Kelly paced back and forward nervously, it has been a whole hour since Marco was rushed into the operating room and the doctors haven't reported anything back since. She was getting really antsy as she bit her nails. She scanned the room and everyone looked equally as worried. Moon was sitting on the bench silently crying that her daughter has yet again disappeared and Hekapoo was busy consoling her. River rested against the wall with a worried expression on his face as he was deep in thought. Even Buff-Frog looked distressed as he sat on a nearby bench. Eclipsa and her husband had taken their leave earlier to look for spells that may assist the medical team in saving Marco. The door to the waiting room opened and closed as Kelly turned to see who entered. The blue haired girl's eyes immediately darkened as she clenched her fist and growled. It was the one person she didn't want to see. Everyone saw Kelly stomp over to the dark-haired girl and deliver a heavy hook straight to her jaw. Janna stumbled back clutching her jaw as Hekapoo rushed forward and grabbed the violent Kelly away from the girl.

"HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE HERE? YOU TWO-TIMING BITCH!" Kelly screamed as the demoness held her back, "WHERE DID YOU GO?" Kelly questioned.

"What the fuck are you talking about? And why did you hit me?" Janna replied as she rubbed her sore jaw.

"Don't play dumb! I saw the text you sent Marco to meet you in the forest! Now Star is gone and Marco is half dead! AND YOU WERE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!"

"I didn't send Marco anything this morning. I was literally sleeping in my house until I got the call from Hekapoo that Marco has been injured."

Kelly was about to explode. How could she stand there and lie through her teeth in front of everyone like that. Kelly lunged at Janna only to be pulled back by Hekapoo.

"You have to calm down, Kelly. Like now. Blaming somebody else is not going to help the situation at all right now." Hekapoo cut in as she held Kelly back from the poor girl.

Kelly was seething to the point that her entire body was shaking in anger. She tried to relax but she couldn't, not with Janna standing there with that dumb look on her face. Kelly yanked her arms away from the Magic Commission Member and stomped past Janna to the exit. She opened the door before stopping and quietly said,

"If I find out that you had ANYTHING to do with what happened today, I'll slit your throat and have Jorby rip you apart like a chew toy. Till then, stay out of my way."

When Kelly slammed the door behind her, the room was yet again filled with silence. Hekapoo went back to sit beside Moon who was skeptical about the situation that just unfolded in front of her. Janna sat on the bench across from them and sighed loudly before closing her eyes. Moon carefully watched the girl before deciding to stand up and sit by the lonely girl. The brown-haired girl ignored her sudden presence.

"Hello Janna."

"Not really in the mood to talk right now if you haven't noticed. And if you're here to kill me for something I didn't do then get in line." The girl coldly replied.

"Listen dear, if you know anything and I mean anything about what happened this morning now would be the time to speak freely." Moon continued as she put a hand on Janna's shoulder.

The girl opened her eyes and looked at the former queen mysteriously before speaking,

"If you missed it when Kelly asked me then I'll say it again, I do not know anything about texting Marco to meet in the woods." Janna sighed before pushing Moon's hand off her.

"Okay. Well that's all I need to hear. I believe you."

Marco heard beeping and voices as he came to, his head felt like somebody smashed it with a sledgehammer and he had no feeling in his limbs. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids were heavy. The boy groaned in frustration at his lack of strength and the voices got a little louder and more frantic. He tried again to open his eyes using all of his willpower to see and he managed to get them open. Marco blinked a couple times as his vision slowly came into focus. He saw people dressed in white around him. He tried to speak but no words came out. He heard their voices more clearly now and one was calling his name asking if he could hear them. He blinked rapidly in response and the surgeons smiled as they got back to work on removing some of the equipment off him. Marco felt his body get lighter and lighter as the medical team went to work, he felt them remove the oxygen mask last and he was finally able to use his mouth. He saw movies about how someone wakes up from an unplanned surgery, freaks out, and ends up going under again. The boy knew to stay calm. He couldn't remember exactly what happened but it wasn't a good thing.

"I'm in the hospital, huh?"

"Actually the medical bay of Monster Castle." one of the staffers said.

Marco realized that some of the medical team members were actually monsters.

"What happened?"

"We don't know we were hoping you can shine some light on it for us." one doctor stated.

"All we know is that you were in bad shape when we found you. Broken bones, gashes and cuts, magical damage, and a couple bruises. We manage to heal most of the damage but don't expect to be fighting anytime soon." Another doctor said.

"Hate to disappoint you, doc but I don't have time for bed rest. They took Star. And who knows what kind of fucked up shit they're putting her through. I gotta get her back."

"Actually hate to disappoint YOU, Marco. The doctors are right. You are in no shape to fight anything. We can't possibly send you through that portal, it would be a death sentence." Eclipsa spoke up from the door of the operating room.

Marco raised his head up to look at her and saw everyone peering in from behind the Queen.

"No disrespect to you, my lady, but I AM going through that portal and either I come back with Star or not at all."

"What about your injuries, Marco?"

"Father Time can fix them."

Eclipsa stared at the hardened gaze on the boy's face in amusement before speaking,

"Well if you truly think you have a plan then you'll be released to do as you please after a couple short tests. Dr. Belkin, please promptly release the boy after you're finished." and with that the Queen exited the room.

Everyone stared at the Queen in shock as she left the room, nobody expected her to release the boy so soon. Moon and Hekapoo ran after the Queen and River solemnly nodded at Marco before taking his leave as well. The doctors gave the remaining visitor five minutes alone with Marco so they can go retrieve their testing equipment.

"Damn you don't look so hot." Janna said as she sat down on a nearby chair.

"Ha. I don't feel so hot either."

"Kelly's blaming me for this whole thing."

"Well? Is she right in doing so?"

"What? No! Despite what you think Marco, you and Star are my best friends. I would never betray you guys." Janna protested.

"Good cause I'm going to need you to do me a favor. I need you to figure out who the traitor is while I'm getting Star back. I need to know that someone is not reporting back every move we make. The faster the better. Trust no one, not even me after we part ways. If you find out who the traitor is then write it down and put it in my house, preferably my room. Are we clear?" Marco explained quickly.

"Crystal." Janna replied and with that she walked out of the room to begin her mission.

Marco sighed and closed his eyes slowly, he had no clue who the traitor was but he believed that Janna could figure it out.

"How could you tell Eclipsa that Father Time would heal you, when I specifically told you that he was out doing errands?"

Marco looked at the blue man and shrugged.

"What was I supposed to tell her? That we're fucked?"

Glossaryck poofed a bottle of mysterious blue liquid into Marco's hand and the boy studied the vial meticulously.

"There you go. A little parting gift from Father Time himself. It's not as strong as the original but it'll heal you enough to let you swing that sword. Gulp that down so we can go rescue the princess."

Marco nodded and chugged the slimy liquid down and closed his eyes. He instantly started to feel the effects of the potion. He felt rejuvenated as strength surged through his veins. The boy ripped the IV and wires off of him and threw his legs over the side of the bed to stand. When Marco took his first steps he felt like he might black out again but after hanging onto the wall and stabilizing his balance, he was able to walk on his own after a few minutes. Marco grabbed his sword and slapped his shield bracelet onto his hand. He limped out of the room and through the halls trying to find his way up to the throne room. The boy climbed up the stairs at the end of the hall and stumbled into the main hallway. He looked around for anyone as he rushed to his destination. In the throne room Marco found Moon, Hekapoo, Eclipsa and Kelly engaged in a heated conversation. They noticed him enter the room and looked at him in silence. Kelly was overwhelmed with joy as she ran up and hugged the boy. She started to tear up as she saw her best friend alive and well.

"Marco! I was so wo-"

"No time, Kelly. I got to go find Star." Marco interjected as he pulled back from the hug and walked towards Eclipsa and the waiting purple portal.

The boy felt someone grab his hand and he turned to see Kelly with tears in her eyes. He felt his heart drop.

"Marco wait! We can't just go! Not in your condition! Are you crazy? You'll die!" Kelly ranted.

"That's your first mistake. You're NOT coming."

"What?"

"Kelly I need you to stay here and protect the royals. We don't know when the next attack will be and the royal guards are not enough to defend the castle from some of the threats we've faced. I need to know that I have someone who I can rely on to hold down the fort. Please Kelly! I'll be careful, it'll be quick in and out. Trust me." Marco explained.

Kelly couldn't believe what she was hearing. Marco wanted to go alone? When he almost died like four hours ago? She almost laughed at how ridiculous this plan was, but she held her tongue and nodded.

"In and out, okay? You're lucky you're cute. And if ANYTHING happens, please call me!"

"Haha okay. Well I don't know if my phone service extends to other dimensions but I'll think of something." He joked and hugged Kelly tight before resuming his walk toward the Queen.

"I assume everything went well with Father Time then, Marco." Eclipsa stated sternly.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"We had some knights scout out the area outside the portal and they reported that it brings you in the middle of a forest. They confirmed there were no monsters in the immediate area but heard some roars in the distance. I'm guessing you have a plan for when you get there so I won't keep you."

"Thank you, Eclispa. This means a lot. And Moon? I will bring Star back, you have my word."

Moon smiled and nodded at the boy as Hekapoo winked at him. Marco waved one last time to Kelly and walked towards the portal.

"Oh and Marco?" The queen called out, "Please do be careful."

Marco grinned and gave a thumbs up before walking into the bright purple haze.

When the brown haired boy landed, he ran to the cover of a tree and scanned his surroundings. It was dawn and light was very scattered as the sun crawled out from behind the horizon. Marco listened for any noises and heard nothing but the sounds of the forest. He crouch-ran from tree to tree to keep his presence concealed. The trained knight kept his head on a swivel to survey his surroundings. He reached the edge of the forest within minutes and came to a burned village. Marco recoiled in disgust as he smelled the stench of dead bodies, it reminded him of Annebelle's dimension when they came across pillaged villages. He continued into the destroyed town and searched for any signs that detailed where the castle was. Marco was about to give up when he spotted a burned sign from across the ruined street. He rushed over and saw arrows pointing North with a picture of a castle. He studied the sign for any other details but began to walk away when he saw none. The boy's ears perked up at the slight sound of wood cracking under weight. He also picked up the "whoosh" of wind and Marco wasted no time drawing his sword and spinning to his right as he sliced through the side of a figure that flew past him.

"I'm getting really tired of people sneaking up on me." Mark barked as he stood in a defensive stance.

The figure was a girl with black hair flowing down her back and an equally black mask over her face. He noticed the all black attire she wore, even donning a night-black cape. She wielded a massive scythe with a wicked sharp dark silver blade. This screamed servant of the Queen of Darkness. He didn't have time to fuck around. Marco rushed forward, dodging underneath her swing and thrusting his blade forward. She pulled her weapon back, flipping it to catch the boy's blade on her curved one. The unknown warrior spun her scythe with her hands in a defensive circle, forcing the boy to jump back on defense. She held the scythe behind her body as she dashed forward to keep the boy on defense. Marco smiled as she fell into his trap, he sliced a wood post beside him that held together a house roof. The building collapsed as the warrior jumped back in time to avoid the debris, but when the rubble crashed; it created a cloud of smoke and dust. That was all Marco needed to make his escape. The boy made a mad dash towards the sign he saw earlier and crested the hill it was on. He didn't look back as he ran down the street in the direction of the castle, Marco could see a menacing building wrapped in black and gold in the distance. He didn't make it far when something exploded behind him and sent him flying into a nearby tree. He wheezed as he laid on his back with the air knocked out of his lungs. He rolled onto his side to see who had attacked him and groaned when he saw the same figure walking towards him with her weapon in hand. He slowly got to his feet and drew his sword for battle again. He could feel his sore muscles screaming to stop, but Marco raised his sword to collide with the blade of her scythe. They traded blows for several minutes, neither letting up to let the other hit their attacks. The opponents were locked in a stalemate but Marco couldn't keep this up forever. He realized that when she gave him a gash across his chest. He was slowing and missing his blocks, which gave the warrior the opportunity to hit her attacks. She released a flurry of spinning attacks from her curved blade before slamming the end of the pole against Marco's chest, knocking him on his back again. Marco was bested again in combat and it pissed him off like the training didn't help at all. He was never at his 100 percent, always jumping into battles without time to rest. He was tired of constantly losing and yet he was on the ground waiting to die by the hands of this random chick.

"Fuck you, bitch. Do your worst."

The warrior raised her scythe above her head and was about to finish Marco off when a voice called out.

"ORDONIA STOP!"

The warrior froze in her tracks as a familiar looking man ran to her side and made her lower the weapon. Marco widened his eyes and gasped at the man before him.

"Tom?"

AUTHOR's NOTE: Hey ladies and gents I am sorry for missing a day on chapters but I had some personal family things to deal with. So please forgive me. Tomorrow we will be back on schedule, hopefully. So we got introduced to more characters outside of the portal and both of them should sound very familiar. Next chapter we'll take a peek at Star's situation. Read and Review to let me know what you think!