Chapter Text
LUZ:
In a place of nowhere, squished between two realms that are timeless and hold all present and past reflections –the In Between– was a lone cloaked girl suspended over an endless ink lake of black. Bing hoisted up to an equally black lake suspended over the skie, the skie and ground being interchangeable, Luz hangs limp thinking about her promise she made with her mother. To abandon the realm of magic was soul crushing. But before she could contemplate the implication, a sound wiped through the cold, stale air.
SNAP
Feeling weightless, Luz looked up, only to see a snapped rope that was fairly frayed. Only being able to raise her hand, she fell backwards to the light absorbing lake. With her arm raised and cloak billowing out underneath her, she plummeted down, watching her only source of freedom slip into the ink roof. With a big splash Luz sunk into the waves, arm still outreached as it slowly got overtaken by the black cosmic ink. Leaving no trace of Luz.
…
..
.
Until Luz broke the surface of the ink, gasping for air. Unlike her last time phasing through the inky water she is now drenched in black oil. Her once purple cloak was now an oil blackish purple, looking like an oil spill. Her clothes no worse for wear. Gasping heavily, she rubs her face trying to clean off the oil only to spear it more. Finding herself alone with no way back home, the intrusive thoughts start to cloud her mind.
“he… ha… HAHAHAHA, way to go Luz, another fuck up for Luz the Luzer” Luz screaming to nowhere. With months of frustration finally getting to her. Only to slump in defeat, slamming a clenched hand into the lake and looking up, emotionally exhausted. “Heh, what I'll give to go back in time.”
With a ripple beneath her, a golden cube rises in front of Luz. Surprised, Luz slowly reaches out for the cube subconsciously. With a brush of her fingers she sees beyond the reflection.
Opening her eyes Luz finds herself back in her room. Seeing her empty room, she is confused, and her confusion only grows as she sees herself standing over her desk packing a bag.
“Um… hello?” Luz called out, confused. Her doppelganger ignored them as if they didn't exist. With no further responses catching the doppelganger’s attention she scanned the room more thoroughly. Finding her anime posters and art projects still there, stuff Vee packed away previously.
“Hija! You're going to be late for the bus!” Her mother yelled out from down stairs to the doppelganger who was almost finished packing, leaving only an Azura book on the desk left to pack. The pieces falling in place, Luz realizes she is in the past! Trapped, alone and lost, Luz sees this as her only way out. If she could warn this past Luz, she could fix all her mistakes, rewrite her past so she never trapped herself here in this stale world.
“H-hey Luz! Behind you! H-H-HELO!” Luz pleaded desperately with the start of tears in her eyes, waving her arms trying to get the other Luz’s attention. In desperation she slams her hands against the mirror, ringing it like a gong. Surprised by the sudden noise, the past Luz turned around looking for the source of the noise. Our Luz, surprised by the reaction, was stunned that she was able to make some sort of contact and now needed to form a plan. Relief flooded Luz’s system, but sadly didn't last.
“Hija! You’re gonna be late!”
“Si, Mama!” Past Luz shouted down to her mother. Faster than our Luz could react, she turned around and zipped her pack before turning around and rushing out the door. Snapping out of her she tries to bang her hands on the mirror again in a vain effort to stop her. But before she could, her tear filled eyes saw a lone Azura book, left alone on the desk. Luz only had time to widen her eyes before everything turned to white.
Waking up, Luz looked around to find herself in a crystal clear lake. Confused, she looked up only to find another lake reflected across the sky. Seeing a clean reflection of herself, she looks down and notices herself cleaned from the inky sludge, the only evidence of her previous state was her still black stained cloak, the purple barley being visible behind the cosmic goop. The once corrupted realm with cluttered golden cubes and degrading walls was now nothing but an endless clear lake, the water being so clear you could use it as a mirror.
Realizing she was still trapped, she calls out, desperate to see any familiar face. "Eda! King! Mama! Amity! Willow! Gus! Anybody..."
With no cube in sight, Luz holds herself, the loneliness suffocating. Pulling her hood down, she mutters one last broken sob, "...I just want to leave..."
With a familiar rippling effect, a light blue cube floated out of the mirror lake and gently shined on Luz. Raising her head, she was met with an unbelievable view. Surrounded by red trees and foliage familiar to the Boiling Isles with the moon shining brightly down on her through dark clouds that gently sprinkled heavy rain.
Hope rising, Luz looked down, only to be met with hands made out of light blue light. The moon light shining through the rain made a similar effect when she had her final conversation with her mother.
“H-hello?” Luz called out broken, not noticing the odd property of the rain.
It wasn't boiling…