A Legend In the Making

by AwesomeFox99 (KhaosKyuubi)

Summary:

Sometimes, a minute or two can make a lot of difference. It takes King just a little bit longer to find the Collector's Mirror and free him to stop Belos. During that time, something awakens inside of Luz. Something powerful. Now stuck in the Human Realm, Luz and the rest of the Hexsquad will have to juggle finding a way to go back home and stop the Collector, as well as get answers about Luz's transformation. Luckily for them, her newly-discovered family members know and thing or ten about magic, the occult, and travel between realms.

Chapter 1: Veins Burning Red

Luz had hoped that Branding Belos with the Coven Sigil would have stopped him or at least given her leverage to negotiate. Instead, Belos had gone crazy! Transforming into a gooey, slimy monster resembling the mass of tormented Palisman souls she and Hunter had encountered in his mindscape. Luz had been struggling in the fight until her friends arrived to back her up. However, even with their assistance, Belos was still monstrously powerful, and his new form was nearly impossible to damage.

“ENOUGH!” Roared Belos. He swept out a long, gooey arm and slammed the children into the wall of the Titan’s skull. “You have caused me enough grief. And since you don’t have your Coven Sigils… I suppose I’ll just have to kill you the old-fashioned way.”

The group struggled against their bonds, but Belos was too strong. Luz frantically met Amity’s eyes as her mind raced, trying to figure out a way to save everyone. Belos noticed this. “Ah… I see. It’s happened to you. No wonder you’re so… reluctant to side with me. She has you under her spell. Just like Caleb,” he mused, turning his gaze towards Amity. “Don’t worry. After I kill her, I’ll find a way to break her hold on your mind. Free you from this… degeneracy.” Belos morphed his free hand into a wicked blade and raised it high.

“NO!” Luz screamed at him. “Leave her alone!” She began struggling harder. “Amity! Amity! I’ll… I’ll Figure something- Everything will be okay! I promise!” She knew it was a lie. She couldn't move, couldn't reach any of her glyphs. Her vision blurred as tears welled up in her eyes. She struggled more frantically, trying to find some way. Her entire body burned from the exertion.

Luz watched the attack helplessly as Belos swung the blade down towards Amity. Everything seemed to slow down. Luz couldn't make her look away. The sharp edge, Amity’s terrified face, she was hyper-aware of every detail in the room. The burning sensation in her body began to spread. Outward from her lungs until her entire body felt like it was on fire. Luz’s thoughts were racing.

“Amity doesn't deserve this! No one deserves to die because I screwed up…” Determination beyond anything she had ever felt welled up in her, and the burning sensation intensified. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. “I’ll save her… I’ll save her! No matter what… I won’t let her die!” With that thought, Luz felt something deep inside her snap.

“AMITYYYYY!!” The scream tore itself from her throat, painfully loud. Bright purple energy exploded outward from her body, breaking Belos’s grasp on them and knocking his blade off course, saving Amity’s life. “AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!” Luz screamed again as a swirling vortex of power surrounded her body.

“What?! What is this?!” Demanded Belos, momentarily shocked.

Luz didn’t respond. She pushed off the wall with enough force to shatter it and launched herself at Belos, screaming as she did. She reached into her jacket pockets and grabbed two fire glyphs. “BURN!” She clapped her hands together and pointed her palms at Belos. Power flowed through her arms and into the glyphs, and to her shock, two massive jets of brilliant blue flame, more potent than anything she had ever created, shot out at the tyrant.

Belos screamed as he burned, his body sizzling and popping under the intense heat. He lashed out blindly at Luz, morphing his fist into a massive hammer to crush her.

Luz reacted before she knew what she was doing, jumping into the air, launching herself well over five feet to avoid the hammer strike. Once she landed, she jumped straight at Belos, swinging her fist at him in a blind rage. Luz knew that she was going to miss, she was just a little too far away from Belos for the hit to connect. Then, suddenly, a spectral arm of purple energy manifested and mimicked her arm’s movement, slamming into Belos’s head with incredible force, causing his head to spin halfway around. Luz landed on her feet, stumbling slightly as a wave of fatigue washed over her. She pushed it down. She had to keep fighting. He tried to kill Amity.

She screamed again and lunged at Belos as he was off-balance. Only this time, she didn't dodge in time.

Another wild swing from Belos caught her right in the side and sent her crashing into the wall at high speed. She felt the impact throughout her whole body, and heard several popping, snapping sounds. She stood up and looked down at her arm. She wasn’t a doctor, but she knew that it definitely wasn’t supposed to bend that way. It wasn’t just her arm either, Luz had felt several of her bones break, both from the blow itself and the impact of her body hitting the wall. She staggered to her feet, trying to fight through the pain. She tried to launch another attack, but she ended up putting all of her weight on a broken leg. A lance of pain shot through her body and she stumbled and fell to her knees, exhaustion finally overtaking her.

Amity rushed to her side to try and help her, and the rest of the group soon joined her.

Belos reformed his body, twisting his head back around to glare at Luz. “I don’t know what this is. But it doesn’t matter. I will not allow you to stand in my way.” He was quietly seething with rage. “I suppose I’ll have to make do without a guide in the Human World. Pity. You could have stood by my side.” He formed his hand into a scythe and swung it at them.

Amity closed her eyes, not wanting to see it coming… when suddenly, she heard the blade stop short, and a voice spoke up.

“What’cha playing?”

The group looked at the new arrival. A young child in what looked like pajamas was standing between them and Belos. Part of their face is painted blue, making them resemble a crescent moon.

Belos stepped back, fear evident in his voice when he spoke. “Collector… You’re free… Just as promised.”

The group watched as the Collector turned around to face Belos.

“‘As promised?’ I remember someone throwing me off a bridge.” The collector’s voice was cross. “I’m not mad, though… Say, wanna play tag?”

They watched as the Collector twirled their finger around and pulled Belos in close.

“I’m it.” The being lightly poked Belos with their finger and sent him rocketing backward into the wall just above the door, causing his body to splatter. “Too slow!” they cheerfully taunted, seemingly uncaring about the life they had just ended.

The group watched in horror as The Collector turned towards them. “You guys look slow too. Do you need a head start?”

Before anything more could happen, King showed up and got The Collector’s attention.

“Remember what we talked about? You gotta help all my friends outside, or we won’t get to play Owl House.” He emphasized the last two words, subtly glancing at Luz and the others, begging them to go along with him.

They hastily agreed with King, telling The Collector that Owl House was an amazingly fun game and that they played it all the time, all except for Luz and Hunter, who were both in bad shape.

“I’ll explain the rules later, but remember. We need lots of players,” King reminded them.

The group watched as The Collector approached them. Gus and Willow dragged Hunter to the side, and Amidy helped Luz limp out of the way.

Luz found it strange that she wasn;t in more pain. She had heard of adrenaline dulling the pain from broken bones, but she didn’t think that it would be this effective. Luz looked down at her arm and saw, much to her confusion, that it didn;t seem broken. She experimentally tried to make a fist. To her shock… she could. She couldn’t explain it, but she could feel her body mending itself. Her bones fused back together, and even her cuts and bruises began to heal. She tried to put some weight on her previously broken leg, and somehow found that she could. It had only been a few minutes since she had taken that hit. Human bodies weren’t supposed to heal like that.

The kids watched as The Collector looked out into the Boiling Isles, wondering how they would stop the draining spell. Then, suddenly, with a flick of their finger, the entire moon shifted, and the sky returned to normal. They watched as the marks covering Hunter’s body faded, and he regained his strength, managing to stop leaning on Willow for support.

the Collector drew their attention back to themself. “You know… If we’re going to play Owl House… We’re gonna need an Owl House!” They clapped their hands together and rose up into the air. The room began to shake violently as The Collector started to tear it apart to rebuild it into their “Owl House.” “We’re gonna have a blast!” They cheered in delight.

Willow turned around and looked towards Belos’s portal to the human realm. “I think there’s a way out!” She called, gesturing towards the door.

Luz stood up, still exhausted but no longer needing Amity’s support to stand. She grabbed King and began a mad dash to the Portal. The group jumped over the crumbling bridge and arrived at the threshold, Belos’s remains still dripping down into a puddle on the floor.

Luz hesitated for a moment, looking back out over the Boiling Isles. She needed to do something, anything! This was all her fault. She needed to fix this. Fix everything!

She was torn out of her thoughts when Amity grabbed her arm. “Luz, come on!” She pulled her towards the portal.

Luz still didn't move. “Eda!” She protested. “Everyone! I- I can't just leave them!” She explained to Amity. She turned and looked back at her girlfriend, but whatever she was going to say next caught in her throat.

“Luz… Please!” She begged, eyes welling up with tears.

Luz reluctantly began to follow her. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t abandon Amity… Not until she knew she was safe.

As they arrived at the crumbling threshold, Hunter hesitated for a moment, but Gus spurred him on. Hunter grit his teeth closed his eyes, and ran through the puddle on the floor that used to be his “Uncle.” In the chaos, no one saw a drop of Belos fall and land on Hunter’s shoulder, slithering into his cloak.

Luz saw that the portal was blinking, running out of power, crumbling as the temple fell apart. She hastily dug into her pockets, looking for the right Glyphs.

Hunter uneasily opened the door, revealing a swirling mass of energy that soon gave way to a dark sky and a thundering rain storm. The group hesitated until Gus reassured them that it was safe, that the rain in the human realm wasn’t like the boiling rain to which they were used.

As the temple continued to crumble, Luz noticed that the portal was falling apart. Thinking quickly, she grabbed a handful of plant Glyphs and threw them onto the ground. She stepped on them to activate them, using the plant tendrils to hold the device together while the others went through.

Amity noticed this and looked ba k over her shoulder. “Luz?” She asked, slowly realizing what her girlfriend was about to do. “Luz, what are you doing?”

Tears welled in her eyes. “I… I have to get Eda!” More than that, she needed to fix this, all of this. Everything was going all wrong, and it was all her fault! But if she could just get Amity out… get Amity safely away from her.”We’ll find a way back to you.” Luz was on the verge of breaking down crying. She had no idea if she was even lying or not. It wasn't important. All that mattered was getting her friends to safety. She could barely stand anymore. Whatever had happened to her had drained her. “Go! Go go go!” She begged, pleading with them to run and leave her behind. “I can’t hold the portal much longer!” Luz pulled back hard on the vines as she tried to keep the portal from collapsing. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw King being to float away. “King!” She called, letting go of some of the vines to grab him.

“King!” The Collector pouted. “You promised you’d play with me! You pinky swore!”

“Luz!” Amity saw this and began running towards her, not wanting Luz to be left behind.

No, no! That couldn't happen! She could not leave King alone with… whatever the Collector was. Luz held on tight. “We’ve gotta stick together,” she told him. “We gotta stick together!” She repeated it loudly as if saying the phrase repeatedly would help.

“I’m sorry,” King apologized. “Not this time… but I can keep you safe.”

Luz realized what King was about to do, and her eyes overflowed with tears. “No.” She said. She meant for it to be a scream, but it came out as more of a gasp.

“Luz… I’m so happy I had you as a big sister.” He closed his eyes for a moment and focused. Then, before Luz had time to voice her objection, he shouted. “WEEEH!!”

Luz felt the shockwave slam into her, and again, time seemed to slow down. She reached out towards King, and once again, a spectral purple limb manifested, mimicking her arm’s movements. This couldn’t happen! She was supposed to be King’s big sister! She couldn’t abandon him… she had to keep him safe! The limb reached out, closer and closer to King even as she flew backward, her body slamming into Amity. Luz closed her fist, and the arm did the same…

Only to miss by a fraction of an inch. The arm dissipated, and Luz and Amity flew through the portal just as the blast disintegrated it, sending them flying out of the old, dilapidated shack.

Luz landed, springing to her feet with a nimbleness that surprised her, and sprinted towards the door, desperate to save the baby titan she had come to love as a brother. The portal hadn’t collapsed yet! She still had time! Luz could see King suspended in the air, floating towards the all-powerful creature that had been unleashed, all because of her and her mistakes. “No! King!” She screamed, reaching out to catch the door before it closed, only for it to slam in her face. Luz grabbed the knob and twisted, throwing the door open, only for it to reveal the inside of the shack. She closed the door and opened it again, hoping against hope that the portal would somehow open again. Then she did it again and again—still nothing. The portal to the Boiling Isles was gone, leaving them trapped in the human realm.

Luz turned around and looked at the rest of the teens with her. She saw Gus fall to his knees, crying as he slammed his fist into the ground in anguish. This was all her fault. Luz knew that to be true. She had broken the world, destroyed it. She had helped Belos; she had let him bring his plans into motion. Everything that happened was because of her. The draining spell, the Collector. She didn’t even know if Eda, Raine, Lilith, or any others were still alive. Hunter seemed to recover very quickly after the Draining Spell stopped, so maybe there was hope…

Luz collapsed to her knees. Even if they were alive, they were still at the tender mercies of the Collector, this child with the powers of a god. She sat there in silence for… she didn’t know how long. It could have been seconds; it could have been hours. It wasn’t until Amity’s voice broke her out of her stupor that she snapped back to reality.

“Luz… what happened to you?” She asked, carefully approaching her. “Your hair and… your eye. Is this… is this normal for humans? And what was that arm you manifested?” She asked.

“I… I don’t know what that was,” Luz muttered. “And what about my hair? My eye?” She asked. “What do you mean?”

Gus stood up and wiped his eyes. He tried to put on a brave face. “Luz, you look like this now.” He spun his finger in a circle, and Luz watched another version of herself shimmer into existence. It looked just like her, but now her usually brown hair was streaked with locks of pure white, and one of her eyes had turned a bright blue. Gus couldn’t focus on holding the illusion for long, and it flickered out of existence shortly after.

Luz looked down at her hands, checking to make sure everything else was still intact and where it should be. She felt physically fine if exhausted, and even that seemed strange to her. She had felt something break when Belos had hit her with that attack, but now her body felt perfectly fine.

“No…” she replied, answerting Amity’s question. “No. I have no idea, and this isn’t normal for humans. I-I have no idea what this is.”

There were a few more moments of silence. This time, it was Hunter who broke it. “What now?” He asked, standing up, grabbing his staff. “We can’t just stay here in the rain. Luz, do you have any idea where we can go?”

“Yeah… yeah!” Luz perked up ever so slightly. “My mom’s house… it’s not far from here. It’s right past those trees,” she pointed. “Come on; I’ll lead the way.” Luz dragged herself to her feet, forcing down the fatigue and the looming sense of helplessness and self-loathing, and began to lead her friends out of the woods.

It didn’t take long; soon, they were in front of the house that all of a sudden seemed so foreign and strange to Luz. It had been months since she had been here. The last time she glimpsed it, she hadn’t been truly present.

She raised her hand to knock but hesitated. She suddenly realized that she didn’t have a plan. What was she going to do? Just ask her mom if her friends could crash at her place while she tried to build a portal back to the Boiling Isles? Was that even possible without Titan’s Blood?

Once again, Amity broke Luz out of her spiral. “Luz, is everything okay?”

Luz wanted to scream. No, nothing was okay. She was barely holding herself together. She wanted to scream and cry and break things. She had a million questions running through her head about a million different topics. She had just changed in some way that she couldn't even explain; Luz now had four friends that somehow would have to last in the Human Realm for god only knows how long. Even worse, Luz had nothing resembling a concrete plan to get them back… she didn’t even have access to the Echo Mouse that ate Phillip’s diary! How was she going to build a portal back to the Boiling Isles?

And deep down, she knew that it was all because of her. If she had just gone to summer camp like she was supposed to, none of this would have ever happened.

“I’m… I’m just tired, is all.” It was a lie. Luz took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

A few tense moments passed before the door opened, and Camila was standing there. Another moment passed before Camilla gasped in realization.

Luz had no idea what to say, so she just said the first thing that popped into her head.

“Hi, mom… I’m back.”

Notes:

A friend of mine got me into The Owl House, and you all have to deal with it! I had ideas for a TOH/DMC fic shortly after I started watching, but then "Enchanting Grom Fight" had that Alastor Easter Egg, which is what truly got me going on this.

Anyway, a lot of the DMC side of this fic will contain me vomiting out my headcanons about various aspects of the DMC Verse and the characters. It's not going to be anything too radical or crazy, but I will be playing fast and loose with some aspects of Canon.

I hope you enjoy the fic, and please leave some tasty feedback.

Chapter 2: The Damage Done, The Pain Subsides

Summary:

Luz is now back home, and everyone's still processing what happened. Some may be taking it harder than others.

Luz shuffled into the house, leading her friends out of the cold autumn rain and into the warmth of the Noceda residence.

“Oh! Mija!” She cried as she grabbed Luz in a hug, suddenly realizing that it had been months since she had hugged her daughter. “It’s been so long.” She kept the embrace going, not wanting to let go of her.

Luz was hesitant at first but soon returned the hug. She felt as though she should be crying, this was the first time she had been able to touch her mother in so long, but she just felt numb.

Camilla finally released the hug and, for the first time, noticed Luz’s new appearance. She gasped. “Luz! Your eye… your hair… What happened?” She asked cautiously. “And who are these other children?”

Luz sighed and collapsed onto the living room sofa, still soaked from the rain. “I don’t know.” She answered. “I mean… I don’t know what happened to me. Things…” She trailed off. “I have so much to tell you.” Luz stood up. “But… to start with, mom… this is Gus, Willow, Hunter, and Amity,” she introduced the group, pointing at each one of them in turn. “They’re… they came through the portal with me. Things over there… they just, everything…” She trailed off, unable to articulate how badly things had gone.

The witchlings mumbled a greeting. Amity, wanting to make a good impression, stepped forward. “Um... Miss Noceda, it’s nice to meet you,” she greeted awkwardly.

Camilla gave a warm chuckle. “It’s good to meet you as well.” She smiled, gently taking Amity’s hand in her own and giving it a friendly shake. “Dios Mio!” She gasped, feeling how cold Amity’s hand was. “You must all be freezing. Come here. Luz, take the girls and show them how to use the shower upstairs, and I’ll show the boys how to use the one downstairs,” she instructed. “Vee!” She called.

A figure that looked strikingly similar to Luz poked its head around the corner. “Yes?”

“Go scrounge up five sets of PJs,” she instructed. “Grab three from Luz’s closet and one from mine.” Hunter and Willow looked too big to wear anything of Luz’s comfortably.

“Okay!” The Luz look-alike dashed up the stairs.

“Was that Vee?” Asked Amity. “The Basilisk?”

“Basilisk?!” Hunter grabbed his Staff, suddenly on high alert.

“Woah, Woah!” Luz grabbed Flapjack out of his hands. “She’s not dangerous. She’s one of Belos’s escaped test subjects. I think he was studying them in preparation for the Draining Spell. She escaped to the human realm at the same time I found Eda’s portal. She sort of… took my place for the last few months.”

Hunter narrowed his eyes and took Flapjack back from Luz.

“She’s not dangerous. Trust me.”

That seemed to get through to Hunter. He dismissed the staff and lowered his guard. “Alright. If you trust her, then I guess I will, too.”

Camila watched the interaction and sighed, more questions for later. “Boys, follow me. We need to get you out of those wet clothes and into a hot shower before you catch your death!” She gestured for them to follow her as she led them to the bathroom on the house's lower floor and showed them how to work the shower. When Vee came back downstairs, she took the clothes that Vee had picked out for Hunter and Gus and set them down on the bathroom counter before she left them alone.

After that, Camila returned to the kitchen to find Vee finishing up the food she had been preparing earlier. Luckily, Camila had made a big batch and planned on having lots of leftovers.

“Thank you for your help, Vee.” She smiled, putting a hand on Vee’s shoulder.

Vee was quiet for a moment before she spoke up. “What’s going to happen now?” She asked, fear starting to creep into her voice. “Now that you have your real daughter back….”

Camila smiled. “If you’re worried that I’ll kick you out, don’t be,” she reassured Vee. “You’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.”

Vee smiled and leaned into Camila’s touch, feeling reassured. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Vee. Now, let’s get the table set. We have five more hungry mouths to feed.”

***

Luz finished her shower. She had gone last, after Amity and Willow. There hadn’t been much hot water left, so she didn’t get to take a lengthy shower, but she wasn’t exactly in the mood for one anyway.

As she dried herself off, she caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror, startling herself. She stepped forward and began to look at herself. Just like the illusion Gus had shown to her earlier, she had streaks of show-white hair running through her usually brown locks, and one of her eyes had turned a brilliant blue color. She kept studying her new look as she dried her hair, trying to figure out if she had ever seen or heard of anything like this during her time on the Boiling Isles, only to keep coming up blank. Luz contemplated asking her friends, but none of them had said anything earlier, so she was doubtful that they would be of much help in figuring out what had happened to her. She sighed and threw the towel she was using on her hair off to the side, feeling her frustration start to build again. She felt helpless… useless. All she could think about was how she would get a portal up and running from the human realm, and she kept concluding that it was impossible. Impossible to build it, impossible to get her friends back home.

Impossible to fix her mistake.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a knock on the door, followed by her mother’s voice.

“Cariña? are you done in there?” She asked.

“I’ll be out in a minute, mama!” She called. She hurriedly dressed and stepped out of the bathroom, finding her mother in the hall. Luz saw her mother take another look at her; it looked as though she was thinking something over.

“Mom? Is everything okay?” She asked her, worried.

“Hm?” Camila seemed to remember where she was suddenly. “Oh! Yes, everything’s fine. I just wanted to tell you to hurry up and eat before the food gets cold. I made chicken and rice stew and a lot of it.”

Luz smiled faintly. She followed Camila down to the dining room, where everyone else was sitting around the table. Luz noticed that everyone had gotten bandages over their wounds. Luz half-sat-half-collapsed into her chair in front.

She took a moment to take in the view. Hunter and Willow were both dressed in Camila’s pajamas. They were way oversized on both of them, but Luz’s clothes wouldn’t fit either. Willow was wearing a shirt that went down past her knees and a pair of Camila’s shorts, but on Willow, they went halfway down her calves. Hunter was wearing a pair of pajama pants that had to be rolled up on the bottom and a shirt that hung like a sheet around his scrawny frame. Gus looked a little better. Being close to Luz’s size, he could wear some of her stuff, specifically, an oversized shirt and a pair of loose-fitting shorts. Amity’s outfit was similar to Gus’s, and Luz found her gaze lingering on Amity for a bit longer than was necessary. She caught herself staring and averted her eye with a blush. All of them were eating in silence. A feeling of numbness radiated from all of them, like they were just going through the motions, still processing what had just happened to them.

She grabbed a spoon and took a bite of the thick stew, savoring it for a moment, taking a moment of respite before what she knew was coming next.

“Okay… so how are we going to do this?” She asked. “How about… I’ll do the talking, and you guys chime in when you feel it’s necessary, okay?”

Hunter, Gus, Willow, and Amity all agreed.

Luz began to eat, telling the story between mouthfuls of her stew. “Okay… it all started after you left to go to work. I was waiting for the bus to come and take me to summer camp when I noticed an owl, or well, what looked like an owl stealing the Good Witch Azura book I was planning on smuggling into camp….”

It took Luz over an hour to get through the entire story. She tried to keep it to just the essential details but ended up including more information about her life in the Boiling Isles, including going to school, making friends, and how she built something of a life there. She tried to downplay the more dangerous parts, but she wasn’t sure how successful she had been; she was pretty sure that half the time, Luz ended up making some events sound more dangerous than they actually were.

As she narrated, Luz realized just how hungry she was. No, not hungry. Ravenous, starving. She not only went back for seconds and thirds, but after the stew was all gone, she put two sandwiches together for herself and ate them both, along with half a bag of potato chips, before feeling satisfied.

“And then King shouted us through the portal, and we wound up in the woods out back,” she finished, putting the chips away. “And that pretty much sums it all up.”

“... I see.” Camila had no idea how to respond to what she had just been told. Luz had spent more than four months in an entirely different world, living life, going on dangerous adventures, making friends, learning, studying, and growing up. She was equal parts amazed, shocked, horrified, guilty, and proud of her daughter. “That is… a lot to take in.”

“Yeah… especially all at once,” she agreed. “Back in June, I didn’t think magic even existed, and now… now I don’t even know what to believe anymore.”

“So… what are you going to do now?” She asked. “Now that you’re back home?”

“I… I don’t know,” Luz admitted. “I don’t know how we’re going to get everyone back; I don’t know if the Collector can be stopped, I don’t know how I’m even going to begin to fix everything-”

“Mija, Mija, calm down,” Camila interrupted Luz. “‘Fix’ everything? Luz, you’re back home, back where you belong.”

“But they’re not!” Luz frantically gestured to the other teens. “They have lives, families, and loved ones back in the Boiling Isles! I-I can’t just do nothing!” She protested. “And what about the Collector? I can’t just let them run rampant! I have to figure out some way to stop them!”

“Luz!” Camila snapped. “I know you feel like this is all your fault, but we’ve talked about this in the past. You can’t keep putting everything on yourself. Sometimes, you just have to know when you’ve done everything that you can.”

“But mom-”

“No buts!” Camila sighed. “Luz, you told me all about those two sisters… Eda and Lilith? They’re two brilliant, very talented women, not to mention that they have people like Raine and Amity’s father helping them. For now, I think you just have to have faith in them and trust that they can find some way to deal with that ‘Collector’ thing. Maybe they can build a new portal and get everyone back home.”

Luz didn’t have a response to that. It felt wrong, sitting around and doing nothing while she waited for other people to clean up her mess.

“Mija… I just got you back. I don’t want to lose you again.”

Hearing her mother say that made Luz think back to the promise she had made to her. To never return to the Boiling Isles. She sighed. It’s not like it mattered anymore. She couldn’t go back no matter how much she wanted to. She felt stuck and helpless and useless, and she hated it.

“I understand,” she said, staring down at the table. She may have understood, but that didn’t mean she accepted it.

Camila smiled and took Luz’s hand in her own, gently squeezing it. “And, I’m sure that they can help you figure out what happened to you to make you change like that,” she reassured Luz. “You know… it’s funny. His hair was the same color,” she said quietly, muttering to herself. Then she realized what she had just said, and her eyes went wide.

Luz also heard that. “Mom… whose hair was the same color?” She asked, suddenly standing up. “Mom? Do you know something? Something about what happened to me?!” She pulled her hand away from Camila’s.

Camila averted her gaze. Luz could tell that her mother was trying not to look her in the eye. “I- we should get the living room set up. We can pull out the fold-out bed, and your friends can sleep on-”

“Mom!” Luz shouted. “Don’t change the subject! What aren’t you telling me?!” She demanded to know. “Mom, please! I’m begging you! Please!”

Camila took a deep breath. “I… I can’t,” she replied. “Not now. Please understand, Luz. I don’t think I have it in me.” She finally looked Luz in the eye. “Please, I promise I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. I just… I can’t tonight.”

Luz saw how exhausted her mother looked. She bit back her protests, and she acquiesced and nodded. “Tomorrow. Promise?” She asked.

Camila looked relieved. “I promise.” She dragged herself to her feet. “Now… let’s get the living room set up.”

Luz nodded and went upstairs to grab sheets and pillows out of the linen closet. By the time she was back down, her mom had pulled out the folding bed from the sofa. She helped her get it set up. It was wide, large enough for all five kids to share it. None of them wanted to be alone at the moment, so after it was all made up, they wordlessly began to climb in.

Amity was on the far left side of the bed, and Luz soon climbed in next to her. Hunter got next to Luz, followed by Gus and then Willow.

“Do you need anything before you go to sleep?” Asked Camila.

The group shook their heads. “No, mama. We’re okay for the night.”

“Alright. Sleep well. I’ll make pancakes in the morning, okay?”

Luz smiled faintly. “Gracias, mama. That sounds wonderful.”

Camila nodded and turned out the lights. Then she went upstairs and went to bed herself.

“Well… It’s been… a day.” Luz said after several moments of silence. “But tomorrow… tomorrow we’ll…” she had no idea what to say. She didn’t feel like anything she could say would make things better.

“Um… Hello… would it be alright if I joined you?”

The group turned and saw Vee, now in her Basilisk form, timidly slithering into the living room.

Amity was the first one to speak up. “It’s no problem,” she smiled. She scootched over and made room for Vee next to her.

Vee climbed into bed next to Amity. “This is nice,” she whispered. “Belos used to keep us in cages, and being alone can bring back those memories.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Vee,” replied Amity. “But it looks like you won’t be alone anymore, at least.”

It was quiet for a few minutes after that. Then, the silence was broken by the sound of someone softly sobbing.

“Gus, is that you?” Asked Willow.

There was a sniffle, and then he replied, “No.” He was lying.

“Gus, It’s okay,” Willow reassured him. “You’ve been through a lot. We all have. It’s okay to cry.”

“I-it’s just that… I don’t know if my dad’s okay! What happened to him? Is he gonna be okay? Did he survive the draining spell?”

No one answered for a moment. “Well… I survived,” Hunter volunteered. “And if I did, probably he did as well.”

“But we don’t know for sure! And even if the draining spell didn’t kill him, who knows what the Collector has planned?! He was tearing the Skull apart when we left; who knows what might have happened?! I jus- I just!” Gus broke down again, sobbing and crying.

“Hey, Gus. It-it’s gonna… gonna.….” Willow tried to comfort him, but she also broke down sobbing. Amity joined them soon after, and even Hunter began to cry quietly, and finally, Vee started to cry softly.

Luz, however, merely stuffed her hands into her pockets and fixed her eyes forward. She didn’t have time to cr; she didn’t deserve to cry. Not when everyone was counting on her to fix things, and make up for what she had done.

After a few minutes, the crying had abated. Gus and Willow had fallen asleep, and Hunter had his arm around both of them, keeping them pulled close. Amity was also sleeping, holding onto Luz’s arm as she did, and Vee was curled up behind her. They were all asleep, except for Luz.

She tried to go to sleep. She was exhausted, but no matter what, she just couldn’t settle down. She made sure everyone else was asleep before she grabbed her phone out of her pocket and began looking things up. She googled everything and anything that she thought might be able to help her out.

“Boiling Isles,” “Demon Realm,” “Phillip Whittebane,” “Dimensional Travel,” “Multiverse Theory,” “Alternate Universes,” “Other Worlds.” She kept finding nothing. The only thing she learned was that Phillip Whittebane and his brother went missing sometime in the 1600s and were never found, something that seemed obvious in hindsight. Other than that, she tried to read other articles. Still, everything she saw was either science fiction nonsense or complicated metaphysics stuff that she couldn’t even begin to wrap her mind around. All the notes she took about the Portal Door were still in The Owl House. She was so tired that she could;t focus, but no matter what, sleep eluded her. Sometimes she would nod off, finding that an hour or so passed when she slipped into slumber, but never for long. Everyone else continued to sleep as she watched the clock on her phone tick forward. 0Before she knew it, it was six in the morning and she had accomplished nothing, not even a good night’s sleep. She felt Hunter stir beside her.

“Luz?” He whispered, seeing that she was awake.

“Yeah. I’m up. You can go back to sleep, Hunter. It’s alright.”

She watched as Hunter looked at her like he wanted to say something, but his exhaustion won out, and he fell back asleep in short order.

Luz sighed quietly and tried to do the same, putting her phone away and trying to get at least a couple of hours of sleep. She closed her eyes… and opened them to find that it was suddenly light outside, and she could smell something cooking. Luz blinked and looked at her phone again through bleary eyes. It was just after nine in the morning, she had managed less than three hours of sleep, but it would have to do. Everyone else was up and out of bed already, and as much as she wanted to curl up and go back to sleep, she knew that she had too much work to do.

Luz rolled out of bed and nearly collapsed on the floor, dragging herself to her feet and wiping the gunk out of her eyes. She staggered into the kitchen, where Camilla was making a batch of pancakes for the kids. Vee was standing next to her, helping her.

“Remember, don't overmix the batter,” she instructed. “It’s fine if it’s still a little lumpy.”

Luz half-sat, half-collapsed into a chair at the table. Her eyes were sore; she rubbed them and tried to wake herself up.

“Luz, are you okay?”

Amity’s voice started her. She whipped her head around and saw that Amity had taken a seat next to her.

“Huh? Oh, yeah… I just didn't sleep all that well last night,” she said. “I’ll be okay.”

Luz saw Amity smile and lean closer to try and kiss her on the cheek; she flinched away and nearly fell out of the chair. She watched as Amity pulled back with a confused expression. “I’m sorry I’m just… not feeling all… touchy-feely…” she mumbled. “It's not you; I promise it's just….”

“It’s okay. I get it; I'm sure you have a lot on your mind right now.” Amity sounded disappointed; Luz kicked herself for making her girlfriend feel that way.

Her girlfriend. For how long?

Luz pulled her arms closer, hugging herself tightly. She suddenly regretted not letting Amity kiss her. On the one hand, she didn't feel worthy of any affection right now, but on the other hand…

Amity was going to leave her. She knew it deep down. Once she realized what a walking disaster area Luz was, it was over. Luz was dreading it, but she knew that it was probably for the best. In the meantime, she was torn between enjoying Amity’s affection while it lasted and distancing herself so that the inevitable breakup would hurt less.

Luz was pulled out of her thoughts by someone setting down a plate in front of her. The first batch of pancakes was done, and Camila had just handed her a plate with one on it. She thanked her mother and began eating. Once again, Luz was ravenously hungry. Over breakfast, she ate five pancakes and ended up eating several bowls of cereal afterward. She had no idea why she was eating like this, but she figured it had something to do with her transformation—speaking of which.

“Mom… I believe we had something to discuss?”

Camila sighed. “Vee? Do you mind cleaning up?” She asked.

Vee shook her head. “I’ll take care of it.”

“We’ll help,” Willow volunteered on behalf of the rest of the group. “It’s the least we could do.”

“Oh, you don’t have to-”

“Please, we insist.”

Camila sighed and relented. “Well… if you insist. Vee, show them how to use the dishwasher, alright?”

“Sure thing.”

Luz watched as Camila turned back to her. “Luz, follow me. I’ll tell you everything.” Luz noticed how tired Camila looked, not to mention nervous, as she allowed her mother to her “office,” just a spare room where Camilla kept her computer and any essential files. She took a seat and gestured for Luz to sit next to her on the sofa.

Several moments of silence passed.

“Luz… I’m not sure how to tell you this, but….” Camila sighed. “It’s… it’s about Brandon.”

“Dad?” She asked, confused. “What does he have to do with this?”

Camila crossed her arms nervously, biting her lip. “Luz… Brian… He’s…” She took a deep breath. “He’s not your father.”

The words hit Luz like a bus.

“What?” That was all Luz could manage. Just a single, small utterance.

“I’m sorry you had to find out like this,” Camila apologized. “I wanted to tell you sooner, but the right moment just never came-”

“What do you mean? Am I adopted? Was I just left on the firehouse steps as a baby? Are you even my mother?” Luz’s mind was racing. She felt her world crumbling beneath her feet as something that she had taken for granted her entire life had just ripped away from her. “And what does this have to do with what happened to me? Why does dad not being my dad matter?”

“Mija, please!” Camila grabbed Luz’s hands and squeezed them. “Just… let me explain. I promise you’ll understand if you just let me explain.”

Luz took a deep breath and tried to calm her breathing. “Okay…” She whispered.

“Luz, before I tell you any of this, I just want you to know that you are my daughter. And Brandon loved you even though he knew you weren't his,” she reassured Luz. “The love we all shared, as a family, it was all real. I promise you that.”

Luz nodded, feeling somewhat reassured by her mother’s words.

“It happened almost sixteen years ago,” she explained. “I had just gotten out of a relationship and wasn't feeling terrific. I wanted a night alone, somewhere I could just forget about everything. So I went out drinking in New Haven.”

Luz was surprised by this. Other than the occasional glass of wine, she had never known her mother to drink.

“While I was there, I… well… I saw someone. I don't know what it was, but I was drawn to him. Maybe it was because he was miserable like I was, maybe it was because we were kindred spirits, or maybe it was just because he was handsome.” We were drinking, talking, talking turned to flirting, and well… one thing led to another….”

“Oh my God…” Luz muttered, wanting to cover her ears to hear any more about her mother’s sex life.

“And nine months later… along you came.”

There was a prolonged stretch of silence.

“Luz, I know that this is a lot to take in,” she said, attempting to comfort her. “And this isn’t how or why I wanted to tell you-”

Luz cut her off. “Just… give me a minute.” She kept holding Camila’s hands. They were grounding her, helping to keep her at the moment. “And dad… he knew I wasn’t his?” She asked quietly.

“Yes. He did. I was already several months along when we started dating. We had actually known each other for quite some time before then. He would bring injured animals to the clinic after he rescued them. It was part of the reason my last boyfriend broke up with me,” she explained. “Doug was the jealous type; he hated the idea of me having any sort of male friends. Honestly, I probably dodged a bullet with him… but that’s not the important thing here!” She snapped back on track.

Luz sat there in silence, mulling over what her mother had just told her. “So I was… just an accident? A mistake?” She whispered.

“Mija… I need you to understand this, please. You were wanted,” Camila told her. She pulled Luz into a hug. “I chose to keep you. Brandon chose to stick by me even though he knew you weren't his, and he loved you with all his heart, regardless.” Camila stroked Luz’s head to reassure her. “You were wanted, you were loved. Even if you weren’t planned, I still decided to have you as my daughter… and it’s a decision I have never, ever regretted. And if I could go back, I’d make it all over again in a heartbeat.” She held Luz close and did her best to comfort her. “Please believe me,” she pleased. “I promise, I’ve never thought of you as a mistake. You were the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”

Luz felt reassured by what she said. She nodded, still staying in the hug. “I believe you.” She pulled away from Camila gently, still holding her hands. “So… who is my father?” She asked. “And what makes you think he has anything to do with… this?” She asked, gesturing to her face.

“Well… I don’t know who he is. It was just one night, and he was gone when I woke up. At the very least, he had the courtesy to pay for the hotel room. He probably told me, but I can’t remember what it was. It was a long time ago, and neither of us was sober….”

“Too much information.” Luz cut her off.

“And as for why I think he has something to do with what happened to you… well…” She sighed. “I may not remember his name, but I do remember a few things about him very clearly, even all these years later. I didn't think too much of it at the time, but he had this… otherworldly quality to him. Back then, I chalked it up to his appearance, but now that I know about that other world, I wonder if there’s more to it than that.”

That got Luz’s attention. “‘Otherworldly? Did he have pointed ears?!” She asked.

“No, no,” she replied. “At least… I don't think so.

“Oh…” Luz deflated.

“And as for why I thought he might have something to do with this. I remember some of his features clearly; they were very distinct.”

“Features?”

“Yes. He had white hair,” her mother explained. “He couldn’t have been older than his twenties, but he had pure, show-white hair. Just like those streaks you have,” she explained.

Luz reached up and touched her hair again.

He had bright, blue eyes. Again, the same shade as you have in your eye. When I saw you, the memories came flooding back.

Luz thought for a moment. “So… what now?” She asked.

“I… I don't know. He may be the only one who knows anything about what’s happened to you, but I have no idea how I would even begin to track him down…”

“Maybe you don’t have to,” Luz replied. “We have a bunch of literal witches living with us!” She exclaimed. “I’m sure they can help us trach him down with magic!”

Luz didn’t wait for Camila to respond. She lept off the couch and practically sprinted into the living room.

***

“And that’s the short version of it,” Luz explained to the gathered witchlings. “I need to find my father. He might be the only one who knows what happened to me!” She exclaimed. “And… and I know that this is a longshot, but he might be able to help us get back to the Boiling Isles!”

“That’s great, Luz!” Cheered Willow. “What do you need from us?” She asked.

“Well… We have no idea where he is or if he’s even alive…” She admitted. “But I was hoping that maybe you guys could help with that? Do you know any locator spells or anything?”

“Well… I picked some Oracle stuff from my mom,” volunteered Amity. “I might be able to help.”

“Yeah. Mom used her magic all the time. I ended up just… learning a few things by being around her. I mean, I never really practiced much. I was kind of focused on Abominations. But… I could give it a shot.”

Hunter spoke up. “Just a heads up, the efficacy of Oracle spells is highly dependent on the caster. Skilled, powerful oracles can give detailed, precise information, but that only comes with experience. Novice oracle spells can be… frustratingly vague,” he warned.

“Vague is better than nothing,” Luz decided. “Amity, what do you need?”

“For a basic divination spell? Not much. I just need a medium for the spell to communicate through. Like smoke or tea leaves.”

“I have an incense burner in the house. Would the smoke from that work?” Asked Camila

“Yeah, that would be great. Thank you.”

A few minutes later, Camila had set up the burner, and thick, sweet-smelling smoke was waiting from it. Amity closed her eyes and focused. She spun her arms and drew a purple spell circle in the air above the incense smoke. The smoke flowed upwards into the circle, becoming colored to match the light.

“I think I did it right,” shrugged Amity. “Give it a go.”

Luz swallowed, suddenly nervous. “Uhh. Oracle spell? I need to find my dad… my biological dad, that is,” she quickly clarified. “Is he alive? Where is he?”

Smoke began to seep into the circle, spelling out words in delicate script.

To say he is dead would be a lie

You may find him where the Devils Cry

Luz looked around at everyone. “Does that sound like anything to anyone?” She asked. “Ring any bells?”

Everyone shook their heads.

“Oookay… Um… What’s his name?”

His name is taken from a Comedy Divine

The Guide, not traveler, a name out of time

Luz groaned. Hunter was right; this was frustrating. How can I contact him? Is there any way for me to get in touch?”

A call to his brother would more than suffice

But without the password, the outcome might not be nice.

“Password? What?” Before she could ask another question, the spell dissipated.

“Wait! I didn’t do that!” Amity protested.

“Looks like three questions is all you have in you,” observed Hunter. “That’s another one of those things that the Oracle determines many questions per spell you can ask. Honestly, for a novice Oracle, three is pretty good. Most can barely manage one.”

“Alright. Let’s try this again.” Amity got ready to try the spell again.

“Don’t bother,” sighed Luz. “I can’t think of anything else to ask. Not that it would be particularly helpful.” She sounded dejected.

“I- I’m sorry, Luz.”

“It’s not your fault. At least we have something to go off of.” Luz sat down and pulled out her phone. “Let me do some digging… maybe I can find something.”

“You can use that thing to dig?” Asked Gus, confused.

“What? No... It’s just an expression,” Luz explained. She opened her browser and began typing.

Amity sat down nex to her. “So… I saw you using that thing all the time back in the Demon Realm. I never really thought to ask, but what is it?”

“My Phone? Uh… well… it’s kind of like a Scroll… but also a Crow Phone mixed together. And it can also do a bunch of other stuff as well.”

Luz typed “Where do devils cry” into the search bar. Nothing immediately helpful came up, so she scrolled down until something caught her eye. It was a Twitter post.

“Anyone know what exactly this store is? I moved here a month ago, and I keep walking past it on my way to work. I would go in there myself and ask, but I’m too socially awkward just to walk in.”

Included in the tweet was a photo of a brick building with a red neon sign over the door—the neon sign spelled out three words.

“Devil May Cry.”

Luz looked at some of the replies.

“No idea. What would the even sell at a place like that?” “Your guess is as good as mine. I've seen that place several times and never went there myself.” “I think I heard they run some exterminator business.”

Luz wanted to follow this lead. She did another search, this time looking up the place by name. Whatever the place was, it didn’t seem to have any kind of online presence: no website, no social media accounts, nothing associated with it. Most of what she got was more of people wondering what the place even was. She found a Reddit thread, it was another picture of the store, asking of anyone knew what it was. This one, however, had a little more information.

“I’ve been there a few times. I work for a pizza place, and the dude who works there is a hardcore pizza junkie. I probably deliver there every other week. The place is weird. It’s just an office with a jukebox, a pool table, and some other stuff. There’s an upstairs, but I have no idea what’s up there. I asked the guy what he did for a living, and he told me, with a completely straight face, that he’s a Demon Hunter!”

“No way, he told you that as well? I know the guy you’re talking about. I deliver there as well. Dante, right? Red coat, white hair? He said the same thing to me. Said that he hunts demons ‘Among other things.’ Totally serious. He’s gotta be screwing with us.”

Luz was more confused now than ever. “A demon hunter?” She muttered. That didn’t sound good. On the one hand, it was promising and implied a connection with the Demon Realm, but on the other hand, she didn’t want to potentially expose her friends to another Philip Whittebane.

“Luz? Did you find anything?”

“Yeah… Apparently, there’s a shop somewhere in New York called ‘Devil May Cry,’” she explained. “It’s run by a white-haired guy named ‘Dante,’ Maybe he’s my dad?”

Camila thought for a moment. “That’s not a lot to go on. What’s the number of the shop? It’s a lead, if nothing else.”

“That’s what’s weird. There’s no number. No website, no online presence whatsoever,” Luz explained. “It’s weird. Just some speculation from people who live in the area. The guy calls himself a ‘Demon Hunter,’ but no one knows if he’s actually serious.”

“Demon Hunter? Like those guys that used to work for Belos?” Asked Gus.

“But that would mean that he has some connection to the Demon Realm. Phillip was a ‘Witch Hunter,’ Right?” Asked Amity.

“Well… Okay. ‘Witches’ and ‘Demons’ are very different things in the human realm,” Luz explained. “Demons are generally thought of as dangerous, malevolent entities or spirits that hunt and torment humans.”

“What?” Gasped Willow. “But… demons aren't like that… well. Most demons, anyway.”

“I know, but we don’t even know if he’s really a demon hunter or if he’s just screwing with people for kicks. We just have to be careful when dealing with him.”

Luz did some more digging, trying to find any contact information that would let her get in touch with Devil May Cry. She didn't want to let this lead slip away. Eventually, she stopped looking into the shop and began looking into demon hunting in general, thinking that she might be able to find something. After coming up dry a few times, she searched through old message boards to find anything. Soon, she saw a name repeatedly mentioned.

Enzo Ferino.

It was coming up too many times to be a coincidence. So, deciding to investigate that lead, she did a search for him, and this time, her efforts bore fruit. She found a website for “Enzo’s Pawn Shop.” A small pawn shop in New York City. The shop had a website and a phone number. Luz’s hands were shaking as she dialed the number. After a few rings, someone answered.

“Hello? Enzo’s Pawn.” The voice on the other end had a thick Brooklyn accent. “What can I get for ya?”

Luz hesitated for a moment. “Uh… Yes. Hello… Um…”

“Come on, kid, spit it out. I ain’t got all day.”

“Dante!” Luz blurted out. “Do you know a guy named Dante?”

“Dante?! What the hell are ya doin’ trying to get in touch with that fuckin’ guy?!”

“So you do know him.”

“Yeah. I know Dante. But why should I help ya? He doesn’t like people callin’ him up for no reason.”

Luz thought for a moment. She didn’t want to say that Dante was her father; she had no idea if it was even true. So she blurted out the next thing that came to mind.

“I have a demon problem, and I need help!” She yelled. “Please! I heard that he’s a demon hunter and I need one.” She immediately began kicking herself. That was the dumbest thing she could have said!

“Oh. That’s what this is about. Why didn’t ya say so earlier?” He asked.

Luz’s mismatched eyes shot wide.

“Yeah, I’ll give ya his number. Just make sure ya tell him Enzo sent ya, alright? I want my cut of whatever batshit job ya have for him.”

“W-wait! Don't I need some kind of ‘password?’” She asked, remembering what Amity’s spell said.

“Ya’ve already got it. The ‘password’ is anything to do with demons. Dante goes crazy for those kinds of jobs. He’s kinda fucked in the head, that one. Still, if there’s a better demon hunter, I don’t know ‘em.”

Luz grabbed a pen and paper and frantically scribbled down the number that Enzo gave her. Her hands were shaking; the number was barely legible when she was done.

“Th-thank you.”

“No problem. Just remember, I want my cut.” He hung up after that.

Camila had been listening to the whole conversation. “So, you have the number?”

Luz nodded.

“You don't have to call him right now, or even today, you know,” she reassured Luz. “You can wait. You’ve been through so much in the last few days. There’s nothing wrong with taking a little time to recover and-”

“No!” Luz blurted out. “I need to do this. I need to- I need…” she trailed off. Before Camila could say anything more, she punched the number into her phone.

It began to ring. Luz could barely hear it over the pounding of her heart in her chest.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Just when she began to think that no one was going to answer, someone picked up the phone. A smooth, relaxed voice came through.

“Hello? You’ve reached Devil May Cry, Dante speaking.”

Notes:

Well... Quite a bit happened in this chapter. Luz isn't doing well, to put it mildly.

Now you may be thinking that I got this chapter written pretty quickly, and the truth is that I nearly had this chapter fully complete by the time I posted chapter 1. I've made a decent amount of progress with chapter 3, so we'll see how fast I can get that one out.

I went through a few iterations of the Camila and Vergil backstory before I settled on this one. I wanted to keep Luz's canon father in the story and preserve all those feelings that she had about him, rather than just write him out altogether. I actually went through a few iterations of that plot point before I settled on this one. Initially, I had this whole idea where Vergil had amnesia and his and Camila's relationship was this lengthy thing, but I ended up scrapping that because the more I thought about it the less I liked it and the harder it was to get the timeline right. It was just more trouble than it was worth so I went with a much more simple explanation, and I'm glad that I did.

I may have been a bit heavy-handed with Luz's feelings of guilt and self-loathing in this chapter, but I'm trying to get across what kind of a headspace she's in. And it's going to get worse before it gets better. I mean, what kind of a fanfic writer would I be if I didn't heap suffering upon the characters that I love so much?

Anyway, feedback is love, feedback is life, and feedback is what sustains my writing.

Chapter 3: The Truth Revealed

Summary:

Luz's mental state continues to deteriorate, but she finally gets answers.

Luz felt her breath catch in her throat. She couldn't think of anything to say. She wished that she had planned this out a bit more.

 

“Hello?” The voice on the other end of the line asked. “You still there?”

 

“Yes!” Luz blurted out. “Yes. I’m still here.”

 

“Oh. How’d a kid get this number? What are you, twelve?” He asked.

 

“I’m fourteen!” Luz replied defensively. “And that’s not the point! I need… I think you might be my dad.”

 

There was a moment of silence and then laughter from the other end of the line. Deep, guffawing, belly laughter. “Oh! Oh damn! Okay, kid, you got me. Are you one of Nero’s kids playing a prank on whacky Uncle Dante?” He asked.

 

“No! I’m serious. Please! You have to believe me.”

 

Another few seconds of silence. “Alright. I’ll play along for a bit. Not like I’ve got anything to do today.” There was a sigh. “Look, kid. I’m not your dad. Trust me when I say there’s no way that’s true.”

 

“But-”

 

“No ‘buts.’ I’m not your father. Look, I don’t know how you got this number, but I can’t help you with whatever you have going on.”

 

Before Luz could say anything else, Camila spoke up. “What about your brother? Vergil?” She asked.

 

Silence again. Then, Dante began to speak, his voice now more severe. “Who are you?” He asked, an edge of anger creeping into his voice. “And how did you know about my brother?”

 

“Look, fifteen years ago. I had an… encounter with a white-haired man with blue eyes. And now, something happened, and my daughter suddenly has streaks of white hair and a blue eye,” she explained. “Now, I may not be a geneticist, but I know this has something to do with your brother. Now, if you want to hear more about this, I will have to insist on a meeting.”

 

“Alright, alright, sheesh. No need to break my balls,” Dante replied. “Alright. I’m guessing that this isn’t a prank. So either you’re serious, or this is some kind of trap. If you’re serious, then yeah, we have to meet up. So if this is a trap, I’m gonna be Mr. Nice Demon Hunter and give you a chance to back out, no harm, no foul.”

 

“We’re not up to anything,” Insisted Luz. “We want to meet up.”

 

“Alright, good. But just a warning. If I find out that you made this up to lure us into a trap-” Dante’s voice began to distort “-there won’t be enough of you left to bury.”

 

Luz looked around at her friends. “You all heard that, right?” She whispered, pressing the phone against her body so he wouldn’t hear her. “That was super-creepy.”

 

They all nodded in agreement.

 

“We understand,” replied Luz.

 

“Great!” Dante’s voice was suddenly cheery again. “Now, what’s your name, and where can I find you?”

 

Camilla took the phone from Luz. “Gravesfield, Connecticut,” she replied. “You can meet us in the public park in the center of town.”

 

“Perfect,” Dante replied. “Does four o’clock work for you?”

 

Camilla checked the time; it was just a little past noon. “That’s fine.”

 

“Then it’s a date. See ya.” Dante hung up the phone without saying anything more.

 

The group looked around at each other as the line went dead.

 

“So… what now?” Asked Hunter.

 

Camila was the one who answered. “For now… we eat some lunch, and then we can discuss how to deal with this.”

 

Lunch was simple; everyone just made their own sandwiches. Luz was once again ravenous and ate three. She also finished off the bag of chips she had started last night and drank nearly an entire carton of almond milk on her own.

 

“Hopefully, they can explain why I’m suddenly eating like crazy,” Luz muttered.

 

“I’m sure they can tell us whatever we need to know, Mija,” Camila reassured her. 

 

“So what was all that about him thinking that we were trying to lead him into a trap?” Asked Amity. 

 

“No idea,” Luz replied with a shrug. “If he is a real-deal demon hunter, then maybe he thinks we’re demons?” She suggested.

 

“Or maybe he has other enemies we don’t know about,” suggested Hunter. “Could be dangerous.”

 

“In any case, we’ll figure it out. We always do,” Luz decided. “She checked the time; it was almost one in the afternoon. “In the meantime, we have a few hours to kill while we wait. What are we going to do?”

 

Camila sat down and smiled. “I have an idea. If your friends are going to be staying here for a while, then we should probably be getting them some proper clothes,” Camila suggested. 

 

Luz looked over at the group, and she couldn't help but agree. Amity looks fine in her clothes (then again, Amity would look good in a literal garbage bag, as far as Luz was concerned). Gus looked passable, but most of her clothes didn't quite fit him right. Hunter and Willow were straight-up disasters. All of Luz's clothes were too small for them, and they had no choice but to wear Camila's clothes, which were way too big for them.

 

"Good call, mom. Where are we going to go?" Asked Luz.

 

"Dohl's!" She cheered.

 

Luz groaned audibly. "Uuugh! I hate that place! It's like a fluorescent-lit tomb to individuality and human dignity!" She complained.

 

"Be that as it may, that 'tomb' has a fifty percent off clearance sale going, and I have a coupon," Camila smirked. "Never underestimate mama's bargain hunting capabilities."

 

Luz sighed and sat down on the sofa. "Alright. I'll stay here and hold down the fort." She stuffed her hands back into her jacket pocket. She was still exhausted from her sleepless night.

 

“That’s fine. I’m going to make a few trips anyway,” Camila replied. “First up, I’m going to take the boys and then the girls. So-” she paused for a moment to remember their names “-Hunter and Gus. Did I get that right?”

 

The two boys nodded.

 

“Excellent! Get in the car.”

 

The two of them hesitated. “What’s a ‘Car?’” Asked Hunter.

 

Luz spoke up. “It’s like a big ratworm,” she explained. “Except it’s a machine, and you ride inside it.”

 

The explanation seemed to satisfy the two of them.

 

“Awesome! Human transportation!” cheered Gus as he fist-pumped. “Let me write this down.” He grabbed a pen and some paper and began scribbling notes down.

 

Hunter followed the two of them silently.

 

Luz suddenly realized something. “Waitwaitwaitwait!” She screamed, nearly falling over as she jumped off of the couch. “Ears!”

 

“Huh? Oh! Right.” Gus smacked himself in the forehead. “What are we gonna do about these?” He tapped the sharp point of his ear. “Don’t worry, I got this.” he spun his finger around, and in a flash of blue light, he and Hunter both had human ears.

 

“That’s cool, Gus, but can you keep that up for a long time?” Asked Willow, concerned.

 

Gus thought for a moment and then sighed, dispelling the illusion and slumping his shoulders.

 

“It’s okay,” Luz replied, digging through the closet. “Here we go!” She handed Gus a knit cap and hunter a sweatband. “Just wear these while you’re out; make sure to keep your ears covered, and you’ll be fine.”

 

Gus took the hat and put it on. “Can I-”

 

“Yes, you can keep it,” Luz replied. 

 

“Score!” Gus cheered.

 

Hunter put on the headband and followed Camila and Gus to the car.

 

Luz sighed and sat down on the couch. Luz was thinking about everything. She was about to meet her biological father… maybe, and she had a lot of complicated thoughts swirling around in her head. What was she? Was she even fully human?

 

“Everything okay?” Asked Amity, sitting down next to her.

 

“Huh?” Amity’s voice broke Luz out of her thoughts. “Yeah. Just… thinking.” She sighed. “What am I? None of what happened to me or what’s happening to me is normal. And now I learned that my dad might not even be human; it’s a lot to take in.”

 

Amity smiled. “Whatever you are, human or not, you’ll still be Luz.” She moved her hand closer, trying to hold Luz’s hand. “And I’ll be right here with you.”

 

Luz felt Amity grab her hand and momentarily indulged in the feeling. She ran her thumb gently over Amity’s knuckles. Then Luz realized what she was doing and ripped her hand away from Amity’s like it burned her. What was she doing? This was just going to make the inevitable break-up even harder! She needed an excuse to get away. 

 

“Uhhh… Vee!” She latched onto the young basilisk as an escape route. “Uhm… Mind showing me what you did to my, uh, out room?” She asked. “I’ve been dying to see what changes you made.”

 

“R-right now?” Asked Vee.

 

“Yeah! Now!” She grabbed Vee and began pushing her upstairs. “And don’t spare any of the details! I want to see what you have going on in there!”

 

Luz dragged Vee upstairs and slammed the door to their room, leaning against it and sighing. 

 

“Um, Luz, are you okay?” Asked Vee.

 

“What? I’m fine! Why would you be asking that?” She asked.

 

Vee silently fixed her with a look.

 

“Okay, no. I’m not fine.” She sank into a sitting position, leaning up against the door. “Everything went so wrong, so utterly and horribly and completely wrong. And it’s all my fault,” she explained. “And once Amity realizes this, I just know that she’s going to hate me. Her brother, sister, and dad might all die because I helped Belos with the draining spell!”

 

“Luz, that’s not true-”

 

“Yes, it is! If I hadn’t helped him, King wouldn’t have had to unleash the Collector to stop him, and we wouldn't be in this mess!” She explained frantically.

 

“Luz, if that’s true, wouldn’t it also be my fault? Belos was studying our magic-draining capabilities to help prepare the draining spell,” she explained. “Does that mean I’m also to blame?”

 

“No!” Luz protested.

 

“Then why-”

 

“Because you didn’t have a choice!” She shot back. “I did! I chose to stay in the Boiling Isles! I chose to go back in time! I chose to help Phillip!”

 

“Luz…”

 

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” she replied. “I just… I needed to get all of that off my chest, is all.”

 

Vee nodded. "It's okay. I understand."

 

Luz looked around her bedroom. She barely recognized it. It had been so long. Then she began to notice something. "Hey, Vee? What happened to all my stuff? I had a bunch of figures and posters all over the place. What did you do with them?" She asked.

 

Vee gulped. "Uh… well… you see…"

 

***

 

Amity watched as Luz pushed Vee upstairs and away from her and Willow. She sighed in disappointment.

 

"Trouble in paradise?" Asked Willow, sitting next to her.

 

"Luz has been acting weird ever since we got here," she replied. "She's been so distant…"

 

."Your powers of observation will never fail to impress me," deadpanned Willow. "Have you tried talking to her about it?"

 

"No. But you saw that, and then what happened at breakfast... It's like she doesn't even want to spend time with me," she explained. "I know that she's going through a lot, and I want to be there for her, help her and support her. But I can't do that if she keeps pushing me away, and I don't know what to do!" She buried her face in her hands.

 

Willow sighed. "It is a dilemma," she agreed. "But you don't have to commit to one course of action. You can try giving her some space and see how that works, or you can try to push in and then back off if she wants some space," Willow reminded her.

 

Amity sighed. "I guess. It's just so hard. I like Luz. I really, really like her. And I can tell she's struggling and-and I want to help her…"

 

Willow smiled. “I can tell. Try talking to her. Sometimes, the direct approach really is the best way to go about things.”

 

“Yeah, I’ll try. Thanks, Willow.”

 

“You’re welc-”

 

A scream cut off willow from upstairs. 

 

“YOU DID WHAT?!”

 

It was Luz.

 

Amity leaped over the couch and sprinted upstairs, throwing the bedroom door open.

 

“I can’t believe you’d just throw them out!”

 

Luz was furious; Amity could tell that much. But about what, she didn't know. Beyond that, there was a pressure in the room, like the air was thrumming with energy.

 

“I-I’m sorry!” Apologized Vee. “I didn’t-I mean, I just thought-”

 

“Thought what?!” Demanded Luz. “Thought that I was never going to come back?! Thought that you could just do whatever you wanted with my life?!”

 

“I just didn’t think that they were that important-”

 

“They were important to ME !” 

 

The pressure in the room spiked enough to make the mirror on Luz’s closet door crack.

 

Amity stepped in. “Luz! Luz! What’s the matter?!”

 

“Vee threw out everything !” Luz shouted. “My figurines! My posters! My photos! The tinfoil swans that I made!” She was furious. “ EVERYTHING !” Amity saw the crack in the glass expand.

 

“I didn’t think you were ever going to come back!” Vee replied, tears welling in her eyes. She looked so scared. “I just wanted-”

 

“Wanted what?! To take over my life! To steal my existence away from me?! To make me into someone I wasn’t?!”

 

“Luz!” Amity grabbed Luz’s shoulder. “Luz! Stop it!”

 

Amity saw Luz’s head snap back to look at her. Amity saw the fury in her eye, but also something else, something more profound. She watched as Luz’s breathing deepened and slowed, her girlfriend started to calm down, and the pressure in the room subsided.

 

“I-I promise I’ll replace-” Vee began to stammer out an apology, only to be cut off by Luz.

 

“Just… leave me alone.”

 

Vee scampered away, hiding behind Willow. Amity saw that she was trembling.

 

Luz shrugged her shoulder and stepped away from Amity’s hand. She sat down on the bed and stared blankly at the faded areas of the wall where her posters used to be.

 

Amity approached her, sitting down next to her on the bed.

 

“Luz, what’s going on?” Asked Amity, trying to get through to Luz. “Luz, please, talk to me. I’m worried about you.”

 

It was a moment before Luz responded. “I’m just…” She trailed off and didn’t finish her sentence.

 

“Luz, please.” Amity pleaded with her to talk to her.

 

“I think I want to be alone,” Luz responded. “Please, Amity. Just… leave me alone.”

 

Amity stood up, reluctantly walking towards the bedroom door. “Luz, I’m here for you. You know that, right?” She asked. She turned around and saw Luz lying on the bed, curled up into a ball, facing the wall. Amity was silently pleading that Luz was going to say something, anything. “Luz, please, I want to help you with… whatever is going on.”

 

“I’ll be fine,” Luz replied. “I just… I need some time alone, please, Amity. I don’t want to be around other people right now.”

 

Amity hesitated. “...Okay. If that’s what you want. I’ll go,” she said, fighting back the tears. “But Luz, please, please remember that I’m here for you.”

 

“I know… thank you,” Luz replied.

 

Amity waited a moment, hoping Luz would change her mind, and then she left, walking back downstairs. As she did, she heard the sound of the bedroom door closing behind her.

 

Back in the living room, Willow was comforting Vee.

 

“Alright, Vee,” Willow gently coaxed her. “What happened?”

 

“Well, Luz just rushed us upstairs out of nowhere,” she explained. “We started talking, and Luz wasn’t doing well. She blames herself for everything that happened on the Boiling Isles. I tried to convince her that it wasn't her fault, but I don’t think I got through to her. And then… and then she asked about what had happened to all the stuff in her room…” Vee trailed off. “The rest, well. You saw how it went.”

 

“And why did you throw out all of her stuff?” Asked Amity, trying to keep her tone from being judgmental or accusatory.

 

Vee squirmed. “Well… you see… After I ended up in the human world, I disguised myself as Luz and ran into Camila. Apparently, Luz was supposed to attend some kind of camp over the summer, and I ended up taking her place.”

 

Amity nodded. Luz had told her about the Reality Check Supper Camp.

 

“Well, I tried to model my behavior off of what I learned at the camp. I figured that the camp was how Camila wanted Luz to act, so I tried to be a good daughter to her. Even just on the car ride over there… she was so kind, so nice to me.” Vee hugged herself. “I wanted to stay with her, so I followed everything the camp taught me. And when I got back, I wanted to prove to her that I had taken what they said to heart. So I got rid of all the fantasy and fandom stuff that Luz had. To show Camila that I had taken the camp seriously. I just wanted to impress her…”

 

“So you got rid of everything you thought she disapproved of?”

 

“Yeah… plus, I didn't know when- or even if- Luz would be coming back!” She explained. So I guess I just, kind of… made her life my own.” Vee sounded guilty. “I shouldn’t have thrown it out.”

 

Willow sighed. “Yeah, you shouldn't have.” she agreed, putting a supportive hand on Vee’s shoulder. “But this is about more than just Luz’s stuff,” Willow reassured her. “If what you said is correct, then Luz is putting a lot on herself, more than she should. This was just something that happened at the wrong time. She’s angry and stressed and lashed out at you over this.”

 

“What should I do?” Asked Vee.

 

“For now… nothing,” decided Willow. “Luz needs some time to cool off. So let’s just give her that time, and then we can all go back and talk to her once she’s calmed down.”

 

Amity looked down at her hands. She knew that Willow was probably right, but she still didn't relish the thought of leaving Luz alone.

 

“Luz really scared you, huh?” Asked Willow. “She got pretty angry.”

 

Vee shook her head. “It wasn’t just the anger, not really. You felt it, right?”

 

Amity nodded. “The pressure in the room?”

 

Vee nodded. “Yeah. I’m a basilisk, so I can sense magic more acutely than witches. Usually, witches can’t feel anything that isn't an overwhelming presence. But Basilisks can. It’s how we, um… hunt,” she used the term with some shame.

 

“And Luz had that overwhelming presence?” Asked Amity.

 

“Yeah. I’ve encountered high-ranking members of the Emperor’s Coven, even Belos himself, and I’ve never felt that kind of sheer, raw power before,” she told them. “And it wasn’t the kind of magic that witches use. It was something else. I’ve never felt anything like it before. Whatever Luz’s father is, he definitely isn’t human.”

 

That only made Amity more worried about Luz. Hopefully, her upcoming meeting with this “Dante” guy could give her some answers…

 

***

 

Luz was still lying in bed, staring at the wall where her posters used to be. She already felt bad about how she had lost her temper at Vee. Well, sort of. Maybe she could have handled it better, but it wasn’t about the stuff.

 

Okay, it was, but not just about the stuff.

 

Luz had never felt like she fit in or belonged anywhere until she ended up in the Boiling Isles. But her bedroom had always been her’s ! An oasis where she never had to worry about other people thinking that she was a freak, a weirdo, a loser, a nerd, a problem child, or any one of the other labels that had been applied to her by peers and authority figures alike. It had been her safe space, a place where she could recover and recharge.

 

And now, she barely recognized it.

 

Her posters, her figurines, all obtained as presents from relatives for birthdays and Christmases, were now rotting in some dump somewhere.

 

This didn’t feel like her room anymore, the one place on earth she felt like she truly belonged, and it was now gone, taken from her.

 

More than that, Luz felt awful for how she had treated Vee. She saw her utterly terrified Vee was of her. She hadn’t meant to scare her!

 

Luz rolled over, grabbed a pillow, and hugged it to her chest, trying to comfort herself.

 

***

It was just after one when Camila returned with Gus and Hunter, both of them decked out in new clothes and carrying huge bags. Gus now dressed in a light gray tee graphic tee, a blue jacket, a pair of jeans, and white sneakers.

 

Hunter was wearing a white hoodie over a black shirt with some cargo pants with black boots. He was also still wearing his gloves.

 

"So you're sure that those weren't reanimated corpses?" Asked Gus.

 

"No, Gus. Those were retail workers," explained Camila, setting down the bags full of clothes. Then she saw Amity, Willow, and Vee sitting in the living room. Instantly, she could tell that something was wrong from the looks on their faces. "What happened?" She asked.

 

"How did- never mind," replied Amity. "Luz learned that Vee threw out a bunch of her stuff, and… well… she didn’t take it well.”

 

Camila sighed. “I should have thought about that,” she replied.

 

“I’m so, so sorry! I was just trying- I mean, I just wanted-”

 

“Vee, we will talk about this later,” Camila said in a warm, reassuring tone. “Don’t worry; it’s going to be okay.”

 

She went upstairs and knocked on the door of Luz’s bedroom.

 

“Luz, may I come in?” She asked.

 

No response.

 

“Luz, please. I know you’re in there.”

 

Still no response.

 

“ Mija , please open the door,” she pleaded. “You’re not in trouble; I just want to talk.”

 

There was a moment of silence, and then the door slowly opened. Luz was on the other side, looking exhausted beyond any possible description.

 

“Oh… Luz.” Camila hugged her close. “Talk to me; what’s wrong?” She asked. “I know Vee threw out your stuff, and I will be talking with her about that later, but I know that there’s something else going on. Please. Talk to me.”

 

“I’ll be fine,” replied Luz. “Just go and take Amity and Willow shopping.”

 

“Don’t lie to me, Luz. You are the furthest thing from ‘alright’ at the moment. Please, I want to help you.”

 

“I’m just… I feel bad for how I acted,” she said. “I snapped at Vee. She was so scared. She didn't deserve that. I should have handled it better.”

 

“Luz, that stuff was important to you. You have a right to be angry with her for doing that.”

 

“And what about you?!” She asked. “You just let her throw my entire life away!”

 

“Luz, I thought that you were the one throwing all that away. I didn’t know that Vee wasn’t you,” she explained.

 

“And you didn't think that it was weird?!” She demanded. “That I was just throwing all the stuff that meant so much to me in the trash?!”

 

“I did,” she replied, trying to keep calm. “But I thought that it was what you wanted; Vee was compelling about wanting a ‘fresh start,’ and I wanted to support her, support you. How could I have possibly known that the person living with me wasn’t my daughter but a shapeshifting basilisk from another dimension?”

 

Luz opened her mouth to argue back, but the words caught in her throat.

 

“Luz, it’s okay to be upset; truly, it is. I know how much all that stuff meant to you,” she reiterated. “Go and talk to Vee. Try and smooth things over with her. I know that she’s truly sorry about it.”

 

Luz nodded. “I’ll… talk to her later.”

 

“Promise?” Asked Camila.

 

“Yeah. Promise.”

 

“Okay. I’m going to trust that you will,” replied Camila. “Just… don’t take too long to do it. The longer you wait, the harder it will be.”

 

Luz nodded.

 

“Alright. Now I’m going to go downstairs and talk to Vee myself. Then I’m going to take Amity and Willow shopping. We’ll be back in time to go to the park for our… meeting,” she informed Luz.

 

“Okay.”

 

Camila left Luz alone and went downstairs to meet with the other children.

 

“Luz is doing… ‘alright’ is a bit of a stretch, but we don't have to worry too much,” she informed them. “Just give her some time to calm down, and she’ll start to get better.” She turned her attention to Vee. “Now, Vee. Why did you throw out all of Luz’s things?” She asked.

 

“Well… I was just trying to be a good daughter,” she admitted. “After spending all that time at the camp, I figured that was what you wanted. So since I was never really into all that stuff that Luz liked, and since I didn’t know when or even if Luz was ever going to come back… I decided just to reinvent Luz. Start over.”

 

Camila sighed. “I should never have sent Luz to that summer camp,” she muttered.

 

“Yeah, you shouldn’t have.”

 

Camila looked over to see Amity glaring at her.

 

“Luz told us all about that place. How it was supposed to… change her. Strip her of all her individuality, make her stop being Luz.”

 

Camila shook her head. “It’s not like that,” she replied.

 

“It really wasn’t!” Vee protested. 

 

“Amity, please let me explain?” She asked.

 

Amity frowned but nodded.

 

“You see… I was worried about Luz. Ever since her father died, she had become so… withdrawn. She didn't have any real friends, didn’t seem interested in trying to make any, and she kept getting into trouble at school for her actions,” Camila explained. “I didn’t want to change Luz, believe me. I love her.”

 

“Then why send her to that camp?” Asked Amity.

 

Camila sighed again. “I was hoping that… maybe if she spent a few months away from her fantasy books and shows and games, it would help her to re-orient her perspective. Plus, since the other kids were from the area, I was hoping she would make some friends while she was there, especially since all of the kids there would be similar to her. She wouldn’t be able to bury herself in some book, show, or game.” Camila looked at her hands. “After she got caught bringing snakes and fireworks into school, I suppose I panicked and made a rash judgment and tried to stop her from getting expelled or getting into more trouble in the future.”

 

Vee chimed in. “And the camp really wasn’t nearly as bad as what Luz was making it sound like!” She protested. “It’s not like they abused us or anything. It was just… workshops about valuable adult skills during the day, and then we’d play games and have campfires at night. The worst thing that ever happened to anyone there was that they got bored.”

 

Amity calmed down. “That doesn't sound so bad…”

 

“As I said, I made a mistake with how I handled Luz. But I’m going to do better, I promise,” she smiled warmly at Amity.

 

Amity seemed to mull things over. “Alright. I guess that’s alright, then.”

 

“Good, Now, I don’t think that it’s very fair that Gus and Hunter got some new clothes, but you and Willow didn’t.” she smiled. “Let’s do some shopping. Okay, girls?”

 

Willow and Amity nodded, curious to see what shopping was like in the human realm.

 

***

 

Four o’clock came both too soon and not nearly soon enough for Luz. On the one hand, she was eager to meet with her maybe-father but also dreading what she might learn.

 

“Luz, it’s time,” Camila told her.

 

“I know.” Luz followed her to the car.

 

“Wait! We’re coming, too.”

 

Luz and Camila turned around and saw hunter and Amity there.

 

“You guys…” Luz wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. Part of her desperately wanted them to come with her.

 

Amity sighed. “Hunter…” She turned to Luz. “What he means is that we’d like to come with you if that’s alright with you. For moral support.” Amity was wearing a black shirt with a matching skirt and purple tights.

 

“... Are you sure?” Asked Luz.

 

“Yeah. I am,” replied Amity. 

 

Luz looked at her mother. 

 

“I think it’s a good idea, Mija , but it’s your call…”

 

“... Okay… if you want to come with me, then I guess it’s alright.”

 

Amity smiled. “Thank you, Luz.”

 

Luz nodded, but she didn’t smile. She knew that she was being stupid; trying to get in more time with Amity would just make it hurt more when… she couldn’t finish the thought.

 

“Vee, keep an eye on Willow and Gus while we’re gone, okay?” She instructed.

 

“Alright!” Vee replied, feeling better after talking to Camila.

 

Luz got into the car's front seat while Hunter and Amity got into the back. The drive to the park was short and quiet. Once they arrived, Camila took one last opportunity to try and comfort Luz.

 

“Luz, it’s going to be okay. We’re going to meet with him, talk to him, and learn what we can from him. If he is your father or knows your father, that’s good. If not… then at least we’ve crossed this lead off of the list.” She put a reassuring hand on Luz’s shoulder.

 

Luz put her hand over her mother’s. “I know. Gracias, mama ,” she replied.

 

Camila parked the car and got out, walking into the park and inviting Luz to sit next to her. “I wish I had thought to ask what kind of car he was going to be driving…” she muttered.

 

Luz looked around and saw something. She pointed to a parked RV. The neon sign was off, but the name was unmistakable.

 

“Devil May Cry.”

 

“Yeah, that’s probably it,” Hunter remarked blithely.

 

Luz barely heard him. She took a breath and stood up, beginning to walk towards the RV. She was vaguely aware of the other three following behind her. Part of her wished that the walk to the RV could last forever. Before she knew it, she was standing outside the RV door; she could hear people talking inside, but nothing distinct. She took another deep breath, then another, and then another, building up the courage to do this. 

 

And then she knocked.

 

The voices inside stopped, and then someone called from inside.

 

“Who is it?!” Luz recognized it as Dante’s voice.

 

“It’s Luz!” She replied. “We spoke on the phone.”

 

“Alright, We’re coming out. Stand back from the door.”

 

Luz took a step back just a moment before the door opened… and out stepped possibly the three most conspicuous individuals she had ever seen in her life.

 

And she had spent several months living in the Boiling Isles!

 

All three of them were tall, definitely over six feet. They also all had white hair and blue eyes.

 

The first man to emerge was dressed in an all-black outfit, except for the red leather duster he wore. His hair was an unkempt mop atop his head. More alarmingly, he also had what looked like a sawed-off shotgun strapped to his right thigh. When he turned to make room for the others to get out, she also saw a pair of handguns tucked into a holster on the small of his back. The following person to exit looked significantly younger, with a close-cropped haircut, dressed in a long blue coat and tattered red shirt with black pants and boots. He was also armed, with a massive handgun hanging from a hip holster on his left thigh and a large sword on his back. However, his strangest feature was what looked like a robotic right arm, followed by a brace of other prosthetics hanging from his right hip. The final man to exit had slicked-back hair and was dressed in a dark blue waistcoat worn under a three-tailed duster with intricate silver designs on the collar, shoulders, and sleeves. He didn't seem to carry any guns but clutched a katana by the scabbard in his left hand.

 

The two groups stared at each other for a few moments. No one was quite sure what to say next.

 

Finally, the man in red broke out into a grin.

 

“Vergil… hey, Vergil.”

 

“Whatever you are about to say, shut up.” The man in dark blue, Vergil, responded.

 

“Vergil… it’s a girl.”

 

Vergil gave a long-suffering sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

“Hey! Will you two knock it the hell off?!” The man with the robot arm scolded them. He then turned to Luz and gave her a nervous but friendly smile. “I’m sorry about them. They have no idea how to act like normal people. I’m Nero. And I guess… I guess I’m your brother,” he greeted her, holding out his left hand. Then he realized what he was doing. “Ah, sorry.”

 

Luz watched in shock as Nero pulled his prosthetic arm off, revealing a spectral mass of blue energy that coalesced into a proper arm and hand. He put the artificial limb away, snapping it onto the brace of arms on his hip.

 

“There we go.” He held out his right hand to her.

 

Luz, awestruck at what she had just seen, dumbly reached out and shook his newly-formed flesh and blood hand. 

 

“I assume you’ve got a lot of questions,” Nero continued. “Don’t worry; we’ll answer them all as best we can,” he reassured her. He turned to Camila. “And you must be Luz’s mother. It’s nice to meet you.” He extended his hand to her as well.

 

“Wait, what was that thing you did with your arm?” Asked Luz, interrupting them. “And what even are you? Can I do that? What am I ?” Her brain was running at a million miles an hour. “And why are you all armed?”

 

Nero responded with a good-natured chuckle.

 

“I told you we’d tell you everything you want to know. Just… not here.” Nero looked around. “Is there somewhere we can talk? Even if this were just a normal family reunion… it wouldn’t do to have it in public like this.” He turned to Camila. “Mind if we take this back to your place?”

 

She eyed them warily. 

 

“We’ll leave the weapons in the van, scout’s honor,” he promised her. 

 

That seemed to set her somewhat at ease. “I suppose… Why did you feel it was necessary to bring them in the first place?” She asked suspiciously.

 

This time, it was Dante who spoke up. “Well, when you get a call from out of the blue from someone claiming to be Vergil’s kid… it’s a bit suspicious, is all. We had no idea what we were walking into, and we thought it was best to prepare for the worst, as it were.”

 

“And you regularly run into trouble that requires… those?” she asked, gesturing to them.

 

“In our line of work, oh yeah . And this is just the stuff you can see.”

 

“Dante!” Snapped Nero, facepalming. “Look. I get that this is a lot to take in all at once. But I promise, no one’s in danger,” he reassured Camila. “We just want to talk and explain to Luz about her-” he paused to think “-unique heritage.”

 

Camila sighed and relented. “Alright. You can follow my car back to the house if you leave all the guns and swords and… whatever else in your van,” she told them.

 

“That’s doable,” he replied. “ Right ?” he glared at Dante and Vergil.

 

“It could still be a trap,” replied Vergl coldly.

 

“And if it is, our gear will be in the van right outside.”

 

Vergil sighed. “Fine.” He opened his hand, and the sword he was carrying vanished in a flash of light.

 

Luz began to feel extremely hopeful at that. There was a ton of magic stuff on display here. Maybe they’d be able to help her out after all.

 

“Oh, one more thing before we go… Who are you two?” Nero asked, turning his attention to Amity and Hunter.

 

“Oh! Uh… we’re her friends, just here for moral support,” Hunter replied.

 

“That’s nice of you,” Nero replied. “It’s good that you have friends like that.” He hopped back into the van after Dante and Vergil. “See you at your place!”

 

Luz exhaled and sat down on the pavement. “Well, mom, what’s the verdict?” She asked.

 

“It’s definitely him,” she replied. “Vergil, he’s your father. I saw him, and it was like… all the memories of that night came flooding back.”

 

Luz hopped to her feet. “Then let’s go. I need answers,” she replied. She couldn’t back down now, not after she was so close. She marched back to her mother’s car, not even waiting to see if anyone was following her.

 

***

 

A short while later, everyone was gathered at the Noceda residence. The hunters parked the Devil May Cry van on the street outside the house.

 

Luz was sitting in a chair, looking at the three white-haired men across from her on the couch. The rest of the kids were hiding in another room with Vee.

 

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Offered Camila. “Water, coffee, tea?” She asked.

 

“Some coffee would be great if you don’t mind,” replied Nero.

 

“Same,” replied Dante, leaning back and getting comfortable.

 

“Tea, please,” requested Vergil.

 

Camila nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Luz with her newfound family members.

 

A few moments of awkward silence followed neither side, sure what to say.

 

Finally, it was Luz who broke the silence.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to have you come all the way out here just to sit in silence,” she told them.

 

“It’s okay. We get that you have a lot of questions,” replied Nero. “Take your time.”

 

Luz clenched her fists. “I guess… I should start with the most pressing question I have. What happened to me?” She asked. “What am I?” She began rambling. “Am I even a human? Are you guys human? I don’t think you are. Humans aren’t supposed to be able to do magic, and you were doing a whole bunch of magical stuff earlier, and I have no idea how that is even possible, and if you’re not human, then what are you, and what am I half-human or something-”

 

“Woah! Take a breath there, motor-mouth.” Joked Dante. “We’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

 

“And you can tell your friends that they do not have to lurk in the shadows,” continued Vergil. “They are free to join us if you want them to.”

 

Luz winced. “You could tell they were there, huh?” She asked.

 

“Yep. Just like we can tell that they’re not human.”

 

Luz felt her heart lurch when he said that. If he was a demon hunter…

 

“Relax, some of my best friends aren’t human,” he reassured her. “So, how about they come out and join us?” He suggested.

 

Luz sighed in relief and waved them over.

 

Her friends, and girlfriend, joined them in the living room, taking seats in various chairs or on the floor.

 

Luz watched as the trio eyed them curiously. “Not demons, that’s for certain… Curious. What are you?” Asked Vergil.

 

“We’re witches,” answered Amity.

 

“Witches?” Asked Dante. “I’m gonna need some clarification,” he said as Camila brought out the drinks that they had requested, along with some hot cocoa for Luz.

 

Luz licked her lips and took a breath. “Well, it all started when an owl tried to steal my book…”

 

Luz spent the next little while telling them all about the Boiling Isles, while others sometimes chimed in to clarify or expand on things she said. She explained about the witches and demons that lived there, about Emperor Belos and his plan to genocide them, his draining spell, and how she had awakened her powers during their final battle.

 

Vergil mulled over what he had learned. This ‘Demon Realm’ you speak of isn’t the underworld we know. And the demons that dwell there are far different from those we typically deal with.”

 

“How so?” Asked Luz.

 

“You see, the demons we deal with are creatures of pure chaos and violence. Vicious predators that live only to hunt and kill, consuming human blood to grow stronger,” he explained. “With no exception, they cannot be reasoned with, only put down.”

 

Luz saw Amity mulling something over. “These ‘demons’ you hunt… do they dissolve into ash after being killed?” She asked.

 

“Eehhh… Some do,” replied Dante. “Others are more like spirits possessing mediums, but if they manage to cross over physically, then yeah. After I kill them, they usually dissolve into ash, dust, or some other crap.”

 

Amity hit her fist against her palm. “That explains it. You’re Devil Hunters!” She exclaimed.

 

Dante shrugged. “Well yeah, some have called us that-”

 

“No! I mean… the creatures you hunt, in the Demon Realm they’re usually referred to as ‘devils.’ ‘Demon’ is more of a catch-all term used to describe sapient non-witches.”

 

Luz badly wanted to kiss Amity. She had just made her feel a whole lot better about her family members being demon hunters if it meant that they weren’t going to start cutting down the residents of the Boiling Isles.

 

“Fascinating,” Vergil replied. “So they manage to get into your realm as well. That implies a connection between the Underworld and your home, similar to the one linking the Human World and Underworld.”

 

“So… that’s interesting and all, but I think we’ve gotten off-track,” interjected Nero, trying to steer the conversation back on the subject. “Luz, you wanted to know what you are, correct? About your heritage.”

 

Luz gulped and nodded.

 

Nero set down his empty mug. “In order to start, tell me… does the name ‘Sparda’ mean anything to you?”

 

Luz thought for a moment. “No, never heard of it.”

 

“Wait, Sparda?!” Asked Hunter. “As in… The Legendary Dark Knight Sparda?”

 

“So you’ve heard of him even in your world. The plot thickens,” Vergol mused.

 

“Yes. What do you know?” asked Nero.

 

“Not much… just some legends,” replied Hunter. “He was this crazy-powerful demon who fought off a massive invasion of devils into the boiling isles a thousand years ago. Honestly, it’s hard to know. Belos censored so much information about him that even his name is hard to come by. Probably the only untampered records of him exist in Belos’s personal library…”

 

Nero chuckled at that. “Well… I hadn't heard of him doing anything in your world, but it’s certainly possible,” he replied. “But what you said isn’t quite right. Alright, kiddos. It’s story time.” Nero turned to Vergil. “Dad, you wanna handle this one?”

 

Vergil smirked and cleared his throat. “Gladly.” He began to speak. “Thousands of years ago, The Underworld and the Human Realm were connected. Demons, or devils, as you would call them, held dominion over humanity. Humans were seen as slaves or as a source of food. It had always been this way. Then, one day, a singular devil gained something that had never before been heard of among his kind: a sense of justice and righteousness. Awakening to these feelings, this devil fought against his own kind, single-handedly slaughtering the legions of the great kings of hell, liberating humans from the cruel reign of their infernal masters. Then, he severed the connections between the two worlds, leaving humanity free to control their destiny. This devil would come to be known as ‘The Legendary Dark Knight,’ and his name… was Sparda.” He paused. “Sparda would continue to watch over Humanity for the next two thousand years until eventually, he fell in love with a human woman.”

 

Luz suddenly began to get a feeling for where this was going.

 

“One day, Sparda went missing. No one knows where he went, and most think him to be dead. However, he left behind two half-devil sons. Twin brothers.”

 

“Wait-” Luz whispered.

 

“Myself… and Dante.”

 

Silence hung over the room like a cloud.

 

Nero broke it. “And that’s the family history, Luz. Now you know it.”

 

Luz’s mind was racing. “Wait, but if you’re my father… and Sparda, a devil, was your father… then that means I’m…” she trailed off.

 

“One-quarter devil and the granddaughter of the Legendary Dark Knight himself.

 

Now the rest of the kids were staring at Luz, wide-eyed, scarcely able to believe what they had just heard.

 

“I’m… a devil?” She asked quietly.

 

“No, no,” Nero reassured her. “Going strictly by biology, you’re three-quarters human,” he explained. “And, you have the most important thing. The thing that separates humanity from devils.”

 

“What is that?” She asked.

 

“You told us how you desperately wanted to save Amity when that asshole, Belos, was attacking you. How you wanted to protect her, and that’s what caused you to awaken your powers,” Nero summarized. “That’s a little something we like to call ‘humanity.’ That selfless desire to protect, to use your strength for the benefit of others. That separates you and us from the slavering monsters we fight.”

 

Luz took in what Nero was saying and noticed Vergil wince.

 

“Hold onto that. Never lose sight of what you’re trying to protect. Do that, and you’ll be plenty human.”

 

Luz nodded, feeling reassured. “I have more questions if that’s alright.”

 

Nero nodded. “Shoot. We’ll do our best to answer them.”

 

“So… why did it take a situation like… that to awaken my powers? Did you go through a similar process?” She asked.

 

“Nah. I had the hair, eyes, and other demonic heritage perks right from the get-go. As for why yours laid dormant…” Nero turned to Vergil. “Dad, any ideas?”

 

Vergil put his hand to his chin as he thought. “At the time of Luz’s conception, it would have been after Mallet Island. I was severely weakened and, although I didn't know it at the time, dying. Perhaps my weakened state caused her demonic powers to be suppressed into dormancy until a strong enough trigger awoke them?” He speculated. “Or, that could be due to the lack of demonic energy in the environment. Fortuna sits on top of a massive Hellgate. Even when closed, it still leeches demon power out into the environment. Perhaps you would have been the same had you not been conceived, gestated, and birthed in Fortuna. Or maybe a combination of factors. This is all speculation, after all.”

 

Nero shrugged. “Yeah, so we don’t know. It’s not like a whole bunch of half and quarter-devils are running around,” he replied.

 

Dante cut in. “As for why you awoke your powers like that. That part’s simple. While humans may lack the physical capabilities of demons, they have something that demons lack. That humanity that Nero was oh-so-poetically going on about earlier,” he explained. “See, most devils are selfish, cruel, and only seek to amass power for themselves. But… if a demon were to gain some of that humanity… they’d become immensely more powerful. That’s why our old man was so strong. The humanity he awakened to empowered him, gave him strength beyond anything that any demon had ever known.” Dante smiled. “At that moment, your desire to protect others, to save them, that singularly powerful desire, felt so strongly, must have jolted your powers awake.”

 

“Really?” Asked Luz.

 

“Oh yeah. Nero went through something similar himself a couple of years ago.”

 

Nero smiled smugly and nodded. “And I kicked the shit out of both of you after.”

 

“That didn’t count! I was exhausted from fighting him!” Both brothers replied in unison, each pointing at the other.

 

Luz saw Amity giggle out of the corner of her eye.

 

“Alright, kid. Anything else?” Nero asked.

 

“Yeah. Ever since I got back… I’ve been eating a whole lot. Like, devouring food like crazy. That’s gotta be related to this, right?”

 

“Hmm… before this, were you more or less a normal human, physically, I mean?” Asked Nero.

 

“Yeah. Nothing weird.”

 

“Then that’s probably why. Now that your powers are up and running, even if only partially, your body is trying to adapt to them, build up some proper devil physiology.”

 

“And what, exactly, does that entail?” Luz asked nervously. “How is my body going to be different?”

 

“It’s probably gonna be like a growth spurt. Like falling asleep and waking up a few inches taller?” He replied. “But also a little different. Devils are built tougher than humans. Everything’s stronger. Bones, muscle tissue, skin, even nails are much stronger than humans.”

 

Dante spoke up. “Yeah, I had a doctor put me under and knife around in my body a bit; he was curious, and so was I. See, muscles and bones are far denser compared to humans. The skin is tougher as well. And that’s before we even get into how quickly we heal,” he grinned. “You mentioned it took your broken bones a few minutes to heal? Once your powers awaken, it’ll be more like a few seconds.”

 

“Oh… wow…”

 

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I mean, we’re not invincible or anything, but once your powers really kick in, you’ll be able to get hit by stuff that should kill you, and you’ll be able to just walk it off.”

 

“It’s true,” Nero cut in. “When Dante and I first met, I straight-up ran him through with a sword, got him right in the heart. He barely flinched. Pulled it out and went right back to work.”

 

“Why would you have stabbed him?” Asked Luz.

 

“Because he shot the cult leader that raised me in the face. It’s a really goddamn long story; I’ll tell you later.”

 

Luz looked down at her hands. Her questions were answered, for the most part. But her most burning question had yet to be resolved. Could these guys help her? Help her fix everything?

 

“And now… we have something to discuss, not just with you, Luz, but also with your mother.” Vergil turned to Camila, who had been listening to their conversation from a seat next to Luz.

 

“With me?” she asked.

 

“Yeah.” Dante inhaled and then exhaled. “You see, now that Luz has awakened her powers… things could get dangerous. Not just for her but for anyone around her as well. So, to that end, and we’re not expecting you to answer right now, we would like to start teaching Luz how to harness her power.”

 

Luz could feel her heart start to pound in her chest.

 

“And, to do that, we would like for her to come and… stay with us for a little while.”

 

The silence that followed that statement was deafening.

Notes:

Okay, so I'm sure that a few of you are wondering "Jeff, did you steal the idea of calling the DMC Demons "Devils" from The Excellent RealityJonmes and their fic "Demon May Cry?"

First of all, my name isn't Jeff, I don't know why you'd call me that. And second, no. I came to that idea independently and didn't see that they were doing something similar until recently. Why am I bringing it up, then? Because it gives me an excuse to recommend their excellent fic to you all. Go check it out.

Now, onto the main point of this note, I'm going to preemptively address the question of why I made Luz Vergil's child instead of Dante's.

The main reason is that I genuinely can't see Dante fathering Luz like that. Dante spends most of the series in a depressive funk after the events of Mallet Island, and he's never struck me as being the "go out and bang the pain away" type, but more of the "sit in his officer alone" type. Whereas, with Vergil, we can say for sure that he absolutely would do something like this. He fathered Nero, and if we go with what the Deadly fortune novel implies, Vergil slept with a prostitute during his time in Fortuna. So it's far more believable to me that Vergil would do this as opposed to Dante.

Another reason I went with Vergil over Dante is that I think it's just a more interesting dynamic. Dante already has experience with Patty Lowell, the young girl he met in the anime who became sort of like a daughter to him that he still keeps in touch with and who often comes by to visit him in the shop. Compare that to the distant and emotionally-constipated Vergil, who is now suddenly the father of an energetic teenage girl. It's a totally unfamiliar situation for him that will force him out of his comfort zone. I just think that it's a more interesting dynamic. By the time Vergil met Nero, Nero was a grown man who already knew who he was and found his place in the world. Compare that to Luz, who is still figuring those things out, and will be looking to Vergil (and the others but mostly Vergil) to help her as she adjusts to her new circumstances. Dante would at least have somewhat of an idea on how to deal with that, because of Patty. As for Vergil? No clue.

So, yeah. That's why I went with Vergil over Dante.

Aaaaaanyway... thank you, as always, for taking the time to read this chapter, leave a comment if you wish, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.

P.S. Has anyone noticed what I'm doing with the chapter titles? There's a theme to them in case you hadn't noticed yet.

Chapter 4: I Cannot Erupt

Summary:

Things get worse.

Camila's jaw dropped at Dante's words.

Nero quickly cut in.

"Just to be clear-" Nero cut in "-we're not trying to take Luz away from you or cut you off from her or anything. At least let us explain our reasoning, okay?"

Camila resisted the urge to shut him down outright and nodded silently.

"Alright, okay. The main reason is that, as Luz’s powers continue to develop, she needs to learn how to control them, or someone could get hurt. Maybe her, maybe someone else. But trust me, a quarter-devil with uncontrolled powers is a recipe for disaster,” Nero explained. “Not to mention other changes that she might go through, both physically and mentally.”

Camila frowned and looked at Luz.

"Second, because she's a descendant of Sparda, Luz has a big fuckin' target on her back. Sparda is a name that many devils hate with a passion, so if they find out about her, they’ll come for her, and there will be… collateral damage,” Nero looked at Camila and the other kids to hammer home his point.

Camila saw Luz wince at that.

“Finally, there’s one more group you need to be concerned about.” Nero reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a scrap of white fabric with a bright red emblem embroidered upon it. “This is the symbol of the Order of the Sword, a Sparda-worshipping cult. They more or less disbanded a while back, but some more radical members kept the faith and banded together. We’ve had some run-ins with them in the past. If they learn about Luz, they might see her as a target to do… honestly, who knows what?” He shrugged.

“Are you trying to scare me?” Asked Camila, suspicious.

“We are trying to warn you,” Vergil’s patience was wearing thin.

Nero held up a hand. “Look, whether you or me or Luz or anyone else likes it or not, Luz is now in this world, and it’s dangerous. We want to keep her safe, at least until she can defend herself from the things that go bump in the night.”

“Why are you so… invested in keeping her safe?” She asked, not quite able to let go of her suspicions.

“Do we really need a reason?” Asked Nero. “She’s family, even if we didn’t know she existed until just a few hours ago.” He smiled at Luz.

Camila saw Luz look back at him, a somewhat hopeful expression on her face.

Dante was the next one to speak up. “Besides, even if she wasn’t, we’re not about to abandon a fourteen-year-old girl to her fate if we can help it.” Dante reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. Then he grabbed a pen, stylishly twirling it between his fingers before he popped the cap off. He quickly scribbled something on the back of the card. “Here’s my card, and that’s my personal number on the back.” He handed the card to Camila, deftly recapping the pen.

She took it somewhat uneasily.

“Like the kid said-” he gestured towards Nero “-we’re not expecting an answer today or anything. Give it a few days, talk it over with Luz, call us if you have questions or if something happens,” he instructed. “We’ll make it work.”

Camila put the card into her purse.

“In the meantime, just be alert. See anything suspicious, give us a call. We’ll be right over, no charge.”

Camila sighed. She wanted to tell them ‘no’ outright, but was that the right thing for Luz? “I’ll… I’ll think about it.” She told them.

“Good.” Vergil turned to Luz. “Be well.” That was all he said before he turned around and walked through the door of the Noceda residence, deading towards the RV.

Nero looked embarrassed on his father’s behalf. “Yeah… he’s not exactly the ‘warm and fuzzy’ type,” he apologized. “Take care, baby sis. See you around.” He waved goodbye and went to join Vergil in the RV.

“Later, kid.” Dante gave Luz a playful two-fingered salute and left, closing the door behind him as he went.

After they left, Camila took the business card that Dante had left for her. She stared at it like it was going to help her make a decision. The last time she listened to someone and sent Luz away for her own good. Was this another mistake?

She sighed and put the card away. She wanted what was best for Luz, but Camila was still determining if this was a good idea.

***

Luz thought that it was a great idea.

She’d get to learn about her new powers, get to know her new family members, and, most importantly, she’d be able to get all over her friends out of the walking disaster zone that was her existence.

Luz turned to her mother. “Mom?” She asked. She knew that this would depend on her mother going along with it, which would be the big sticking point for this.

“I… I need to think this over,” Camila told Luz.

Luz fought the urge to groan. It wasn’t a “no,” but it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

“Please, Mom. I need to do this. You heard them; I might be putting everyone in danger!” She protested.

Camila didn’t respond for a moment. “I did. I just… I just got you back, Mija. I’m not exactly eager to send you to live with some strangers.”

“They’re not strangers!” Protested Luz. “They’re my family! My dad and my uncle and my brother! They can help me understand what’s happening to me! Help me deal with it!”

“I know, Luz. I know,” she responded. “And I’m not saying ‘no,’ believe me. I just. I need a moment to think things over. I can’t just send you over there on a whim. I need to talk to them first. Ask them questions.”

Luz huffed.

“I know this is frustrating, Luz. I know. But just give me a little time to sort things out, okay?” She asked.

“How much time?” Asked Luz.

“I don't know… maybe a day or two?” She asked. “This is a lot to take in! A lot to process!”

Luz felt the frustration mounting. Deep down, she knew that her mother had a point. But Luz didn't have time to “process” things! She needed to get stronger and find a way back to the Boiling Isles! She had to find a way to stop the Collector and save everyone!

“Fine…” she relented and sat back in one of the living room chairs, stuffing her arms into her jacket pockets. She glared at the floor in frustration.

Camila kneeled next to Luz. “I know this isn't the answer you wanted to hear, Luz. But-”

“You said that things would be different,” she cut her off. “Back when we rescued Vee, you promised me things would be different when I returned.”

Camila bit her lip. “I know. And I meant it,” she replied. “I still do. I made a mistake in how I handled things in the past, and I know that now.” She put her hand on top of Luz’s. “I promise. Things will be different.”

Luz still didn’t look at Camila.

Then her stomach growled.

“I think that's my cue to start dinner. It's already after five..” She stood up.

Classic mom, changing the subject. Luz stood up. “I’m going out,” she replied, standing up. “I’ll be back for dinner later.” She went to the front door.

“Wait, Luz? Where are you going?” She asked.

“Out,” was Luz’s blunt response. “I’m just going to go for a walk around town. I need to clear my head.” She didn't wait for a response before she closed the door behind her. She began walking but soon broke out into a run, sprinting towards the town. She arrived in the town square after a few minutes of sprinting for a little bit and was surprised to find that she was barely breathing hard. Old Luz would never have been able to make a run like that. Her body was changing even more.

“Great,” she muttered to herself. She wasn't feeling great about this. Did this make her a freak? She was part devil. One-quarter of her descended from a species defined by chaos and wickedness. What did that make her?

Luz wandered through the town square, not looking at anything in particular. Her mind was recapping everything that she had learned today. It was a lot; she was starting to feel bad for how she acted toward her mom for wanting some time to think about all this…

But Luz didn't have time. No one in the Boiling Isles had time. All because of how she had helped.

“PHILLIP!”

Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. A statue that she had seen a million times before in her life. But now she recognized one of the figures depicted. The hair, the face, the outfit… she was staring straight at a stone likeness of Phillip Whittebane.

Of Belos.

“YOU!” She screamed at the statue before she could control herself. “I never should have helped you! Never! You used me!” She knew this wasn't the real Phillip, but that knowledge didn’t quell her fury. “You caused all of this! If it weren’t for you, I never would have… would have…” she trailed off as the sheer ridiculousness of what she was doing set in. She slumped to her knees. “What am I even doing?” She muttered to herself.

“Luz? Are you okay?”

Luz’s head whipped around to see Amity standing there, out of breath.

“Amity? What are you doing here?” She asked.

“I followed you… after you… ran out of the… house,” she panted. “It was really… really… hard to keep up with you…”

"No, I mean… why did you follow me?" She asked.

"Because I'm worried about you!" Amity said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We're all worried about you. Luz, please, what's wrong? And don't try and pull that 'I'm fine’ stuff on me."

Luz didn’t know how to respond.

“You are the furthest thing from ‘all right.’ Please, Luz. Talk to me?” She asked.

Before Luz could say anything, a snobby voice cut into the air.

“Oh Em Gee… Is that seriously you? Luz-er?”

Luz felt her blood run cold. She recognized that voice. Britteny Blakely. AKA: Queen B, AKA: BB.

AKA: the bully who had contributed more than her fair share to making Luz’s life miserable.

Luz had changed a lot on the Boiling Isles. She had grown, changed, evolved… However, hearing Britteny’s voice in her current state sent Luz right back to where she was almost a year ago—knowing that she was about to be picked on and that there was nothing she could do about it.

“Hold on, what happened to you?” She asked in the snide, condescending voice she always used on her targets. “Weren’t you trying to do the ‘good girl’ thing? And now you skunk-striped your hair?” She laughed. “At least it suits you. Now everyone will know just how much you stink!” She laughed even harder, her posse joining in.

Luz clenched her fist and tried not to react. She knew how to survive this. Don’t fight back. People would take Britteny’s side.

“And were you seriously yelling at a statue? Like, for real?” She continued. “I mean… I know you’re mentally disturbed or whatever, but that’s a new level of crazy, even for you.”

Luz shrank into herself, falling to her knees and closing her eyes tightly. Just stay quiet, and she’ll get bored and leave eventually.

“Like, seriously. Maybe you should do us all a favor and go back to that weirdo camp that your mommy sent you to, but this time stay there for-”

“Hey! Stop it!”

Luz’s eyes snapped open when she heard Amity’s voice cut off.

Oh no… this was bad. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words caught in her throat. She couldn’t say anything as Amity continued speaking.

***

Amity had no idea who these girls were, but no one, absolutely no one, talked to her girlfriend like that. The “stop it” was out of her mouth before she knew what she was doing, but after giving it even half a second of thought, she decided to keep going.

“You don’t get to talk to Luz that way!” She told off the bully.

“Uhm… who do you think you are?” She asked. “Who even are you? Did you just move here or something?”

“Something like that, yeah,” replied Amity.

“Well, let me give you some advice. Little miss freak there?” the bully pointed to Luz. “She’s at the bottom of the social ladder in this town. I don’t know how she tricked you into liking her or whatever, but you’re better off cutting yourself loose from her before she drags you down to her level.”

“Is that so?” She asked, feigning interest. “Well then, in that case…” she saw the bully grin, thinking she had scored another victory over her victim. Amity relished the following words out of her mouth. “Then I guess that ‘social ladder’ is rusted and rotting,” she replied. “I’ll stay on the bottom with my girlfriend; thank you very much.”

The bully’s mouth opened and then closed silently, clearly caught off-guard by Amity’s declaration. She recovered quickly, though. “‘Girlfriend?’ Seriously? So either you’re a freak just like she is? Or are you just stupid?” She asked. “Because there’s no way that any normal girl would want to hook up with Luz-er.” She scoffed. “So what is it? Vision impaired? Maybe this is a pity date? Or are you just a lame little freak looser like-”

“Shut up.”

Amity heard the voice from next to her. It was quiet, but somehow it was enough to cut the bully off.

“Oh?” the bully turned her attention back to Luz. “Is the freak standing up for her freak gilfr-”

“I said, SHUT UP!” Luz roared.

Amity watched as Luz raised her fist and brought it down, pounding it against the cobblestone footpath with enough force to crack the stones. What was more alarming, however, was the arm of purple spectral energy that manifested and mimicked her arm’s movement, slamming down onto the cobblestone with enough force to shatter it entirely and missing the bully by a fraction of an inch.

***

Luz didn’t know what had happened to her. She had never shouted at Britteny before, but something snapped inside her when she heard her badmouthing Amity. She felt the power welling up inside her again and unleashed it. The arm faded away in whisps of energy, leaving an utterly terrified Britteny to fall over backward and then scramble to her feet, screaming and running away, followed closely by her entourage.

Luz was terrified as well. As much as she hated Britteny, she didn’t want to kill her! If that arm had been any closer, it would have reduced her to paste! Luz picked her arm up from the cobblestones, looking at her hand. It was shaking, trembling. She was terrified.

She had to get away.

Before she knew what she was doing, Luz sprung to her feet and ran away toward the woods adjacent to the park. She could faintly hear Amity calling after her, but the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears drowned it out.

Once she was past the treeline, she sat down and held her head in her hands, shuddering. What was she? Was she a monster? She had never lashed out like that before. But there was something. Something deep inside her was screaming at her to crush Britteny. She couldn’t control her powers. She hadn't even meant to manifest that arm; she didn't know how to do it. All she knew was that she had nearly killed someone, and that was terrifying enough for her,

“Luz! Luz!” Amity was calling for her. “Oh. There you are.”

Luz looked up to Amity standing next to her. She knelt next to Luz and tried to comfort her.

Lus couldn't help herself and grabbed Amity’s arms, clinging to her like a lifebuoy in a storm, grabbing onto her girlfriend's biceps as she fought not to break down crying.

“Luz, it’s okay.” Amity’s voice was soft and soothing.

Luz squeezed harder.

“Luz? Luz?!” Amity’s voice began to strain. “You’re… you’re squeezing a little- ow!”

Luz released her grip like she had been burned and pushed away from Amity, making her fall over. Luz looked and could see the light red marks on Amity’s arms where her hands had been. Bruises.

She had hurt Amity.

“I hurt you…” Her voice was barely above a whisper as the weight of what she had done set in. “I hurt you…”

“What?” Asked Amity. Luz saw her look at her arms. “Luz, it’s-”

“No… no. No no no no no nononononononono!” Luz's voice started as a whisper before she was nearly in hysterics. She scrambled to her feet and took off running, this time full-bore sprinting back to her house. She threw open the front door, and, before anyone had time to say anything to her, she bolted into her room and slammed the door shut, staring at her hands and hyperventilating.

She was a monster. She had hurt her girlfriend. Amity meant more to her than anyone else, except maybe her mother…

And she had hurt her with her dangerous, out-of-control powers.

She didn’t cry. She couldn’t cry. She felt numb as she sat there and stared at the wood floor of her bedroom, doing her best not to think about anything.

She was vaguely aware of someone knocking on the door but tuned it out. She grabbed her shelf and dragged it across the room, using it to barricade the door and keep everyone out.

***

Amity had locked eyes with Luz for just a moment, but that moment was enough. She saw the fear and pain and confusion beyond those mismatched eyes. Amity tried to reassure Luz that it was okay, that she understood it was an accident, but Luz was already off and running before she could even get the words out of her mouth. Amity took off after her, but her stamina ran out after a short while, and she soon found herself hunched over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath, and then she walked the rest of the way back to Camila’s house. Luckily, the part wasn’t too far away, and Amity had a great sense of direction, so she could quickly make it back.

Upon walking into the house, she was immediately hit with questions from a distraught Camila, asking her what happened to Luz and what happened to her after Camila noticed the bruises on Amity’s arms.

Amity explained everything. The bully, Luz’s outburst, and how Luz had accidentally squeezed her arms too tightly. “It’s okay, though. I think she was just scared. Dante and Nero did say that she’d start getting stronger. I think it’s starting to kick in. She didn’t mean to hurt me; I know she didn't.”

Amity heard Camila mutter something in Spanish under her breath. She didn’t know nearly enough to understand what Camila had said, but she got the sense that it was very inappropriate.

Camila sighed and ran her hands down her face. “Britteny Blakely. She’s a very well-connected girl. Her parents are on the PTA, very wealthy, extremely influential around town… and their daughter is a spoiled rotten brat because they let her get away with everything.”

“But why was she picking on Luz like that?” Asked Amity.

“Because Luz is an easy target. Luz never really had any friends. So she had no one to defend her when being picked on. And because of her family’s status, the school and other kids would always side against Luz and me whenever I tried to do anything about her bullying. Luz’s strategy eventually became simply enduring it. Never escalating things because that would lead to her getting in trouble when Britteny eventually complained that Luz was standing up to her.”

“That doesn’t sound like Luz,” remarked Hunter.

“Actually… it does,” replied Willow. “Back when Grudgeby Season started, and Boscha was on the warpath, Luz did the same thing. She figured that Boscha would eventually get bored and stop picking on us… She followed us around all day.”

Camila nodded. “That sounds a lot like Luz,” she agreed. “But lashing out violently like that, even if she didn’t hurt anyone… That’s very out of character for her. It might be because of the stress she’s under…”

Willow thought for a moment. “Didn’t Nero say something about Luz changing? Like, not just physically, but mentally as well?” She asked. “Maybe that’s what this is? Like, some kind of instinct that’s coming to the surface?”

Camila fretted. “I… maybe…”

“You should call them,” suggested Amity. “Nero and the others. Dante gave you his number, didn’t he? Maybe he can give us some answers?”

“That’s… probably a good idea,” she agreed. “If Luz is still acting this way by tomorrow, I’ll call and ask him.”

“Why not call him right now?” Asked Amity, confused.

“Oh, it’s late, and he’s probably busy,” she replied. “Besides, it’s time for dinner. Let’s eat. I’ll try and get Luz out of her room to join us.”

Amity frowned as she watched Camila get up and go to the kitchen. Something about what she had said didn’t sit right with her, and she was going to ask Camila about it.

She considered it her duty as Luz’s Awesome Girlfriend.

***

Camila knocked on the door to Luz’s bedroom. “Luz… sweetie? Dinner’s ready.”

There was no response.

“Mija, Amity told me about what happened at the park. It’s okay; you can come out. No one’s hurt.”

Still waiting for a response.

“Luz… please… at least open the door, okay? Even just a little so that I know you’re in there?”

That got a response. The door cracked open. “I’m in here.”

“Luz, sweetie, Amity told me about what happened. I’m so sorry that you had to run into Britteny,” she said. “Look, I know you didn’t want to hurt her -and you didn’t- and everything’s going to be okay.”

Luz didn’t say anything.

“Do you want to say anything to me?” She asked.

“I… No.”

“Luz, it’s okay. I know you don’t feel very good about what happened, but-”

“No! Mom! You don’t know anything about how I feel! I almost killed her! I could have killed her!” Shouted Luz. “I’m dangerous! I might lose control again! What if I hurt you?! I already hurt Amity!”

“Luz, Amity’s fine,” Camila reassured her. “She’s not mad at you over what happened. She knows that it was an accident.”

“It doesn’t matter that it was an accident!” Luz’s voice was getting frantic now. “I! Hurt! Her!” She punctuated every word. “I can’t be trusted around her, or you, or anyone until I learn how to control my powers!”

There was a pause.

“Please, Mom, please just let me go and stay with Dante, Vergil, and Nero,” she pleaded, “I’m scared. Scared of what I might do if I lose control.”

“I’ll… We can talk about it tomorrow, okay?” She suggested.

“... I guess…”

Camila frowned. She could tell that Luz was holding something back. “Luz, if you have something to say-” Luz interrupted her.

“I don’t. I just don’t feel like talking right now.”

“Would- would you like to come downstairs for dinner?” Camila asked, hoping to lure Luz out of her room.

“No, thank you.”

Camila wasn’t sure what to do. On the one hand, she didn’t want to barge into Luz’s room; however, she also didn't want Luz to stay shut up in there forever. In the end, she decided that perhaps the best thing to do was to give Luz some space and try again later.

“Alright. I’ll leave you alone. Just promise me that you’ll eat something later, alright?” She asked.

“Okay. I promise.”

“Good.” Camila began to turn away but thought better of it. “Luz, you know I’m here for you, right?” She asked quietly.

There was a moment of silence before Luz responded. “Yes. I know.”

“Would you like me to bring you a plate of food so you can eat something alone?” She asked. “If you don’t want to come down, that’s fine. But I still want you to eat something.”

“... Yes, please.”

Camila nodded. She returned a few minutes later with a plate for Luz. The door opened just long enough for Luz to snatch it away from her, along with the utensils she brought, and then it slammed shut again. There was a muffled “thank you” from the other side of the door, followed by silence.

Camila went back downstairs and met up with the rest of the kids.

“How’s Luz doing?” Asked Amity.

“She’s fine. Physically, anyway. Emotionally… she’s going through a lot right now.”

“Why are you so reluctant to let her father and the others take care of her?” Asked Amity, cutting straight to the heart of the issue. “It seems like a no-brainer. She needs help controlling her powers, and he can help her with that.”

Camila looked down and sighed. “It’s because… the last time someone told me that I should send Luz away ‘for her own good,’ it was the school telling me to send her to the Summer Camp. Now, all I can think about is if I’m making the same mistake again. I know you’re right, and I know that Luz needs help with… all of this… but it’s hard for me to let her go again, especially so soon after getting her back.”

Camila watched Amity mull over her words.

“I’m going to take some food up to her, just so that she can have something to eat. The rest of you can help yourselves.”

Camila made sure to put a lot of food on Luz’s plate, unsure if Luz’s hunger had abated yet. She took the plate upstairs and knocked on the door again.

“Luz, Mija, I have some dinner here for you.”

Camila watched as Luz opened the door, carefully took the plate, and then closed the door again. She heard something heavy moving inside the room and figured that Luz had again barricaded the door with the bookcase. She sighed and returned downstairs, only to find the children staring out the window at the pouring rain.

“Do you not have rain where you come from?” She asked, trying to figure out their fascination.

“We do,” replied Gus. “But not like this. The rain that falls in the Demon Realm is boiling. You can’t go outside during it without some kind of protection.”

Camila looked at them with a bit of concern, unsure why they would want to live somewhere where boiling water fell from the sky regularly, but she didn’t press the issue. “Well, the non-boiling rain has its share of issues as well. If you don’t dry off, you can get sick, which would be… terrible.”

“Really?” Asked Willow.

“Yes. I have no idea how your immune systems would react to human diseases, so we’ll just have to be careful.” She thought of something. “Did Luz ever get sick in the Boiling Isles?” She asked.

“Well… one time she got the Common Mold,” replied Amity. “But other than that, I don’t think so.”

“The common… mold?” She asked. “Is that some kind of fungal infection?”

“Well, yes, but also no.”

***

Luz was in her room. She had eaten her dinner but was still hungry. Luz looked around at her empty room, feeling more alone than ever. She was curled up on her bed, vaguely aware of Camila and the others talking downstairs, but she wasn’t interested in listening in.

Luz stood up and looked out the window, gazing out at the night sky, out over the town, when she saw something in the distance. Maybe… maybe that would help…

Luz knew what to do. Now she just had to wait for the rain to let up.

***

Camila and the kids spent dinner talking, comparing notes on the Human Realm and Demon Realm. Before she knew it, it was almost ten at night, and the rain had let up a little while ago.

“Dios mio. I didn't realize how late it was,” she exclaimed. “You should all be getting to bed soon. I’ll go and check up on Luz before bedtime. Hopefully, she can get some sleep tonight.”

Camila went upstairs and knocked on the door to Luz’s bedroom. “Luz?” She called through the door. “I’m just checking up on you. Can you please give me your plate so I can wash it?” She requested.

No response, just silence.

“Luz? Are you asleep?” She asked. She tried to open the door, but it didn’t budge; something heavy was blocking it. “Luz?!” She called, louder this time, knocking on the door again. “Luz, you’re scaring me! Please just say something!”

“Is everything okay?”

Camila looked around and saw the kids gathered there, led by Hunter.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Luz isn’t answering the door, and I can’t get inside.”

Hunter nodded. “Willow, help me out?” He asked.

“Sure thing!”

Camila watched as Hunter and Willow joined her, working together; the three of them managed to push the door open just a few inches, enough to see inside. Camila peaked inside. “I don't see her!” She was getting worried.

“Stand back,” ordered Hunter.

Camila watched as Hunter grabbed his staff and in a flash of gold light, was inside the bedroom, teleporting through the crack in the door.

“Luz!” He called out, looking around. “She’s not in here!” He called back.

Camila watched as Hunter began to look around the room.

“Wherever she is, she can’t have gone far,” he told the rest of the group. The window is open, but there’s no rainwater inside, so she left after the rain let up.” He teleported back out of the room. “Can you think of anywhere she might have gone?” He asked Camila.

Camila couldn’t respond. She felt like she was in a nightmare. Luz had run away?! Why?! Where was she going?!

Amity’s voice snapped her out of her spiral.

“Camila, please, focus,” she instructed. “We need you to think. You know Gravesfield better than any of us, and you know Luz better than any of us. Where would Luz go?” She asked. “Do you think she might have tried to go to Dante’s place?”

Camila shook her head. “No… no. New York City is too far away. Going there on foot would take days… not to mention be extremely difficult.”

Amity nodded. “Okay. So she’s probably going somewhere local. Can you think of anywhere?”

Camila tried to force herself to calm down, taking several deep breaths. Then it hit her. “Yes. I can,” she replied, marching downstairs. “Vee, keep your phone on you. If Luz comes back, call me immediately,” she instructed.

“I’m coming, too,”

Camila saw Amity standing next to her.

“Look… I don't know what Luz is going through, but I do know that she’s been pushing me away the entire time we’ve been here, and I’m sick of it. So I’m coming with you, and I will give my awesome girlfriend the emotional support that she needs whether she wants it or not!”

Camila was shocked at that. “Girlfriend?” She asked.

Amity flushed. “Explanation later! Just get us to Luz!” She ordered. “Uh… where are we going, anyway?” She asked.

“Gravesfield Cemetary,” replied Camila. “I think Luz went to visit her dad.”

Notes:

Hey there, everyone. Sorry for the long wait between chapters. I wanted to see how TOH would end before I got too far into this. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take almost a year to get out.

Anyway, I'dlove to hear your feedback in the comments. Thanks a whole lot!

Chapter 5: Tears Inside Me Calm Me Down

Summary:

Things get even worse... and then get better.

Amity was in the car with Camila. “So you think Luz is in the graveyard?” She asked.

“Yes. You suggested that she visit Vergil, which made me think of this. Luz and I visit Brian’s grave once a year on the anniversary of his death, but sometimes she comes out here on her own to see him,” she explained. "So… you and Luz?" She asked.

Amity blushed again. "Uh, yeah. It never really came up… but Luz and I started dating a little while ago. I mean… ‘dating’ is putting it a bit strongly; we were a bit busy with Belos and trying to find a way for Luz to get back home and a whole bunch of other stuff… I don’t think we ever had time to go on a real date, and then things got super crazy-” Amity realized that she was rambling and desperately wanted to stop herself but couldn’t “-and my mom forbade me from seeing Luz and Luz snuck into my room to see me, and she promised to take me on a real date, and then we kissed and then everything fell apart, and we ended up in the human world, and now I’m here making a fool of myself in front of you because I can’t shut up and I know I’m rambling, but I’m too nervous to stop because I really want you to like me because my mom doesn’t like Luz and-”

“Amity! It’s okay,” Camila cut her off. “I’m sure you and Luz will have more than enough time to tell me about your relationship after we find her.”

Amity was grateful Camila interrupted her. “Thanks… It’s just… I get so nervous sometimes because Luz is so cool and wonderful and amazing, and I really, really like her.” Amity looked down at her hands and began fidgeting with them, trying to calm down.

Campia pulled into the cemetery's parking lot and shut off the engine.

“You two are close, aren’t you?”

Amity kept staring at her hands for a moment. “Before I met Luz… It was like I was going through life with a part of me missing, and I had no idea. When we first met, I didn’t like her. We didn’t get along at all… but before I knew it, I couldn’t imagine life without her around.” Amity smiled. “When I learned that she felt the same way as I did, I was… ‘happy’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.” She looked up at Camila. “I know that Luz is hurting. She takes so much on herself, and I want to help her. I want to be there for her. No matter what.”

Camila smiled and put her hand on Amity’s. “Luz is lucky to have you,” she smiled.

***

Luz was standing in front of her dad’s grave. Staring at the engraved slab of granite as she tried to ignore the creeping numbness inside of her. Luz had thought coming here would help her figure things out, but now she felt more confused than ever. She had never felt like she belonged in the human world, and the Boilong Isles had felt more like a home to her… until she ruined them by unleashing Belos and the Collector upon them. Then she learned that she wasn’t even wholly human and that the man that had raised her wasn’t even her birth father. Or maybe he was. He had undoubtedly been there for her like a father. She still thought of King as her little brother. Her mom had said he still chose her to be his daughter even though he knew she wasn’t his.

All these thoughts were running through her head, and she wasn't reaching any conclusions. Visiting her dad’s grave wasn't helping her. She still had no idea how she would get back to the Boiling Isles, let alone fix any of her mistakes. She clenched her fists and fell to her knees, staring at the still-damp headstone marking her father’s resting place.

“Why did everything have to go so wrong?” She asked. “I was happy. Happier than I’d been in such a long time. I was fitting in; I had friends… and then, because I was too stupid to realize I was being used… I ruined it. Everything. Dad, I’m sorry I missed our annual visit, and now I’m here dumping all of this on you, but I don’t know where else to go or who else to talk to.”

“Luz!”

Luz’s head whipped around to the sound of her name.

“No. Nononononono!” She cried, seeing Amity and her mother running towards her. “No! You guys can’t be here!” She told them, moving to run away. Before she could, however, she was frozen in place at the feeling of Amity’s hand grabbing her wrist.

“Luz! No!”

Luz winced at that. She turned her head away to avoid looking at Amity.

“Luz, listen. I don’t know exactly what you’re going through… but you don’t have to go through it alone. Your mom wants to help you, our friends want to help you, and I want to help you.”

Luz didn’t respond to that.

“Please, Luz. I’m here for you. I want to help you through whatever you’re going through. But I can't do that if you don’t let me in.”

“Why should I?” Asked Luz, muttering the words under her breath.

“What?”

“WHY SHOULD I?!” Luz didn’t mean to scream at Amity, but she couldn't stop herself. She ripped her wrist out of Amity’s hand. “It’s all my fault! Belos, the Collector, EVERYTHING!” She yelled. “I’m the one responsible for ALL OF IT! And now, I’m dangerous to you and everyone else! I HURT YOU, Amity!”

“Luz, I don’t know what you’re-”

“And now! All I can do is wait for you to realize what a walking disaster area I am and break up with me! Because you don’t want some new, messed-up thing to happen to YOU! AND-”

“SHUT UP!” Amity yelled at her. “Luz, I don’t know what happened to make you blame yourself for Belos and the Collector, but I’m sure that it wasn’t your fault, and I don’t care how ‘dangerous’ you are… half the stuff we do is dangerous! Sneaking into the restricted section at the library, going into the mines, entering into a full-blown rebellion against Belos. Luz, we’ve done some absurdly dangerous stuff, but we’ve done it together. And that’s what I want to keep doing. I want to go on more adventures with you, just as much as I want to do the boring slice-of-life stuff.”

“But-”

“And another thing!” Amity cut Luz off again. “You don’t get to decide how I feel! I don’t care what you are or what you’ve done. Luz, you’re my girlfriend, and I don’t want that to change. So if you think we’re better off not dating, then you’re going to have to be the one to break things off because I’m not going anywhere. Not now, not ever.”

Luz didn’t have a response to that.

This time, it was Camila who spoke up. “Luz, please, let’s just go home,” she urged. “We can talk about this. You can give us the full story and then let Amity and the others decide for themselves how they feel.” She stepped forward and put a hand on Luz’s shoulder. “Mija, you should have heard how Amity was talking about you in the car.”

Luz was conflicted right now. She so desperately wanted to believe what Amity was saying, but deep down, a part of her kept whispering that once Amity and the others learned the truth, they’d abandon her. They’d hate her. “I… I don’t know if I can,” she said, whispering the words.”

She felt Amity grab her hand again, softly, this time.

“Luz, please. Whatever you did, it can’t be bad enough to warrant all this.”

Maybe Amity was right.

“Luz. Just come back with us.” Luz felt Amity’s thumb rub across her knuckles. “Please. I want to help you through this, Luz. I lo-”

The sound of screeching brakes cut Amity off.

***

Faster than Amity could process, a van suddenly pulled up, screeched to a stop, and a group of strangers in white coats jumped out. Two of them grabbed Luz and forced her to her knees, and then Amity felt a fist slam into her stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of her. An arm wrapped around her neck to keep her from falling, and something sharp and metal pressed against her throat. Between gasps for breath, she tried to focus, looking at the people that had grabbed the three of them. She counted six people. One person holding her, another with Camila, two more keeping Luz pinned down as she thrashed and tried to escape, and two more in the van, sitting in the driver’s and passenger’s seats. They were dressed in long, white coats over some kind of body armor, and they all had a red patch sewn into their coats. Amity recognized it from what Dante had shown them earlier.

The Order of the Sword.

The one holding her down spoke first, directing her voice at Luz. “Listen here, false-spawn,” she snarled. “We’re only here for you. So if you want to keep these two alive, you’ll do what we say. Keep struggling-” she raised her arm, exposing more of Amity’s throat “-and we’ll open up her throat. So what’s it going to be? Are you going to come quietly?”

Amity wasn't interested in hearing Luz’s answer. She quickly spun her finger to draw a magic circle and summoned some Abomination goo between her neck and her assailant, pushing them apart. She then molded it into a pair of hands and sent them to grab the people holding Luz hostage. Before the arms could reach her, she heard the roar of an engine, and the arms reaching for Luz were sliced apart from above. She looked and saw the woman who had been holding her had already recovered from being thrown and had slashed the arms in half with a sword. Amity tried to direct more Abomination goo at her, but the woman dodged her attack and slammed the pommel of her sword into the side of Amity’s head, stunning her.

Amity felt a sharp spike of pain drive through her skull before being pinned to the ground again, and the point of the sword pressed against her neck while a heavy weight pressed down on her; she figured the woman was pinning her down. She was vaguely aware of more shouting but couldn't quite make out the words the woman yelled. At first. It was Luz’s voice that finally reached her,

“Okay! Okay! I’ll come quietly! Just leave them alone!” She pleaded.

Amity gritted her teeth and screwed her eyes shut as she tried to focus enough to conjure up another Abomination, but the throbbing in her head was making it difficult. “Luz!” She croaked out.

The weight was lifted off her back, and she watched as the two cultists dragged Luz into the back of the van as it sped off, and the other two sprinted after it, jumping into the back and slamming the doors while the van was speeding off. Amity tried to run after it, but she lost her balance and fell to the ground as the van continued to speed out of the cemetery. “Luz!” She cried again.

“Luz!”

Amity turned and saw Camila struggling to her feet as well. They must have knocked her down before running off.

“Luz!”

Amity shook her head and tried to focus. That was the Order of the Sword, the cult that Dante had warned them about. How did they learn about Luz so quickly?! She set aside those questions for another time. What mattered now was getting Luz back. She had to think fast. Catching up to them, even with Ghost’s help, would be hard, and even if she did, she’d still be facing six armed and highly-skilled combatants. So she couldn’t do this alone, but they didn't have time to go and get the rest of the group… Dante would probably know where they were taking her-

Dante.

“Camila!” She yelled at Luz’s mother. “Dante! Those were the people he was telling us about!” She looked and saw Camila staring blankly in the direction that the Order had driven off. “Camila!” She grabbed her arm and shook her.

That seemed to snap her out of it. “Dante!” Amity yelled. “Call Dante! He’ll know what to do!”

Camila began frantically digging through her purse, grabbing her phone, and finding Dante’s card. Amity watched, bouncing nervously on her feet as she dialed Dante’s phone number.

Amity bounced nervously on her feet as the phone rang.

And rang

 

And rang

 

And rang

 

“Yyyyellow,” Dante cheerfully greeted from the other end.

“Dante!” Camilla cried, “Luz! She! I!”

“Woah!” Dante replied, cutting her off, “Breathe, just tell me what happened.” Dante’s voice was calm but serious.

“The Order! The people you told us about! They- they just kidnapped Luz!”

“WHAT?!” Amity heard Dante’s voice distort again, just like it had earlier. “We’ll be right there.” Dante’s voice sounded further away. “VERGE! Code Red! We need a portal five minutes ago! Dad’s Fan Club grabbed Luz!” His voice returned to normal. “We’re on our way.” The line went dead.

Amity saw Camila start to panic. “Wait. no, no!” She began to redial the number frantically. “What am I supposed to do?! She asked over the now dead line. “You’re four hours away! I can’t wait-”

Something caught Amity’s eye. Two razor-thin blue lines materialized right in front of them, and a second later, a diamond-shaped tear opened up in the air, and Dante and Vergil stepped through.

“What happened?” Dante demanded.

“Wha- You-” Camila was caught off-guard at the sudden appearance of the portal. Amity didn't blame her. Camila was clearly unused to seeing magic of any kind.

Amity answered. “We were ambushed. The order grabbed Luz and took off in a-” Amity needed a moment to remember what to call it. Camila had told her the names of different vehicles while they were shopping “-a van, I think. It happened just a minute ago.”

Vergil glared at Camila. “How could you let this happen?!” He angrily demanded.

Amity got mad. “It’s not her fault! There were six of them, and we were ambushed!” She defended Camila.

“Vergil!” Snapped Dante. “Cut it out.” He turned back to Amity. “Which way did they go?” He asked.

“That way, out of the cemetery,” she answered, pointing in the direction. “Where are they taking her?”

Dante thought for a moment. “They’re likely headed out of town. Too risky to keep Luz in such a small town… too few hiding places. If they made a move like this, they probably think we don’t know about Luz, so we have the element of surprise…” Dante turned to Camila. “Where are the roads out of town?”

Camila didn't respond, still looking dazed.

Vergil looked like he was about to yell at her, but Dante cut him off.

“Camila, hey, listen to me. I know a lot is going on right now, but I need you to focus,” he told her, grabbing her shoulders and speaking firmly. “If they’re trying to get out of town, where will they be going?” He asked.

Camila took several deep breaths and managed to get an answer out. “There- there are two roads. One goes east; the other goes west. They’re the only roads out of town… please! Please save Luz!” She begged.

Vergil scoffed.

“Vergil!” Warned Dante. He took a breath. “Okay… I’ll take the east road. Vergil, you go west.”

Vergil looked like he wanted to argue but acquiesced.

Dante turned back to Camila and Amity. “You two did good,” he reassured them. “Go home, and we’ll be right back with Luz, safe and sound—promise,” he told them.

Amity watched as light blue energy began to swirl around Vergil, and with a flash and a roar, he vanished, leaving a circle of scorched grass beneath him.

“I’m gonna have to ask you guys to forgive him; he’s a little… yeah…” Dante explained. “He means well; he’s just bad with people.” Crimson energy began to swirl around Dante. “Now then… let’s show these Order jackasses what happens when they mess with family.”

Amity paid close attention to what happened this time. Right before Dante vanished, he shot into the air… and seemed to change somehow. She didn’t get a good look at it, but the same flash and roar happened, and he was gone, leaving her and Camila alone in the graveyard.

Amity turned and looked at Camila, who was clutching her purse tightly to her body, shaking. “Camila, let’s go home, okay?” She said, trying to soothe Camila. “Dante and Vergil will take care of this, and I’m sure that Luz will be happy to see us there, safe and sound, when she gets home.” Amity was feeling a bit out of her depth. While displays of magic like what Dante and Vergil were doing were somewhat unfamiliar to her, they must be utterly alien to a woman like Camila, who didn't even know magic existed until just a few months ago. “Who knows, maybe Dante and Vergil will work so fast that Luz will be home by the time we get there.”

Amity watched as Camila shakily got to her feet.

“Y-yes… you’re right… I need to get home,” she replied, sounding like she was in a daze. She wandered back to the car and sat in the driver’s seat but didn’t start it.

“Camila… I can’t imagine what this must be like for you,” said Amity. “A few months ago, you didn't even know that magic existed, and now… all this happened. It’ll be okay, though. You’re not alone here,” she reassured Camila.

Camila frowned. “I shouldn't be the one being supported by you kids…” she murmured. “I’m supposed to be the adult here. We were just attacked. How are you not freaking out right now?” She asked.

“The Boiling Isles are a pretty dangerous place,” she replied, shrugging. “And when you rebel against Belos and his regime, you get used to sticky situations quickly. Since I met Luz, I’ve probably almost died, like, four or five times. And that doesn’t include the multiple fights we’ve been in.”

“That’s still not a good reason. You’re kids. You shouldn't have to be rebelling against a corrupt and tyrannical dictator!” She explained.

“Well, to be fair, it wasn't like we consciously decided to rebel against Belos at first. It’s more like we were trying to help Luz rebuild the portal to the Human Realm, and Belos was trying to do the same thing, so we were both trying to stop the other because it was a zero-sum game where one our victory would mean Belos’s loss and vice-versa. It wasn’t until after Luz was declared a criminal and we met up with Raine and the BATT that we became full-on rebels.”

Camila sighed and ran her hands down her face. “Let’s just get home, shall we?” She suggested, finally starting the car. “We’ll be there to welcome Luz back after Dante and Vergil save her.

“Good idea.” Amity hoped that Luz Dante and Vergil wouldn't take too long to rescue Luz. She was still worried even if she was putting on a brave face. She just hoped that Luz would be okay after this. Luz already worried about making them unsafe with her presence, and this was just going to add fuel to that fire.

***

Luz was curled into a fetal position in the back of the van. Her abductors bound her in chains to keep her from escaping, but she wasn't feeling motivated to do so. She overheard them discussing their plans for her, but she wasn’t paying much attention to them. Something about “experiments” and “weaknesses,” but all she could think about was Amity pinned to the ground, gasping for air with a blade against her throat. They had grabbed her mom, too. Same deal, restrained with a sword threatening to slit her throat. Once again, being close to her had nearly gotten them killed.

She didn’t know how long they had been driving, but Gravesfield wasn’t a huge town, and they had been moving quickly, so they were probably out of town by now. Wherever they were going was far away.

Maybe this was for the best.

Maybe she deserved this.

The drive continued for a little longer, but then something happened.

“What the hell is that?!”

“It’s him! Ram him with the van!”

Luz felt the van crash into something and come to a complete and sudden stop. She was thrown against the wall separating the front seats from the cargo bay in the rear. Then, the van was lifted onto its back wheels. There was the sound of screeching metal, and the engine died. The van fell back down with a crash.

“Oh, God… the engine! He destroyed- HURK!”

There was the sound of shattering glass and metal tearing apart, and the van shook violently.

The woman who seemed to be the group leader turned to look at Luz, panic clear on her face. “Did you meet Dante?!” she demanded. “Did you meet a man named Dante?!”

Before Luz could answer, glowing claws punched through the van wall, half-tearing and half-melting gashes the wall as they slowly dragged their way to the back of the van before they pulled out, and everything went still and silent for a moment.

“Be ready to attack the second he opens that door,” she ordered her men. “Go for the throat; try to decapitate him! Anything short of that won’t even slow him down.”

Luz didn’t say anything. Was this Dante?

There were a few tense seconds of silence. Everyone was staring at the doors at the back of the van waiting for them to open.

Then, suddenly, a glowing orange arm covered in dark gray scales punched through the side wall, grabbed one of the cultists by the back of his coat and slammed him against the wall hard enough to knock him unconscious. A second later, a fist slammed through the roof, colliding with another cultist’s head, and he crumpled to the floor in a heap. With a screech, the van's roof was torn open, and a tall, imposing figure dropped into the small space, landing on top of the third cultist and knocking them out.

“Damn you!” screamed the woman in charge, lunging at the being with her sword.

Before the blow connected, the figure grabbed her sword by the blade, shattered it, and then kicked her in the stomach with enough force to send her crashing through the van's doors and into the street. The entire fight lasted less than five seconds.

Luz finally got a look at her savior. They were tall, with two long horns sticking straight up and two smaller horns wrapping around their jaw. Dark gray scales and leathery skin covered their body in dark gray scales and leathery skin, four wings were folded behind their back, and their chest was split open in the center, with a glowing orange core of energy radiating inside. Then, the figure shifted, kneeling and almost evaporating, revealing Dante in their place.

“Hey there, kiddo,” he greeted cheerfully. “You alright?” He reached over and grabbed the chains, snapping them with little effort.

Luz slowly sat up straight and stared at him. “What… what was that? What did you do? Are they dead?”

“Woah, woah, woah! One question at a time. They’re all still alive; I just knocked them out,” he replied. “And that form you saw is what Vergil and I call ‘Sin Devil Trigger,’” he explained. “Probably total overkill for this situation, but I wasn't about to take any chances with my niece.” He reached over and playfully ruffled her brown-and-white hair.

“How did you know I was kidnapped?”

“Your mom called us. Vergil and I rushed over here as fast as we could and split up to find you. Speaking of which.,.” Dante raised his arm and charged up a blast of bright red energy. He shot it into the sky, where it exploded like a firework. “That’ll let him know I got you, and then we can get you back home to your mom.”

Lux pulled her knees to her chest. “Thanks…” she muttered. She was glad Dante saved her, but once again, she had put her mother and girlfriend in danger.

Another voice shook her out of her reflection. “Dante. You found her?” It was Vergil.

“Yep. Safe and sound. Now we just need you to slice us up a portal back to her place, and we can call it a night and head home,” he replied. He turned to Luz. “You ready to go back home, kid?”

Luz hesitated for a moment. “I don’t think I should. Can’t I just go with you guys?” She asked.

“Well, since neither of us feels like kidnapping you, the answer is no,” replied Dante. “Besides, your mom is already freaked-out enough. I think she’d drop dead if you got kidnapped twice in one night,” he joked. “Seriously, though. Don’t you want to get back home? See your family?” He asked her.

“Well, yeah. Of course, I do.” She was still curled up, staring at her knees. “But if I go back, I’m scared they’ll just be in danger all over again. Mom and Amity already got hurt just earlier tonight. It’s better if I stay away from them, so they can't get hurt,” she explained.

There were a few moments of silence.

“So you’re a coward, then?” Asked Vergil.

Luz’s eyes shot up, looking at Vergil, who glared at her with a judgemental expression, almost like he was disappointed in her. “How am I a coward?!” She demanded. “I’m trying to stay away from them for their safety!”

“Listen closely to me, for I will only say this once.” Vergil folded his hands on top of the pommel of his sword. “Might controls everything. Without strength, you cannot protect anything or anyone. Not even yourself. You are not strong enough to keep those you care about safe, so instead of rising to the challenge and becoming strong enough to do so, you choose to run away, to abandon those close to you.” He stepped closer to her, now holding the sword by the scabbard in his left hand. “You are a descendant of Sparda. That blood grants you incredible power, strength you could not even begin to imagine. All that it demands is that you have the will to master it. We can show you how to walk that path, or you can follow it on your own, as I did, ad Dante did, and as Nero did.” Vergil’s gaze intensified, and Luz felt like he was glaring into her soul. “So what will it be? Will you abandon your loved ones? Or will you seize the power that is yours by right and use it to shield them from all that would harm them?”

Luz mulled over his words in her head. “Can I really do that?” She asked, thinking back to how she had hurt Amity with her strength.

“If what you told us was true, you already have. Remember how you told us that you first awakened your powers to save someone?” Asked Vergil.

Luz flashed back to the fight with Belos in The Titan’s Skull. “Yeah… that’s right. I did,” she realized.

“What was going through your mind at the time?”

“I wasn’t thinking,” she replied. “Just… I knew I had to do something, anything, to save Amity. I knew that it wasn’t possible, but I didn’t care. I had to do something to save her.”

“If they were in danger, would you do the same thing?” he asked.

“Yeah… yeah! I would!” She realized.

“Then there is your answer. Keep that drive, that desire close to you, and you will never go astray,” Vergil explained to her.

Luz recalled what Amity had said to her earlier. She took a deep breath. “Okay… I’m ready. Please, take me back home.”

Vergil nodded approvingly. Luz watched as he unsheathed his sword and sliced the air, down and across, opening a diamond-shaped portal in the air. “Through here.”

“You two go ahead,” said Dante. “I’ll stay behind and handle the cleanup. After all-” he gestured to the destroyed van and the unconscious cultists on the road. “-can’t just leave all this lying around.”

Luz took a deep breath and stepped through the portal, feeling ready to finally face her friends.

***

Dante smiled as he watched Luz and Vergil step through the portal, followed by Vergil. “She’s a good kid,” he said to himself. He looked around at the cultists as they all began to regain consciousness, groaning as they struggled to their feet.

“Okay! Can I have your attention, please!” He announced, “You guys are all a part of Dad’s deranged Fan Club, and that’s no good. Now, I get the sense that some of you are pretty new to this whole ‘Order of the Sword’ thing, and you’ve been told a bunch of unflattering lies about me,” he watched as they all looked at him. “Now, you guys lucked out here. My brother, Vergil, well… he’d’ve cut you guys down without a second thought. But me? I’m a nice guy. So I’m offering you all a choice. Fight or Flight!”

He cracked his neck and materialized the Devil Sword Dante in his hand. “Those of you ‘true believers’ are free to try your luck at taking me down.” The blade of the sword split open, revealing a glowing red core. Several crimson mirage swords shimmered into existence behind his back. “I mean, sure. Way stronger people than you tried back when I was way, way weaker than I am now. But who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one who manages to pull out a win with a massive fluke.” He looked around at the cultists, gauging their reactions. “Of course, I can’t guarantee your safety if you pick that option.”

He gestured with his sword, pointing it down the road, back towards Grafesfield. “Of course, for those of you with even a little bit of common sense… you have the other option. Run away, tell whoever’s in charge that the Big Bad Devil Hunter Dante crashed your party and that you had to get out of there.” He shrugged. “Personally, I’d rather you pick that option. I really prefer to avoid killing humans wherever I can,” he told them. “So… the choice is yours. Make it.”

There were a few tense seconds, and then one of the cultists attacked Dante, running towards him, revving their sword. Dante rolled his eyes at that. To him, they might as well have been running through molasses. With a thought, he made two of the crimson swords behind his back cross into an “X” shape, blocking the sword strike. He followed that up with a devastating kick to the cultist’s midsection, sending him flying back into a tree. He then ducked back to avoid another attack.

“C’mon, guys! At least make me work for it!” He taunted, nimbly dodging their attacks. Then they attempted a stabbing attack; Dante effortlessly sidestepped and brought down the Devil Sword Dante on their blade, shattering it. The cultist threw their destroyed sword at Dante, who parried it, knocking it up into the sky, where it exploded. “Not bad,” he commented, whirling around to block two simultaneous sword strikes aimed at his neck. Sparks flew as metal ground against metal, and he knocked their blows away before quickly bending over backward to avoid a third attack.

“Woah! Three against one! I was waiting for you guys to start trying!” He taunted. He transferred the momentum of his attack into a backflip and kicked one of them in the chin, sending him flying into the air. Dante landed on top of the destroyed van and looked over the cultists trying to fight him. “Seriously, people. You can’t beat me. Just take the opening and run away.”

Dante sat down casually, resting his sword on his shoulder as he waited for the cultists to make another move. He watched as the woman in charge lunged at him, jumping up to try and attack him where he was sitting on top of the van. Dante sighed in disappointment. He teleported back down to the street, flickering away just before her fist connected with him. “Well then… let’s get this over with. I need my beauty sleep.”

One of the cultists attacked him. Dante parried the attack and cut them down. One dead. Another rushed in to try and run him through. Dante sidestepped and slashed. Two dead. Two more tried to attack him from opposite directions. Dante jumped into the air, drew his guns, and fired two simultaneous shots. Four dead. The leader leaped from the van's roof and tried to jump on top of him to grapple him. He dodged and, faster than the eye could follow, had the four Mirage blades slash through her. Five dead.

Dante looked at the sixth and final cultist, a terrified young man, trembling as he beheld Dante. “You didn't attack me… so I assume you’re gonna take me up on my offer? It still stands, you know. You’re free to run away-” before he could get the words out of his mouth, Dante watched as the young man threw his sword to the ground and began to sprint away. He sighed and tricked over to him, teleporting right in front of him. The Cultist ran headlong into him and collapsed to the ground.

“Hey! Hey! You said you’d let me go!” He pleaded, scrambling to his feet and trying to run past Dante.

Dante grabbed him by the back of his coat and yanked him back. “And I will… just as soon as you answer a question of mine,” he said, voice friendly. “How did you find out about the girl you kidnapped?” he asked. “Vergil and I didn't know about her until earlier today, so how did you find out about her?”

“We- we have people combing the internet!” He explained in a panic. “They have all these bots sweeping the web to let them know if any sort of weird, supernatural phenomenon happens, and there was a video of her. Someone posted it!” He reached into his coat and fumbled out a smartphone. “Here!” He played a video. It was Luz getting into an altercation with a blonde girl with a pink streak in her hair. Luz shouted and summoned an arm that looked a lot like Nero’s Devil Bringer and nearly squashed the blonde. “We figured that she was related to Sparda somehow, and we were sent to take her! That’s all I know! I swear!”

“I believe you,” Dante replied. He got the sense that this guy was some kind of peon. “So when you report back to whoever sent you, make sure you tell them that Luz is part of our family and that she’s off-limits. If you make any further moves against her, we’ll find whatever hole you’re hiding in, and when we do…” Dante dragged him closer, letting some demonic power leak out of him. “It won’t be pretty.”

“Okay! Okay! I will! I swear!”

Dante smiled jovially. “Good boy!” He gave him a pat on the cheek and let go of him, watching as he sprinted off, slipping and falling in a mud puddle before scrambling back to his feet and continuing to run away. Dante turned away, looking back at the five dead bodies and the wrecked van. He sighed and pulled out his phone, and dialed Morrison.

“Hey, Morrison. I know it’s late, but I need a ‘pickup…’” As Dante spoke with Morrison, arranging for the dead bodies to be disposed of, he didn’t see the mud stuck to the back of the cultist’s jacket disappear into the fabric like it was alive.

***

Luz stepped through the portal that Vergil had opened and found herself in the living room of her house. Before she could say anything, her mom ran up and grabbed her, pulling her into the tightest hug she had ever experienced.

“Oh! Luz! Thank goodness you’re safe!” She cried, squeezing Luz as hard as she could.

Luz carefully returned the gesture, still wary of her strength.

Camila let go of Luz and turned to Vergil. “Thank you, Thank you so much for getting her back safely,” she said gratefully.

Vergil looked vaguely uncomfortable. “I will… pass your gratitude onto Dante. He’s… occupied at the moment.”

Luz sat down on the couch right next to Amity. She looked around at her friends. They were all there. Gently, carefully, almost fearfully, she reached out, brushed her pinky finger against Amity’s, and smiled when Amity wrapped her pinky around Luz’s. “Everyone… I need to tell you all something. I have to get it off my chest.” She took a deep breath. “It’s about Belos and the Collector,”

Luz explained everything, how she had gone back in time with Lilith to the Dreadwardian Era to find Phillip Whittebane and gain some insight into how he built the Portal. She told them how she taught him the Light Glyph, how she helped him find the Collector, and how Phillip Whittebane, who she thought was a peaceful explorer, turned out to be a Witch-Hunter Puritan from the 1600s, and then he and Belos were one and the same.

“So, you see, it’s all my fault. I helped Belos. Everything, the Day of Unity, the Collector, all of that happened because I went back in time and gave Phillip everything he needed to become Belos.” She curled up. “I understand if you hate me for this, but I promise I’ll fix it. I’ll fix everything… and then I promise I’ll never set foot in the Boiling Isles again.”

There were a few seconds of silence.

“Luz… I think I speak for everyone when I say this,” began Amity. “None of this is your fault,” she reassured her.

Willow spoke up next. “Yeah! You didn't do anything wrong.”

“Belos tricked you. It’s what he does,” Hunter added his voice to the mix. “He uses people, lies to them, manipulates them. If it hadn't been you, it would have been someone else. You’re just as much his victim as the rest of us.”

Gus nodded in agreement. “Yeah! And what’s all that about not coming back to the Boiling Isles?” He asked. “You’re welcome there anytime!”

“But I ruined everything!” Luz protested. “Everything fell apart there-”

“Because of Belos!” Amity cut her off. “Belos did all of that. Not you.”

“But I promised my mom! I told her I’d never go back,” she murmured.

“What? Luz, I never made you promise that,” replied Camila, concerned.

“Yes, you did!” protested Luz. “After we saved Vee from that creep at the historical Society! You made me promise that I’d never return to the Demon Realm!”

“Luz, sweetie, I made you promise to stay here with me,” she reminded Luz. “But I never said anything about you never going back. I just didn't want to lose you.” She smiled softly. “All I ever wanted was for you to make some real friends. And you did. I would never want to take that away from you. I just wanted you to keep living here with me. But by all means, feel free to visit the Demon Realm to keep up with them.”

Luz didn't respond to that. This was different from how this was supposed to go! They were all supposed to hate her!

Luz felt Amity take her hand. “Luz, you’re our friend; you’re my girlfriend. We all love you- I love you, and we want to save the Boiling Isles just as much as you do,” she told her. “But you don’t have to do it all on your own. We’re here to help. So please, let us help?” Amity kissed Luz softly on the cheek.

That kiss did it. Luz felt the dam inside of her finally break. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She began to sniffle, and soon she was fully sobbing, clinging to Amity as she let all the pain and sorrow that had built up inside her flow out. By the time she was done, Luz felt exhausted, like all the fatigue had finally caught up with her. She only intended to rest her eyes, but before she knew it, she had fallen asleep on the couch, slumped up against Amity.

Notes:

I'm surprised by how fast I got this one out. Then again, this was a part of the story I had been looking forward to writing. Luz is finally through the worst of it, and now she can truly begin to heal, and she'll have her friends, family, and awesome, kick-ass girlfriend there with her.

Anyway, let me know what you all thought of this one. See you next time!

Chapter 6: I'll Endure the Exile

Summary:

Arrangements are made, and family members begin to bond.

Luz’s eyes fluttered open. She looked around the room she was in. It was her bedroom. The clock on her nightstand told her it was eleven in the morning.

“Luz!”

Before she knew what was happening, she felt arms wrap around her. It was Amity, hugging her.

“Amity?” She asked. “What’s going on?” Luz was still half-asleep. “Why are you here… were you watching me sleep?”

“We all took turns watching you after you didn't wake up,” Amity explained.

“Didn’t wake up? What?” Now she was even more confused.

“Luz, it's-” Amity paused like she was trying to recall something “-it’s Sunday.”

Sunday?! “What?! It was Friday when I went to sleep! What happened to Saturday?!”

“You slept straight through it. We tried to wake you up, but nothing we did worked. Dante and Vergil said that the best thing to do was to let you sleep and that you’d be fine… How do you feel?”

Luz got out of bed. Her feet hit the floor. She shook the remaining sleep out of her head. She felt I need to use the bathroom! She sprinted out of her bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom.

***

Luz came out of the bathroom, freshly showered and dressed, and saw Amity and her mother waiting in the hallway.

“Oh, Luz! Thank goodness you’re awake.” Camila hugged her close.

“It’s good to see you too… but did everything shrink while I was awake?” She asked. Everything felt smaller or closer to the ground than she was used to.

Camila stifled a laugh. “No, Luz. You seem to have had a growth spurt.”

Luz looked around and noticed that Camila was right. The clothes she was wearing were a bit short. The cuffs of her pants were now above her ankles, and the normally-oversized shirt she wore was now merely a regular shirt. “Huh…” She looked over at Amity, who had been about the same height as Luz but was now half a head shorter than Luz. “No wonder I was so hungry.”

“Are you doing alright, Luz?” Asked Amity.

“Well… I’m starving after not eating for a day and a half, but other than that, I feel okay.”

“No. I mean, emotionally?” She asked. “How are you?”

Luz sighed. “I’m better,” she reassured Amity. “Really, I am. It felt so good to get all that off my chest. I think I still need some time, but just getting all that out there… hearing you all say that stuff… It really helped.”

Amity hugged Luz, squeezing her tightly. “Good… I’m glad.”

Luz carefully returned the hug, still wary of her own strength.

“Come on downstairs, Luz,” instructed Camila. “We’ll have a nice, big breakfast, and then we can talk. While you were asleep, I had some time to think about things, and I want to discuss them with you after you’ve had some food.”

Luz looked confused but nodded, “I could definitely eat.” She stretched, feeling her joints pop.

Camila smiled and led Luz and Amity downstairs, where the kids helped her prepare a massive breakfast of eggs, pancakes, bacon, toast, and more. Luz continued to tell her friend all about the wonders of the Human World between mouthfuls of food, not stopping until she was fully satisfied.

Once they had all eaten, Camila left Vee to supervise the rest of the kids as they cleaned up, and she took Luz to the living room to talk with her.

“So, while you were… asleep, I had plenty of time to think over Dante’s offer. The one to take you with them to teach you how to use your powers,” she began. “And, after giving it a lot of thought, I’ve decided… to let you decide.”

Luz was shocked to hear that. She never had, in a million years, thought that her mom would go for something like this. “Really?” She asked, surprised.

“Yes,” Camila replied with a gentle smile. “Luz, cariño, you’ve been through so much, matured so much,” Camila explained. “I think this is the kind of decision you should make for yourself. Just know that no matter what you decide, I’ll support you.”

Luz hugged her mother in response. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Camila hugged her back. “Just know this,” she began to explain, her voice now more stern and serious. “If you do decide to go with them, I have some non-negotiable conditions that I will be discussing with them. Got it?”

Luz pulled away and nodded. “Okay. Can we call them up right now? I want to get started as soon as I can!”

“In a minute,” she replied. “We’ll at least wait for the kitchen to get cleaned up first.”

Luz nodded and rushed off to help the rest of the Hexsquad with the dishes.

***

A few hours later, Dante, Vergil, and Nero were all gathered in the Noceda living room again.

“You’re doing the right thing, Miss Noceda,” Nero reassured her as they spoke. “Take it from me; I wish I had someone who could have helped me come to grips with my powers when I was Luz’s age.”

Camila nodded, still unsure if he was right, but she at least knew this was a better decision than doing nothing. “Thank you for saying as much. But before I sign off on this… I do have some conditions, and there are non-negotiable.”

“Sure thing,” replied Dante, leaning back on the couch. “Lay ‘em on us.”

“First of all, and this one is more for Luz than you three,” Camile turned towards her daughter. “I expect at least one phone call a week, understood? A minimum of once a week so that I know you’re okay.”

Luz nodded. “Si, mama. I promise.”

“Good. Second… no guns! I will not have you teaching my daughter to be some kind of gunslinger.”

Dante, Nero, and Luz all groaned when she said that.

“No! No guns… at least not until you’re an adult. I am not budging on this.”

“I assure you… I have no desire for my daughter to be instructed in using such… uncouth weaponry,” replied Vergil, directing a pointed glance at Dante and Nero.

“Dick…” Dante muttered.

Nero responded by silently flipping Vergil off.

Camila sighed. “Not exactly the reason for my objections, but I’ll take it.” She took a moment to collect herself. “Third. While I understand that the purpose of this is to teach Luz about her newfound powers and abilities, under no circumstances is she to neglect her studies as a normal student. I expect her to be enrolled in some kind of school to keep up with her studies. Luckily, she hasn’t missed much, but I refuse to allow her to fall behind.”

“Moo-ooommmm!” Groaned Luz. “I’m trying to learn how to control impossibly potent Diabolic powers!”

“No but’s, young lady, School is still important.”

Dante thought for a moment. “Well… I might be able to pull some strings and get her into Graybone Academy,” he replied. “It’s a bit late in the year, but I’m in good with the School Board.”

Camila stopped for a moment. “I’m sorry… did you just say ‘Graybone Academy?’” She asked, unsure if she had heard him correctly.

“Oh, you’ve heard of it?” He asked.

Camila wasn't sure if he was being serious. “You’re asking if I’ve heard of one of the most prestigious private schools on the east coast?” She asked incredulously. “How- what- I’m…” she took a moment to collect herself. “How do you have any connections at an elite private school?” She asked.

“Oh, is it really that good?” Asked Dante. “That’s a plus, I guess….” He shrugged.

Camila was sitting there, slack-jawed. Usually, such a school would be entirely out of her reach unless she wanted to remortgage her house, and now it had practically fallen into her lap.

“Anyway… the school is built on a place where the veil between Earth and the Underworld is pretty weak, so occasionally, some devils manage to get through. The School keeps me on retainer to come by and take care of anything that slips through.”

“That sounds… deeply dangerous,” Camila replied.

“It’s not nearly as bad as you think,” Dante reassured her. “They usually can't get through in physical form, so they have to possess objects to do anything, which isn’t a quick process. Usually, there are a few signs that something’s up, and the faculty know what to be on the lookout for so that they can get Vergil or me or someone else down there to take a look at things.” He shrugged. “After that, it’s a quick, five-minute extermination job, and the school is all good for another few months.”

“Still, though. Why haven’t they moved locations?” She asked.

“Better that someone stays there to keep an eye on things there,” Dante replied. “If they left and someone else moved in, then they might not realize anything was up until it was too late, and then this really would get dangerous.”

“Well… if you’re signing off on it, I suppose it’s fine,” she replied. “And a year, or even just a semester at Graybone Academy would look amazing on any college application…” she mused.

“Come on, Mom!” Complained Luz. “I have bigger things to worry about than college!”

“For now,” replied Camila. “That’s still no reason to stop thinking about it.”

Luz huffed. “Fine…”

“Anything else?” Asked Dante.

“Yes. I’m not quite sure how to ask this… but can you get Luz some… help?” She asked. “Like, a therapist or a psychologist?”

“You need our help to do that?” Asked Nero, confused.

“Luz has been through a lot, but it’s not exactly the kind of stuff she can talk about with a normal therapist. I mean… if she started telling them all about the Demon Realm and the Boiling Isles and magic and all that stuff, they’d never believe her. But if you know anyone who already knows about magic and supernatural stuff…”

“Oh yeah. Dozens,” replied Dante. “And those are just the local ones.”

“Really?” Asked Camila.

“Children and the mentally ill are excellent targets for demons,” explained Vergil. “Usually vulnerable, and children, in particular, make for very malleable vessels. Factor in how demons are drawn to powerful emotions… and I am sure you see how such groups can be at risk.”

Camila now looked horrified.

“Don’t it twisted,” Dante quickly cut in. “The vast, overwhelming majority of the time, there’s nothing supernatural going on. It’s just in those one percent of one percent of one percent of cases where there is a supernatural threat, therapy alone isn't going to cut it. My good buddy Morrison has a massive intelligence network that keeps eyes and ears out for anything supernatural. He sends word to us or one of his other Devil Hunter buddies when he hears about it. We get out there, deal with whatever’s going bump in the night, and wrap things up. So yeah, we can introduce Luz to someone who knows all about magical crap.”

Camila looked at Luz and noticed that she seemed uneasy.

“Luz? Is everything okay?”

"Yeah, it's just… the last time you wanted me to see a therapist was after Dad died," Luz replied.

"I know it's not exactly a pleasant memory, but-"

"No, you're right. I need to see someone about all this. If for no other reason than to avoid a full-on breakdown.”

“Honestly, with all the stuff you’ve told us about, it’s probably best that the other kids from the Demon Realm see someone as well,” Nero suggested.

“Do you need anything from me?” Asked Camila. “Any money for Luz-related expenses?”

Dante waved his hand. “Nah, we can handle one extra mouth to feed, no problem,” he reassured her.

Camila was relieved to hear that. She was already worried about how tight money would be with five kids living with her indefinitely.

Her relief must have flashed across her face because the next thing she knew, Nero was asking her a question. “Is money tight around here?” He asked, sounding concerned.

“Oh! Well… yes,” Camila was somewhat ashamed to admit it. “I wasn’t expecting five children to suddenly drop into my lap out of nowhere,” she admitted. “I can make it work, though. So don't worry.”

“Hmmm…” Nero got up from the couch and walked out of the house without a word, although Camila could see Nero pull his phone out of his pocket as he left.

“Any other questions for us?” Asked Vergil.

“Well… I would like to know what you plan on doing with Luz. How, exactly, do you plan on teaching her how to control her powers?”

Vergil answered her. “We plan on teaching her how to properly wield them. There is no better method to learn how to control them than to master them completely.”

Dante spoke up to reassure her. “We’re not gonna have her doing anything crazy dangerous, just showing her the ropes.” He leaned forward. “We’re also gonna be seeing about helping her open a portal back to the Boiling Isles.”

“Is that really wise?” Asked Camila, very nervous. “Isn't it better to leave it to the people already there?”

Dante sighed and leaned back. “Look, I totally get it. You think it’ll be dangerous to go through with this, and it will. But the thing is when Luz was talking about how she wanted to get back there and help out… I saw a fire in her eyes. She’s gonna do it. And no matter how much we don’t want her to, she’ll keep trying.” he turned to look at Luz. “Ain’t that right, kid?”

Camila saw Luz swallow. “Yeah. That’s right. I can't just do nothing.”

“There we go,” Dante replied. “So we either try and stop her, in which case she’ll just go off and do it on her own, or we help her out and back her up, so at least she’ll have us in her corner when it’s time to throw down.”

Camila sighed. Even if she didn’t like it, she saw the logic in what they were saying.

Then, Nero walked back into the house. “So, I have some good news,” he announced. “Kyrie and I can take the kids if that’s alright with everyone,” he explained.

“Huh?” Asked Camila. “Who?”

“Kyrie, my girlfriend,” Nero explained. “The two of us run an orphanage in Fortuna. We’ve got decent funding, and she always makes way too much food as it is, so feeding an extra four won’t be an issue.”

“Where’s Fortuna?” She asked.

“It's off the coast of Red Grave City,” he answered. “South of England.”

“That’s… awfully far away,” Camila expressed concern. “The portal back to their home is here, so maybe taking them so far away isn’t the best idea..”

“It’s not a big deal,” Nero replied. “Not when the brooding wonder here can just slice up a portal with the Yamato.” He gestured to Vergil. “We’ll keep the kids during the week, and then on the weekends, we’ll bring them back,” he explained. “Or if something comes up.”

Camila thought it over. It would be a big help. It would be a big help. It’ll be easier for me to keep an eye on them.

“The Yamato is not a taxi service for moving children around,” protested Vergil, sounding annoyed.

There were a few seconds of silence.

“Come on, Verge,” replied Dante. “Pull the Qliphoth-sized stick out of your ass and get on board.”

“Yeah, don’t be a dick about this,” replied Nero. “It’s happening, so get on board with it. You can take two minutes out of your oh-so-busy schedule a couple of times a week to help with this.”

Vergil looked like he wanted to argue but backed down. “Fine.”

“Good!” Smiled Dante. “Looks like we’ve got the arrangements pretty well worked out.”

“Luz?” Asked Nero. “Anything you want to add? You’re just as much a part of this as the rest of us.”

Luz thought for a moment. “I wanna be able to keep in touch with my friends,” she replied. Hunter, Gus, Vee, and Willow are my friends, and Amity is my girlfriend.” Luz began speaking faster. “And also, I’m bisexual, and you’re all gonna have to accept that! Amity’s my girlfriend, and she’s super-cool and awesome and amazing and wonderful, and I don’t wanna lose touch with her!” Luz gasped in a breath. “And if any of you have a problem with that, then I don’t want your stupid help, and I’ll figure out my powers on my own!”

There were a few moments of silence.

“Alright,” replied Dante. “I can get Morrison to set something up so you can all keep in touch,” he replied. “I’m sure we can get them some phones or something.”

“Just to be clear, none of you have a problem with me?” Luz asked.

“Nope.”

“No.”

“Not at all.”

Luz let out a breath. “Oh, good,” she sighed in relief. “Because I really, really didn’t want to have to do this on my own.”

“Honestly, that probably took a lot of courage, coming out like that to your mom and three almost-complete strangers,” Nero commented. “You’ve got guts, kid.”

Camila smiled at her daughter and hugged her, kissing the top of her head affectionately. “He’s right, Mija, that was very brave.”

Luz flopped down and let out another sigh.

“You okay, kid?” Asked Dante.

“Yeah… I just… really had to psych myself up for that,” Luz explained. “Now I just have to let the energy dissipate.”

Nero smirked at that.

Dante stood up. “Well, I think that about covers it.” He stretched. “I gotta get back to work… and we’ve gotta get everything set up for Luz to move in. If you think of anything else to discuss, let us know. In the meantime, she should get her stuff packed up.”

“In the meantime, I’ll go and talk to the rest of the kids about moving them to the orphanage in Fortuna. I don’t want to blindside them with that on moving day,” said Nero.

Camila nodded. “That would be for the best.”

***

Luz spent the next week or so in a transitory phase. She had been trying on her clothes to see what did and didn't fit her now that she had had her growth spurt and giving the rest of the Hexsquad a crash course in the fundamentals of the human world. Nero had also been visiting them every few days, sometimes spending his nights in the local motel. He explained that he wanted to make the transition less jarring by getting to know them a bit before they moved into the Fortuna Orphanage. He had also taken some time to get to know Luz and had even shown off some of his powers to her.

Luz nearly squeed in excitement when he had shown her his Devil Bringer, manifesting two winged, clawed arms out of blue energy. Her excitement only grew when he showed her all the stuff he could do with them. He could use them to fly, grab and lift heavy things, and even move himself around. However, what truly impressed Luz was his ability to be extremely delicate with the massive claws. The rest of the Hexsquad had let Nero use them for a demonstration, and he had deftly used his Devil Bringer to grab them, pick them up, move them around, and put them down without hurting them even slightly. At one point, he had started to use the spectral blue hands to juggle them in the air, much to their amusement.

Luz was pretty sure that her mom nearly had a heart attack when she saw that happening but managed to calm down after Nero reassured her that it was perfectly safe.

In addition, Luz had been watching Nero move around, which had been a massive help to her mental state. Since she had awakened her powers, Luz had been terrified of touching anything or anyone without extreme caution, like she was afraid that she’d break them with her newfound strength. On the other hand, Nero moved around confidently, normally, wholly unafraid, with an almost supernatural degree of grace and coordination. If she could learn how to do that, she’d never have to be worried about hurting anyone again.

When she asked him about how he did it, he replied.

“It’s partially practice and experience, but mostly, it's the mindset,” he explained. “Remember, Luz. These are your powers, your body. You control them; they don't control you.”

Luz nodded.

Nero smirked. He led her outside to the backyard of the Noceda residence. He then put on a pair of punching mitts, “Hit me,” he instructed.

“Seriously?” Asked Luz.

“Trust me, I can take it. You’re more likely to damage the mitts than me,” Nero reassured Luz. “Now, don’t hold back. Show me what you can do.”

Luz raised her fist and punched one of the mitts; it impacted with a “paff.”

“Alright, come on, now. Little harder. You can do better than that.”

Luz punched again, this time a little harder.

“Harder.”

Paff

“Harder!”

Paff

“Harder!”

Paff. That time, Luz saw Nero’s hair ruffle slightly from the impact of her punch.

“Not bad,” Nero praised her. “Not bad. But, this time, really show me what you can do.” Nero thought for a moment. “Pretend like I’m that Belos creep, and I’m trying to hurt Amity,” he instructed. “Take a moment and get into that mindset, and then really let me have it.”

Luz closed her eyes and tried to focus.

“Remember,” Nero coached her. “You’re not using these powers to hurt people; you’re using them to protect. Love, not anger.”

Luz took a breath and tried to focus, remembering the moment in the Titan’s Skull when she had first awoken her powers. She remembered how badly she wanted to protect Amity and concentrated on that. She felt power bloom throughout her body.

“RRRRRRAAAAHHHH!” Luz threw a punch with everything she had in her.

“Oh, Shi-!”

PAFF

BOOM

Luz opened her eyes just in time to see her fist slam into the mitt hard enough to make the stuffing fly out, and her Devil Bringer impacted Nero with the force of a speeding truck, sending him flying back through several trees in the process.

“Oh no… NERO!” Yelled Luz, running after him.

***

Amity was in the abandoned house with Hunter, Gus, and Willow. They had been preparing to leave for Nero’s place for the last week by obsessively studying the doorway and the building as a whole. Taking pictures and notes and having Gus practice recreating it with his illusion magic. The more they looked at it, the less sure they were. There didn’t seem to be anything special about the dilapidated shack they had stumbled out of more than a week ago. No runes carved into the door, no ambient magic in the air… nothing.

“Well… at least no one can say we didn't try,” Willow sighed. “At least this means that we don’t have to worry too much about being away from here.”

Amity pouted. “I guess. It’s just… We’ve been here for almost two weeks and haven’t made any progress on finding a way back home. I mean… I didn’t think we’d just find a way back overnight, but I thought we’d have something by now.”

“Amity, it took Luz months to construct a halfway functioning portal, and that was with access to Phillip’s journal, a supply of Titan Blood, and all the other magical resources in The Boiling Isles,” Willow reminded her. “This is gonna be a marathon, not a sprint. We need to pace ourselves, or we’ll end up falling apart before we can get back home, and that won't help anyone.”

Before Amity could reply, she heard a crash, and a second later, Nero came flying into the clearing in front of the abandoned house. He hit the ground and bounced before slamming into a tree on the opposite end of the clearing.

“Ahhh!” He groaned. “Motherfu… hey kids!” He greeted, staggering to his feet as his legs mended.

Amity watched the somewhat unsettling sight of Nero’s body mending itself. Bruises evaporated, and bones snapped back into place under his skin. Nero spat out a mouthful of blood and stretched, cracking his neck as he did.

“Nero!” Amity saw Luz run into the clearing. “I’m so so so so sorry-”

“Don’t worry about it. I told you to hit me as hard as you could, and it looks like you did it.” Amity watched Nero pull some broken teeth out of his mouth. “Still, wasn’t expecting to get hit by a Buster like that.”

“I- I jus- I didn’t mea- I- I-” Luz was stammering.

“Luz. It’s okay,” Nero reassured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Seriously. It took me weeks to consciously control my Devil Bringer,” he reassured her. “And then another month or so after that before I could do it consistently. Half the reason we want to train you to use these powers is that we can take these kinds of hits and shrug them off. I’m okay; everyone’s okay. No one was hurt.”

Amity watched as Luz calmed down.

“What happened?” Amity asked.

“I told Luz to hit me as hard as she could, and she did,” Nero answered. “Your girlfriend has a mean right hook.” Nero stretched, and his joints popped. “You kids ready for the move?” He asked. “Tomorrow’s the big day.”

Amity nodded. “Yeah. We’re all packed up.”

“What about your phones? You kids getting the hang of them?” He asked.

Amity nodded. About a week ago, Nero had given the kids their own “smartphones,” courtesy of a guy named Morrison. They had been a bit confused at first, but once Luz started showing them how to use them, they realized they were just like a Scroll and a Crow Phone mashed together. “Yeah. Thanks again for these. I know they probably weren’t cheap…”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. Morrison may not act like it, but he has a soft spot for kids. He was happy to help out.” Nero looked around. “So this is the house, huh? What’s so special about this place, anyway?” He asked.

Amity shrugged. “Near as any of us can tell, nothing.”

“Huh… I wonder…” Nero trailed off.

“Thought of something?” Amity asked, eager to learn anything.

“Oh! No… Just thinking out loud,” he replied. “The location is probably more about who built it than any other reason. Maybe this was Belos’s house from back in the day?”

“We were thinking the same thing,” replied Hunter. “I guess it's good that the portal's location doesn’t matter much. Still, though. We were hoping to have at least something figured out by now.”

“You’re smart kids,” replied Nero. “I’m sure you’ll figure something out. For now, though, take a break. It’s getting late, and we have a big day tomorrow.”

Amity looked at the others, and they all reluctantly agreed to stop. They had their photos and notes and everything. There probably wasn’t much more to be done here. “Alright. Let’s head back to Luz’s house, everyone.”

“Come on, Flapjack,” Hunter called his Palisman, who was pecking at the floor in the middle of the main room.

Amity walked up to Luz. “Walk me back?” She flirted, blushing.

Luz blushed as well. “Well… I suppose I had better.”

“As cute as you two are… I actually wanted to talk to Luz real quick, alone,” Nero interrupted. “This’ll just take a minute, promise.”

Amity frowned but agreed, waving goodbye to Luz as she and the rest of the Hexsquad left to return to Camila’s house.

***

Nero watched as the rest of the kids left. He turned to Luz with an apologetic expression on his face. “Look, Luz, I know how annoying this is. Trust me. I do.” He apologized. “I don't want to cut into your time with your girlfriend any more than I want someone to cut into my time with mine, so believe me, this is important.”

“Alright, what is it?” She asked.

“It's about Vergil- er- dad,” he told her. “You may have already gotten this impression, but he isn’t exactly the warm and fuzzy type. ‘Emotionally constipated’ doesn't even begin to describe it. I know that can be frustrating to deal with, so I just wanted to let you know that I’ve got your back.” He reached into his pocket and handed Luz a piece of paper. “That’s my number. Call me if you need me. Even if it’s just to bitch about him, I’m happy to lend an ear. Okay?”

Luz took the paper. “Thanks,” she replied, smiling softly at him.

“No problem. You know… if you hurry, you can probably still catch up to them,” he told Luz. “I’m sure Amity’s offer to walk her back still stands.”

“Okay, thanks; bye!”

Nero watched, amused, as Luz took off sprinting after the rest of the kids. He smiled at that, happy that his sister had a group of friends she was close to. It made him reflect on how fortunate he was to have Credo and Kyrie in his life, especially when things got rough. He was sure they’d be able to figure out this portal bullshit and get back everyone back home, and then he’d be there to help them put whatever the Collector was in time-out.

Thinking about the portal drew Nero's attention to the abandoned house. He walked inside and began to look around, trying to see if he could pick up on something the kids had missed; however, nothing stood out to him. Nero had learned to trust his instincts, and right now, every single one he had was screaming at him that there was something here that they were all missing. He took a moment to look around, and the more he explored, the more confused he became.

He had initially floated the idea that the house belonged to Belos, but it didn’t look like a house from the 1600s. The construction seemed too modern. There were power outlets in the walls and a water heater in the basement. Plus, if the house had belonged to Philip Whittebane, someone important enough to have a statue in the middle of the town, the Historical Society wouldn’t have left it to rot like this. It may have been heavily renovated, but why would the historical Society allow what should be an important heritage site to be renovated like that, and why would it be renovated only to be abandoned by the owners? It’s possible that the house was unrelated to the Whittebane family, but then why would the portal door open to this place, specifically? Something about this was rubbing him the wrong way. Too many questions.

“Damn it,” he sighed.

Nero walked back to the door, floorboards creaking under his boots. He definitely wasn’t done looking into this, but he had bigger things to worry about, like getting the Witch Kids resettled in the orphanage. He could tell that they were all hurting. He knew what it was like to lose everything, and these kids didn’t even know if their families were okay. There was no way he would let them carry that weight all by themselves, not if he could help it.

He closed the door behind him and walked to the bus stop, briefly stopping by the Noceda residence to say his goodbyes to Calima and the kids. Once he was back in his motel room, he called Kyrie to check up on her.

“Hi, Nero,” she greeted.

“Hey, Kyrie, just calling to check up on you. Ready for tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I’m looking forward to meeting them all. It’ll be nice to have more kids around here. Fill up the empty rooms.”

“Don’t get too excited. They’re only gonna be there temporarily,” he reminded her. “Just until we can find a way for them to get back home.”

“I know, silly,” she teased him. “That doesn’t change anything. We run an orphanage, and all of the kids are supposed to be here temporarily. In the meantime, it’s our job to take care of them as best we can.”

“Yeah, you’re right… Look, Kyrie, I’m sorry I haven’t exactly been around this last week. I don’t mean to leave you to run the place alone-”

“It’s okay, Nero. I understand,” she reassured him. “If I just found out that I had a long-lost sister, not to mention all the other stuff, I’d probably be doing the same thing.” She chuckled. “Besides, it’s not such a big deal. The kids are a little older now, so I can be a bit more hands-off with them. You don’t have to worry about us.”

“Thanks, Kyrie. It means a lot to hear you say that.”

“What about you? Are you okay? Or is Red Queen still gathering dust in a motel room?” She asked.

Nero looked at the case containing the disassembled Red Queen and Blue Rose. “Yeah, but I’d rather have and not need than need and not have,” he replied.

“Do I have to be jealous of her?” Kyrie teased. “You take her so many places.”

Nero laughed at that. “Hey, come on, we do stuff, too,” he reminded her.

“I know, I know,” she replied. Nero could practically hear her smiling over the phone. “I’ll see you tomorrow; I’m making a big dinner to welcome the kids.”

“I’m already looking forward to it,” Nero replied. He heard her yawn over the phone. “It must be pretty late over there. I won’t keep you up,” he told her,

“Good night, Nero.”

“Night, Kyrie. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Nero hung up the phone and laid back in the bed, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts kept wandering back to that old house. He could ask the Historical Society about it. He’d have to do that next time he was in town.

***

The next day, it was time for the big move. Amity watched as Vergil and Dante stepped through a portal to the Noceda Residence.

Amity couldn’t resist any longer, and she asked Vergil: “Okay, is that portal coming from you? Or is it coming from the sword?” She asked him.

Vergil raised an eyebrow. “An astute question,” he complimented her. “The answer is… complicated. The Yamato is a blade sharp enough to cut through anything, even space itself. However, only a very powerful individual can truly draw out its powers.” Vergil drew Yamato from its scabbard and flourished it. “In my hands, or Dante’s hands, Yamato can open and close portals to anywhere on earth and even to the Underworld.”

“But not the Boiling Isles?” Asked Amity. “I mean, if it can cut through Dimensions like that, can’t it just cut open a portal to the Demon Realm?”

Vergil regarded her. “I like this one,” he said.

“Tried that already,” answered Dante. “Didn’t work. Opened a portal to the Underworld, Devil came through, had to kill it.”

“Sparda must have had a way to get there and back. If it exists, it can be found.” Vergil swung the sword twice, opening a portal to Fortuna. Nero stepped through.

“Alright, kids. All packed?” He asked.

Amity nodded, grabbing a box packed with the clothes Camila had bought for her. The rest of the kids did the same.

Nero took the box from Amity and subtly gestured to Luz, who had grabbed her suitcase packed with a bunch of clothes.

Amity thanked him and went over to Luz. “So… I guess… Uhm…” She had really hoped that she would have come up with something to say while walking over. “See ya around?” She asked. “No, that’s dumb… Uh… oh no… I'm botching this so hard!” She groaned.

Luz giggled. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say it,” Luz reassured her. “I know what you mean.” Luz hugged her. “Later, sweet patater.”

Amity felt Luz freeze.

“Please tell me I didn't just say that out loud!” She groaned.

Amity laughed and pulled away while Luz buried her face in her hands. “I’ll see you later, too.” She kissed Luz’s cheek and stepped through the portal after Nero and the rest of the kids.

***

Luz felt mortified. That was the single dorkiest thing she had ever said. Even worse than “crikey!”

“‘Later, sweet patater?’” Asked Dante, bemused.

“There is context to that of which you are not aware!”

“Oh, come on… lighten up. It’s cute,” Dante reassured her.

“He’s right. It is,” Camila said. “Now remember, at least one a week!” She instructed Luz. “Also, grades! I’m calling this whole thing off if you don’t maintain at least a B Average!” She told her.

“Mo-om!” Groaned Luz.

“None of that, young lady!” Scolded Camila. “Regardless of what’s going on back at the Boiling Isles, you do not get to use it as an excuse to neglect your schoolwork indefinitely!”

Vergil Opened another portal to the Devil May Cry shop.

Luz took a deep breath, hugged her mom and Vee one last time, and then stepped through the portal into the shop, followed by Dante and Vergil. Luz took a moment to look around. The inside of the shop was dimly lit by some hanging light fixtures; towards the back of the room, there was a raised floor with a couple of steps leading up to it, on top of which sat a wooden desk with a picture frame and an antique rotary phone. To the left was a flight of stairs that led up to a second floor. On the right was what looked like a bar and small kitchen with a neon sign hanging above it, spelling out “Devil May Cry” in cursive letters. The walls were decorated with several weapons racks and what looked like mounted devil skulls. There were a few more doors in the back of the shop, around a corner to the right. There was also a drumset and an electric guitar hooked up to a set of speakers under the stairs.

“Come on, I’ll show you to your room,” Dante beckoned her. He led her up the stairs to the second story and into a bedroom. There was a mirror, a dresser, and a bed. The room was pretty plain but not uncomfortable by any means. “Bathroom’s right next door-” Dante gestured to a door just down the hall. “Vergil and I sleep downstairs if you need anything. Make yourself at home, kid.”

Luz set her suitcase down and looked around.

“You start school on Monday, so you have the weekend to settle in. We’ll take you Uniform Shopping tomorrow.”

“Wait, uniform shopping?!” She asked.

“Yeah. Your new school has a dress code,” he told her. He must have seen the face she was making. “Oh, come on. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Luz sighed and laid down on the bed. “Anything else?” She asked.

“Yeah. Just a few house rules. Number one: don’t touch any of the weapons. They’re dangerous. Number two: don’t answer the phone on the desk if it’s ringing and I’m not around. Just let it ring. We have an answering machine. Three: No going into the garage without permission. Nico’s workshop is in there, and it’s stupidly dangerous. You got it?”

Luz nodded.

“Great. Other than that, you have the run of the place. Help yourself to anything out of the fridge, and let me know what you want for dinner. There’re about fifty different nationalities of food within a twenty-block radius of the shop, so we can order whatever you want.”

“When does my training start?” Asked Luz, impatient.

“Tomorrow,” replied Dante. “We’ll start getting you acquainted with your powers, and then we’ll take you shopping. Sound good?”

Luz nodded again. “Yeah. Sounds good.” She paused and thought for a moment. “Hey… um… I know that my training is really important, and believe me, getting stronger and finding a way back to the Isles is my number-one priority… but I’d still really like to see the city… maybe take Amity on some dates?” She asked sheepishly.

“Oh, absolutely,” replied Dante. “All work and no play makes Luz a dull devil,” he joked. “Recovery days are important for the body and the mind, and I’ve seen what happens when someone loses sight of what they’re fighting for. It’s not pretty, I can tell you that much.” He nodded. “And seriously, look up the restaurants nearby. Pick something for dinner, and I’ll order it.” Dante handed her a piece of paper. “Here’s the wifi password.”

“I will.” Luz sat down on her bed and opened her laptop. She began to look around and saw that Dante wasn’t kidding.

Luz? Hey! Luz!”

Luz heard someone calling her name. It took a moment for her to register the voice, but once she did, she nearly jumped out of bed. “Lilith? LILITH?!” Luz’s gaze whipped around the room, trying to find the source of the voice.

“Over here, kid!” Luz looked at the mirror in the corner of her room.

Standing inside of it was Lilith Clawthorne.

“LILITH!”

***

Eli, the cult member that Dante had let go, was in a safehouse run by the Order of the Sword. The True Order of the Sword. Those who had faithfully stuck to the Gospel of Sparda.

“Please… you must believe me. It started speaking to me just the other night! Right after my encounter with Dante!” He said, holding a statuette of Sparda in his arms. He set it down on the table in the center of the room. “Please, my lord, speak with us!”

There was a tense moment of silence.

“My loyal followers… you have done well to keep my faith.”

The voice didn't come from the small statuette but from a large statue in the front of the room, overlooking an altar. Gasps and shocked murmurs erupted in the room, and the white-robed cultists all faced the statue and kneeled.

“My lord! You speak!”

“Yes, I do,” The voice of Phillip Whittebane echoed through the makeshift chapel. “And I need your help… my children.”

Notes:

Well... That was a thing that happened.

Full disclosure, I did not expect this chapter to be this long. I was expecting to be apologizing to you for a short chapter, and this thing turned into a 7,000-word chonker.

But yeah, things are moving now. Luz has some new digs, The Hexsquad are chilling in Fortuna, and Nero is looking into the Old House. I have lots of plans for the Hexsquad in Fortuna, and I think you're all gonna like them.

Edit: Just uploaded the correct version of the chapter. Made a mistake with that one.

Chapter 7: Midnight Calling

Summary:

Luz and Lilith speak, The Hexsquad settle in to their new digs in Fortuna, and shopping ensues.

“Lilith! How- what-”

 

Before Luz could get her question out, the door to her room was thrown open, and Vergil rushed in with Yamato drawn. “Who’s there?!” he demanded, scanning the room for only a split second before he saw Lilith in the mirror. “Who are you?!” He demanded.

 

“Same question, who are you?” She asked.

 

Luz forced herself between Vergil and the mirror. “Vergil, this is Lilith. She’s Eda’s sister. Lilith, this is Vergil, my… I guess Bio-Dad is the best thing to call him?” Luz still felt uneasy thinking of Vergil as her father.

 

Vergil glared at Lilith, but sheathed his sword. “What is this?” He asked.

 

“An incomplete portal,” She answered. “I tried to recreate a portal door using the notes that Luz left behind. We’ve been hiding from the collector for the last two weeks while working on this,” Lilith explained. “Luckily, Tinella Nosa had a syringe of King’s blood left over from when Hootsifer tried to help him figure out what he was.”

 

“Who’s ‘we ’?” Asked Luz.

 

“Myself, Darius, Raine, and Alador Blight,” she explained. “Along with some other members of CATT.”

 

“What about Eda?” Luz asked. 

 

“Eda is… I’m not sure. She transformed into the Owl Beast as soon as she saw the Collector. King’s been telling me that she’s okay, but I haven’t been able to see her myself.”

 

“And King?” She asked.

 

“He’s with the Collector. He can sneak away for a few hours at a time, but otherwise, he’s been keeping them occupied. I don’t think he’s in any danger. He keeps telling me that all the Collector wants to do is play games with him and the other people they’ve turned.”

 

“‘Turned?’” Asked Luz.

 

“Yes. The Collector has been turning people into puppets. I don’t know why, though.”

 

“Curious,” Vergil muttered.

 

“What about Edric and Emira?” Luz asked. “Are they with you, too?”

 

“Yes, they’re with me. Is it safe to assume that Augustus Porter and Willow Park are with you?” Lilith asked. “Their parents have been asking about them. All of you just disappeared on the Day of Unity. What happened? And what happened to you?” She asked.

 

Luz quickly recapped everything that had happened on the Day of Unity. How she had gone to confront Belos and ended up being forced to flee to the Human Realm with the rest of the Hexsquad, and how they had been stranded without any way back to the Boiling Isles.

 

“Luz, that’s incredible,” Lilith commented. “You did such an amazing job getting everyone to safety like that. But what about you? What happened to you to make you look like that?”

 

Luz hesitated for a moment. “Lilith… does the name ‘Sparda’ mean anything to you?”

 

“Sparda?!” Lilith gasped. “As in, The Legendary Dark Knight Sparda? The Devil who saved the Boiling Isles? That Sparda?”

 

Her response seemed to pique Vergil’s interest. “So you do know of him. What do you know?”

 

“Not much,” replied Lilith. “Probably more than most Witches, but any information about Sparda was either destroyed or moved to Emperor Belos’s personal library. I was never allowed in there, and I was about as high-ranking a servant as one could be.” She paused. “What does Sparda have to do with any of this?”

 

“Well…” Luz hesitated. “Turns out… he’s my grandfather,” she explained. 

 

Lilith didn’t verbally respond to that, but her eyes shot open, roughly the size of dinner plates. After a moment, she finally managed to squeak out a soft “What?”

 

“Long story short, Sparda fell in love with a human woman and had two kids, Vergil is one of them,” Luz explained, gesturing to Vergil.

 

“Now tell us what you know of my father,” Vergil demanded, “Now!”

 

“Alright, alright… sheesh!” Lilith took a moment to gather her thoughts.

 

“We already know how he saved the Isles, Amity told us that story,” Luz said. “But that’s all we know. So do you know anything else? Like how he got there?”

 

“Unfortunately, no,” she replied. “All the legends say is that he mysteriously appeared when the Isles needed him most… and that he vanished just as quickly. I think the only thing I know that you don’t is this.” Lilith took a breath. “After the devils were beaten back, Sparda took three Wild Witches deep into the Gutwoods of the Titan. After that, they returned the next day, and Sparda vanished, never to be seen again. Those three witches took the secrets of that day to their graves, never breathing a word of what happened. There are rumors, of course. Some say that Sparda hid something in the Isles, others say that the witches helped him erect a ward that made it much harder for Devils to cross into the Boiling Isles, others say that he imbued these witches with great power and gave them a way to call for his aid should the isles ever need him again.”

 

“Curious…” Vergil muttered. “How do you know this?”

 

“Because one of those Wild Witches was a Clawthorne,” Lilith explained. “It’s a story that’s been passed down from parent to child through the generations.”

 

“Do you know who the other two families are?” Asked Luz. 

 

“No, unfortunately.”

 

“Then find out,” ordered Vergil. “Report back to us once you have more information.” He turned on his heel and left.

 

Lilith glared at Vergil. “Would it kill you to say ‘please?’” She asked.

 

Vergil was already gone.

 

“Okay!” Yelled Lilith. “I’m gonna do it, but not because you told me to!” She turned back to Luz. “Your dad needs an attitude adjustment.”

 

“Yeah…” Luz muttered. “Lilith… It’s so good to see you. I was so worried! I didn't know what was going on or if you were even alive, and It’s… It’s so good to know you’re safe.”

 

“Well, ‘safe’ is an extremely relative term,” she replied. “None of us are in any immediate danger, but the Isles are in utter chaos. If it weren’t for King managing to get his collar to us so we could copy that concealment rune-”

 

“Wait, concealment rune?” Luz asked.

 

“Oh! Yes. Remember when we went to that temple, and King found that symbol he thought was his name? It turns out that it was a rune that makes you invisible to the Collector. He told us about it, and we copied it.” Lilith held up her hand and showed Luz a charm bracelet with the same symbol King had been wearing. “As long as we keep these on, the Collector can’t see us. It only protects us from his sight, so we still have to be careful, but they made supply runs a lot easier.”

 

Luz quickly snapped a picture of the rune with her phone.

 

“Listen, Luz, I can’t stay here for too long, but I do want to talk for a moment. People are going to be asking for an update on you and the rest of the kids, so just real quick, tell me everything that’s been going on in the Human Realm.”

 

“Hoo boy… This’ll take a minute.” Luz ran down everything with Lilith. How she had awakened her powers, how she and the rest of the Hexsquad had been forced to flee to the Human Realm from the crumbling skull, how they had found Luz’s paternal family, and how the other kids were staying with Luz’s newly-discovered quarter-devil brother and his girlfriend at an orphanage while she learned how to master her new powers with her devil-hunter father and uncle.

 

“Luz… that’s incredible,” Lilith replied. “You really saved their lives, huh?” She asked.

 

“I mean… anyone could have gone through a portal-”

 

“No! Without you, they would have been left adrift in the Human Realm. Alone, lost, and vulnerable. Luz, you got them to safety and kept them out of danger. That’s incredible.”

 

Luz smiled. “Thanks, Lilith.”

 

“Now… about your family…” She muttered. “Devil hunters, huh?” She sounded apprehensive.

 

“Is that a bad thing?” Luz asked.

 

“Not necessarily. It’s just that devil hunters have a… Reputation… in the Boiling Isles.”

 

“What kind of ‘Reputation?’”

 

“They’re known for being a few snails short of a dragon’s hoard,” she replied. “No sane Witch voluntarily gets into that line of work, and any that do leave almost immediately after they realize just how dangerous devil hunting is.” Lilith paused. “Luz, Eda considered devil hunting to be too dangerous. Edalyn Clawthorne .”

 

That stunned Luz. She had always thought of Eda as fearless. “Eda was scared of them?”

 

“Not of the Hunters. Of the devils,” Lilith clarified. “I did work with a group of sanctioned devil hunters once. Members of the Emperor’s Coven. Seeing what they fought… it gave me nightmares for weeks after. Eda didn’t think that fighting anything that dangerous was worth it. Not for money, at least.”

 

“Are devils really that scary?” Luz asked. She saw Lilith wince. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m not feeling so great… this place… there’s something wrong with it.”

 

“Yeah…” Luz remembered. “When I went there, my Witch’s Wool cape disintegrated.”

 

“Witch’s Wool… I’ll remember that. I need to go, Luz. I’ll try to get in touch later.”

 

Lilith vanished from the mirror.

 

Luz collapsed to the ground. She hurriedly pulled out her phone. The others needed to hear this.

 

***

 

Amity stepped through the portal to the Fortuna Orphanage, followed by Nero. Willow, Gus, and Hunter were already there. Waiting for them were three kids, probably a couple of years younger than them. She looked around the building. They were in a large living room, and through one door, she could see a kitchen. There was a flight of stairs leading up to a second story and a backyard with a garden in it.

 

“And you must be Amity,” said a voice from Amity’s left. 

 

She turned around and was greeted by the sight of quite possibly the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Amity spent a second staring at her, needing the time to process her thoughts. Then she shook herself out of it. She realized that this must be Kyrie, Nero’s girlfriend. She chided herself for reacting that way to a woman probably around twice her age who was also her girlfriend’s brother’s girlfriend. “Yes!” She said, louder than she intended. “I’m Amity. That’s me, alright… Amity is my name…”

 

Kyrie laughed. Titan, even her laugh was beautiful. “I’m Kyrie. It’s nice to meet you. I’ll be taking care of you for the foreseeable future.” Kyrie looked at all of the witch children. “I know that you're not here under the best of circumstances, but I still want to make your time here a pleasant experience.”

 

“All of you, feel free to make yourselves at home,” Nero instructed. “Just to run the schedule by you all, breakfast is from nine to ten, lunch is from one to two, dinner is from six to seven, and lights out at eleven,” he outlined. “In between those times, feel free to spend your time doing whatever you want, just as long as your assigned chores are completed.”

 

Amity raised her hand.

 

“You don’t need to raise your hand,” Kyrie reassured her. “What’s your question?”

 

“How do we know which chores are ours?” She asked.

 

“We have a chore board,” she responded. “Just check it after breakfast to see what your job for the day is, and ask if you have any questions.”

 

Hunter asked the next question. “Are there any other rules we should be aware of?” He asked.

 

Amity saw Nero look at Hunter with a curious expression on his face.

 

“Well, A few. First of all, you’re welcome to help yourselves to a snack in between meals if you get hungry, but if you spoil your appetite, that’s on you. Kyrie is not a short-order cook. Kyrie is also not your maid. You’re responsible for keeping your rooms clean. Make your beds, and put your dirty laundry in the hamper,” Nero paused for a moment. “Also, we’re not going to keep you held hostage here. If you want to go into town, go ahead, but you’re expected to keep us appraised of your comings and goings, keep your phones on you, and be home either by dinnertime or before sundown, whichever comes first. You’re all smart kids, so we’re trusting you with this freedom.”

 

“So what’s wake-up time?” Asked Hunter. “Standard four AM, or do we get to sleep in until six?”

 

Amity saw a look of genuine confusion and concern cross Nero’s face. Just for a split second. 

 

“... neither…” replied Kyrie, also looking concerned. “Four… I mea- six… sleeping in- I-”

 

Nero mercifully cut her off. “We’re going to unpack everything you just said later, okay? Because that was a deeply concerning thing for a kid your age to say. You’re not in trouble or anything. Just… yeah… that was not what we expected to hear from you.” Nero took a moment to compose himself. “Wake-up is whenever you wake up. Like I said, breakfast is from nine to ten, so ideally, be up around then. Kyrie makes amazing breakfasts. If you wanna wake up earlier to get a jump on the day, you’re welcome to, just as long as you keep the volume down and don’t disturb anyone who’s still asleep.”

 

Hunter nodded stiffly.

 

Nero turned to Kyrie. “How about I show the boys to their room, and you show the girls?” He asked.

 

Kyrie nodded. “Amity, Willow, follow me?” She requested.

 

Amity swallowed and followed her alongside Willow. 

 

Kyrie led them to a room upstairs. Inside the room were two small beds on opposite sides of a window, two desks, and a small closet for them to share. Other than that, the room was bare and empty. “I know it’s not much, but it’s comfy and cozy,” she reassured them.

 

“It’s perfect,” Willow responded, walking over to the left-side bed and sitting down on it, testing the mattress. 

 

“Just let me know if you two need anything, okay?” She asked. 

 

“Thank you, really,” Amity replied. “It’s so nice of you to let us stay here like this.”

 

“It’s the least we can do,” she replied. “Nero and I, we know what it’s like to suddenly lose your home. Not as dramatically as you did, but the two of us had spent our entire lives belonging somewhere, and then, we suddenly lost it.”

 

“Really?” Asked Amity.

 

“Yes. Although, unlike what happened to you kids, what happened to us was probably for the best. But it did create a lot of kids with nowhere to go, so Nero and I opened this orphanage to keep them cared for and off the streets. He does the Devil Hunting to keep us flush with cash, and I keep things running smoothly here.” She smiled. “We’ve come a long way from the days when I was the one working the phone, and Nero was out working for food and supplies for the orphanage.”

 

“It sounds like you two have built a wonderful life together,” observed Willow. 

 

“Thank you, Willow,” she replied. “I’ll let you two get settled in. It’s past lunchtime, but dinner will be in a few hours.”

 

Amity looked at Willow, confused. She saw her confusion mirrored on Willow’s face. “How?” Asked Amity.

 

“What do you mean?” Asked Kyrie.

 

“When we left Luz’s house, it was already evening… did we time-travel to get here?” She asked.

 

“Amity, look!” Willow pointed to the window. Neither of them had noticed it before, but outside, it was bright and sunny, like it was still mid-afternoon. 

 

“Do they not have time zones on the Boiling Isles?” Asked Kyrie.

 

“Time zones?” Asked Willow.

 

Kyrie paused for a moment. “So, you know how the earth is a spinning ball that revolves around the sun…” she trailed off. “Is the Boiling Isles the same way?” She asked.

 

“Of course,” replied Amity. “That’s how all planets are formed. Who doesn’t know that?”

 

“You’d be surprised,” replied Kyrie. “Anyway, because of that, it will be different times of day in different places on the planet. Does that make sense?”

 

Amity thought about it for a moment. “Yes… yeah, it totally does.” She had never thought about it before, but logically, it made sense.

 

Kyrie continued on. “So, because of that, you’re now far enough away to be in a different time zone.”

 

“We never had anything like that back home,” mentioned Willow.

 

“I don't think the Boiling Isles were big enough to need it,” Amity replied. “What’s the time difference between here and Luz’s home?” She asked.

 

“Five hours,” replied Kyrie. It was around seven in the evening back in Connecticut, where Camila’s house is. New York City is in the same Time Zone. But here it’s around two in the afternoon.”

 

“Wow…” Willow sat down on her bed. “I’ve never traveled that far away from anything in my life.”

 

“Are you okay?” Asked Kyrie, sitting next to Willow.

 

“Yes…” she replied. “That’s just a lot to think about. I suddenly feel very small.” She confessed.

 

“I understand,” Kyrie replied. “I was born here in Fortuna. I was always told that I never had to concern myself with the outside world. So I never did, and Fortuna was my whole world. Then the Order of the Sword fell, and it was suddenly like the entire world was open to me. It was dizzying at first, realizing just how much was out there.”

 

“I wonder what’s out there beyond the Boiling Isles,” Amity mused. “Not to mention the Human Realm.”

 

“I hope you can see it all,” Kyrie replied. “Once you make it back home, that is. You’ll have two worlds to explore. Your home, and here.” Kyrie stood up. “I’ll come and find you when dinner is ready, okay?”

 

Amity gave a faint smile. Kyrie wasn't at all what she had been expecting. She had been expecting someone a lot rougher around the edges, like Nero.

 

Kyrie left the room, and Amity and Willow were left to settle in.

 

“She seems nice,” Willow said, breaking Amity out of her thoughts.

 

“Yeah. She does.”

 

Just then, Both Willow and Amity’s phones began to beep. Checking them, they realized that it was a text from Luz in the “Hexsquad” group chat she had set up earlier. Then, another text came in, and then another, and another, each one popping in at a frantic pace. Amity began to read the texts, and her eyes widened as she did. She looked over at Willow, meeting her gaze.

 

“We need to find Gus and Hunter. Now.”

 

***

 

Amity, Willow, Gus, and Hunter were all gathered in the boys’ room to discuss the frantic texts Luz had sent them. Amity had also called Luz and, with some instruction from Luz, had managed to get her on speakerphone.

 

“So you really talked to Lilith?” Asked Hunter.

 

“Yeah, and she told me they managed to get an incomplete portal working.”

 

“And our families are all safe?” Asked Willow.

 

“As safe as they can be. Things sound bad over there, but people are surviving, at least.”

 

“Did they have any leads on how to open a full portal?” Asked Amity.

 

“No, they only just got the incomplete version working. Who knows how much longer that will take.”

 

“Oh…” she replied, downcast. “Still, better than nothing, and at least we know they’re okay… relatively speaking.”

 

“Did you learn anything else?” Asked Hunter.

 

“Nothing immediately helpful, but Lilith did mention that, according to legend, Sparda stashed something in the Boiling Isles, so he must have had a way back there if he planned on retrieving it someday.”

 

“Shame we can’t just ask him,” muttered Hunter. “It would make this a lot easier.”

 

“I’ll keep you guys posted about any developments, but for now, we’re still in more-or-less the same place we were before.”

 

“Thanks, Luz. That means a lot to us.”

 

“You’re welcome. I gotta get to bed. Talk later?” She asked.

 

“Yeah. Later.”

 

***

 

Luz woke up the following day to the sound of her alarm and rubbed her eyes. She groaned and fell back in bed. She hadn’t slept well. She had dreamt a monster was chasing her through dark hallways. It had been years since she had a dream like that. She rolled out of bed and put on her slippers. She stretched and heard several joints in her body pop. She repeated the movements a few more times and heard more cracks and pops. She shook the last of the sleep out of her head and walked out of her bedroom.

 

As Luz walked out of the bedroom and into her bathroom, she had a good view of the main office down below her. She saw two people she didn’t recognize. One was a woman with short, brown hair in a white leather jacket with black shorts and black boots, and the other was a tattooed woman in jean shorts, cowgirl boots, and long, frizzy hair pulled back with a headband. 

 

Almost instantly, the short-haired woman’s mismatched eyes snapped to Luz. “Oh. Hey. You must be Vergil’s other kid,” she deduced. “My condolences for that, by the way.”

 

The frizzy-haired woman looked in her direction next, following the others’ gaze to see Luz standing on the balcony overlooking the main office. “Well, hey there, sug,” she greeted enthusiastically. “You’re Luz, right? Nice to finally meetcha.”

 

“Uhh…” Luz looked around and saw several bags between them. One full of what looked like guns, another full of boxes of ammunition, and a third one full of cash. Luz yelped. “Ah! I didn’t see anything!” She promised them, having clearly stumbled into some kind of illegal underground arms deal.

 

Wait.

 

“Who are you two, and why are you performing an arms deal in my uncle’s shop?” She demanded to know.

 

The two women looked at each other, and then back to Luz, and then they both laughed.

 

“Well, to start with, I’m Nicoletta Goldstein-” the tattooed woman introduced herself ‘-and this here is Lady. We’re friends with your uncle and your daddy.”

 

“‘Friends’ is pushing it when it comes to Vergil, but basically, yeah,” the other woman, Lady, apparently, responded,

 

“What kind of a name is ‘Lady?’” Luz asked.

 

Neither of them seemed interested in answering that question.

 

“Look, Lady here is one of my best customers, and it’s convenient for us to conduct our… transactions in your uncle’s shop. Dante and Vergil know what’s going on,” Nico explained,

 

“Where are they?” Luz asked.

 

“Probably trying to kill each other,” replied Lady sardonically.

 

Luz was suddenly very concerned.

 

“What my grumpy friend here means is that Dante and Vergil like to spend their mornings getting the blood pumping with a sparring match,” Nico explained. “But, yeah… they can get pretty intense.”

 

Luz looked around. “So… when will they be-”

 

Luz was cut off by the sight of Vergil’s portal popping open, and the two brothers walked into the building. Dante was sulking and Vergil seemed proud of himself. More than usual, anyway.”

 

“I take it Vergil won?” Nico asked.

 

“I’m up by one,” He answered smugly.

 

“Not for long, asshole,” Dante rebutted. Then he saw Luz. “Oh, hey there, kid. Morning! I see you met my good friends, Nico and Lady,” he gestured to the two women. 

 

“She thought we were criminals doing an arms deal,” Nico teased Luz.

 

“You were selling her guns and ammo by the duffel bag in exchange for cash!” Luz protested. “What else was I supposed to think?”

 

“I mean… She’s got a little bit of a point,” Dante admitted. “Look, Luz, I know that this must be all weird and confusing-”

 

“Actually,” Luz cut him off. “This is remarkably in my comfort zone.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. This isn’t my first time being thrust into a strange world of danger and magic, learning to wield and control awesome powers from an eccentric mentor and their straight-laced sibling with whom they used to be enemies and are now back to being on unsteadily good terms with each other.”

 

“Wow, that is… bizarrely specific.”

 

“What the hell kind of life do you have?” Asked Lady.

 

“An extremely traumatic one that I try not to dwell on.”

 

“Oh yeah, You’re gonna fit right in with this crowd,” Lady reassured her. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?” Asked Nico, turning back to Dante and Vergil. “Now that you two are done being macho macho men.”

 

“Luz starts school next week, and so we gotta take her shopping,” Dante explained.

 

“Oh, not the fuck you do not!” Lady interjected. “Thank god we got here when we did.” She turned to Luz. “You were really gonna let these two nutcases take you shopping?” She asked.

 

“Is that a bad idea?”

 

“These two have no fashion sense,” Lady told Luz. “I’m coming to make sure they don’t suggest anything crazy.”

 

Luz looked at Dante and Vergil. “I think they look good.”

 

“In that case, I’m definitely coming with. Someone needs to protect this family from their terrible fashion sense, which I’m now certain is genetic.” She turned to Luz. “Shower, eat, and then we move out.”

 

***

 

Luz was immensely disappointed that her new school required her to wear an actual uniform. She didn’t have a problem with uniforms as a concept, and she loved Anime… but having to wear an actual uniform was not something she was looking forward to - especially the skirt. 

 

Luz didn't hate skirts, but she preferred to wear them only on occasion. Otherwise, she seriously preferred pants or shorts.

 

Lady accompanied her through the store.

 

“So… why does everyone call you ‘Lady?’” Luz asked, curious about the woman in front of her.
And are you also a-” she looked around to make sure no one could overhear them “-demon hunter?” She asked.

 

“Sure am,” Lady replied. “And everyone calls me ‘Lady’ because that’s my name,” she answered. 

 

“What kind of name is Lady?” Luz asked.

 

Lady sighed, she got the sense that Lady was used to being asked that question. “It’s the name I took for myself. The one Dante gave me after I gave up the name my father gave me. It’s who I am.”

 

Luz wanted to pry, but she decided against it. She didn’t think she had gained enough relationship points to unlock Lady’s tragic backstory.

 

“So how’d you and Dante meet?” Luz asked.

 

“Anyone ever tell you that you ask a lot of questions?” Lady responded, a note of hostility creeping into her voice.

 

“Sorry for wanting to know more about my dad’s and uncle’s friends,” Luz sarcastically responded. “It’s not like I had my entire life uprooted and flipped upside-down in the last week.” The shelves around Luz and Lady shuddered as her demonic magic flared. Luz realized what was happening and closed her eyes, clenching her entire body to get it back under control.  “Sorry!” She apologized. “I didn’t… That wasn’t…”

 

Lady sighed. “It’s fine,” she reassured Luz. “If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you. I get it, you’re just a kid trying to get your bearings. I shouldn’t have been such a bitch to you just now.” She folded her arms. “It’s just… a lot of the questions you’re asking are about stuff I don’t particularly like to talk about,” she explained. “I’ll tell you some day. Just not now.”

 

Definitely needed more relationship points.

 

“Alright. I think I understand. Sorry for prying.”

“It’s fine.” She sighed. “So, since you got to ask me questions, how about answering one. Why are you looking at the uniform skirts like you’re trying to set them on fire with your eyeballs?”

 

Luz sighed. “I don’t like skirts. Well. No. I do. It’s just… not every day,” she complained.

 

“So get some pants. You did read the primer you got in the mail, right?” She asked, pulling out a sheet of paper. “I would have thought Dante and Vergil showed this to you.”

“They showed me nothing.”

 

“Figures. Here. Take a look at this bit here. ‘Greybone Academy prides itself on blending tradition with progressive values. While the uniforms presented are suggested, students are encouraged to dress according to their preferred gender identity, and are permitted to mix and match aspects to suit their desired presentation.’”

 

Luz snatched the paper out of her hand. “Gimme that!” She read it over. “Ugh!” She groaned. “I got all worked up for nothing?!” She dumped most of the skirts she had gathered before walking to the pants. “Okay… this feels better.” As she was picking out new clothing, her eyes were drawn over to a display mannequin.

 

Specifically… the boots.

 

“No,” Lady said firmly.

 

“Yes.”

 

“No.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You’re serious?”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

Lady sighed. “Goddamn Sparda genes. Fine. Your funeral.”

 

“He he he.” Luz laughed as she grabbed a pair of the boots in her size. “I’m gonna look good in these.”

 

Lady sighed.

 

“Well, hello there, ladies. Come here often?” Dante asked, stepping up behind them. “Luz, you got everything you need?” He asked.

 

“Yeah. And something extra.” She showed off the boots she had picked out. They were tall, chunky, black combat boots with silver buckles along the outsides.

 

“Ooh. Nice pick,” Dante praised her.

 

Lady just sighed. “Just… actually try them on first.” She had clearly surrendered.

 

After they paid, they started walking back. 

 

“So… what's this place like?” Luz asked. “Greybone Academy?”

 

“Huh? Oh, it's an old place. Been here probably since the late 1700s, early 1800s, round about then. Modernized, though. Got all the amenities. It's not a boarding school, or anything,” he shrugged. “As for what it's like to be a student there. Couldn't tell you. I've only ever been there between semesters to do a check and clear. Most of the time there's nothing. Otherwise, I clear out anything that's been hanging around to make sure things are all good. The staff seem nice, though.”

 

Luz had been hoping for more than just that. But her luck clearly didn't run that way.

 

“Relax, Luz,” Lady reassured her. “You'll be fine. It’s just high school. Plus, it’s the start of freshman year. Most of those kids won’t know each other anyway, you’ll slip right in.” 

 

“Okay. I guess you’re right,” She sighed. “Honestly… school isn’t my biggest concern right now anyways. It feels… stupid to even be wasting time there.”

 

“Eh… life goes on,” Dante replied. “It’s not fair to anyone, least of all you, to put your life on hold; especially when you have no idea how long it will take to find a way back to the Boiling Isles. You deserve to have at least a semi-normal life.”

 

Luz mulled over what Dante was telling her.

 

“Heh. You can actually be smart sometimes, you know that, Dante?” Lady joked.

 

“Thanks, Lady.” He paused. “Wait… what?”

 

***

 

Luz was back at Devil May Cry shortly after. Vergil was standing there with two glasses of water. He held one out to Luz. “Drink.” It was a command.

 

Luz had… complicated feelings about Vergil. One the one hand. He seemed to want to help her get the hang of her powers… on the other hand, he was so cold and distant. When she learned that she had a father again… part of her hoped that she would be able to pick up where things left off with her dad. Before the sickness. But just a small handful of meetings with Vergil killed that idea stone-dead. Even Vergil’s desire to help her master her powers seemed less about her and more about him not wanting a member of “Sparda’s Bloodline” to be weak. It was…

 

It didn’t exactly give her a case of the warm-and-fuzzies.

 

Luz raised an eyebrow at him, but she was feeling a little thirsty anyway, so she took the glass.

 

It cracked in her hand almost as soon as she grabbed it.

 

“AH!” She squeezed it tighter and the glass shattered, spilling the water everywhere. She jumped back, shaking the water off her hand. “What the… what the heck was that?!”

 

“A test,” Vergil replied. “You failed.”

 

“Vergil…” Dante sounded exasperated. “We talked about this. We need to explain things to her. You can’t just Vergil your way through this.”

 

“Do not use my name as a verb,” Vergil sniped back.

 

Lady cleared her throat.

 

Vergil sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “While you were out. I replaced every drinking glass in this house with ultra-thin glassware. It is… very fragile. Even Lady could probably break one in her hands if she squeezed hard enough.”

 

Luz looked over at Lady. She raised an eyebrow, like she was debating whether or not to respond to that statement.

 

“Why?” Luz asked.

 

“To teach you to control your strength.” He gestured at her with the glass held in his hand, still unblemished and perfectly intact. “This will be one of several exercises. Soon, it will become second nature to you to regulate your enhanced strength. Unless you want a repeat of what happened in the park with Amity?”

 

Luz shrank into herself when he mentioned that. Amity had forgiven her for that… Luz, on the other hand.

 

“ Vergil! ” It was Dante who hissed his name. “Not cool.” He was glaring at Vergil, and he put a reassuring hand on Luz’s shoulder.

 

“Hmph.” Vergil glared back.

 

Luz watched as the two of them seemed to have some kind of conversation, conveyed entirely through glares.

 

Vergil sighed, seeming to relent. “I… apologize.” He said to Luz.

 

It seemed that was all she was going to get.

 

Better than nothing.

 

“‘S okay,” she murmured. Luz looked at the glass in Vergil’s other hand. “Can I… try again?”

 

Vergil seemed bemused. “I don’t know? Can you?”

 

Luz glared at him.

 

He glared back

 

He won.

 

“ May I try again?” She asked.

 

Vergil wordlessly offered her the second glass.

 

Luz took it carefully; it didn’t crack in her grasp like the last one had. She raised it to her lips and took a drink. Still careful. Every bit of her focus was dedicated to not squeezing too hard. 

 

“Good.”

 

“This isn’t fun. Will I have to do this all the time?” Luz asked.

 

“At first. You’ll get the hang of it sooner or later,” Dante reassured her. “Vergil was right about it being second nature; none of us even have to think about it.”

 

“Something to look forward to, I guess.” Luz finished the water.

 

“Good. Get changed,” Vergil ordered. “Athletic wear, preferably. Your training starts now. We eat lunch after.”

 

“Seriously? Now?” She asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

Luz felt the strangest combination of nerves and excitement as she ran upstairs to get changed. She had no idea what to expect, but she was eager to start really experimenting with her powers, finally.

 

Honestly. For the first time in a long time, Luz was feeling good. Hopeful.

 

Like things were going to work out.

 

***

 

Belos watched as his new followers set a sword down on the table in front of the statue he was currently occupying.

 

“My lord… You said you needed living energy…” his followers stepped aside. “This Devil Arm should provide you with what you need.”

 

“Break it open,” he commanded. “Release the energy to me…” He could sense it. This… thing… was practically pulsing with energy. Living power he could use to keep himself going.

 

His followers looked at each other. Seemingly unsure.

 

“My lord… are you sure? I do not mean to question you but-”

 

“NOW!” Belos roared, his voice distorting. “My essence wanes by the second and you would waste time questioning me?!” He was impatient, in pain. He could barely hold his mind together. He had no idea if this “Devil Arm” would be a viable alternative to palisman energy, but he had to try.

 

His followers flinched at the volume. “In a moment… My lord.” The leader of his followers gestured and a large, hulking man with a hammer came into view. Belos could tell that the hammer he wielded was special. Magic radiated from it.

 

With a grunt. The hulking beast of a follower raised his hammer and then screamed as he brought it down on the sword. There was a burst of power, and the sword cracked. He was so close. A second hit and the cracks grew. A third hit… and the sword splintered. 

 

Belos focused. The power was rapidly leaching out into the surrounding air. He drew it into himself just as he had done in the past with palisman energy.

 

But this wasn’t Palisman energy. 

 

It was better.

 

Red and black tendrils of pure demonic power flowed into the statue's eyes. Into Belos. He screamed, and the screams turned to laughter. This power was orders of magnitude more potent than any palisman. Each palisman had felt like a snack, barely enough to take the edge off his hunger. But this… This was a feast. More power than Belos had ever known flowed into his body, and he felt incredible.

 

As he absorbed the power from the Devil Arm, the entire cathedral shook, light fixtures swaying and wind bellowing outwards from the statue and then, it stopped.

 

His followers waited with baited breath.

 

“My lord?”

 

Belos decided that some showmanship was in order.

 

The statue began to crack, falling apart to reveal Belos. Standing there, reborn.

 

His followers looked at each other. Seemingly unsure.

 

Belos knew what he had to do.

 

“Fear not… my children. It is I, Sparda,” he introduced himself to them. “I am sure you have many questions about my… diminished form.” He stepped out of the rubble. “I know this must be a shock to you all, seeing me like this, in this… lesser form.”

 

“What happened to you?”

 

“Many years ago, I set out to eliminate a threat to humankind, but I was tricked. The cowardly witches I sought to destroy caught me in a trap. Much of my power was drained, and what little remained of me was imprisoned. It was only recently that I managed to escape, and find my way back to you, my beloved children.” He sighed dramatically. “Every day I was imprisoned… my heart bled for you. Lost and alone without me to guide you. To see that you managed to keep the faith alive as I was gone… it soothes me more than anything.”

 

“My lord… you mentioned witches?” One of his followers asked.

 

“Yes. In a world far away from here,” he told them, smiling. They had taken the bait. “I will… need to gather strength. I will need to consume more Devil Arms. But soon… I will take you there.” His voice began to get louder, more confident. “We will take back what is rightfully mine! We will burn the accursed home of those vile witches to the ground! And every last one of them will be put to the sword!”

 

His followers were enraptured. Heathens were so simple to manipulate.

 

“Come with me, my children! Follow me, follow my lead! Help me return to my former glory! And we will save this world! Liberate it from the sin and squalor it finds itself in! Let us save it! Let us cleanse it!”

 

His followers were cheering now.

 

“For I am Sparda! And I will lead you to a new world! A better world! Will you follow me? My children?!” He asked.

 

The reply was unanimous.

 

“Hail Sparda! Hail Sparda!”

 

Belos grinned. He waited for the cheering to subside. “Excellent. In the meantime… I seem to remember one of you mentioning a researcher named… what was it… Agnus?” He asked.

 

“Yes, my lord. What about him?”

 

“I will need to see his notes. To study what he learned. I will need soldiers for what lies ahead. Powerful soldiers. And you, you sho choose to give of yourselves to me… You will be honored!”

 

“Please, my lord. Follow me. I will show you what we could salvage of his research before we were driven out of Fortuna. We lack a proper lab… but I assure you, we can build one, should you desire.”

 

“Yes. Good. Show me.”

 

Belos grinned. Things were looking up for him. He had suffered a set back, but his goals remained unchanged, his devotion unwavering.

 

After all… God did send his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers. And there was no stronger soldier than Phillip Whittebane.

Notes:

Well. That didn't take to long to update. It was only...

TWO AND A HALF YEARS?!

Well... I guess I should do that thing authors do when they go super-long without an update.

I graduated with an associate's degree in CAD, got a job, got laid off from that job after about six months, got a new, better job.

And other stuff happened but that's not important. What's important is that the new chapter is done and it's here, hot and fresh for you.

Oh, Also, "Hi" to any new DMC fans from the Netflix series. Welcome aboard.