she wanted to be hearing right now. The boy scowled, looking up at Kennedy, who loomed over them both.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to have some fun here! Give me a break, Boss," the boy said as Kennedy narrowed his eyes.
"Fun, huh? And what exactly was your idea of fun?" Kennedy demanded. Julia remained silent. Maybe, if she just faked being dead, she'd be left alone. That was her only shot at surviving this, at least, she thought so anyway.
"What do you think? I was going to—"
The boy didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before having his head popped like a zit, his body slumping to the ground as Julia felt the boy's blood splash all over her white summer dress. "Disgusting. I can't believe I didn't kill him sooner."
Julia had no idea what either the boy or Kennedy had been talking about, but it was enough to disgust Kennedy. Frankly, Julia didn't care about that. She cared about surviving this, and so, she feigned being dead.
At least, she tried to.
"I know you're alive, Julia. Turn and face me," Kennedy said as Julia froze in her place on the ground. Slowly, she turned to face Kennedy, who was flanked by the girl with spear fingers and the string boy. "You seem to be having a bad day."
"Fuck you," Julia spat, glaring up at him as Kennedy sighed.
"Aw, that's cute. I just saved you from being raped and that's how you thank me? How lovely," Kennedy said as Julia flinched. Was that what the boy had meant when he was going to…. The realization twisted her expression into one of fear and disgust. "See? Now she gets it!"
"Tell us where Luz Noceda is. The Governor wants her dead," the boy with the string power demanded as Julia shook her head, sneering at them. Saved her from that or not, she didn't owe them anything. Besides, it wasn't like she actually knew where Luz went. She just knew that she went to get the care package.
"Even if I knew where she was, I would never tell you!" Julia spat back, glaring up at the three. Kennedy shook his head, disappointed.
"Well then, I guess you're going to have to die. Sorry, not sorry. You should've seen this coming, Wittebane."
Without a second of delay, as soon as those words left his mouth, Kennedy acted. The last thing that she saw was Kennedy reaching down to touch her face. And then, everything went dark.
-To Be Continued in – The Hunt Begins – Part 1-
[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.*