Chapter 4: Nothing Is Forever

A/N: I wanna give a shoutout to SonicEITE who has been giving me positive reviews since the beginning. I want to let him know that I do read what he has to say.

Justine wrapped Tom's left hand as he sat up. After two days, he finally woke up. When Ro and Marco appeared with Tom through a portal, Devi was pissed. She had to admit, though, it took courage to go down in the Underworld. Plus, she must've not gotten caught, considering that there haven't been any messages from the council. Still, the girl had woken up in the middle of the night, screaming. Justine had to give her a mild herbal sedative to calm her down for the night. She left the next day for school, and only came for private lessons. She didn't say much, but she did listen, which was a change from her normal attitude. Tom, on other hand, woke up in excruciating pain. His injuries were extensive; all his fingernails were ripped off his let hand, and two on his right. His face sustained bruising from Mirwena's punches, and possibly an ogre's right hook. His right arm and left leg were splashed with holy water and looked like second-degree burns. Screws were implanted in his ankles to keep him from running. Being a demon, he was healing, but he was healing at a rapid rate around the injuries, making everything more painful. Still, if it weren't for his demon DNA, he would be even more crippled than the normal human from extensive injuries.

Tom swallowed his dry throat as he looked at the bandages. The anti-magic cuffs were still on his writs. Justine said they needed to keep them on because he was crying out in pan throughout the night while sleeping. He had no control over his nightmares and he could've burned the whole place down. Justine handed him an herbal mixture that he drank down quickly. It tasted awful, but it kept his body sustained during the day. "You can't eat solid foods right now." She said, " Mirwena's been feeding you dragon's flower. With the cuffs, you probably couldn't taste it. Anyway, you need to rest in order to heal. I did an extensive surgery last night."
Tom nearly spat out the rest of his herbal drink. "Surgery?!" he croaked

"Your body was a complete wreck. Another day or two, you would've been dead. You were lucky that Marco and Ro were able to bust you. Anyway, last night should be he last of your surgeries. Get some rest. I'll be back to chck on you later."
When the door shut, Tom laid back in the soft bed. It was strange, no flames, no screams of the dead, and he wasn't even wearing his own boxers. He tried not to think about where they came from, or the pajama pants, because they definitely weren't Egyptian cotton. As he shut his eyes, his mind kept replaying the last six months, and the extensive torture he went through. Whoever that fake Star was, he regretted whatever abusive treatment he gave her. It was no excuse being under psychological torture. Still, she seemed inhuman, considering how much she kept coming back for more. Then there was the physical torture. The first day he was in Mirwena's study she began asking basic demonarian questions. Then, came the advanced questions. Finally, she said that she was going to quiz him on the the history of the four kingdoms. Every question he got wrong, she hit him with a spiked whip. Then, there were questions about other kingdoms, such as Mewni. She enjoyed cutting his toes off whenever he got a calculus question wrong. Sure they grew back, but demons didn't lose limbs unless they were powerless.

The walk back to his cell the second day was extremely painful. Still, he wouldn't give any lesser beings the satisfaction of seeing him in pain. Fake Star made everything worse, asking for sexual favors, which made him angry. The third week in, she asked him questions about royal families again, and this time, she began ripping his fingernails off with a machine that she could just slam her fist down onto. Every single moment of torture, from the nails hammered into his back, from jabbing holey knives into his eye sockets, every moment of growing back limbs, he could remember. His mind then replayed the night he was rescued, which was right after Mirwena decided to stick a holy knife in his knee, but then stopped trying to pop off his kneecap when she received an important message from someone. Being slammed into that bed, it was almost if the trolls wanted him to die. He couldn't see, but he could hear voices, one of which sounded familiar. An incubus had turned him over and examined his wounds. He then remembered the voice…Marco…Star's boyfriend. The succubus said that her potion was going to wear off soon, or at least, he must have heard it when they got to this location. She said that she was sorry for being impulsive, but not for saving his life.

Tom could hear voices hours later, waking him up. "I'll try not to bother him." Said the familiar voice

Tom turned over to see a teen walking in the room. She was wearing what looked like a white wig, but she had dark skin and brown eyes, and also wore what looked like a doll's outfit. She rolled her eyes as she shut the door and took her small hat off Her spider/purse crawled form her hip to the dresser. She patted it a bit and it made a squeaking noise. "I don't' think I'll turn you back." She said, "Though, I wonder how I'm going to take care of you and my familiar when I get one."

She laid a pile of books on the dresser and summoned a portal. "Stupid Ersca Coven bitches…" she muttered, "Always get away with murder."

Tom sat up slowly as he watched the witch go back and forth through the portal. She had what humans called a laptop and a duffel bag. Back turned, not even looking at him, she raised a leg and began taking her thigh-hi's off. Tom gulped nervously and cleared his throat. Even though he was a demon, and seeing a nude woman shouldn't bother him, he wasn't sure how this witch would react to him seeing her naked, especially after what happened with Mirwena. She looked at him in shock. She stopped mid-roll and blinked, looking at his bare, purple chest. "How are you feeling?" she asked

"Better." He answered, "You sound familiar."
"Well I should I helped you escape."

Tom blinked a few times and thought back to the escape. "You don't look like a succubus." He said

"I used a very strong transmutation potion. I worked like…well, magic."

"The incubus was a potion too?"
"Yeah. Marco aid it tasted great so I at least perfected the taste."

"Marco? Wait…Starship's…boyfriend…"
She sighed and folded her eyes. She could see the hurt and probably humiliation in his face. "Look," she started, "Star was worried about you…as a friend. Well maybe closer than a friend but not a boyfriend. Anyway, as much as she's pissed at you, she's not cold-hearted. Marco would do anything to make her happy, even if it means going down to the Underworld with his witch cousin, and nearly getting caught in the process. From what Marco's told me, she still cares, just not as much. Trust me when I say him saying something abut his girlfriend's ex is a lot. "
"…he must be a great guy…"
"Tom, he's the Safety Kid."
"Safety kid?"
"He's always looking for the safest route. Nothing about him spells 'danger'."
"Oh."
"Can you do me a favor?"
"Yeah."
"Can you please put a shirt on? The succubi essence is still my system. Unlike the Safety kid, I'm not related to you."

"How did he get that title?"
"Just put a damn shirt on!"

Marco sneezed as he went to take out the popcorn from the microwave. He just cleaned the kitchen and there should be no dust. Shrugging, he went into the living room while Star thought about what to watch for movie night. Sure, they could've went into either's room, but ever since the two of them started dating, they both agreed to watch movies in the living room so that Mrs. Diaz would stop 'accidentally' walking on them not doing anything. Marco established this after they were watching Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. All he did was cuddle Star and his mother went 0 to 10 in a split-second. The sex talk made everything worse that night. "Are we going to watch Quentin Taratino movies?" asked Star, happily
"Uh…I'm not sure I want to watch that after being down in the Underworld. How about something else…Star Wars?"

"What's Star Wars?"
"…you're kidding, right?"
"No."
"Right, we just started this movie night thing. Star Wars is an epic battle against the Sith. The Jedi Knights…wait, Jedi, Episodes 1 to 3 didn't happen. We're watching 4 to 6."

"Why not Episodes 1-3."
"It never happened."
"But-?"
"It never happened."

"…ok?"
"You'll thank me someday."

Marco set up the Roku Box to play Star Wars Episode. As he did, Star snuggled up to him. Mr. and Mrs. Diaz were back, and currently watching them from afar. Mr. Diaz was in the office, but there was no sign of Mrs. Diaz. She did awkwardly ask what happened to her Halloween costume, but neither teen would answer her. She got suspicious, but she then retorted that Star couldn't wear anything in her size. That made Marco shove out his mother. "Why does the show have a long intro?" asked Star

"It's explaining episodes 1 to 3 in a nutshell."

"It's gong by too fast and I can't see the small letters."
"I'll tell you the abridged version later."

Stuntman Mike was currently getting chased by three females in a 1970 Dodge Challenger. Tom grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it in his mouth. Ro claimed that Quentin Taratino was a genius filmmaker, but he wasn't sure how. There weren't any movies in the Underworld, but dark memories that could be replayed by everyone. He didn't even care for things like that, especially when Star came in his life. She showed him that there was more to life than creating misery for others, and what she was opinionated on meant a lot to him. She was a wonderful girl, and his heart sank every time he thought about how he abused the fake Star. The sound of sinister music began playing and Ro jumped up from her seat on the floor. "Shit!" she said

She paused the video and slid the phone to answer. "Hi, Mom." She said

"Darling," started her mother, "I just got an email that you're not attending St. Augustine's anymore and you transferred out. Care to explain this?"
"Oh? Uh….yeah, I took a semester off to attend Ozma Academy."
"Yes, I saw something about that. Funny, I don't see Ozma Academy anywhere on the internet."

"Yeah well, it's a special program for gifted kids. No internet there, no forms of technology, well…some…but, it's plain study. I'll be getting a leg-up from the other St. Augustine girls."
"Hmm…I'll have to interview the headmaster when I get back. Remember, we have to stick to the plan so that you get into Spellman."

"I know Mom. I texted dad about Ozma Academy and he was thrilled at the idea of me going to a special school."
"Of course he was. The free-thinking fool never planned to called me about this. Well anyway, I was planning on being back in a few weeks but, it seems like the project is taking longer than expected. I may be gone for over a year. I don't like leaving you alone for such an extended period of time. Can you stay at your grandmother's for a while?"

"What about Aunt Angie? She could-"

"Absolutely not! You know your Aunt's not capable of even watching her own son, let alone you. What?...hold on…Unbelievable, Rochelle, I have to go."

The phone clicked off and Ro groaned. "Rochelle?" asked Tom, "Your name's Rochelle?"

"The only people that call me that are my parents." She said, "Let's get back to the movie, it's almost over."

As the movie kept playing, she at down and began eating popcorn. It was then Tom thought about earlier when she changed into the tank top that read 'Studio Killers'. "You never explained who Studio Killers are." Said Tom

"After the movie." She said

Tom studied her face for a moment. She looked stressed, but she was clearly trying to let go of something. When the girls got Stuntman Mike out the car, he was pleased with the roundtable of punches he was getting to the face. The roundhouse kick looked especially painful as he fell to the ground. "So…" started Tom, "your Mom."
"She's uptight." Said Ro, "Ever since Mom and Dad split, Mom's had me on this 'plan' to make me the ace student. What she doesn't know is, I aced all my classes, I was just hanging around St. Augustine's for attendance purposes. I'm part of the gifted class, our semester ended early."
"Your parents split?"
"Yeah, I was young when it happened. But, my Dad's way more open-minded than Mom. Wanna watch something else?"
"I dunno. I kinda want to get to know you more."
"Why?"
"I felt like it. I don't see star, I can't go anywhere without getting the okay from Justine."
"Right. I probably should've played the entire Grindhouse series. I gotta go through tutoring in a few minutes."

"Because you're a High Witch."
"Yeah. We can talk more when I get back. Here, let me put on Planet Terror. It does chronologically happen after Death Proof."

She typed in a few words on her laptop and left the room Going down the hall, she began to think about how she was going to explain all of this witch activity to her mother. This wasn't in the plan. "Screw the plan.." she muttered

"What?" asked Devi

"Nothing. Just…talking to my mother."

"Did you tell her about the fact that you're now a High Witch?"
"No."
"Rochelle."
"I didn't get a chance to. Mom works off the grid a lot. Our conversations are usually…stagnant."

Devi adjusted her sunglasses and leaned against her desk. "I see…" she started, "anyway, your next lesson will be elemental magic. You never know when you're going to need it. Back in the 1900s, I needed it to cover myself in the dead of night when travelling. When you don't age like me, people get suspicious when they've known you for over 50 years."

Toffee went over paperwork like it was nothing to him. Mirwenas's deal made him the king of a royal family, which meant work. On the side, was the job of getting other dark witches out of jail. The light prison that kept them was all but impenetrable. When Mirwena was locked up, she made a bond with two other witches, Ameila Dyer a witch from Earth, and Sevigny, a with from Ersca He wasn't sure why she needed to have the other two witches with her, but it had something to do with whatever plan she had for the Grand High Witch. Toffee shuddered a bit. Magic was never something he wanted to deal with. Going down the list of things the king needed to do, snuffing out a rebellion should be easy. But, a neighboring kingdom was trying to flex it's muscles in wake of the former Queen's death. That particular issue was going to take strategy, and a lot of political know-how. Mirwena created a portal to phase into the room. She yawned and sat in a chair across from her. Her hair was a mess, but she always wore an outfit in good taste. "I actually enjoyed sleeping." She said, "I haven't done that in 50 years."
"My guess is that it had something do with the incubus visiting you last night?" asked Toffee

"Probably." She answered, "It is normal to have a succubus or incubus on hand, you know."
"A Queen needs to be regal to her people."
"I'm a Demon Queen, regality doesn't mean that much down here."
"Mirwena, we need to show that we're not a lackadaisical kingdom and a force to be reckoned with."
"Why do you think I wanted you to get my girls out?"

"That takes time. You need to think about long-term goals."
"You mean an heir? I was planning on producing an heir with Tom after I broke him, but the little bastard escaped. But, there are plenty of other demons that can do the job and keep their mouths shut."

"You mean you kill them?"
"Acutally, no. I haven't felt the need to kill right now. They haven't done anything to annoy me…except for that one incubus."
"…right. We also have a problem with a neighboring kingdom that needs to be handled politically."
"So I can't outright kill them?"
"Not if we don't want to start war. Luckily, I'm assembling spies as we speak.
"What do you need me to do?"

"Nothing at the moment. Our enemies will assemble, and I'll need you to attend meetings with me when they do. For now, focus on producing an heir."
"We also have to find a way to deal with the Mewni royal family."

"I thought that was your vendetta."
"Yes, but the Mewni royal family, particularly the females, are one of the dominant holders of light magic."
"Do you mean Star Butterfly? She's using rookie magic. After what I did to Luna, I doubt her mother lets her do anything powerful."

"Don't underestimate your enemy. You killed Moon's sister. A mother would do anything to protect their child."

Mirwena said nothing and left the room. Toffee sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, something he couldn't do before. His mind reeled back to when he was a child. The hand that lost a finger wasn't there anymore. He couldn't let the Mewni royal family get away with what was done with him. He was going to get rid of all that power, one way or another.

Both Moon and Star sneezed at the same time. They looked around the courtyard, but nothing was setting of their allergies. "Oh dear." Said Moo, "I hope we haven't caught anything in that pocket dimension."
"I don't so." Said Star, "Why are you calling me to Mewni for private magic lessons?"

"Because, with Mirwena running around, I think its time for you to learn more advanced spells."
"You already taught me the whispering spell. Plus, I know to amplify regular spells."
"I know dear and… considering when Marco got captured and your emotional outburst at that. Then, there's the whispering spell. You need to learn advanced spells and learn to control your emotions."
"Marco likes my emotions."
"That's good, but you need to learn control. As a future Queen of Mewni, your powers will continue to grow. No matter who becomes your King, you will hold the true power in the kingdom."

"If Marco's king, I don't think he'll mind me holding the true power."

"Dear, nothing lasts forever. How do you know that you'll be marrying Marco?
"I feel it in my heart."
"That's no guarantee you'll be marrying Marco. All Queens to be have to look into the Astral Mirror on their 18th birthday."
Star looked crestfallen at the news. She loved Marco. Who would replace him? Moon and Star stopped at Princess Luna's Memorial Garden. This was erected shortly after the Princess' death. Moon created it in her grief in one day while pregnant with Star. As the two of them walked through the garden, Star noticed all the multicolored flowers, and the few animals that lived here. In the center of the garden was a statue of Luna. She looked like an older version of Star, except she didn't have horns, nor did she have a simple dress like she wore. Luna wore full armor and had a wand. On her belt was a sword. Star looked down at her wind. "Did Aunt Luna use this?" she asked

"No." answered Moon, "Luna was a rare birth and her own wand had to be made. The Butterfly Family usually has only one girl, and multiple boys. Luna was a third known incident of second born girls. She was trained for knighthood while I was training to be ruler."
"Where's her wand?"

Moon stopped walking with her daughter and froze. When Star reached the fountain, she turned and realized her mother was gone. "Mom?" she asked

Gong back, she saw her mother clutching her stomach and was shaking. "Mom?" asked Star

"I was supposed to die…" she muttered, "You got in the way."
"Mom? Are you-"

"Moon, go away!"
"Mom, you're scaring me."
Moon's hair fell, and she looked at Star in fear.

Marco was bored. Star was gone for a few days to train with her mother. Angie was happy, because she could spend quality time with her son. Rafael was working in the garage. The both of them are taking care of the dishes for lunch. Angie was washing and Marco was doing the drying. Of course, she used this opportunity to begin asking awkward questions to Marco. "So," she started, "did anything interesting happen while we were gone?"
"We didn't have sex." Said Marco

"Who said anything about sex?"
"Mom."
"Ok, so maybe I'm fishing. You're going to be a senior this year. Did you put your applications for college?"
"Some."
"Marco, you can't spend all your time fighting monsters with Star."
"I know."
"You said you wanted to go to school for psychology. You already scheduled your SATs."
"I know."
"Marco, we just want the best for you. The only way to become a Psychologist is to go to college. Are you sure that you-"

"Mom, I know what I'm doing. I know you're concerned because you gave up your full ride scholarship in your sophomore year to have me but, Star's not going to be a distraction."
"Of course she isn't. I love having her around, but sometimes you have to-"

Marco's pony ringtone started up and Angie gave him a look. He smiled sheepishly and looked at the caller ID: Ro. "It's Cousin Ro." He said

Angie's face lifted a bit. "I haven't heard from hear in a while." She said, "Answer it."

"It's a text."
"What does it say?"
"Uh…I think Aunt Ruth may be calling."

Angie's face upturned into a look of annoyance. Marco looked away for a moment. Aunt Ruth and his mother haven't gotten along since he was 10. He heard his mother sigh and go back to the dishes. "Alright." She said, "At least I get a heads up this time. What kind of things is Ro up to anyway?"
"Um…" started Marco, "Would you believe it if I told you she was a witch?"