AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Originally, this chapter was supposed to be called 'You might have left us, but you will never be truly gone', but noo... said: "Fck u. This name is too long"
Nothing but darkness fills her eyes as she opens them, still feeling really tired and overall just exhausted despite having slept for... no idea how long. Sleep did not come easily to her yesterday, probably because she has done little else in the last two days but sleep in order to regain the energy she wasted on her stunt yesterday in her desperate attempt to revi-
'No!', Luz shakes her head, 'It was not a waste. I'd do it all over again if I had to.', she thinks to herself in a firm tone. Admittedly, this prolonged feeling of complete exhaustion and powerlessness was anything but a pleasant feeling, as was the constraint of having to make do without her powers for the time being. Going back to using glyphs felt… weird. Luz wasn't happy about it, but in the end, Amity was probably right that it would have taken longer for her to finally regain her full strength otherwise. Not as if anyone other than Luz herself could say whether that was really the case again.
By now, Luz's eyes have become a little accustomed to the darkness and she lets her gaze wander through Amity's room, which is only lit by the faint moonlight shining through the windows. Right next to her, her gaze lands on the sleeping silhouette of her girlfriend. She watches her chest rising slightly and evenly with each breath. A smile creeps onto Luz's face.
Luz is incredibly happy that Amity fell asleep at all after Luz returned from the long meeting with the other CATs yesterday. In the meeting itself, Luz had gone into as much detail as possible about what she knows about Andrias and Darcy, as well as about her time in Amphibia, recounting what really happened at the meeting between Andrias and Belos, and learning about the state that Bonesborough and the Isles as a whole are in. For the time being, she had also kept Lady Olivia's appearance on the Isles a secret, at least until she managed to talk to her on her own. The meeting ended late and unfortunately without a grand plan to drive Andrias and Darcy out of the Demon Realm. The only plan everyone could agree on was to take out as many of the enemy forces as possible in small groups and try to prevent any more people from being kidnapped. Before Luz had set off on her trip back, she had simply announced that she and Amity would not be taking part in any missions for the foreseeable future, followed by an open invitation to the others. She also had a brief conversation with Gwen, who had told her that Raine Whispers would love to have a chat with her. But since they had apparently spent the day in a greenhouse, it wasn't going to happen that day.
Luz did not return to the Owl House that evening, but teleported straight back to Blight Manor. She was greeted by blood-freezing cries and sobs coming from both Amity and Emira, who had both locked themselves in Edric's room. With her heart breaking into a thousand pieces at those cries, her eyes fell on Viney sitting outside that room, at which she merely shook her head slightly at the younger girl. No words needed to be exchanged. Instead, Luz simply walked past her to Amity's room, only to find it trashed. She took some time cleaning it up as much as possible before deciding to get ready for bed.
Luz isn't sure exactly when she fell asleep, and only knows that Amity must have joined her in bed some time afterward.
As quietly as possible, Luz wriggles out of her blanket cocoon. While the two girls do share the same pillow on Amity's bed, they do have different blankets, simply due to different warmth requirements for them to actually fall asleep. Plus, Luz's blanket is several times heavier than Amity's.
Luz turns to reach for her scroll lying on a small bedside table next to her. She immediately regrets turning it on when a far-too-bright screen lights up, which Luz promptly turns down before returning to lie back down on her back.
4:29
'Ughh...', she groans inwardly. 'Just about five hours left.'
Luz opens Penstagram, only to find not a single new message or anything else of particular interest. She almost turns off her scroll when she recognizes something bothersome out of the corner of her eye. She tilts her scroll ever so slightly so that Amity's face is faintly illuminated. Luz's heart breaks at what she sees.
'She's crying even in her sleep...', she observes from the wet spot below her girlfriend's head. 'I wish I could take your pain away. I wish- … Wait... Didn't Lilith...? No...'
Luz squeezes her eyes shut, trying to remember what Lilith had once told her all that time ago. Which spell, to be precise.
'Something about... pain being shared?', she ponders, 'But not just physical pain, right?'
Luz shuts off her scroll and puts it aside again before turning to her thoughts, pondering how she can relieve her grieving girlfriend of her pain.
She remains so deep in her thoughts that she doesn't even notice the sun rise and brighten Amity's room over time. Only when she hears a loud, shrill screech does Luz snap out of her thoughts.
7:45. Amity's alarm clock.
Luz turns her head to the side, where she can see Amity slowly waking from her sleep in real time. She contorts her face, which causes Luz to smile slightly. She sits up and half crawls over her girlfriend to reach her alarm clock to press the snooze button before pulling herself back to lie next to her, but not before giving her a good morning kiss on her nose.
"Good morning, hermosa.", Luz says, trying to force a smile on her face, not wanting to look at the pillow underneath her.
When Amity opens her eyes and sees Luz right in front of her, a sad smile graces her face.
"I bought you another fifteen minutes.", Luz explains, "How did you sleep?"
Amity's smile disappears completely at that, her gaze moving away from Luz's.
"Oh no, Ammy, I'm so sorry.", Luz apologizes before reaching out and pulling her close. Amity buries her head in her chest as her tears burst loose again, muffled sobs escaping her. Her arms are wrapped tightly around the half-human, her fingers clawing at the shirt Luz is wearing, her fingernails piercing through the fabric and into Luz's skin. Luz's face contorts in pain, but she doesn't say or do anything about it. The only thing worse than that is the fact that Luz can do or say absolutely nothing to help her girlfriend. Well, at least not without talking to her about it first.
She hates seeing her otherwise so strong and confident girlfriend so... so small right now.
It takes quite a while for Amity's tears to dry up until the two girls are just lying there, cuddled up close to each other.
"I'm sorry...", Amity mutters in a broken whisper.
"Hey...", Luz replies softly. She carefully lifts Amity's head until the two girls are looking at each other, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. "There's nothing to be sorry about. I was in exactly the same situation. Believe me, I get it."
"Still, I-"
"Really. It's okay.", Luz repeats herself. "I mean, I don't know what time it is and how much time we have left, but if you don't want to, surely we can just stay here.", she suggests. Amity releases a small chuckle at that.
"You know we can't do that."
"But would you feel better if we just stayed here?", Luz asks, at which Amity falls silent for a few moments.
"I just want it over with.", Amity frees herself from Luz's grip, straightens up and sits on the edge of her bed. "I... um, you can wear something of my clothes. Or do you have something appropriate yourself?"
"I don't think so.", Luz replies, "If you don't mind me asking... How exactly do these things work here? I remember what it was like on Earth, but-"
"I- don't think I have the energy to explain everything right now. I'll tell you what to do when the time comes. Okay?", Amity glances at Luz, and the half-human can't help but notice how drained and exhausted Amity looks. Luz merely nods slightly.
It takes about twenty minutes for the two girls to get ready.
Amity has given Luz one of her black pants, as well as a black fleece jacket, which she wears over her t-shirt. Amity, on the other hand, is wearing a floor-length black dress and black gloves, leaving no visible skin exposed. Tucked under her arm she carries a black hat, around which a slightly transparent veil is completely wrapped around.
Once they are completely finished, they leave the room and approach the railing from which they can overlook the entire living room. The immensely high windows on either side of the fireplace are completely darkened, and only brightly lit candles by the walls and in the middle illuminate the room. The furniture that was still in the room was replaced sometime after Luz's arrival yesterday by a large number of chairs facing two coffins placed directly in front of the windows. Luz swallows hard at the sight. It will be a while before the funeral ceremony officially begins, which is why the guests have not been allowed inside yet, if there will be any coming at all. With the room being empty as it is, Luz notices several objects placed on top of the coffins.
With mild curiosity, she walks down the walkway, hand in hand with Amity, heading directly to the coffins, where she notices three picture frames on both sides, each with two Polaroid pictures in them. Before Luz can ask what they are all about, Amity speaks up.
"They're not photos. They are memories. One good one and one bad one. From Dad, from Em, and from me."
Luz takes a closer look at the memories on display.
The first memory on the left coffin shows Edric and Emira in outfits Luz remembers from the last Grom. They are nicely dressed and slow dancing together. "Heh, I remember that.", Luz exclaims softly with a smile, "I had seen them dancing together before I faced Grom." Amity doesn't reply to that, before Luz looks at the next memory.
The image next to it shows a younger version of the twins, about ten years old. Emira seems to be crying and running away from Edric, who is shouting something angrily after her. Luz looks questioningly at Amity, who just shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know what that was about. All I know is that they haven't spoken to each other for several weeks.", Amity comments. Luz nods at that and moves on to the next picture frame.
The next memory shows a newly born Edric being held in Alador's arms. Alador with an overjoyed smile on his face and tears of joy in his eyes. "I don't understand why Dad chose this memory of all things...", Amity comments, which Luz doesn't question further.
In the next memory, Luz can't help but smile as she spots a young Edric, who has apparently climbed into a barrel of abomination slime in Alador's lab and tipped it over. "Dad was soo furious that day.", Amity comments again with an audible smile.
Luz moves on to the next picture frame, which no doubt contains Amity's memories. The first memory shows Amity, still with brown hair, on a swing with Edric behind her, pushing her. 'Cute...', Luz thinks to herself.
But this positive feeling doesn't last long. Her heart drops at the sight of a memory she unfortunately remembers all too well herself: Edric in the snow with Luz herself bent over him, putting all her power into the futile attempt to heal him. With a frown, Luz turns to Amity, whose own gaze is directed towards the ground. She takes a short breath before walking to the right coffin.
The first memory shows a slightly younger Emira being presented with her palisman by Odalia. She is beaming all over her face.
The memory directly next to it shows Emira on a stage where Odalia is pointing an Abomination weapon at her. "What the-?", Luz mutters in utter disgust. "It's one of Blight Industries' product demonstrations.", Amity explains quietly, "I've had to help out several times myself." Luz merely growls at that, before moving on to the second frame.
"Aww...", Luz says as she recognizes the picture directly as a wedding photo. "Again, I have no idea why Dad chose this memory of all things.", Amity frowns at that. "It seems like a very happy memory.", Luz says. "That's exactly why." Luz doesn't talk about it any further and instead turns to look at the last picture frame.
The first memory shows a very young Amity, no older than five or six, being cuddled up in bed by Odalia and giving her a goodnight kiss. "Your mom wasn't always this-" "Terrible? No.", Amity says, "But I've had to search a long time for that memory."
Luz nods at her before looking at the last memory. It shows Odalia dyeing Amity's hair green for the first time. "For the negative memories, I had plenty to choose from.", she comments flatly.
"Would it be okay if I added a few of my memories as well?", Amity's eyes widen in terror as Luz speaks, "I mean, I never met your mom, but-"
"Luz, no!", Amity shuts her down firmly, "You're not doing that." Luz looks taken aback for a second before Amity continues. "I mean, how many memories do you have of Edric anyway? Three? Four?", Amity asks, at which Luz thinks for a moment, "Sorry Luz, but I don't think that's a good idea."
"Okay.", she replies softly. Amity gives her a sad, yet grateful smile.
"Thank you."
"Should we wait here until the others arrive, or-"
Luz's question answers itself as the sound of a door opening can be heard from the direction of the other side of the living room. She and Amity watch Emira and Viney come out of their room. The older Blight is wearing almost the same dress as Amity, along with carrying the identical black hat with the concealing veil under her arm.
Amity puts on her hat and gestures to Luz to one of the six chairs in the front row.
"Sit down.", she asks her quietly. Luz nods and does as she is told. Luz sits at the far end with Amity right next to her. When Emira and Viney join them, Emira shoots Luz a hateful look before putting on her hat, while Viney smiles apologetically at her.
There is an eerie, oppressive silence for several minutes in the room. Fortunately, this is interrupted when they hear footsteps approaching from outside the living room. The eyes of all four girls snap in the same direction, which reveals Alador walking in and towards them. He is wearing an all-black suit and the same black hat with an all-round veil. Right behind him walks another man Luz has never seen before. He is also wearing a black suit, but what she immediately notices is his Abomination hair, tied up in an amorphous bun, as well as his Abomination goatee. He and Luz make fleeting eye contact before Alador speaks up.
"Okay... Are you ready?", he speaks a little slower than usual.
"No.", Amity speaks up.
"Heh, me neither.", Alador huffs, "Emira?"
The eldest Blight nods hesitantly.
"Okay. Darius, you can go ahead and sit down. I'll let the others in."
The man, Darius, puts a hand on his shoulder before nodding at him. Luz thinks she can spot a slight smile through the veil, but it is so opaque that it could just as well be something totally different. Alador nods back to him before Darius sits down on the chair at the far end, and Alador heads for the main entrance.
Somewhat patiently and in complete silence, the five of them wait while the guests quietly enter the room one by one, dispersing onto the chairs. Among the first are Alsa and her wife Sarah, with Boscha in tow, who definitely looks like she doesn't want to be here. They are followed by Liwin and Ruby, the former probably responsible for taking them all here. Luz doesn't know what Ruby's connection is, though. Is she here for Amity?
Following the two of them, there are four people in very expensive-looking suits who Luz definitely can't place. Probably business partners of Amity's parents. Right behind them, Willow, Skara, and Gus come into view, which brings a grateful smile to Luz's face. They smile back at her before sitting down in the third row of chairs. The last person to enter the house who walks next to Alador is, to Luz's surprise, Principal Bump. Their eyes meet at which his face shows genuine relief. She gives him a brief smile before turning back to the front. The guests who have arrived take up less than half of the seats provided. Luz herself, however, is more than happy that anyone has come at all, given the circumstances.
"Dear friends... Dear acquaintances and strangers...", Alador has placed himself directly in front of the two coffins and looks into the silent crowd. "It fills my heart with warmth that you have found the time, during these special circumstances to support our family. Emira will make the start."
At that, Alador takes his seat between Darius and Viney. Luz hears Emira take a deep breath before she stands up and takes the exact same place her father had previously occupied.
"I... A few days ago, I wouldn't have expected... that I'd be standing here today, mourning my own-", Emira cuts herself off, an audible lump in her throat, "-my own little brother."
Luz suddenly feels a shiver race down her spine as she suspects Emira is staring right back at her.
"I know all this nonsense here requires me to be completely honest and stuff, so I'm not going to say I'm going to miss mom. Not that she ever was ever really a mother... As for Edric-", Emira falls into a moment of silence, "Ed and I had always joked that I would get rid of him in a heartbeat if I could, while he was terrified of being apart from me. That fucking irony..."
"I remember one weekend, it was a few years ago, Dad might remember, when Ed and I snuck out of the house to go camping. We had nothing but two fucking tiny backpacks and not a fucking clue where we were going. We were originally going to stay near the house, but I was determined to keep going. Of course, we immediately got lost and Ed immediately started crying, but the fuck-ass kid that I was, I was having none of it. Fuck, I really was just the worst... And despite all the shit, all the dirt I put him through, he stayed by my side. He always felt lost without me. I was his older sister and I-", Emira's voice breaks slightly and she snaps towards the left coffin, "Fuck Ed, what the titan am I supposed to do without you? You were my brother-, you were a part of me... I always said I wanted to get rid of you, but- but- now you're gone, and- and... ... and now it's me who feels lost... Ed, I love you."
Emira sits down again, only to be immediately embraced by Viney and Amity. Alador takes this as a sign to speak up next. He stands up, facing the silent crowd.
"I remember very well how Odalia and I met. Or rather, were being introduced to each other.", he glances at Darius, "Odalia Nightwater, as she was called back then. She had just moved to Bonesborough with her parents, and since both their parents had business dealings with each other, Darius had introduced us to each other. Not sure if I should love him or hate him for it, but neither does it matter anymore. I fell in love with her straight away. She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen and back then I was always easily impressed. Long story short, she had me wrapped around her finger very quickly, while I was just hopelessly smitten... She always had a lot of business ideas and after she realized that she could make money with me, she asked me to be her boyfriend. Well, we started and sold some successful businesses together, and a few years later we got married. So far, my story makes it sound like I have a lot of regrets, but that's not the case. She was my first and only big love, and even though it was often not always reciprocated, she gave me three wonderful presents that mean absolutely everything to me.", he pauses briefly and takes a deep breath, "When Edric and Emira were born, it was by far the happiest day of my life. I remember it like it was yesterday when I held the two tiny creatures in my arms for the first time. At that moment, I vowed to be the best possible father to my children that I could be. And I was happy... A few years later, Amity was born and my happiness only grew, along with the three treasures I got to call my own. Unfortunately, that happiness didn't last. As much as my family was close to my heart and always my top priority, Odalia had started to distance herself from those values, pulling me along with her. Instead of family, money and status suddenly took priority, with family only a means to an end. I had to work more and more and had less and less time for what was really important to me... And then, when I found out what happened...", he gestures to the coffins, "-I realized I didn't live up to my vow... And despite what Odalia made me do, I can't say I regret any actions on my part. On the contrary, I regret all the things I did not do, the moments I could not experience. I regret all the time I wasted on pointless inventions in the lab instead of watching my children grow up... And now, one of them will no longer have the chance to grow up. I… I will grow older... get gray hair... but my son will stay sixteen for the rest of my life."
Alador turns around, placing one hand on each of the coffins. "Edric, my son, Odalia, my wife... Your passing will leave a huge void in this house, and in my heart. May your souls rest in peace."
Even before Alador has taken his seat again, Amity is already standing up and taking her place who seems to be shaking a little.
"I hated her.", Amity immediately spats with venom in her voice, not wasting a single second, "No, fuck, I despised her. I still do. For about ten years she took control of my life away from me and tried to make me a fucking younger version of herself, stripping me of everything that made me me. From the friends I was no longer allowed to see without her destroying their lives, to my future plans being thrown out the window at a moment's notice replaced by her own fucking fantasies, to my own fucking hair color! She had robbed me of everything I was, and if someone very special hadn't stepped into my life and freed me from her clutches... I think my life would be a whole lot worse than it is today.", Amity takes a shaky breath before continuing.
"Edric has always been a thorn in my foot, a sneeze that won't come, a wet sock in my shoe... you get the picture. He and Em have always played these annoying pranks on me and made my life unnecessarily more difficult. But at the same time, I've always known that when it really comes down to it, I can rely on them without any of their bullshit. ... I remember a couple months ago after- after Luz disappeared, and I... I thought that... ... I had assumed the worst. I spent days, if not weeks just... well, doesn't matter. My point is that both of them were there for me during that time and never left my side. It wouldn't be fair of me to say that one of them was there for me more than the other, because they've always been two parts of the same person rather than two different people. Without Edric, things will definitely feel incomplete around here, and... unlike Odalia, I will definitely miss him. His stupid pranks, his stupid comments, his stupid habits, his stupid face...", a lump forms in her throat and tears gather in the corners of her eyes, "I'll miss you, big brother. Things won't be the same without you..."
Without saying anything else, Amity hurries back to her seat and is hugged tightly by Luz, at which point she lets her tears run free. With shaky breaths, she clings to her with all her strength.
She doesn't notice that Alador has gotten up again and kneels on the floor in front of her, touching her gently on the shoulder. She turns to him with a sniff and after him doing nothing more than a gesture his head towards the coffins, she releases her grip on Luz. She lets go of her and stands up, which Luz definitely knows she didn't let go of her own choice.
Amity and Alador stand before the coffins of her brother and the empty one of his wife respectively, before both of them create four Abominations each, lifting the coffins slowly and carefully from their tables. The guests all rise from their seats and make way for the Abominations before they begin to follow them. They make a turn towards the back exit of the Manor. Amity and Luz, Alador and Darius, and Emiry and Viney walk at the front behind the Abominations. The other guests follow them.
The doors to the outside are already wide open, revealing a wooden platform with some freshly felled tree trunks underneath. As soon as they leave the house, the guests start humming a slow tune. The Abominations place the two coffins on the wooden platform and everyone present stands in a semi-circle around them at a safe distance, the humming only getting louder rather than dying down. Amity, Emira, and Alador are now standing right next to each other inside the semicircle with Luz, Viney, and Darius behind them. The three Blights each create a flame, which they carefully hold with both their hands. They take a few steps closer to the platform before speaking up in near-perfect unison.
"Edric Blight. Odalia Blight. Your time on this world ended too soon and abruptly, yet, in the name of the Titan, may your souls ascend to the world beyond until we meet again in the next life."
With a powerful push, they shoot the flames onto the platform, which immediately begins to burn, the fire quickly spreading to the entire structure. Everyone present watches the flames in respectful silence until Emira's knees give out and she lets out a blood-curdling scream, dropping to all fours. Viney breaks out of the formation and drops to her knees beside her as well, hugging her close to her chest.
After a few minutes, Amity and Alador step back again. Amity is held by Luz as they all watch the flames and smoke rise high into the sky, with no sound other than the crackling of burning wood and Emira's aggressive tears.
The humming of the guests has stopped after a while as Viney lifts Emira from the ground and carries the poor witch firmly back into the house, giving Luz a nod as she passes her.
"I... I think I'll go back inside as well.", Amity whispers to Luz. She makes a motion to go with her, but Amity stops her. "Um... If it's okay with you, I'd like to be alone for a bit."
"Y-Yeah, of course. I understand... Do you want me to stop by later?", Luz asks. Amity just nods at that. "Okay, then I'll see you later."
Amity throws her a soft smile through her veil before turning and following Emira and Viney back into the Manor. Luz remains standing outside, her gaze lingering on Amity for as long as possible until she disappears from view around a corner. She stares after it for a few more seconds, lost in thought, but is torn from her thoughts when she realizes that Alador is speaking.
"-Thank you for coming despite the current hazardous circumstances. However, I must sadly inform you that the rest of the ceremony will be postponed until further notice, and the rest will be rescheduled as soon as it is safe to do so. When the time comes, you are all welcome to attend, of course. And for now, please... stay as long as you like. There are some refreshments in the kitchen."
As soon as Alador had finished speaking, Luz wanted to greet her friends, but is interrupted when a voice she doesn't recognize speaks up.
"Luz Noceda?", asks a male voice. Luz turns around and finds Darius in front of her.
"Oh, yeah, that's me.", she replies with a slight smile, "And you're Alador's friend, right?"
"'Friend' is a very... ambiguous term. But yes, you could say that I'm here today as his... friend."
"That's great. Because, admittedly, I didn't think he had any friends at all...", Luz admits, "Not that I've ever gotten to know him well enough to know that or not."
"Well... enough about Alador. I was hoping to have a chat with you."
"But aren't we alr-"
"In private.", he adds.
"Oh... okay, sure.", she agrees, "Lead the way."
He nods to her and enters the Manor again, heading straight up the stairs, leading her to the roof terrace. Once there, Luz speaks up again.
"Out of curiosity, is that real hair or is that some kind of Abomination toupee on your head?", she asks in a cheerful tone. Darius freezes on the spot, staring at her as if she had just insulted his parents.
"Rude.", he huffs before rolling his eyes, "Anyway, I think I should introduce myself properly. My name is Darius Daemonne, Head Witch of the Abomination Coven."
Luz's previously cheerful mood immediately sours, her smile replaced by a skeptical frown. She crosses her arms in front of him. He notices her change of mood immediately.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to arrest you or anything.", he tries to de-escalate.
"Not as if you could, anyway.", she snaps back. Again, he rolls his eyes at her.
"Please... You're just a human-", he stops himself as he notices golden lightning bolts flashing along her arm.
"Don't underestimate me.", she threatens him with a serious tone, "What do you want from me?"
"I was hoping you could grant me an audience with your little rebel alliance."
"What makes you think I know any of them?", she manages to keep up her poker face. Darius sighs before reaching into his coat, pulling out an envelope which he hands over to her. She turns it over once, only to find it unlabeled. She opens it and pulls out several photos. The first shows an uncoordinated looking group of scouts on the bridge heading towards the Emperor's Castle. The second one shows two of the scouts splitting off, and the third shows Luz and Amity after their costumes have disappeared. She raises an eyebrow at him. He explains.
"These pictures were taken just before the invasion began, inside the Emperor's Castle. Not long after, the other group came back with one additional member, who I know to be Raine Whispers. I was hoping you could help me further. I would hate to have to turn to Ms. Blight for my request... and these pictures clearly show that you are both associated with the group."
"Fine. It's true.", Luz admits, "What do you want?"
"The Isles are under siege. The Emperor's Coven is shattered. At least four coven heads have been confirmed dead. No one knows where Emperor Belos is. The infrastructure has collapsed, people are being abducted, and no one knows what's going on or manages to successfully fight back... But I think you already know all this, don't you?", he eyes Luz for a long moment, looking for any reaction, "I'm offering my help and information."
"What kind?"
"I've been gathering information about the enemy and their soldiers over the last few days, and I believe that-"
"His name is King Andrias, and he comes from a world called Amphibia. He is working with a creature that has taken the body of an old friend as a host. Their army consists entirely of robots produced entirely in Amphibia."
"O-okay...", for the first time in his life Darius is actually a little speechless. He clears his throat. "I have additional information about Andrias' attack on the knee. I'm sure this information is highly valuable-"
"Belos fired the gun, not Andrias. He was trying to blackmail him."
"Where-"
"Because I was there!", she explains with an annoyed tone, "Because I was there and witnessed one of my friends, my girlfriend's brother, being killed."
"Oh..."
"Besides, I don't trust you.", Luz states, "Not only was I made the most wanted person in the Isles while I wasn't even here, but the Covens are also responsible for me losing both Eda and King."
"I see. Trust has to be earned.", Darius agrees, "But keep in mind that more lives are at risk every second."
"Oh, I'm perfectly aware... Luckily for you, I already have an idea how you can prove your intentions."
"Oh yeah?", he asks, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"The Blights are mourning two deaths today.", Luz states, "Help me help them, and you'll get your audience."
"Those terms sound... acceptable.", Darius agrees.
"Great.", Luz says, her mood already a whole lot better again, "I'll get Viney and then we can start cooking right away."
"COOKING?"
"So, what's your plan, human?", Darius asks, standing in the kitchen of Blight Manor with the two teenagers, him wearing a surprisingly stylish looking cooking apron.
Some time has passed since the last guests left. After her conversation with Darius, Luz had chatted with her friends for a while until Liwin had decided to return to the Clawthorne Estate with most of the others. As soon as they had left, Luz had grabbed Viney and dragged her and Darius into the kitchen before locking themselves in.
"My name is Luz, and you know that. You called me that earlier.", she replied smugly.
"Luz-", Viney now speaks up, "What exactly is the plan?"
"Well, you've both seen how bad all three of them are doing at the moment, right?", Luz explains, not actually waiting for an answer, "So I thought we'd cook them their favorite meals to cheer them up a little, and show them that we're here for them. So, Viney, what's Emira's favorite meal?"
"Uh... Fried collard greens."
"I don't know what that is, but we can do that. Darius, what-"
"No clue."
"What?"
"Now if you want to ask me what Alador's favorite food is: I haven't the faintest idea.", Darius explains, at which Luz just stares at him in shock. She needs a few seconds to gather her thoughts.
"What do you mean 'you have no idea'?"
"I don't understand your problem with that. It's a pretty simple statement."
"How can you not know what your best friend likes to eat?", Luz asks, utterly aghast, "That's like not knowing his last name."
Viney stands slightly apart from the two, watching their interaction in amusement with her arms crossed.
"We're not the kind of people to talk about that.", Darius argues, "So drop it. I'm willing to help with whatever you have in mind, though."
"You seem to have forgotten our agreement.", Luz reminds him, "You're cooking for him. Otherwise you won't get your audience."
Darius lets out an incredibly annoyed grunt, followed by a deep sigh.
"Fine.", he replies eventually, "Back when that Hack and I went to school together, he had a pretty intense obsession with 'Not Dogs'. Let's just go with that and get it over with."
With that out of the way, Viney rejoins the conversation.
"Luz, what are you planning to make for Amity?", she asks.
"Huh? Oh, I'm going to make her something out of my world. It's called 'wraps.' The main ingredient is a soft flatbread rolled around a filling. I can also make more so that everyone can try."
"Fine by me.", Viney comments.
"Are you sure we can't let the butler do it?", Darius groans again, "I really don't want to get my hands dirty on a day like this."
"I've already told Abdel to clean up the house and prepare the dining room so that we can concentrate fully on cooking.", Luz explains while watching with amusement as the coven head crumbles further and further with every word she says. He does not reply. "Okay, let's see what we can work with in here."
Barely ninety minutes later, the three of them find themselves in the dining room, the table in front of them fully laid and with steaming hot and delicious smelling food on it. In front of them stand three large plates with various vegetable wraps, not-dogs, and whatever that thing is that Emira likes on each of them.
The cooking went smoothly for the most part, and despite Darius' initial grumbling and complaining, he quickly displayed an immense skill in the kitchen, as well as an incredibly detailed knowledge about herbs and ingredients. Even Luz was able to pick up a tip or two from him, and she was very surprised at how quickly he felt at ease in the kitchen. He was also able to prevent Luz from chopping off her own fingers on more than one occasion, whereupon he had banned her from using knives altogether.
"Okay, this looks amazing.", Luz compliments the two, "I'm going to go freshen up and then bring Emira and Amity here. And you go and get Alador."
"You got it, Luz.", Viney confirms, at which Darius just nods silently. His previous personality seems to have been restored after leaving the kitchen. What a shame.
Luz leaves the dining room beside the kitchen and walks through the living room, which has already been restored to its previous state by Abdel. The chairs have been cleared away, the sofas put back and the windows opened, flooding the living room with natural light. She walks up the ramp, past the three bedrooms and into the bathroom, where she simply washes her hands and splashes some water on her face before feeling ready to finally put her plan into action. Her first destination: Amity's room.
She hurries straight there before knocking not too loudly on her door a couple of times.
"Amity?"
No answer.
"May I come in?"
She still gets no answer.
'Maybe she's asleep...', she suspects, just before she can hear the click of the unlocking door lock and see the door opening from the inside. The room is completely dark, apart from a few rays of light shining into the room from the sides of the curtains, revealing an Amity curled up on her bed. Apparently she has used Abomination-goo to open the door for Luz.
"Hey...", Luz greets her in a soft voice. She approaches her slowly before sitting down next to her on the bed, eyeing her girlfriend closely. Not that she can see much as dark as it is. Luz flowns briefly before an idea occurs to her.
She places a hand on Amity's blanket and lets her golden lightning appear on her arm. The lightning bolts glide down her arms, over her fingertips and into the blanket. A faint, warm golden glow begins to illuminate the surrounding area as golden spurts of light dance over and through the blanket. Amity turns her head slightly, peering at Luz. The half-human immediately realizes that her girlfriend was crying, as red and puffy as her eyes look.
"How are you feeling?", Luz asks her gently, guiding Amity's hair out of her face.
"How are you doing that?", she merely asks, avoiding the question. Luz smiles slightly.
"It's a neat trick, isn't it?", Luz asks before abruptly lifting her hand from the blanket causing the room to fall back into almost complete darkness. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Not... terrible."
"That's a start.", Luz smiles, "Um, if you want, I have a little something for you. A surprise. A tasty one."
"I don't know if-", Amity starts, but Luz cuts her off.
"Please, I insist.", she speaks calmly, "You won't regret it."
Amity remains completely silent for just under a minute while Luz sits patiently beside her, holding her gaze.
"Okay.", she finally agrees, her voice no louder than a whisper.
"Great.", Luz says happily. "Just come down to the dining room when you're ready."
And with that, Luz gets up and leaves Amity's room again, deliberately leaving the door wide open. She heads to the door right next to it and knocks again.
"Emira? It's me, Luz. May I come in?"
"No!", she immediately shoots back through the closed door. Luz is hardly surprised.
"Okay. I just wanted to let you know that we- meaning Viney, Darius and I- have prepared something for the three of you. A little surprise, if you like.", Luz explains, but gets no reply. "I know you blame me for Edric's death, and... and I'm not saying you're completely wrong about that. You're not the only person blaming me for it either. I know you hate me, and it's probably deserved. I know you're hurting a lot, just like Amity and your father, and we just wanted to do something to cheer you up and show you that you're not alone.", Luz waits a moment for a reaction, which she doesn't get. "If you want to join us, we'll wait in the dining room for you."
Luz waits for another moment in front of the closed door. Silence.
She takes a deep breath before making her way back to the dining room, where she finds that Alador is already there, having taken a seat at the table next to Darius.
"Amity will be here soon. I'm not sure about Emira though...", she reports.
"Should I maybe try again?", Viney asks, "I mean, I'm sorry, but you're not exactly her favorite person."
"What do you mean?", Alador speaks up unexpectedly. Viney explains.
"She blames Luz for Edric's death."
"Oh...", is all Alador says before the table falls into an awkward silence.
Fortunately, this silence doesn't last long, because only a few minutes later, Amita and Emira are standing in the doorway, taking in the sight and smells before them.
"That smells absolutely amazing...", Emira comments, which brings a huge smile to Viney's face in particular. The illusion witch walks over to her and sits down right next to her at the rectangular table. Amity doesn't say anything and sits quietly next to Luz. The latter speaks up.
"So, now that we are all set, we can begin. We've prepared Not Dogs, fried collard greens, and various vegetable wraps.", she explains, "Enjoy."
All of them immediately reach for the steaming food in front of her. Luz's focus, however, is entirely on Amity instead of the food, who hesitantly picks up a wrap and places it on her plate. She looks at the meal in front of her for a while with a puzzled expression.
"Um, Luz... How-"
"There are different ways. But usually people eat it like this.", Luz grabs a wrap and takes a big, hearty bite out of it. "Wu fee?", she speaks with her mouth full. Amity snickers slightly at that before mimicking Luz's gesture and taking a big bite as well. Her eyes widen.
"Oh my Titan...", she speaks as soon as her mouth is empty again. Without hesitation, she takes another bite. Luz's heart leaps with joy.
She lets her gaze wander over the table where she finds everyone enjoying the hearty meal immensely. Alador and Darius are talking about something abomination-related. Admittedly, Luz wasn't really listening. Her gaze moves on to Viney and Emira, the latter slurping her food while Viney rests her head on the taller girl's shoulder, a Not Dog in her hand.
Luz herself isn't sure exactly how much time has passed between when the six of them all got together, and now with a table full of empty plates in front of them. A comfortable silence has taken over the room, all of them just sitting there content. Luz decides to break any silence.
"That was a nice ceremony today.", she says, "I'm glad I got to be there, even if I had no idea what to expect."
No one answers directly. Most of the others suddenly have an unreadable expression on their faces.
"Was this your first funeral ceremony, human?", Darius eventually speaks up.
"You know my name. Use it!", she snaps at him, "But no, it wasn't my first funeral. My... my father passed away six years ago. I was 8. It... was less than a month before my birthday."
No one speaks up. Or rather, no one dares to interrupt her as she continues.
"The funeral was very small. Only my mom and I were there. Well, and the priest. He gave some speech and babbled some holy mop while my dad's coffin was lowered into the ground. It was soo surreal..."
"Luz, you don't have to-", Amity tries to interrupt her, but to no avail. She sees the tears forming in her girlfriend's eyes as Luz continues to talk herself into her own downward spiral.
"I mean, I'd only spoken to him days before. And then suddenly... he wasn't there anymore... I think my mom took it even harder than me at the time, even if she tried to hide it from me. I had heard her crying at night when she thought I was asleep... I-"
Luz interrupts herself for a moment before she realizes the others are staring at her, pity in their eyes. "I... I'm sorry.", she mutters before jumping up from the table and running out of the room.
"LUZ!", Amity immediately calls after her. Unfortunately to no avail.
In a near panic, Luz runs down the hallway into the living room and further up the walkway to Amity's room, closing the door behind her and continuing onto her balcony, where she leans her whole body against the railing. Her breathing is completely irregular and she tries compulsively not to allow the tears to escape her eyes.
'In...', she takes a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, 'And out...', she releases her breath.
'In...', she takes another breath, 'And out...'
'In... ... and out...'
"Luz?", Amity's voice sounds from behind her, from the direction of the door. Luz clenches her eyes, not turning around. She hears footsteps coming in her direction. "Oh, there you are."
"Hey.", she tries to force a smile onto her face. "I'm sorry."
"What for?", Amity asks, not a hint of blame in her voice. She moves to stand beside her.
"For ruining the mood."
"HA!", Amity laughs out loud. Luz looks at her utterly confused.
"Luz, today is supposed to be a shitty day.", she states, "What you did for us, that you managed to distract us from all the crap today, that was the exception. And I am grateful. So don't worry."
"Speaking of which... A thought occurred to me. A spell, actually.", Luz states at which Amity raises an eyebrow, "It's about sharing pain. Like, pain shared is pain halved, or something like that. And I thought to myself that..."
Luz's thoughts are abruptly interrupted as Amity leans in and gives her a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth.
"Thank you Luz, but I don't think either of us would benefit from that.", she speaks softly as she grabs her girlfriend's hand, "You're in pain too. I can see it in your eyes. If we shared that, neither of us would be left with less. Do you know what I mean?"
Luz takes a now more stable breath before answering.
"Yeah..."
"But if you want, we can talk about it.", Amity suggests, "Things will still suck for a while, but maybe not quite as much when we're together."
"Yeah, I like that idea."
Silence envelops the two girls as they just stand there, on the balcony with Luz looking out into the distance, while Amity's gaze is on Luz.
"You know what I've just noticed?", Amity asks. Luz turns her head towards her. She doesn't answer directly, but merely tilts her head slightly. "Your hair. It's getting longer..."
"Heh...", Luz huffs out, "I guess it's been a while since I had it cut."
"If you want, I could cut it for you...", Amity offers, "Emira cuts mine every now and then when it gets too long and I cut hers. I could do that for you too."
Luz thinks about her offer for a moment before shaking her head slightly.
"I think I'll let it grow. Who knows, maybe it's already long enough that I can make it into a tiny ponytail already."
Before anyone else can say anything else, a loud clearing of the throat catches the attention of the two girls. It's Darius standing in the doorway.
"Human.", he states. Luz merely growls in his direction. "You promised me something. I'd like to have that right now."
Luz sighs in an annoyed tone before letting go of Amity's hand and moving to her side of Amity's bed to grab her scroll. She opens Penstagram and types a quick message, all the while Amity looks confusedly back and forth between her girlfriend and the Coven Head. Around two minutes pass before Luz speaks up again.
"She's on her way.", she says, "You can wait for her outside the front door."
"Thank you.", he bows slightly before he walks away again, leaving Luz and Amity behind.
"What was that about?", Amity asks as Luz smiles slightly amused.
"He had asked me if he could get an audience with the CATs.", Luz explains, "And he just knew that the two of us had a connection to the others."
"Wait... So you just-"
"Yup. I asked Liwin if she could come back to talk to him.", Luz explains, "I'm looking forward to his reaction once he realizes it. It'll be fun."
As if on command, the two girlfriends hear a commotion from downstairs.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me...", they hear Darius whine again, which throws the two girls into a fit of chuckles.
"That's what he gets for not calling me by my name.", Luz says with a smug grin on her face.
"Don't tell me you planned all this..."
"Heh, no. But it all came together in the end."
At the same time, near an undisclosed location…
'Oh Titan... Coming here was definitely not the best idea. Not that I had a choice...', Hunter thinks to himself as he arrives at the exact location noted on the letter he received shortly after the invasion began.
"Uncle?", he calls out, poking his head through a huge set of doors, "Uncle, are you here? I received your letter."
He is greatly startled when the door slams shut behind him with a loud bang. He can feel his pulse under his skin.
"Hunter. It's good to see you safe and sound.", Belos' voice sounds from behind him. He flinches as a hand touches his shoulder.
"Shhh... It's all good. You're safe here, Hunter.", Belos tries to reassure him, which actually calms him down a little. "Come with me here. I want to show you something."
Belos leads Hunter through another smaller set of doors, behind which lies a kind of laboratory with various experiments spread out on many many tables. Belos leads them both past most of the experiments until they come to a stop in front of a table with a glowing green Gem on it.
"Do you know what that is, Hunter?", Belos asks him, at which Hunter shakes his head.
"That, dear nephew, is crystallized Titan-Blood.", Belos explains, "Probably the most powerful substance that has ever existed."
"Titan-Blood... I've heard of that before. Isn't it supposed to be incredibly rare?"
"Indeed.", Belos agrees, "With one of the last suspected locations was actually at the knee... which is now destroyed."
"Is that-", Hunter points to the Gem, "how you are planning to stop this invasion?"
"Oh I'm not going to stop it.", Belos states calmly, "Well, not yet."
"What- what do you mean?", Hunter asks, at which Belos lets out a long drawn out sigh.
"Hunter, explain something to me: What is the best way to deal with a completely unknown, and superior opponent?", he asks, which the currently unmasked Golden Guard ponders for a moment.
"Well, brute force is out of the question... I'd say it's important to get to know the enemy first. To find out their weak points."
"Exactly."
"So that's what we're doing here? Watch and wait while all those people out there get slaughtered?"
"I know you don't like it, but the Titan has already let me in on his plans. and the people's suffering won't last. And you can help."
"I can?"
"Of course. I have prepared a list of items that you will get for me.", Belos explains, handing him a piece of parchment. He skims over the list briefly until he reaches a point that makes him falter.
"A Galdorstone?", Hunter asks nervously, "B-but they've all been destroyed. I was there. There aren't any left."
Belos puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about that one. Get me the other items listed and then we'll see."
"Yes, uncle. Um, one more thing.", Belos raises an eyebrow at him, "The- the coven heads. There are four confirmed deaths. Should- should I arrange for the others to be taken to safety?"
"No.", Belos replies after a moment of consideration, "All I need for my plan to work is you. Don't worry about that. As soon as my preparations are complete, our enemies will no longer pose a threat to anyone."
"Yes, uncle. I'll be on my way immediately.", Hunter bows before hurrying back the way he came. Knowing full well that many of the items listed will be incredibly difficult to obtain, especially in the current chaos that reigns in the Isles. "I won't let you down."
"I know you won't."