Alright! Next chapter time! I don't know when this is going to come out, but it should be relatively close to when I posted the last one! (If not, then uh… oops!). The last chapter ended on a cliffhanger. This chapter will probably also end on a cliffhanger. Why? Because I'm evil and I like leaving my readers in suspense! Why? Yes. That's why.
Also! Originally, I was going to put *both* the fight in Eastern and Western Waterbury in this chapter, but changed my mind when I reached the 6K word mark! Instead, you get some world-building and one of those battles.
Oh, and there's an art piece for this chapter. So for all of you guys reading on FF, you're gonna have to either go to my Deviantart page (same username as on here) and see it there.
At the end of the chapter, there will be a list of all of Luz's Quirks (Currently) and what they do. This also includes a Quirk that hasn't been shown off yet.
Finally, in chapters 2 – 13, I've put a written opening that has the lyrics translation of "Kyouran Hey Kids" done by Studio Yuraki. So if you guys wanna check that out, be my guest! Oh, and, if you'll notice, I've done something similar with "Bokurano" in the last four chapters and this one! This *Will* become a thing for this story.
Yes, I'm a dork. I know.
Anyway, on to the "episode"!
[Opening Song: Bokurano – By: Eve]
*The scene opens with the strumming of a guitar in a slow, methodical rhythm, as Luz–dressed in a white bodysuit with a red cape attached to her back, kind of like a hero costume you'd see from a comic book, with her back facing the camera–slowly rises in a void of darkness, a bright white light in front of her; all the while a quiet choir-like voice hums alongside the strumming of the guitar. Luz looks over her shoulder, a lone brown eye looking back at the camera before it zooms in on her eye as the beat drops.*
*The drums kick in, continuing the same beat before, but this time more intense alongside an electric guitar. The camera zooms past her shoulder and into the bright light, as a cityscape looms underneath, the title of the story appearing once again, "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. This time, there's a large bright yellow 2 next to both English and Japanese.*
*The guitar riffs, causing the scene to change to the same Luz from the beginning standing atop a building, overlooking the city of Waterbury with a solemn yet hopeful expression on her face. She takes in the scenery around her, a smile taking up her visage as a hand touches her shoulder. She turns around and sees Julia, who is also wearing a costume consisting of a white shirt, a large pink feather coat over her shoulders, a purple corset, brown shorts and sandals, along with red goggles on her forehead. Next to her is an older black-haired woman in a skintight futuristic suit with purple streaks going through it, resting an elbow on Julia's shoulder. Luz smiles, before walking over to them as a disembodied voice sings this opening's song*
"A world that's lacking black and white"
"Where sorrow kills us deep inside"
"I cannot stop myself from falling to the other side again"
"So, are you waiting?"
*The scene changes to two young boys running through a forest, both with white hair. One has red eyes, the other has green eyes. The boy with green eyes has the red-eyed boy by the wrist, both dressed in rags as they're running down the forest to an open clearing at the edge of a mountain. The boy with red eyes has a worried look on his face before the green-eyed boy lets go, getting to the edge of the cliff before turning around, looking at the red-eyed boy, smiling with both his hands behind his back.*
*The red-eyed boy relaxes, calmly walking toward the boy, an honest, caring smile on his face, reaching out to the boy as the scene changes. The boy looks older, a horrified look on his face (the boy was Yoichi) and the red-eyed boy (All For One) reaches out toward him, that same concern as before as the city of Tokyo is in the middle of a burning battle. The scene glitches out to Luz, in her hero costume in Waterbury, where it looks like a large battle had taken place, stumbling forward with blood on her hands as she looks down at said hands, panic and horror in her eyes as a ghost of All For One appears over her shoulder, a reassuring hand on her shoulder, all the while the disembodied voice continues to sing*
"Decayed, we break and stumble while reaching for the light"
"Is there somewhere to search and find?"
"A reason to keep up the lie?"
"When misery will block the way, never cry"
"'Cause I'm by your side through all the hurting!"
*The beat reaches a crescendo, then drops as Luz stands up, the spirit of All For One disappearing as a vengeful look appears in Luz's eye, red sparks burst around her, dashing forward toward a shadowy group of villains, rearing back a punch to gut check the first one. Julia swings in from out of nowhere, wrapping up one of the villains in string, swinging them away into a nearby building. Hunter appears next to Luz, generating a light sword, helping her fight the same villain she's attacking, as an older-looking woman in her mid-20s (Riley) lunges at a taller villain with a purple smog Quirk, her eyes bursting with an explosive energy.*
"Take every single bitter feeling"
"That the future we are reaching…"
"I want to hold you forever through everything…!"
"Break away, 'cause that's a hero!"
*The scene cuts to a different scene with Vee (in her human form) alongside Camila fighting off a witch (Millie) inside a large penthouse in the human realm who wears the Elite Emperor Coven garb, each taking turns attacking the witch, Camila using a sword on her hip, and Vee shape-shifting their arm into a large mace, both of them missing their attacks, allowing the witch leap back, create distance between them, and to create a magic circle and blast off a fire spell, which acts as a transition for the next scene all the while the voice continues the song*
"Take every prayer repeating,"
"Hold dear to every meaning…"
"My broken body will carry onward through the dark!"
"I'll fly to where you are!"
*The scene changes to Luz standing in front of a blue portal of some kind, a shattered vial of *something* next to her as she looks to her left. The ghost of All for One stands next to her, offering her his hand. For a moment, she looks hesitant, before she takes it. The two glitch out, replaced by shadowy versions of Caleb and Philip, then those two glitch out to be replaced with a menacing All For One, before Luz and the ghost of All For One appear again, as they step through the portal to a place entirely unknown, but not before Luz looks over her shoulder once again, her eye now red, and a smirk on her face, with the opening coming to an end as the disembodied voice finishes the song.*
"Crying out!"
"A heart that reflects the words of the love it found!"
"Never doubting any step…!"
"We'll rise up to see a new end, once again!"
*The beat of the song reaches a crescendo again, before closing out with a final riff, as the portal vanishes–closing in on itself–revealing a familiar cabin in the woods, as the light of the moon shines down on it with an ominous eerie glow.*
[Beacons of Hope, or Despair? – Part 4]
Governor Rogers wasn't exactly having the best of days. He was called into a meeting with the Senate, and it was regarding his superhero program. Particularly, it was regarding Luzura. Word had travelled fast about Luzura and her abilities. It finally made its way to the Federal Branch of the US government, and now, he had been summoned to Washington to "explain himself" for some reason or another.
Frankly, it was a waste of his time. But, given recent memory and what happened at that awful, repugnant camp, he had to guess that they also knew of her various crimes. Something that he knew was going to become a problem eventually.
He hated the Senate. They were a bunch of greedy, corrupt hacks who pretended to care about the well-being of the country. Unfortunately, they were a powerful part of the legislative branch that dealt with federal matters—which this fell into. Meaning he had no choice but to deal with them. Especially regarding Luzura.
When he first received the notice, he was horrified. Especially because of how much he didn't want to deal with them. He was worried they were going to try and shut his project down and take it into their own hands. But, when he read further, and realized this was about Luzura, he concluded that this was probably going to be about something a lot more… militaristic in nature.
That being said, he was still confused. Why now? Why did they wait until now to do something about her? The Federal Government had to have known about Luzura for months. They must've not realized the scope of her power back then. But now? After finally getting the footage of her fight with Wrecker…. Well, it was no wonder why they wanted to talk to him about her.
The fight was kept mostly to the Government. The public only got to see doctored footage of the fight. But their battle was so fierce, it split the sky in half. Her final blow on Wrecker shook the entire continental United States and caused mass Earthquakes across America—none too powerful, all reaching just below a 4.5 on the Richter scale—but in the end, it didn't matter.
The fact of the matter remained that because the Federal Government more than likely finally got their hands on the non-doctored footage, they were demanding answers. Again, he had expected this sooner but was glad that it didn't happen until much later. Seeing her success as the Number One Hero had been great.
But now, that was under threat by the very Government he, and to an extent, Luzura served. Which was why he was summoned. He wouldn't let them take this from him or his state. He was going to fight tooth and nail to get them to understand that he had everything under control and didn't need their help.
And so, here he was, standing in the Senate chambers, before the members of the Senate. His hands were behind his back as he stood with a broad stance, his suit pressed and cleaned just hours before. He breathed in a shallow breath, calming himself, before clearing his throat.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate, thank you for having me here," Rogers said, his tone calm and professional. "May I ask what this is about?"
"You already know what this is about," The man on the furthest left said. Most of them were completely obscured in shadow, so he couldn't make out any details. The lighting in the room was so poor that it almost made them look like corrupt villains. Which, to be fair, they were. "Why on Earth would you allow someone with such a destructive past to become part of your superhero program!"
"And let them fester and become a monster?" Rogers replied, tilting his head.
"Or, have them executed for the litany of murder and property destruction that they caused and done," a female voice from the furthest right said, annoyance in her tone. "She is a threat to national security. Plain and simple. You mean to tell me that they're better off alive and not dead?"
Governor Rogers sighed, shaking his head. "If I may speak, I—"
"Before you say anything outlandish, understand this," another male voice spoke up, this one younger sounding than the first, and it was more toward the center than left or right. "Given that you have endorsed her, any punishment and crime that should befall upon Luz Noceda will be given to you also, Mr. Rogers. After all, you would be complicate in her crimes."
"I understand that, sir, but with all due respect, why destroy what could possibly be America's greatest weapon against our foreign adversaries?" Rogers asked as the male voice in the center spoke again.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Think about it, ladies and gentlemen of the Senate," Rogers continued, forcing down whatever anger he had toward them. He was betraying his values, but it was to save Luz from the corrupt politicians of the senate. All of whom were backed and endorsed by the current sitting president. Warmongers all. "Understand this: Luz Noceda, or as you know her Luzura, could potentially be our best militaristic asset."
"Yes, we have nuclear bombs. Yes, we have state-of-the-art technology. We are the globe's leading military power regardless of opinion. In theory, we are untouchable. But due to the recent mass-power outbreak that's been occurring, regular people are starting to wake up to powers that could potentially be country-destroying if left unchecked. No amount of weaponry that we have could work, plain and simple. And out of all of them, Luzura is the most advanced in that."
"She has physical strength that, at full power, can wipe cities out in seconds. She can travel at sub-relativistic speeds during testing, and that's assuming she hasn't gotten faster in recent months—something that we have yet to even crack with our technology—she's durable enough to survive attacks that would wipe out islands as seen with Wrecker! Hell, when it comes down to it, I don't think we could kill her even if we tried with what we have. Let alone get past her regenerative healing factor."
"If we can convince her that our political enemies across the sea are more dangerous than the villains she's taken down as of thus far, or even paint them to be Nazis, we can effectively take over the world! We could rule the globe with her as a threat to any who oppose us. Or, if that's too blatant for you people, then we could at the very least give them a taste of what will happen if they try to defy our sanctions and rules."
The members of the senate mumble to one another, all the while Rogers felt ill to his stomach. Saying half of that made him want to curl up into a ball and die. But to these people… it was probably the only thing he could say that would get them to agree with him. To keep them off of Luz's back.
"You make great points, Mr. Rogers," The man left to the younger guy in the center spoke, "but what if she turns on us? What will we do then?"
"Here's a better question: why give her a reason to?" Rogers countered, crossing his arms. "Why try and outright put a target on her? Let her do what she wants. After we study her enough from a distance, we can more than likely create a weapon to destroy her." He wanted to puke for saying that. "Until then, we need to keep her sated. Keep her on our side. She's not a threat yet, but she can become one if we give her a reason to."
"So, you want us to risk the sanctity of our country to keep your pet project alive? And this Project N—this mutilation and defilement of the dead! Do you have any idea how disgusting it is? This is what she wants! She's building an army, Governor, and you're blind to it!" The woman on the right side of the man in the center spoke, sounding much older than anyone else at the table.
"No. I'm not blind to it. I'm facilitating it. How can I be blind to something I'm aiding in?" Rogers questioned, raising an eyebrow. "She's not building an army for herself. She's building an army for the country. Her words. Not mine. She is actively aiding us. Again, you wish to attempt to strike down someone who is stronger than our military forces combined, and is very quick to anger when she feels threatened. Do you not know what that could do to us? She could destroy us in seconds. Rather than poke the sleeping bear, why not let it slumber until we can deal with it?"
Once again, the Senate goes quiet. Rogers waited for their deliberation to be done, and after three minutes of tense, borderline horror-movie-esque silence, the man in the center spoke again. "Assuming you are correct, and assuming she doesn't turn around and become a traitor to the country, what's stopping you from trying to overthrow the Government? She is Connecticut's asset at the current moment. What's stopping you from trying to take over America?"
"My patriotism, sir. I love this country to death. I would never betray it. I swore an oath when I became Governor of Connecticut. Trying to take over America with a weapon like Luzura would actively spit in the face of that oath," Rogers answered, trying desperately to keep his composure. They had every right to be skeptical. They were correct in saying that she was Connecticut's asset first and foremost, but the idea of turning traitor… it didn't sit right with him. Not even remotely.
Once again, a haunting silence overtook the Senate as they deliberated in the dark. He swallowed back his building nervousness, and finally, after a long, harrowing five minutes, the one to the furthest right spoke up.
"Very well. We accept this. However, if at any point we deem her a threat, we will send the military to destroy her, or at least attempt to. If she is as powerful as you make her out to be, then it will be needed. Regardless of what we desire," the woman on the furthest right said as Governor Rogers nodded.
"I understand, Senator," Rogers replied, cursing them out in his mind. "Damn bureaucrats…" Rogers bowed slightly in respect, before turning to leave. Just as he was, though, the one in the middle spoke up, and what he said made a chill run down his spine.
"Oh, and Mr. Rogers. I've received word from a trusted source, that being Mr. Wittebane, that you're planning something. Care to elaborate on what that something is?" The man in the middle asked as Rogers looked over his shoulder, his stare darkening.
"You would do well to not take a single thing that man says for any form of honesty, Senator. That man is part of the reason why I'm even talking to you in the first place. Take me at my word or not, anything that Mr. Wittebane says should be taken with a pinch of salt. As for what I have planned, I don't even know. Because I have no plan. If you're referring to the gathering of the various Hero Teams in Central Texas, then yes, I do have something planned. But whatever he told you? I wouldn't trust it for a second."
The middle Senator hummed, before clearing his throat. "Very well. But do understand that if we decide to probe your research centers for information, and if we find anything suspect to cause problems, then you will be chased down with the full force of the law. By then, it would be The Supreme Court's problem, and Congress. You wouldn't want that, would you, Mr. Rogers?"
Rogers frowned. They were really trying to make him afraid, weren't they? "Well, I suppose I can say the same to you."
Without further elaboration, Rogers left, leaving the Senate stumped by what he meant. Little did any of them know that something moved in the shadows, dark red eyes shifting around without being noticed.
Project N had already provided the fruits of their labour. He was just giving this one a test drive, and then, once it was all said and done, and it proved successful, then he would inform Luz. But only if it proved successful.
Exiting the building that which the Senate was kept, Rogers sighed, making his way to his car—a 2017 Dodge Charger. He had a bit of a ways to drive before he got to the airport, but that was fine. He trusted his staff to keep everything going.
He just hoped his new Nomu, Codename: Mr. Silent, actually worked. Because otherwise, it would be back to step one.
[XXXX]
Eastern Waterbury was, surprisingly, peaceful. Julia didn't know why she had expected anything less, though given that there were supposedly villains in the area, she half expected some kind of crime scene to have broken out.
Dressed in her hero costume, Julia adjusted the pink feather layover jacket she had on as she stuffed one of her hands into her shorts pocket, keeping one hand bare in case she needed to quickly activate Strings. She kept her eyes peeled for someone who was doing a misdeed or attempting to commit a crime. But as she walked, slowly, she began to realize that there was nothing happening.
A frown took up her visage. "Maybe Luz was emailed by a prankster? It hasn't happened before, but I wouldn't be surprised if some kid wrote all of that to get on her nerves. But then… if that was the case, why give out names and tie them to The Order?" Julia thought, her frown deepening. A part of her chastised herself for not looking over the email, but she didn't want to invade Luz's privacy. She was very particular about who used her laptop and who didn't.
The public didn't seem to be in any form of panic, and while a few of the people who noticed her smiled and waved, to whom she waved back, she didn't notice anyone who stood out maliciously. Everyone looked to having a good day, and no one was panicked or worried about anything.
It was a nice change of pace, given all the recent crime sprees. Today had been relatively calm, too. The most that had happened before she was called out here was for Riley, whose Hero Name she finally chose to be Bombra, who had to deal with a couple of bank robbers. There were no casualties. It was kind of impressive how much she had learned to restrain her power.
Of course, Hunter, whose Hero Name was Brightburn, still had a ways to go, but she trusted him to carry out his task. After all, from what she remembered, he was obedient to a fault. Which could also cause problems should her father order him to do something.
Looking around the city, she relaxed. "Maybe it was a false alarm…" Julia thought, turning to enter an alleyway, and as soon as she did, a rumbling sound echoed behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted one of the manhole covers shaking up and down, as a couple of people made way for whatever was about to come out of there—be it a gas leak or something else.
Before Julia could do anything, a car drove over the manhole cover and contained a family of three—a mother and three kids—and it was then that the cover decided to launch upward at blistering speeds, taking the car with it up into the air. Without hesitation, Julia, with a flick of her wrist, created a large, extremely durable net made of string to catch the car between a lamp post and a building, halting it in mid-air.
Julia leapt up to the net to check the damage. None of them looked particularly injured, which was good. Some of them looked dazed and scared, but that was it. The mother also looked fine, as did the children—aside from the aforementioned fear.
Knocking on the car window, she was about to ask if the door could be opened, when a large glob of brown, hideous slime launched up onto the net, particularly on the roof of the car. Screams came from within the vehicle, as Julia took out her other hand and sprouted strings from the tips of her fingers.
The glob of goo began to shift and warp until it turned into a black-haired man with green eyes, dressed in blue slacks and brown shirt with black combat boots. He had a cocky smirk on his face, and some of the brown sludge was still dripping from his face, though it was quick to solidify into black facial hair on his chin.
"So, they sent Flamingo, huh? I was half expecting Luzura, but I guess she didn't view us as nearly as important as whoever else was skulking about," the man said, cracking his head from side to side before rolling his shoulders. "Not that it matters, right? Name's Christopher, but you can call me Chris. Don't suppose I can ask ya to get yer boss for me, yeah?"
"Bite the curb," Flamingo snarled, before unleashing a giant wave of string in his direction, which Christopher ducked under with ease, before rushing toward her with a sadistic smirk on his face.
"I'M GONNA ENJOY GETTING RID OF YOU, YA DAMN RACE TRAITOR!"
"He's fast!"
Without a second thought, Julia leapt back as high as she could, producing more string from her fingertips and using them to scale a building behind her backwards, all the while Christopher splatted against the same building just a few feet below her. That didn't kill him, though, nor did it seem to hurt him. He reformed, sticking to the building like glue.
He looked around, confused, a sneer on his face. Why? Because Julia had disappeared up the building, and while Christopher was stuck to the building, he was just that, stuck. He couldn't move—at least, he couldn't his legs, which were still putty and stuck to the wall. Snarling, Christopher punched the area around where he landed, cracking the bricklayer he was on, which set him free just enough to where his legs could form properly.
As soon as he reformed, he began to walk up the wall, using his general stickiness to cling to the side of the building, walking up to reach the top. Before he could make it there, though, Julia leapt from the roof and mid-fall adjusted herself, aiming the bottom of her feet toward the top of his head. He craned his head up, eyes wide, as Julia shot out two strings from her wrists—like Spiderman—and flung herself at his head feet first, crashing through the wall, hitting the top of his head with as much strength as she could muster.
The building they smashed through an office building, so he was sent through multiple cuticles and pillars before crashing out the other side, reaching the other street behind the building as he slowly brought himself up to standing, shaking his head in confusion. On the other side of the street, Julia landed gracefully, glaring at Christopher the entire time.
"Ya know…" Christopher muttered, spitting out a glob of blood and a tooth alongside it. "You're pretty strong. I admire that… I admire that a lot…"
"What's your point?" Julia growled, string seeping from her fingertips as Christopher's smile stretched wide across his face, giving him the appearance of a monster. It made Julia take a step back, intimidated. His words didn't make it much better, making her want to vomit.
"I think I'm gonna capture you instead and make you breeding stock for the movement!" Christopher said, his voice carrying a twisted, downright vile hint to his voice. He lunged toward Julia, who was paralyzed by what he said—too disgusted at such a statement to move—when suddenly, a large fist slammed into Christopher's face, sending him spiralling down the road.
That shook Julia out of her disgusted stupor, looking over her shoulder as a tall, black-haired man who easily dwarfed her in size growled. His eyes were a dark blue, and he had crows-feet at the edges of his eyes. He was wearing a tactical vest and military-style pants. His arms were exposed and both his arms and legs were large and muscular, and his neck was as thick as a tree stump.
He looked down at Julia, a hint of recognition in his eyes as a small, almost parental smile took up his visage. He wasn't radiating the aura of a threat, but Julia knew better. The man behind her was a threat. Doubly so now. Still, that didn't take away from the warm tone of his voice. "Long time no see, Julie," the man grumbled as Julia took a step back, eyes wide.
"Derreck… You work with—"
"Undercover," Derreck interrupted, looking at Julia. "Glad you're still alive. Sorry about your father disownin' ya. Let me put down that freak. Then, unfortunately, I have to do my job. But nobody ever said it didn't have to be honourable."
Julia swallowed but nodded. Derreck Winchester was a man who based his actions on honour, and he was painstakingly loyal to the Wittebane family—after all, they had taken him in when he was an Orphan, according to her father.
But, that didn't mean he was loyal to her father. He was loyal to the family as a whole. While she was forced to be alone in her room as punishment for "partaking in sin", Derreck would often come by to check on her. Take care of her when she was sick alongside the maids and butlers. He was the only assassin that Julia actually cared about because he showed care and empathy to her when her father wouldn't.
Now, though, they were enemies. There was a pained look in his eyes, and it only appeared when he mentioned having to do his job. It confirmed a lingering fear that had been quietly brewing in the back of her head. Her father didn't just want her to disappear. Her father wanted her dead.
Chances were, he sent Derreck here to do her in—a bit of cosmic irony, given that, aside from a couple of her butlers, he was her primary caretaker during a rather dark period in her life. It made her blood boil, and it made her hatred for her father blossom even further than it already had.
Derreck approached the downed Christopher, who coughed, confused as Derreck loomed over him. "Y-You! You idiot! We're on the same—" Before Christopher could finish, Derreck sprouted four other arms from his back, grabbed Christopher by the neck, arms, legs, and head, and began to pull. It was slow and methodical, and it made Julia want to puke.
Christopher tried to turn his body into sludge, but by the time his arms were ripped off, he was already screaming in pain and howling in misery before he could continue, lost to the pain of his wounds. His legs were next, and soon after his throat was crushed and his head ripped off like a toy doll. Blood painted the street red as pedestrians screamed and fled the scene, leaving only Julia.
Derreck tossed Christopher's body parts in different directions, before turning to face Julia, his expression solemn, and his eyes darkened with sorrow but determination. "Julia Scotsman Delmissio. I am Derreck Winchester of The Witch Hunters Organization. On the orders of our leader and high commander, I will strike you down. For the sake of his country. For the sake of God. I hereby challenge you. Do you accept my declaration?"
Julia swallowed, her breath shaky. She had no real choice in the matter, and she knew it. Taking in a deep breath, multiple sharp strings fluttered out of her fingertips as she crossed her arms in an X shape. Her fingers tensed, her eyes narrowed, and her worried expression shifted to one of acceptance and confidence. "I accept."
For a brief moment, Derreck's expression softened. Regret was strewn all over his face, mouthing "I'm sorry" as he nodded. Moments later, his expression hardened, the remorse in his eyes disappearing entirely as if he covered his face with a mask. Murderous intent lurked in those eyes, and even if it was fake, it still made Julia's heart skip a beat.
"Very well. May the best man win."
And then, they charged at one another. Julia extended her string in a slashing arch, attempting to cut Derreck down, only for Derreck to jump up and over the wall of string, and land a jack-hammer kick on Julia's chest, sending her crashing through the street, tearing up the road in the process, all the while her string extended, dragging through the sidewalk to slow her down.
This wasn't a clone body. This was her body. Her real body. So she felt every ounce of pain that came from being effectively jumped on with the force of a speeding tractor-trailer truck. She was able to reinforce her body with a thin layer of highly durable and dense string before the battle, but that didn't stop her ribs from being cracked and blood from gushing out of her mouth.
Pain filled her body, but that didn't stop her. She got up, using string to force her body upward. She hadn't been skilled enough with String to stitch up her insides. Not yet, and she wasn't about to try mid-battle. She got up just in time to dodge out of the way of a punch aimed to crush her head, with Derreck landing where she had been, the ground forming a large crater-sized hole in the ground where his impact struck.
Julia was already up in the air when this happened, blood trickling from the side of her mouth. She could still taste the blood in her mouth, and all she could do was try her best to ignore it. She generated more string between her fingers and got an idea. Small cuts appeared on her fingers, generated by near-invisible string. The blood coated the strings around her fingers, dying them red. She then reinforced the bloody string with more string, covering it to hide the fact that they were already bloodied.
If this worked, then there was a good chance that Derreck would go down. She just hoped it worked, because otherwise, she'd be screwed. Physically speaking she couldn't hope to match him. Not defensively or offensively. It was why when Luz called her a glass-canon jokingly she didn't find it offensive, because it was true.
She was never truly a fighter. She was more of a supporter—the person who aided the powerhouse in a fight. So for her to be alone and dealing with someone like Derreck…. If things didn't work out in her favour, then things were going to get messy.
When Derreck leapt up at her, all three arms on the right side of his body aiming to punch her square in the chest, she unleashed a net generated from her string. It cut up his arms and chest, but not splitting it open, only tearing the skin, which was more than enough for what she had planned. Whilst the strings struck true, she barely dodged the punches by falling back down to the ground, landing on her feet.
Derreck fell too, but less gracefully, slamming into the ground as Julia frowned. She watched as Derreck stood up, blood dripping from his body as he looked at her, narrowing her eyes. "Well played…" Derreck rumbled, clenching his fists. He charged forward, but before he could reach her, she snapped his fingers as strings erupted out of his chest and back, pinning him to the ground, whilst the other strings that shot out of his back attached to nearby buildings like a spider's web.
His eyes widened, as Julia smirked. How did this happen, though? Well, she put string fibre generated from her power in her blood, and as soon it was embedded into his body, she activated it the moment she had the chance to. While she was skilled enough to explode strings out herself and the people she embedded her blood into, that didn't mean she was skilled enough to maneuver said string fibre to heal wounds from the inside.
While her main inspiration for her powers was Doflamingo, Rui from Demon Slayer also had interesting abilities in his toolset that she took from. The string nets, the bloodied string to enhance its attack potency. Of course, there was the Spiderman inspiration for her swinging up buildings and launching herself, but that was obvious.
Derreck puked up blood, wariness on his face. "Give up, Derreck. It's over," Julia said. There was a pleading tone to her voice. Begging him to stop. She didn't want to hurt him anymore. She didn't want to kill him.
Derreck meant too much to her for her to kill. Out of everyone she had in her life, he was a constant that, up until recently, she had considered a best friend. There was a desperation in her eyes. She was already wounded, and the only thing keeping her going was her adrenaline. Once that ended, she was as good as unconscious, or worse.
Derreck looked at her, his eyes still that masked murderous intent. Underneath, though, she could tell he was struggling. She could tell that he didn't want to do this. But his loyalty to The Wittebane name prevented him from giving up.
So it should've been no shock to Julia that her pleas didn't stop him from tearing through the strings binding him, leaving large, deep lacerations across his body, shocking Julia as she leapt back. With a trail of blood following him, Derreck charged like an angry bull and caught up to Julia.
Time slowed down in Julia's perspective as all three bloodied fists from Derreck's right side slammed into her. He hit her face, stomach, and waist, bones shattering on contact as skin broke, and blood spewed from the wounds. She flew backward, crashing through street sign after street sign, bouncing off of several cars in the process before finally skidding to a halt in the middle of the road.
Julia coughed, slowly standing up, trying to regain her barrings. How was Derreck doing this? She was able to keep up with Hunter with ease… she shouldn't be being caught off guard like this…!
"Unless… Hunter was holding back during the exam…!" Julia thought, eyes wide in horror. Before she could finish that thought, a massive shadow formed over her as she looked up to see a massive bus filled with people being hurled at her, screams emanating within.
Julia had no choice but to cut the bus in two with a large cluster of strings, hoping that no one got caught up in the attack as she scrambled to stand up, only to receive a powerful left hook to the jaw, and an uppercut afterward from two of the three hands on the left side of Derreck's body. The third hand grabbed her waist, before lifting her and slamming her down into the concrete.
Not letting her get a chance to figure out what was going on, she was grabbed by her leg, and yet again, she was thrown like a rag doll deeper into the city. Mid-flight, she was able to get her bearings, creating several thick strands of string to catch herself, the strings digging into the buildings around her, but not enough to sever them completely—which was on purpose.
A small net was created under her feet, her breathing stuttering and choppy. She was shaking with both anticipation and adrenaline, her eyes wide and alert, darting from side to side. Derreck was the third strongest assassin that Tyler had in his arsenal. He was one of the best. So it made sense for him to be this strong. Following directly below him was that tall guy she never got the name of, and above him was The Honoured One, and Hunter.
She had one last idea. It was risky. But if she could pull it off, Derreck would die. But if she missed—if for whatever reason Derreck was able to either tank the attack or slip past it… her fate would've been sealed.
And if she were to meet her end here… well, she would greet it with open arms. That still didn't make her any less anxious, though. She thought back to when she was in her shared room with Luz. Not today, but a few days ago.
It would be a memory that she would cherish. One that she'd take with her to wherever she was destined to go back to this. Either back home with Luz, or to the afterlife.
[A few days ago…]
"Luz… I know you don't believe in the Christian Faith. But… I think I made God angry…" Julia said suddenly out of nowhere, causing Luz to look over at her with a confused expression. They were sitting in bed, watching Baki, when she said that. Luz paused the show, wrapping an arm around Julia's shoulders as Julia scrunched into herself.
"Whaddya mean? Aren't you like, super devoted, though?" Luz asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, I am," Julia replied, looking away. "But… I died, Luz. I was dead. Somehow, you, or whatever possessed you, brought me back. Do you know what that means?"
"That you're alive. That's what that means," Luz replied curtly, frowning.
"No, Luz…" Julia muttered, a mirthless chuckle following afterward. "It means I cheated Death. I spat in the face of Fate. Two things God controls, and because of that… I…" Julia pauses, shaking her head. "I fear that one day when I close my eyes, I'll die in my sleep… Or worse…"
Suddenly, and without warning, Luz turned Julia's head to face her using the hand that was attached to the arm draped across her shoulder. When she did, Julia was about to say something, when Luz kissed her. It made Julia freeze for a moment, before she returned the favour, letting one of her hands drift to the side of Luz's face, holding it there for a few seconds longer.
The two separated, faint blushes on both their faces. Julia looked away, a little embarrassed, but still touched by the gesture nonetheless. "I…"
"Never talk like that again. It makes me sad," Luz interrupted, a smile on her face. "You don't have to fear anything. Not when you're with me; with the team, either. I promise you, I'll protect you. Forever and always, even when you think you don't need it."
Even though Luz said that Julia couldn't help but feel as if those words rang hollow. Nevertheless, choosing to believe them, Julia smiled, nodding. "Of course, dear. Of course…"
[Present]
"It looks like you were wrong, Luz. I'm sorry…" Julia thought, a fierce yet determined gleam in her eyes. If she was going to do this, then she was going to do this now. She clapped her hands together. It was now or nothing. She had been practicing this attack on a far smaller scale for weeks now. Then, when she was given the chance to go to a secluded place, she worked on it some more on a much larger scale, far away from any city or township.
But now, as she watched from a great distance that Derreck was rapidly making his way toward her, aiming to finish her off, she had no real choice. If she was going to kill him here and now, then she would need to risk the lives of most of the people in Eastern Waterbury.
"Heavenly Father above… I beg you, grant these souls eternity in heaven should they fall… Punish me for my sins… for lying to you… for deceiving you… for cheating Death and spitting in the face of Fate…" Julia silently prayed, closing her eyes. "I beg thee, oh Father above, forgive me. Amen." Then, her eyes snapped open, leapt into the air with all of her might, and separated her hands as a lot of string poured out of her fingertips, so much so that it created a birdcage of string.
It encompassed a large portion of Eastern Waterbury—precisely the area where Derreck was—as within the cage, Derreck leapt up, jumping from building to building, gaining momentum all the while as he ping-ponged from each building, blood dripping off of his body as he roared soaring through the air, just meters away from the exit of the cage, all of his arms coiled back and ready to land on their target.
Then, they both called out their final attacks. One to kill the other, and the other to fail spectacularly.
"BIRDCAGE!"
"SIX-ARMED DEATH PUNCH!"
It happened in seconds. The birdcage tore through buildings, destroyed streets and sidewalks, and cut through people who happened to get in the way by pure accident, all the while it reached its crescendo in the middle, gathering together before plunging down, creating enough force to shatter all the glass in the nearby area for fifty kilometres, ranging all of Eastern Waterbury, and making a crater the size of a city block, laying waste to just about everything in the main blast of the attack.
But… Unfortunately, Derreck had gotten through the gap, meaning all of that destruction was for nothing. All six punches connected, rocketing Julia to the ground diagonal to her and away from the crater, just bordering the edge of Central Waterbury. As she landed, dust kicked up from her impact as civilians ran away.
She lay there, bloody, broken, beaten, lifeless .
And she was at the feet of Luz. She had just landed to see what all the commotion had been about. They were about ten minutes away from Beacon Headquarters from where they were, and all Luz could do was stare. She reached down, gently picking up Julia, holding her in her arms.
"Julia…?" Luz muttered, her heart pounding against her chest as she stared at the broken form of her girlfriend. She at her, noticing the bruises, the blood, and… how tranquil she looked. Like she was asleep—and Luz would be forgiven for thinking that, had she not noticed one tiny little detail that shattered her whole world the instant she noticed it.
She wasn't breathing.
Julia wasn't breathing.
Panic filled her mind as her breathing increased, her eyes shifted to red, tears threatening to break out from their glassy prison, horror taking up her visage, her mouth slightly agape as a figure began to approach from in front of her.
Luz looked up from Julia's lifeless body, seeing a man with black hair, six arms, and cold blue eyes. He was wearing a torn-up military vest and camo pants. Cuts and deep gashes littered his body, a smirk taking up his visage as sweat littered his face. He looked up at Luz, his smirk fading, his expression turning to neutral.
"A bit late, aren't you, hero?" Disdain filled his voice with that last word, as Luz's shaky breathing came to a chilling still. Her gaping mouth shifted to a snarl, as she gently lowered Julia's body to the floor, before stepping over it. Red sparks danced across her body as she shook with uncontrollable rage.
"You…" Luz breathed out, her shoulders tensing. The man got into a fighting stance, preparing for the worst. Luz looked down at her hands, Julia's blood coating them from all the wounds she had on her body. "You…!" Luz's voice increased with volume, rage evident in her voice. She snapped up to look at the man, who faltered at seeing her fury-filled expression. " YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"
Luz looked like a blur. That was how fast she moved, grabbing the man by the neck and lifting him toward the sky, her eyes glowing orange, before blasting lasers directly into his eyes. He screamed in agony as the lasers buried deep into his face, before shooting out the other end through his jaw, keeping his brain intact.
He fell, but Luz caught him but the top of his head, red sparks flying everywhere as All For One activated. The extra arms on the man's body shrunk into his back, disappearing, as Luz stole his power from him. The moment she felt it become a part of her, she crushed the man's head between her fingers, dropping his body to the ground.
Tears of rage and sorrow stained her cheeks as she breathed out at a heightened pace, letting the rage in her filter out. Her breath hitched, looking back at Julia's fallen form. This wasn't real. She wasn't dead. She just got her back! It wasn't fair! It wasn't. Fair!
She had half-expected Shigaraki to make a snarky comment, but he didn't. He was strangely silent. It bothered her. She wanted him to say something—anything. That way she could lash out at him or something else.
But there was nothing. She was left alone, with hundreds of people watching from the sidelines, staring at her with scared and concerned looks. She looked around, eyes darting from left to right, two corpses on either side of her—one from her doing, and the other she had stumbled upon.
Her heart sank to her stomach, the reality of the situation finally dawning on her.
Julia was dead, and this time, there was nothing she could do about it.
[-To Be Continued-]
[Ending Song: Where Our Blue Is/ 青のすみか – By: Tatsuya Kitani]
*The ending opens with the sound of a gong ringing out, followed by the riff of a guitar, playing a calming melody. A series of flashing images of Luz and Julia hanging out, smiling, and enjoying each other's company appears, before it cuts to Luz walking down the streets of Stamford, dressed in a black hoodie and grey sweats, a solemn look on her face.*
*The scene continues with Luz looking up at the sky as the drums kick in, Luz's eyes flashing red, before changing back to normal. She looks across the street, and see's Julia, smiling and waving at her. Luz goes to wave back, but a bus drives through the street, and when it passes, Julia is no longer there. Luz looks away, continuing down the road, this time with a more hurried pace, all the while a disembodied voice sings.*
"No end to the blue, when everywhere I look I see its hue."
"Can't turn from the truth,"
"When I've seen it as clearly as the day I'll have to wake up without you."
*The scene glitches to Luz and Julia sitting in their bedroom, watching TV, with Luz looking downtrodden, and Julia talking happily. Although, it's as if Luz can't hear her, and is seemingly ignoring her presence. That's when Julia seems to fade away, which prompts Luz to get out of her room, stepping into the main living space, where Camila, Emelia, Riley, and Hunter are all standing, looking at her, concerned, as the disembodied voice continues.*
"It rings all around,"
"The song of the cicadas crying out,"
"Makes it so loud, the depending sound,
"Of silence from your mouth."
*The scene changes to Luz, dressed in her hero costume, standing in a void of darkness. Behind her, flashing memories of her, Julia, Emelia, Camila, Riley, and Hunter–all fond and having fun with one another–fading into the background like dust, as Luz looks up from the floor. In front of her, Julia stands, a dark blurry line running over her eyes as she smiles, reaching out to her. For a moment, something flashes overtop of her–a beaten, bloodied, and bruised version of her reaching out for help–but it returns to normal, and makes Luz startle backwards, panic in her eyes as the song brings itself up to a crescendo, whilst the voice continues*
"No matter how hard, I try to hold…"
"Those innocent days will soon fade away and I'll have to let you go."
"Left behind an eternity ago,"
"Even so…!"
*Following along with the riff of the guitar in the background, the darkness gives way to light, as it shows more happy moments between Luz and Julia specifically. Running along the beachside, reading books together, watching movies and snuggling–all things normal couples do to pass the time. Mixed within are times where they're fighting villains with one another, aiding one another, the voice continuing to sing to sombre song*
"But even so..!"
"Blue still lives in me!"
"But even so..!"
"Blue Clear as the sea!"
"Even though a single prayer, a single word"
"Could change our fates, I know it's way too late to be heard!"
*The scene changes to Julia and Luz sitting across from one another, staring into each other's eyes, happiness between them, only for it to break apart when Julia begins to fade away. As she does, Luz frantically tries to chase after her. Just as she fully disappears, Luz tries to say something, but the words are caught in her throat, and instead, she stumbles to her hands and knees, tears burning down her cheeks as she silently cries, gripping at the carpeted floor in despair, all the while the song continues.*
"Just like a love that can never quite reach,"
"Or just like the colours that run down my cheeks, forever burning,"
"I couldn't even whisper to curse you,"
"The words in my throat that I never spoke:"
"You're my one and only, best friend"
"I wish I could have told you then…"
*The ending finishes as it slowly fades into a picture of Julia and Luz happily standing next to one another, behind them being a concert they were recently at. Just as the camera zooms in to capture their faces, the glass cracks in between them, as the voice finishes the song.*
"No matter how bright, no star can burn forever.*
"Tried to hold tight, you slipped through my fingers…"
Luz's Quirks:
All For One – Allows Luz to steal Quirks from others by making physical contact with them.
Pyrokinesis – Let's Luz conjure flames and shape them to whatever they desire. Also allows Luz to turn parts of her body into flames for a limited amount of time.
Kinetic Absorption – Allows Luz to absorb kinetic force and transfer it into durability to increase the toughness of her body.
Super Regeneration – So long as either Luz's heart and brain remain intact, she can regenerate from any wound, no matter how fatal.
Pain Nullification – All pain is nullified for Luz. Not emotional pain, though. Just physical.
Stamina Negation – Negates the need for stamina. Also makes it so that Luz doesn't need to sleep, due to the fact that she never physically tires. Mentally, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.
Energy Dragons – Allows Luz to conjure dragons formed entirely of energy. These dragons appear to be based on Chinese Dragons of myth and are purple in colour.
Forcefield Projection – Allows Luz to project forcefields around her. She can throw them at people, and they reflect the damage they've absorbed at people. Luz hardly uses this Quirk, because unless she's protecting other civilians, she doesn't see a need to use it for herself.
Spear-like Fingers – Allows Luz to extend and sharpen her fingers up to a kilometre in front of her.
Super Strength – Gives Luz superhuman Strength that gradually builds the more she trains and works out.
Spring-like limbs – Allows Luz to coil her legs and arms like springs, allowing her to quadruple the impact of her attacks.
Heavy Payload (not used yet) – Allows Luz to quadruple the damage output of an attack. Stacks with other strength enhancement Quirks.
Multi-Arms (Just acquired) – Allows Luz to sprout four extra arms, two above her shoulders and two below her base arms.
Omega Beam – Allows Luz to fire two beams of pure plasma from her eyes.
There ya go. A list of her Quirks! The next chapter will focus on a little special something and Hunter's battle in Western Waterbury. I know you guys probably wanted to see it here, but oh well. I gotta pace myself out somehow!
Oh, and if all goes well, next chapter the next chapter after it will be the end of the first arc for Season 2. When I said the Redux's Season 2 was going to be longer than the original, I meant it. I hope you guys enjoyed! I'll see you in the next one. Peace!