Well, here we are—the second half of Season 2. Whether or not this will be another 11 chapters will be decided by whether or not I can squeeze enough content out of it to be an actual half, lol.

With that said, I want to thank everyone who has stuck by this rewrite. I know there have been some ups and downs regarding people's opinions. Not every change from the original will be liked, which I've forced myself to learn more than a few times.

Also, I promised those two fights in the first opening of Season 2. That's this chapter. After all, we need to start this second half with a bang. Oh, by the way, I've slightly altered the lyrics to the opening and ending song (keeping the syllable count the same and only in one instance in both songs so that they stay on beat) to match the actual story.

Before we begin the chapter, we've got a new Luz design! If you're on Fanfiction dot net, check out my Deviantart page. It's under the same user name, or jump over to Ao3, Wattpad, or Qoutev because you'll see it there.

Anyway, ya'll know the deal. The second half of Season 2! Let's go!

[Opening Song: SPECIALZ – By: King Gnu]

*The scene opens with a disembodied voice singing "You are my special" as drums and the sound of a turn table synthesizer follow it. As that happens, it shows Luz, no longer dressed in a hero costume but rather in a black trenchcoat with various decals, a white shirt, a purple skirt held up by a black belt with a golden buckle, a pair of spotted cat-themed stockings that reach just below her knees, a pair of black shoes, and a black fedora, standing atop a building, looking over the town of Gravesfield, Connecticut. The disembodied voice once again says, "You are my special." Luz narrows her now crimson-red eyes, glaring down at the town with anger and nostalgia.*

*The drums pick up in volume and are joined by an electric guitar, while at the same time, 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 a smaller font. The large number 2 is still next to the title; however, instead of being the colour yellow, it is now a crimson red colour, as the final "You are my special" rings out.*

*As the opening begins in full, the scene cuts to Hunter sitting on a chair in a dark and empty room, a spotlight lampshading over him, his sword made of light plunged into the ground, his eyes narrowed, and his demeanour prepared for a battle, whilst dressed in his Golden Guard attire, minus the mask. The scene cuts to Millie Ravenclaw creating a small army of Abominations, and much like Hunter, her expression is one of determination, prepared for whatever battle was about to come as a disembodied voice sings*

"Come on, let's dance to the edge and tumble down again."

"The town stands tall, post up at the end."

*Mid verse, the scene shifts to Sophia coated in a massive amount of dark energy, like that of a blackened flame, her eyes filled with both bloodlust and anticipation, whilst Jonah slowly fades into existence behind her out of a purple cloud, looming over her, arms crossed, no longer wearing the gas mask with a large smirk on his face, as Charlie sits on his shoulders, arms resting on his head as the disembodied voice continues.*

"Let's struggle on to the edge of death 'til nothing is left."

"Dance wildly. The bold are those who claim their respect."

*The scene changes to Luz walking down the barren streets of an evacuated Gravesfield, the ends of her trenchcoat swaying back and forth in the wind, her hands in her coat pockets. As she walks down the road, red sparks dance over her body as she glares down a police blockade.*

*She outstretches her left hand, the red sparks leaping off her arm. A dark purple aura follows suit alongside the red sparks, mixed with golden sparks of energy and red. A smirk takes up her visage as a wave of yellow and black energy rushes forward, forcing a scene transition as the disembodied voice continues.*

"I love you, baby."

"Sing again 'till the morning comes…"

"No matter your sorry state…!"

"The childish games you play."

*As the scene transitions to something else, that being of a group of monsters with their brains exposed atop the roofs of buildings, one of which is on all fours like an animal, another is made of nothing but pure muscle, and another is more feminine appearing with a slender build with what appears to be vines coiling around their fingers. Each of them is on a separate building, and each of them are faced by Millie, Sophia, and Jonah, respectively.*

*Meanwhile, Luz is staring down Hunter as Luz takes off her fedora, revealing white hair rather than her usual brown hair. Not even a second later, the two charge at one another, Hunter with his sword drawn and ready to use and Luz with a manic gleam in her eyes and her right fist pulled back, ready to engage. All the while, as all of this is happening, the disembodied voice continues to sing*

"You burn through to my heart. Let me cherish you always!"

"Don't ever run 'cause you know too well, You Are My Special!"

*As the chorus begins to play alongside the action, the animal-like Nomu charges at Millie as she fires balls of flames toward it with increased fervour, eyes wide with panic behind them, as a group of abominations go to dogpile the beast. The muscle-bound Nomu engages in a fist clash with Sophia, shockwaves bounding out from their attacks meeting in the middle, each countering their attacks with another's attacks. Finally, the feminine-looking Nomu whips metal-infused vine whips toward Jonah, who keeps ducking and weaving as smoke. At the same time, the Nomu seemingly keeps predicting where Jonah seems to be appearing to avoid their attacks. All the while, the disembodied voice continues to sing.*

"Drive my heart in two, I feel it beating anew!"

"Put you under the spell, consume the future as well!"

"In that maze of you, we rendezvous…!"

"A daze that I never felt. You Are My Special!"

*The scene changes to Luz and Hunter exchanging attack after attack, blow after blow, dodging each other's punches, kicks, and beams of light and fire. Luz plants her hand on the floor as a wave of decay speeds toward Hunter, who turns into light and blips behind Luz, raising his weapon over his head to cut her in half, only for a barrier to be erected around her and for her to blast him with a wave of pure energy, knocking him back.*

*As Hunter lands, wings made of light sprout from his back, and his right arm becomes larger and larger until it matches the size and density of a massive cylinder. Luz does the same thing with flames; only her arm is covered by a million other tinier arms, and spikes appear out every little orifice of the arm as they can before the arm is bathed in a coil of flames.*

*The two charge at one another, both reeling their arms back and just before their fists collide, the scene zooms out to an overhead shot of the state of Connecticut; all the while, the Disembodied voice finishes the song as the beat fades out with a final guitar riff.*

"Dancing to your tune, the whole world spins out of hue!"

"No, no, no, don't relax, the demon's breaking its shell!"

"In that maze of you, we rendezvous!"

"No matter what they tell, You Are My Special!"

"We're Special!"

[Hero No More – Part 1]

For the record, Vee hated to be the person who was "right" about things. They knew that Hunter wasn't to be trusted. How could they not? All of their previous experiences with the guy told them that he was probably some kind of plant, but if they said anything, then suspicion would be cast upon them, and Hunter probably would've used that to oust them as "not from around here" as he would more than likely spin it.

To them, it would've ended in the same way that it had not but a few days ago: someone getting critically injured or dying. Hunter, or The Golden Guard as they had known him, had always been like this. He was always dogmatic to some extent and hellbent on following orders given to him by that masked bastard.

They didn't know why The Golden Guard didn't just usurp the throne. They could probably do it with pathetic ease, especially given how much of a power gap between The Golden Guard and that wannabe Emperor. Though, they supposed that was why the slave chip was implanted in the back of The Golden Guard's head.

Granted, that chip wasn't placed on his head by The Emperor. That was thanks to The Interloper, whom Vee had only heard rumours about. They never met, saw, or were allowed to know anything about The Interloper aside from odd details here and there from the guards passing by their inclosure within the bowels of the castle.

But that was back then. That was when they were a slave to Emperor Belos. To the monster that ruled over their home. Now? Vee was a free individual who chose to work for Team Beacon. Or, what was left of it, anyway.

From once lofty beginnings, Team Beacon had fallen into complete disrepair. Julia was dead, Emelia was in critical condition despite all the healing received from Camila and Luz… Luz had changed. She had changed so much within such a small amount of time.

When Vee first met Luz, their first impression was that, while she was a troubled girl, she wasn't all that bad. But then the cracks started to show. The entitlement began to rear its ugly head. Oh, how Vee so badly wanted to sit Luz down and tell her just how good she had it. How her life was leagues better than hundreds if not thousands of others, and she was complaining about it.

But then, of course, that wasn't her place to say. Despite saying it numerous times to their face, Luz was not their friend. Luz was her employer, and Vee was the employee. If Luz thought Vee was disrespecting her, Luz would probably fire her. Vee wanted to believe that wasn't the case—wanted to believe that Luz would take her opinion to heart. But Vee didn't want to risk it.

Vee had been saving up for a house in the northern part of the United States, in New York, to be exact. Yes, they were a kid. But, at the same time, they knew more than most. They were mature—to an extent, they still had childish impulses and loved to play around when they got the chance to—but they were responsible enough to hold down a job, so that must've meant something.

Camila had gone out of her way to get Vee citizenship within The United States alongside a work visa and residential visa when she found out that Vee didn't have any, something Vee attributed to being so much of an orphan that not even their birth was put on the record. Camila believed them, if only with a little bit of skepticism.

Let it be known that Vee was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. They had all the proper papers aligned and ready to go should the worst happen, and Team Beacon fell through entirely. Given what was happening and how Luz was about to appear on TV for a scheduled interview in North Carolina with Fox News, that could have quickly become their reality.

There was also the fact that Luz had decided to change out of her Hero Costume for the interview—and, of note, her hair had primarily become white, save for the tips still being brown. In fact, her hair had been steadily turning white over the last few months, but recently, it had gotten a lot whiter.

Maybe it was the stress of her being the top hero in all of America, or perhaps it was something else. The eerie red glow in the back of her eyes didn't help matters any, and if Vee had to guess, Luz was more than aware of these changes and was, at least to them, fully embracing them. But for the life of Vee they couldn't understand why.

Whatever the reason was, all that Vee knew was that Luz was having some form of mental break. It wasn't a loud one, either. It was a quiet one. Those were usually the worst kind. The annoying part was that Vee hadn't been able to talk to her before Luz left. She popped into the building, got changed, and left shortly after—not even stopping to say "goodbye" to Camila.

It was… bizarre. But they knew that Camila and Luz had a strained relationship. The two talked, and when Camila came home, Vee had to sit with her as she cried and cried, proclaiming herself to be a terrible mother. Vee knew nothing about their relationship before working for Team Beacon, so they couldn't say much of anything. They didn't know these people, but they'd like to think that, at least from what they saw, Camila wasn't a terrible mom.

Not that Vee would know what having a Mom was like, but that was neither here nor there. Which brought them to what they were doing now: sitting next to Camila, watching Fox News, and waiting for the interview to begin.

There was a palpable silence brewing between the two. Where Vee was relaxed, having a brief idea of how the interview would go, Camila leaned forward, hands clasped together, as she stared intently at the TV.

Vee glanced at Camila and then back to the TV. The interview was set to begin in an hour. The producers were likely prepping Luz to ensure nothing went wrong. Vee could tell that Camila was beyond nervous. Given how much of a state Luz had been in for the last while, this was to be expected.

"Maybe… Maybe I should talk to her about Luz. Give her my opinion. Maybe that will help?" Vee thought before biting the inside of their cheek in thought. No, that would probably only make things worse. But, in the same breath, they wanted to vent their frustrations about Luz.

"Well, might as well try," Vee told themselves before looking back over to Camila and speaking. "Ms. Noceda," Vee spoke up for the first time since this morning as Camila glanced over at Vee.

"Yes, Vee?"

"I… I've noticed that something's going on with, uh, Luz… I hope you don't mind if I speak my mind," Vee said as Camila frowned, not at them or the fact that they wanted to speak their mind but at the fact that they looked uncomfortable speaking their mind.

"You don't need to ask to speak your opinion of someone, much less my daughter, Vee," Camila said, sighing. "But thank you for asking. You may."

"Okay…" Vee breathed out, calming themselves. They were still walking on eggshells around the Noceda's. They were still treating them like Belos and his cronies. It made sense, given how they had lived up until this point. One did not simply move past being a slave so quickly. Composing themselves, Vee finally spoke.

"I think… I think Luz needs to quit," Vee said as Camila blinked, confusion taking up her visage. Before Camila could say anything, Vee continued. "Not because I believe she does a bad job—although that's a topic by itself—but because she's not mentally right in the head."

"Yes… I'm aware that Luz isn't emotionally holding up. But that doesn't mean she needs to quit," Camila said as Vee felt a spike of fear coil up in their chest before they calmed themselves again by closing their eyes and telling themselves that they were okay, that they could speak, and they didn't need to fear Camila.

Camila wasn't the Emperor and wasn't someone to be feared. She was a human with healing power. That was it. That was all she was. She was not a threat, and while she was surprisingly good with a katana, she wasn't a skilled fighter, and neither did they need to worry about angering her.

"I'm not saying permanently. But what I mean is that she should take a break and get therapy for all the trauma she experienced. I…" Vee paused, mulling over the idea in their head. Do they reveal themselves for what they are? Or do they continue to lie? Hunter wasn't here to twist things into a farce… Maybe… maybe, just maybe, they could get away with it.

"No," Vee told themselves. "Bad idea. You have no idea how she'll react. For all you know, she'll freak out and try and do something. Keep up the disguise. Just because they treat you nicely does not mean they'll accept you. You are a stranger to them, not a friend."

"I saw the news. Of what happened during The Camp. The aftermath, anyway. All the bodies. All the carnage. I know it was all Luz's doing. But… the circumstances around it are what make it, at the very least, bearable for me to stomach." As Vee spoke, Camila kept a straight face, although, for a split second, it did give way to some form of grief.

It was clear that Camila wasn't comfortable talking about what happened at the camp; Vee couldn't blame her for it. What happened back there was a nightmare. They witnessed it in person. The amount of bloodshed that they bore witness to… They had seen nothing like it. Then again, they had been in a cage for most of their life, so that was obvious.

That didn't change the fact that they had never expected humans to be that violent. Sure, Luz was a special case, but still. While the context of what happened had illuded them, that didn't change the fact that such brutality wasn't needed. Those people didn't deserve to die like that. They were just as much victims of the situation as Luz had been, yet Luz seemingly didn't care.

It appeared that the same Luz she had been repressing from back at the camp was rearing her ugly head again. But whether or not Vee wanted to make that observation aloud was an entirely different thing altogether.

"A-Anyway, what I'm trying to get at is…. I think that Luz is, um… how should I say it… making an appearance again," Vee said as Camila raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Camila asked as Vee slumped forward, resting their hands on their knees before continuing.

"Look, I'm no psychologist. But, from personal observations—and I'm sure you've noticed it too—Luz seems to be getting worse by the hour. Ever since Julia died, her mental state's gone down the drain. Like, entirely. You saw the news report of how she dealt with The Order. The entire sewer system has been destroyed and won't be repaired for years. Not to mention how many buildings collapsed due to her testing out Dust…."

Vee reigned themselves in again. They felt the growing panic that had been festering within them bloom again, but they quickly put a lid on it. They needed to stay calm. They needed to prove their claims. Camila looked at them with a concerned and skeptical glance.

But how? How could they prove it?

"Right! I know!" "I went to visit Emelia last night," Vee said as Camila blinked, clearly taken off guard.

"What does that have to do with Luz?" Camila asked as Vee let out a nervous chuckle.

"I asked Emelia to peer into the future. Specifically Luz's future. So, they did. They told me what they saw. Like before, all they saw was Death. Not Luz dying, mind you, but hundreds if not thousands of others. Emelia said we could change that future, but we would be cutting it close. Then… she passed out, and she hasn't woken up since," Vee said as Camila's eyes widened.

"It's just as that Tarot Card reader said… Oh no…" Camila mumbled as Vee raised an eyebrow.

"Whaddya mean?" Vee asked as Camila stared back at the TV, her hands trembling. Vee had no idea why, but before they could ask, Camila spoke up again. Only this time, her voice carried an edge that sounded like one of finality. Both to the topic and as a resounding statement. One of acceptance. As if she couldn't avoid it anymore.

"That my daughter is going to destroy Gravesfield, and there's nothing I or anybody can do to stop it. I don't know when, but if what that Tarot Card reader said was true—which it most likely will be due to how Fate works—the only thing we can do is watch."

A sensation of hopelessness filled Vee's veins. How long had Camila been holding on to that information? Why hadn't she said anything? Maybe she was afraid? Or maybe she simply wished for it not to be true. Regardless of what she wanted, it was clear now. They were far too late to stop whatever was about to happen.

And just as that thought finished, Luz walked onto the stage with the interviewer, and for but a moment, Vee felt that same nervousness that Camila felt as Luz sat across from the interviewer, hands laying flat against her legs as she leaned back into the chair, a small smile on her face. Vee saw what appeared to be a malicious gleam in the interviewer's eyes. Camila didn't notice it, but Vee did.

This was going to go poorly, wasn't it?

[XXXX]

Luz knew this was a trap—it was pretty obvious that it was. After all, it was Fox News, of all places. They had their own agenda and would see to it that it was completed. Not to mention, she saw that, in the small crowd gathered to see the interview live, some soldiers were hiding in the shadows. It seemed as if the government really did want her captured and contained.

Unfortunately for them, such a thing wasn't going to happen. They didn't have the manpower to so much as even lay a finger on her head. But, for now, she'd pretend as if she didn't see it. After all, she wanted to see how far the interviewer would go with her questions. Although, she noted the confusion on her face, which was quickly dashed by a mask of professionalism as she spoke.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'm here today with America's top hero, Luzura!" As soon as the interviewer said that, a round of applause came from the audience. Luz wasn't stupid. She noticed the large sign above the stage they sat on that told the audience to applaud. But that was whatever.

Still, she played the part of a humble person by casually waving her hand toward the crowd, putting on a faux, barely noticeable smile before looking back at the interviewer. "Thank you for having me on, Ms. Chamberland. I'd also like to extend a thanks to Fox News for letting this interview happen."

"I should be the one saying thank you, especially given how busy you've been. To take time out of your day to come here is truly a blessing," Ms. Chamberland said, pushing down whatever disgust she had for Luz. "But first, what's with the outfit? We were told you'd show up in your costume, so why the sudden change?"

And wasn't that the truth? Luz was no longer dressed in her costume—she had it destroyed. After all, today was the day that she was announcing that she was going to quit. Why have something that she no longer needed? That said, Luz was now dressed in something far different.

The first and most notable thing about her new clothing choice was a large, black, open-faced trenchcoat. On the trenchcoat were several patches of various things, including a yellow patch with the words "Owl Lady" scrawled on it, a patch of Bendy from Bendy and The Ink Machine, a patch depicting the Eye of Providence, and a patch with a heart. The last two were on either end of the trenchcoat, and the others were on the sleeves. There was also a pin next to the collar, depicting the bi-sexual flag.

Underneath the trenchcoat, Luz was dressed in a pink shirt and purple skirt with a white fluffy end, held up by a black belt with a gold buckle. She also wore cat-themed leggings and black ankle boots. While the outfit appeared cobbled together, she deliberately picked the attire to be more free-form and light.

That, and she also liked trenchcoats. They were mysterious and gave off a vibe similar to that of someone of great importance. The shirt and the skirt were mostly because she didn't want to wear a suit underneath, as Shigaraki had suggested. Don't get her wrong, suits were cool, but a suit and a trenchcoat were cumbersome. That, and she liked skirts.

That, and this skirt was a combat skirt. Meaning that it wouldn't blow in the wind and expose anything that she didn't want to be seen. The last thing she wanted was to be getting into a fight with someone and accidentally flash them. That'd be both embarrassing and gross.

"Oh, actually, funny you mention that. It actually has something to do with something I plan to announce after the interview," Luz said as Ms. Chamberland raised an eyebrow.

"Well, why not announce it now?" Ms. Chamberland asked as Luz waved dismissively at the suggestion.

"Nah, I'd much rather wait." To that, Ms. Chamberland hummed with acknowledgement, though Luz could tell that she was frustrated by Luz not saying what she illuded to. It was clear Ms. Chamberland didn't want to be here for any longer than she needed to be. The interview was only supposed to last half an hour. Luz still needed to get to that meeting with the other hero teams and their leaders.

"Very well. Now, let's get to the questions since we don't have a lot of time," Ms. Chamberland began, clearing her throat before continuing. "Let's start with the elephant in the room. The incident regarding Waterbury and the mass destruction that you caused, hunting down The Order. I'm sure you've seen the damage reports?"

"Sure did. The damage was extensive. The whole sewer system wound up being destroyed. Damages are likely to cost half a billion dollars. Before you ask, while Team Beacon can't fully cover the cost, we have chipped in a hefty amount. We can't disclose the number, but just know it'll save the taxpayer two years' worth of paying for the damages," Luz replied as Ms. Chamberland nodded.

"Yes, but my question is why you saw it necessary to cause as much damage as you had?" Ms. Chamberland asked as Luz frowned.

"Well, when it's you against an army of people, and you have something in your arsenal that will cause the least damage possible, you choose that option. It was either what I did, or I used my fire to clear the area as fast as possible. The fire could have caused a chemical explosion and levelled the city, seeing as they had a nuclear bomb planted just below the city, ready to blow. The fallout could've been much worse than it was, and I didn't have the time to run through the place and disarm the bomb. Unless, of course, you're saying you would've liked to see Waterbury be turned into a nuclear wasteland?"

Ms. Chamberland's eyes widened as Luz spoke, clearly taken aback by what she had said. "The Order had a nuclear bomb?"

"Yes, they did. It was why I acted the way I did. If no such bomb existed, I would've done things more carefully and avoided the damage caused," Luz lied as seamlessly as possible. She still would've used Dust, regardless. After all, the whole point of her using it was to test its destructive capabilities.

Of course, she wasn't going to admit that, and it wasn't as if she was completely lying. The Order did have a bomb planted underneath the city. It just so happened to be the perfect excuse for her to justify her use of Dust.

"Well, that's news to us," Ms. Chamberland said, fidgeting before muttering something away from the microphone. Luz knew she had an earpiece and was probably communicating with someone. Luz didn't know who that someone was, nor did she care. It was probably the producers at Fox. After a moment, Ms. Chamberland continued.

"Well, onto the next question. Your pension for killing criminals and undermining the justice system. As you know, we have it in place for a reason. Just because you're a hero doesn't mean you get to kill criminals. While it's true you've arrested just as many as you've killed, that's still far too many for someone not only of your age but of your stature. Is that the lesson you wish children to learn? That it's okay to kill people?" Ms. Chamberland asked as Luz narrowed her eyes.

"Am I those children's parent?" Luz asked as Ms. Chamberland blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Is it my responsibility to police myself for the children of this country? There's only one real answer to that, and I'm pretty sure you know what the answer is. It's not my job to put kiddie gloves on when cameras are rolling. My job is to protect this country as I see fit. Terrorists don't deserve anything less than what they cause. Standard criminals, like bank robbers and the like, they're the kind that get arrested. Villains, the people who go out of their way to kill innocent people, are the kinds of individuals that should fear me," Luz replied, crossing her arms as she leaned back into her chair.

"Furthermore, and I hate to sound arrogant, but who's going to stop me? Name someone stronger than me, and I'll name you a liar. Crime rates had plummeted ever since I took center stage. This country is the safest it's been in decades. In fact, since heroes, in general, have shown up, robberies and gun-related crime have dipped by 70%. Granted, Abberant crime is on the rise, but such a thing is guaranteed to happen, especially with society still getting used to having superpowers."

"And you know this, how?" Ms. Chamberland asked as Luz sighed.

"Because it's my job to know this. You don't think I don't pay attention to these sorts of things, do you? That would be fairly irresponsible of me, especially given my position," Luz replied, leaning into her left hand as she stared blankly at Ms. Chamberland.

"Shouldn't that be your caretaker's job? I mean, you're just a kid; that stuff should be beyond you, shouldn't it?" Ms. Chamberland asked as Luz scowled.

"Are you calling me stupid?"

Ms. Chamberland faltered. "W-What? N-No, that's not what I meant, I—"

"Just stop," Luz interrupted, sitting up straight as she clasped her hands together before leaning forward, keeping eye contact with Ms. Chamberland, who was becoming uncomfortable. The way she flinched at Luz's words was evidence of that. A small smirk took up Luz's visage as she laughed quietly. "I know that wasn't what you meant. That being said, as it is my duty as the top hero in America, I should personally know these kinds of things. That way, it helps me further separate the criminals from the scum. You understand, right?"

"Y-Yes, that makes sense," Ms. Chamberland said, though her voice was still shaky. Ms. Chamberland calmed herself, her expression steeling before she continued. "On to the next question. Regarding the tragic death of—"

"I don't wish to speak about what happened to Julia, thank you very much," Luz interrupted, as Ms. Chamberland blinked, taken aback by being interrupted. "I told your producers that I would only agree to the interview if Julia were not to be a topic to be discussed. You were informed of that, were you not?"

"I was not. There appears to have been some miscommunication. I apologize for offending you, Luzura," Ms. Chamberland said as Luz frowned. She didn't buy it, but whatever. She wouldn't derail the interview by pressing the matter. She looked over at the time. They had fifteen minutes left until the interview was over. Ms. Chamberland seemed to notice that as well as she spoke.

"Well, seeing as we only have fifteen minutes left, I have another question I want to ask. I hope you don't mind. After all, it is a bit of a personal one. But first, I'd like the audience at home to see something. It's a clip we recovered from the old Connecticut Governor's records, and we wished to confirm if it was you in that clip."

When Ms. Chamberland finished that sentence, she snapped her fingers as a projector screen slipped down the wall. Not but a moment later, the events of what occurred at the camp during her rampage began to play.

Gasps filled the audience, and Luz's eyes widened. Tension built in her shoulders as her right hand clenched into a fist. Luz didn't watch, but she could hear their screams. They echoed in her mind, pleas for mercy, only to be crushed down, literally, by her fists. All the while, Ms. Chamberland seemed to have a sly smirk on her face.

This was a trap. She knew it was, yet she went anyway. She figured this would happen, but she didn't expect it to be old recordings of what she believed to have been destroyed footage about what occurred during The Summer Camp Incident.

As the footage finally concluded, Ms. Chamberland spoke. "Well, Luzura? Was that you in the footage? Was the girl in that video who brutally murdered all of those kids you? Because, and correct me if I'm wrong, that appears to be you, does it not? The only difference is the white hair."

Luz looked back at Ms. Chamberland, her expression contorted into a sneer, which Ms. Chamberland reacted to by leaning back in her chair. Luz stood up and loomed over Ms. Chamberland. Several red dots covered her body from multiple angles the moment she did.

As Ms. Chamberland scrambled to move away, she said one more thing before running to the exit door. "You don't need to say anything; it was obviously you, you damned monster! This is payback for what you did to them!"

And then, all hell broke loose.

Several heavy-duty machine guns fired at once, aiming to tear through Luz as they would any other target that they were aimed at. In response, Luz reflexively upped a forcefield using Forcefield Projection, which bounced all the bullets fired at her out and around the studio.

Civilians made a run for the exit doors as the heavily armoured soldiers in the crowd made their presence known by shouting obscenities, clearly not expecting her to have had something like that. Anger boiled in her veins as activated Multiplier sprouted four extra arms from her back. Each finger began to glow dark purple as, at the same time, she activated Bullet Laser.

The soldiers had no time to react, as several purple beams of light shot through them like a pair of scissors through paper, each laser shooting through their heads, giving them a quick and painless death. More soldiers came pouring through, kicking down emergency fire doors and aiming their weapons at Luz, only to be met with a volley of lasers mowing them down.

Once all of the soldiers were killed, Luz looked around the room and scowled. "Bastards. I should've seen this coming," Luz thought as wings of orange flame replaced the multiple arms. With a kick, she shot herself through the wall diagonal to where she was and found herself hovering in front of a blockade of SWAT vehicles.

Weapons were all aimed at her, and it had become clear to her now that the American Government had decided that it was going to try and do something idiotic. Rodriquez was right. Rodger must have been getting orders from the top brass, especially if this was what was happening. It was made even worse by the fact that the two teams she was supposed to be meeting with were staring up at her, eyes wide, clearly not expecting her to meet them like this.

There was Ranger and Monkey King from The Heroes of Christ. Noticeably, Magnessa wasn't there, meaning she was still recovering in the hospital. Then, Children of Hope stood next to the remaining members of The Heroes of Christ.

First, there was Juniper Scotts, otherwise known as Cross. Cross was short, standing at a flat five feet tall. She was dressed in a bulky suit of red armour with a black X painted on the front. Tubes flowing with what Luz could only assume to be blood were connected to the arms of the suit, and some kind of backpack that more than likely contained a bunch of blood was also connected to the arms of the suit. She had pale skin, wavy black hair, and scarlet red eyes similar to Luz's own.

Then, there were her two teammates. First, there was Dark Matter, otherwise known as Carlos Mendez. Carlos's power allowed him to fire out balls of pure energy that would do different things depending on their colour. Luz had seen him in action before, and his power was quite devastating.

If the ball were red, it would repulse anything around it and cause a decent amount of damage to the surrounding area. If the orb were blue, it would attract things toward him like a black hole, and anything grasped by said object allowed him to crush them.

Then, there was the purple orb, which he had only used once during a high-profile mission. He was tasked with stomping out a subsect of The Order that had infiltrated Michigan. No one knew what happened when the purple orb was used, but those who saw it said that it destroyed anything it touched.

The drawback was that Dark Matter would become incredibly weak after prolonged use of his power. Like a battery being drained of its energy. Luz had always wanted that power, which would now appear was her chance.

As for what Dark Matter wore, it was a simple black jumpsuit with a white cape. She'd call it basic if it weren't for the fact that was essentially what her hero suit had been, just white and red with purple gloves.

The other member of Children of Hope was Thorn Prince. His power was eerily similar to Julia's before Luz gave her String. His Power, Brambles, gave him the ability to create and manipulate brambles that could also grow flowers with poisonous pollen that would irritate the eyes if launched out.

His costume consisted of a crown of thorns, a parted white cloak, and a dark green body suit with a bulletproof vest overtop. He was accompanied by combat boots and knee guards. There was also a rose decal on the back of his cloak, which Luz had seen before on live TV.

As Luz stared out at the crowd, she couldn't help but feel a mix of anger, acceptance, and curiosity. She wondered if her mother was seeing this. If she was, then Luz supposed that she was going to witness a massacre. Because there was no way in hell that she was going to let these idiots get away with this.

A part of her told her to try and talk things out with them, but, in the same breath, what was there to talk about? They still shot at her back in the building. They used this interview as an attempt to try and kill her—granted, it was a poor attempt, but she digressed.

One would think that people would've learnt by now not to poke the sleeping bear. But, evidently, that wasn't the case. Luz could see it in their eyes at the realization of their mistake, but it was far too late for them now.

She would not leave a single one of them alive.

"This is my reward for serving this nation, I take it?" Luz shouted as two giant purple dragons manifested beside her, turning her fingers into large steel claws that were about six inches long. A smile took up her visage as her eyes gleamed with something dangerous lurking underneath. "Well, that's fine by me! I was planning on retiring anyway, but if you want to expedite the process, so be it!"

[-To Be Continued-]

[Ending Song: YELLOW – By: Yoh kamiyama]

*The ending begins with Luz dressed in her hero costume, floating in the darkness of the void, eyes closed as she drifts about in the emptiness of nothingness, only to be grabbed by blackened tendrils formed out of the void and pulled down in the abyss. On the other side of the void, she's thrown to the ground, her hair white and her eyes open and blazing red. As she stands up, strings are attached to her shoulders, and she begins to move on her own toward the edge of what is revealed to be building; all the while, a disembodied voice sings in the background.*

"Simply put, all purity was hung away on that day, see."

"My curiosity had gotten the best of me."

"Was sweeter than a cake, but it wasn't filling."

"Like dancing with a puppet, so cold and empty."

*It continues as Luz falls down what seems to be an endless amount of distance toward the ground, her strings still attached to her body as she frantically starts to pull them off. Each string represents figures in her life, staring with her past principal, then the judge who sentenced her to that camp, Adrian Rogers, and finally her mother*

*Once the final string is pulled, flaming wings spread from her back just before she lands on the ground below, breaking her fall. As her flaming wings come out, her hero outfit burns away and is replaced by the black trenchcoat adorned with several patches and a bi-sexual flag pin, a pink shirt, a purple skirt with a fluffy white hem at the bottom, held up by a black belt with a golden buckle, and a pair of black ankle boots. When she lands on her feet, she dusts herself off, turning to face the street before her as the voice continues to sing.*

"Closet doors shut behind us."

"Huddling, our bodies hidden in the darkness."

"We'll sleep the night off and change when light comes."

"Or so I like to say."

*Across the street is Luz before she changed into what she is now, smiling and hanging out with her mother. Luz turns away, ignoring their presence, but when she turns, she sees another scene of her and her mother playing at the playground, having fun. Luz scowls before turning around and running down the street, trying to ignore her past and everything tied to it.*

*But as she runs down the street, she comes across the car crash that she was in when she was a child; as the younger her crawls out from the wreckage, staring at the crushed body of her father, bloodied, mangled, and broken. As all of this is happening, the voice keeps singing.*

"I'm just a child; I can't help it!"

"Don't go please, oh please, I'm begging."

"I'm so pathetic, a life built on selfish cries."

*Mid-verse, Luz turns to look away, only for her to be surrounded by a literal horde of small versions of her, all pointing at her as she looks up to see her father staring down at her, disappointment on his face as she begins to fall down a hole that opens up in the floor beneath her. She reaches up toward the hole before it's covered, and she's locked away in darkness, falling down once again, tears in her eyes as she keeps falling deeper and deeper as the voice continues.*

"All the toys were put away."

"I swear I'll change this time!"

"Still, I crawl for when I wore innocence like before."

"(Ah, ah, ah, ah!)"

*As the beat drops, the darkness around her turns to a bright yellow mixed with rainbow spirals. She falls past stuffed toys, trains, and books of various types, along with photos of her childhood and photos of her and Julia. She finally lands on the ground, surrounded by her childhood, showing her all the positive things she remembers being around.*

*However, when she narrows her eyes, they all go up in flames, replaced with her recent memories. Tragedy, loss, and death and suddenly, she's no longer tense. Instead, she's relaxed as the surrounding walls return to a drab black mixed with gray. A statement that she's more comfortable with this kind of stuff than all of the happy go-lucky things she used to be surrounded by. While all of this happened, the disembodied voice continued to sing.*

"Love's a high, sober up, you'll throw it all away."

"I've laid to waste all those feelings just to stay safe."

"But see this low-life now, still stuck in her ways."

"I wonder if there's a summer where I'll really change?"

*The ending begins to end as Luz walks down a hallway filled with memories of the recent past, of all the death and destruction both caused and not caused by her. The deeper she walks, the more of a smile takes up her visage as she finally reaches a door. When she opens it, she steps out onto a grassy field, except this grass is orange, and the skies are yellow with purple clouds. She's finally made it to The Boiling Isles; all the voice in the background keeps saying "Yellow" before eventually the beat fades out as the ending concludes.*

So! That's that! The chapter was a bit short, but at the same time, I've been having a bit of writer's block. This was the easiest thing I could think of to write, and so boom! Here ya go. Initially, I was gonna have one big massive chapter, but you know me and how much I like my cliffhangers!

Also, if you want to know what Luz's character song is for the second half of Season 2, it's The Dark by, you guessed it, Daddyphatsnaps. Why? Well, the song is about Darth Vader, and Darth Vader's character is the perfect example of someone falling from grace, from hero to villain. Perfect for the transitionary phase of this story, at least in my opinion.

Anyway, so, yeah, that's about it. See ya in the next chapter. Peace!