Aflame

Chapter 24

The Awful truths of Earthni

Janna was having a very good day.

And yes, this is likely a surprising thing to hear. After all, not a single person other than her in all of Earthni could have the same said of them. There wasn't a shred of happiness in the streets, in private, or anywhere else you could think of. The mood was dark and gloomy, and would stay that way for quite a while.

But not Janna.

True, the day had started off as bad. She had to deal with the fallout of the explosion like everyone else. Her house's windows were shattered, of course, and there were a few holes in the sides of it where microscopic pieces of rock landed, eventually coming to rest in her living room couch, an inch from her parents' faces.

And then after that, she went to the meeting, said some stuff, came up with a plan about how to invade the Underworld, and then went home. But later on, trying to get sleep was impossible. Everyone was freaking out, but because of her injuries, which were still a long way away from healing, Janna was unable to safely go outside. Or assist her parents in cleaning anything up. So, she did what she did best: Do things she wasn't supposed to. Early in the morning, she snuck out of the house, planning on visiting the Monster Temple. It took hours to get there, but not just because of her wounds and crutches. No, she was carrying the gigantic book that Tom had loaned her, filled with all sorts of juicy demon secrets. She was doing this because she had been interrupted a while back, when she was explaining a bunch of things from the book to Eclipsa. But then the whole thing with Marco happened, then the explosion, and well...you get the idea.

But now she intended to finish that discussion they were having. Janna was fully aware that the Queen probably had a lot on her hands at the moment, but if anything, she could talk to Globgor. She had already seen several of his soldiers, after all, patrolling the streets and alerting people that the Temple was open to all who seemed sanctuary. Sadly, none of them offered to carry her book for her, but Janna didn't care. As long as there was someone there that could help her with this so they could brainstorm a way to finally fix all their problems, she'd be just fine. Heck, even Archibald would do, who could just write some stuff down for them.

But…

Then more terrible things happened. She arrived there and started chatting with Globgor, only for the news of the mess going down at the hospital to come in. Long story short, Globgor left, Janna followed him, saw Bren get beaten to a bloody paste, and took his finger which had been lying conveniently on the ground. All in all, a total disaster.

Or at least it would have been.

Because unbeknownst to the others, the finger that Janna snatched was more important than any of them could have imagined at the moment. She was back at her house now, in her room, with a tray full of random liquids and objects splayed out in front of her. Some were filled with blood. Some were filled with things any person could pick up a grocery store. And some contained liquids that Janna was sure were the last in existence.

And she definitely intended to put them to good use.

And in the center of it all?

Why, the finger she picked up, of course, lying on a miniature metal pedestal with a microscope hanging over it. The same finger that Janna had been studying and looking at for almost an hour, picking off the samples of it that she needed. It had taken a while, but eventually, she got all the pieces she required. A stray hangnail there, a small slice of flesh here, a bone shard way over there, all very standard stuff. It was all part of her master plan to save the town and possibly find a way to defeat Bren, whether he had green eyes or not.

And she really needed to get on that.

For Janna had a secret you see. (Well, several, but we're talking about one here.)

It had been one she had been keeping for a very long time (two days), and it was the hardest secret she ever had to keep in her life.

But enough with the vague descriptions, let's let the words speak for themselves.

"So." She said, seemingly to no one in particular. "You're back. And don't try to deny it, I can feel you're here. Say something."

"Ah…" The Fire-god said. "You are good at sensing me. Even the first time, before I introduced myself, you somehow managed to-"

"Quit it," Janna demanded. "The fact that you're here at all means something happened that involves your whole "successor process". Are you going to try to offer me that job again? I told you I'd think about it after you gave me that not-so-cryptic warning to keep silent about our meeting." She sighed and turned back to the finger. "Still can't believe I'm even talking with you after all you've done…"

"Really? Now that's surprising." The Fire-god said. "I thought a person like you would be jumping for joy at the opportunity to work with a god, no matter what god that may be."

"Believe it or not, but I actually care about this town and my friends," Janna said. "One of which you've caused great damage to, the other you've killed several of. I knew a few of those knights that went to the mansion that day, you know. Made acquaintances with them when I visited Mewni. They were weird, and boastful, and prideful, but I still liked them. The way they did things and how they handled problems. And now they're dead because of you. I'm still not happy about that."

The Fire-god sighed. "Is this Janna I'm talking to right now, or just an imposter?" He asked rhetorically. "I told you before. Bren blew them up, not me."

"And who was possessing him at the time, I wonder?"

"It wasn't like that. Not like how it was with Marco. He was still…" It started, before groaning. "I'm not doing this again, Janna. We can argue all we want later. You're right. I'm here because there has been an update on the whole successor thing."

"Then give it to me or stop wasting my time," Janna said. "You know what I told you the first time you came running to me like a child, begging for help. If you're going to visit me, I want those visits to be quick and easy."

"You disrespectful…" The Fire-god started. "First off, I did not come to you begging for help. I merely came to offer you an opportunity, assuming you're still alive by the end of all of this, and in the unlikely chance that Bren fails to kill you all."

"Playing every side, aren't you?"

"No. Just planning for every possibility." The Fire-god said. "You should understand why I would do something like that. You like to be in complete control of the situation too. Isn't that the real reason you got yourself involved in this mess again, instead of sitting home and doing nothing? Because you want things to be sitting comfortably under your thumb again?"

"There's more to it than that." Janna scoffed. "If you knew me as well as you claimed, then maybe your retorts would hit a little closer to home. But you don't, so they're not. Next time at least try to listen to what I'm saying before you attempt a snappy comeback."

"...Enough of this." The Fire-god said. "This is the news I came to deliver, Janna. Bren is no longer under the green-eyed state. He is back to his "old" self and is continuing his plans."

"Really? That didn't last very long…" Janna mumbled.

"Yes, well, he was vastly inferior to his predecessor/successor." The Fire-god said. "It didn't take long for him to lose control of the situation. And by "didn't take long", I mean he never had control in the first place."

"And why should I care about this?" Janna asked. "I mean, I'm probably going to call Eclipsa soon and tell her that now that I know, from an anonymous source of course, but why does this have anything to do with you wanting to pick me as a successor?"

"Because it means that the position is no longer open as of this very moment." The Fire-god said. "I'm sure you knew that when Bren's eyes turned green and he was no longer possessed, that a slot opened up for the title of immediate successor. However, bury any emotions you had about that, as it is no longer an option. Just thought I'd let you know, in case you were about to ask if you could have the job."

"Okay, one, I actually didn't know that. I was too busy with this finger. Two, even if I did, I wouldn't care. I'm still on the fence about this whole thing. Three, I would never ask you for the job. A job like that, something that will become a lifetime of work, is not a job I want to have to ask for. It's one I want to earn, if anything. Once I earned it, you can appear to me and say that I have done enough to get it." Janna requested. "And then I will make my decision if I want it or not."

"...What?" The Fire-god asked. "What do you mean earn? The fact that I offered it to you at all already means you earned it. There is nothing else you have to do besides say yes."

"That's not true." Janna pointed out. "I also have to survive the crusade of your current proxy, may I remind you. And if I remember correctly, I'm not that high on his list of favorite people. In fact, I'm right at the bottom, down there with Star and Moon."

"That can be changed." The Fire-god said. "If you say yes, I can give you immortality. Make you immune to dying. You can still get injured, but your soul will never leave this plane of existence."

"So then Bren can cut me into a thousand little pieces and I'll be conscious and aware of it the whole time and forever afterward?" Janna scoffed, before taking a deep breath. "No thank you. Immortality is overrated. If I wanted to make myself immortal, I would have done it when magic was still around. I had plenty of opportunities after all…"

"Quite." The Fire-god said. "But that can be remedied. I can simply make a new body for you, just like that. Easy as pie. You will be brought back with no sign of your former injuries, and everything will be fine."

"Except for my mental state," Janna said. "If that's how you're gonna do things, I'm going to end up like Marco. Traumatized and sitting in the dark, haunted by the pain and agony that you put him through."

"He'll be fine...long term." The Fire-god claimed. "All he needs is some love from his precious Star. She's the antidote for his whole mental mess. He hasn't seen her in a very long time, and he needs his fix."

"A very long time? Dude, it's been a day or two since he last saw her, at most, to my knowledge." Janna said.

"Like I said, a very long time." The Fire-god replied. "But you needn't worry about Marco. He will be alright. He may be a husk of his former self right now, but all he needs to do is get back into it, hang out with Butterfly, beat Bren, all the things that will make him happy. He spent sixteen years in the most dangerous dimension in this multiverse, after all. If that didn't traumatize him permanently, then nothing here will."

"Not so sure about that," Janna said. "From what I heard, what you put him through was straight torture. Something no one should be able to survive. And he didn't. He died because of this, beaten to death, and I'm pretty sure that his experiences in the Neverzone, dangerous as it may be, don't add up to literally dying."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic." The Fire-god said. "Hundreds of humans throughout history have died and been brought back through magical means. And some of their deaths were even more violent and gruesome than his."

"But were they as long?" Janna asked. "As drawn-out?"

"...Some of them." The Fire-god replied.

"And did they recover eventually, happy as could be?"

"...Some of them." The Fire-god repeated. "And I believe Marco will too. He is strong enough to get through this one way or another. It's like I said. all he needs is some time. Some therapy. The things that make him happy. Yes, the memories will remain, and the nightmares may never stop...but say that every day he wakes up from those nightmares lying next to Star, and instantly he's cured for the entire day. Simple as that. There will never be a perfect permanent solution. But there will always be ways for his life to become normal again."

"Really," Janna said, slamming some vials down on her desk and almost cracking them. "Well, riddle me this, mister everything's-going-to-get-better, what if Star dies? He'll be waking up to nobody! Nobody to comfort him! Nobody to help him! Nobody to do anything! You're just hoping for the best here! Really, at this point, and I hate saying this but this is the conclusion I've come to, the odds that both of them will survive this little crisis is getting increasingly thin by the day." She explained. "If Star dies, then it's like I told you. Marco stays depressed forever and will only get worse. And that's the end of his story. But if Marco dies, again, then Star will likely go on a rampage before breaking down. I'm sure you saw her at the hospital. She was prepared to stab a doctor with a needle just so she could leave and destroy the Sanctuary." Janna sighed and placed both her hands on her desk before leaning back in her chair, staring blankly up at the ceiling. "So I personally think that the end result of this situation will either be Marco going into a depressed downwards spiral to which he can never return from, or Star going on a rampage before likely crying nonstop for the rest of her life. Or Bren just kills us all. So three options. But...that's what I think this is going to come to."

"...This is interesting." The Fire-god said. "This is unlike you. I cannot remember the last time you got so involved in a problem. When you were worried. Look at you! You're practically sweating over this! It's incredibly interesting how after all the things you've seen, that this crisis is what caused you to finally and really put yourself out there, instead of constantly standing by the sidelines. I...I'm not sure I can get used to this...although it would certainly be a better personality for you to adopt if you become a successor."

"Is that right?" Janna asked. "Well, I'm going to give you the same answer I gave all those Royals. There are only so many people you can watch die and buildings burn before you decide that "you have to stop this. You have to get involved. Otherwise, the next person lying dead on the street will be you". That is my mindset. Maybe this is unlike me. But I'm only doing it because it's necessary. I've lived in this town my whole life. I'm not going to see it turned to ash by someone like him."

"Then agree to be my successor." The Fire-god said. "How about this, Janna. I'm going to make you a bit of a deal. One that will work out for everyone except Bren. He is getting tiresome after all. Even if I manage to repossess him...our little partnership might not last. New allies must be chosen. New followers must become full-on worshippers. This dimension must become the epicenter for my new church, so my existence can continue-"

"Get to the damn point." Janna requested. "I already know what you want out of Earth. Tell me your deal and be done with it."

"Fine." The Fire-god said. "If you agree to become my successor, right here, right now, effective immediately, then I'll find a way to get rid of Bren for you and restore order to the Underworld. He is in a possessed state. His injuries are gone. But none of that matters when you have an army against him, as you know. I can tell you where he is and how to get to him easily, and you can call Globgor and he can take a group of knights to wipe Bren out once and for all. Then Tom will be free, the Underworld will go back to normal, and you all live happily ever after."

"..."

"So...what do you...say?" The Fire-god asked. "It's a pretty good deal. The best one you're going to get. All you have to do is spread my word across the Earth and get me more worshippers, and all the problems in Earthni will be solved. The town you've lived in your whole life will be saved, and-"

"Why are you so desperate all of a sudden?" Janna asked. "Has something happened that's beyond your control? Have you gone too far with this whole thing?"

"I'm just beginning to see it as unnecessary." The Fire-god said. "Bren's destruction of Earthni was a necessary evil, I thought, at the start of all this. But I personally believe that it is dragging on for too long. I wanted Bren to take care of quickly and easily, and I gave him all the materials needed. But he wanted to make it last, and I was unable to convince him to do otherwise. But now it's clear to me that he does have full control of all situations like he claimed he would, even when I am in control. His mistakes and fight at the hospital perfectly proved this. There was no good reason for him to go there other than to fuel his ego and show off his power. And that was one of the last straws for me. And when I was distracted, his original self managed to take control. And then that led to a whole mess of events that I'd rather not recount here, even if, again, I managed to get him back."

"And the point of all this…?"

"The point is that I am growing bored and tired." The Fire-god said. "I just want this to end. I just want a new successor. Simple as that."

"Then end it, you idiot!" Janna snapped. "What do you mean you're tired? Are you sad that this is taking too long? Angry that Bren's genocide of everyone in Earthni isn't meeting your time slot? Well, poor pitiful you. You have the power to stop all this. Use it. Do that, and I might consider becoming Bren's successor." She shook her head and calmed her nerves, disturbed by her own outburst. "If you wanted this to end, you could have done so at any time. So stop whining, wave your hand, and put a stop to all this nonsense so we can rebuild and you can go back to being a dick!"

"So angry...such a temper when you truly-"

"Sorry, not sorry. But I'm getting annoyed with your apparent stupidity." Janna said. "Well? What are you waiting for? Kill Bren yourself or free Tom's parents and let him kill him. Problem solved. This really isn't that complex."

"Let Tom kill him?" The Fire-god said. "Are you sure that's what you want to happen? You really don't know what's going on in the Underworld, do you? Because it's split in the middle. The ones who support Bren and the ones who don't. And if Tom kills him, a civil war will erupt. One that could spell the end for the entire sub-dimension."

"They're demons," Janna said. "They'll bounce back. According to Tom, demons have come back from being wiped out to levels as low as ten. I don't know how that works, with the small gene pool and the inbreeding and all that, but it's happened before and it can happen again here. A Civil war won't wipe out Demonkind. Just inconvenience then for a few hundred years."

"Maybe." The Fire-god said. "But the Underworld will be lost. There will be no more kingdoms, no more Royals, no more castles, no more nothing. Any leaders will be warlords ruling over small groups through the use of fear. Bases will be hastily constructed and have to be rebuilt every couple of days. Battles will be fought between groups of less than twenty, with no clear victor by the end of it. It will essentially be a complete restart for the entire sub-dimension, one that will take thousands of years to evolve from."

"...I mean, ruling through fear is nothing new. Heck, tons of people already do it on Earth, and they've stayed in power for decades." Janna said. "But fine. Maybe you do make a bit of sense with your other points. Maybe Tom won't kill Bren because he already knows all this. But why would those morons even want to follow him in the first place? What exactly do they get out of listening to the orders of a genocidal maniac that would kill any number of them as long as it means he gets what he wants?"

"Some demons didn't like how it was before." The Fire-god explained. "They were tired of being ruled over people that got the job simply because they were born into a specific family. But then Bren came along. He took the leadership position by force and threw out the previous kings and queens. Some demons respect that. Some just like that a Royal isn't in charge. And some don't care at all, as long as it means they don't have to pay tax or basically worship the crown anymore. They are a lot of reasons why demons with no power would support Bren. Yes, he would be willing to kill them...but in the face of all those other pros, they'll take what they can get."

"Great. So I'm guessing there is no hope of the Lucitors getting their positions back even if Bren died. Too many people like this new way and will refuse to go back to how it was." Janna assumed. "But does that have to end in a civil war? Can't they just let the demons who hate the Royals...screw off to another part of the Underworld to make their own kingdom? What's the problem with that? They'll effectively be destroying themselves after all. A kingdom run by those demons who have no idea how to lead or how to command a military force...they'll be running back to the Lucitors after their society falls apart in a year or so."

"Ah, you make point, Janna." The Fire-god admitted. "But Demonkind would much rather fight than come up with a peaceful solution. If you gathered representatives from every class of demon into a room and threw that proposal at them, they would laugh in your face before tearing you apart. And then lunge at each other. There is much animosity between them, after all. They'd all jump at the chance to completely wipe out their enemies at the same time."

"...You know what, I've had about enough of this," Janna said. "This conversation is getting nowhere. I don't believe you at all when you say that you'll stop Bren's invasion of Echo Creek if I agree to your crazy deal, so you don't have to bother with that. I'm an expert at lying, as well as an expert at detecting them. Even a god can't hide that little tone in the back of their voice, a small amount of nervousness that the person they're talking to isn't going to believe them."

"...Okay. I tried to be nice. I tried to get you to do the right thing. So just...take the deal."

"What?" Janna asked. "What are you talking about? Don't order me around like that, I still need to-"

"TAKE THE DAMN DEAL." The Fire-god demanded, and Janna flinched back in surprise, shocked that it had deviated from its normal calm tone. "DO IT. I HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH, AND I AM DONE WITH SMALL TALK. ACCEPT MY DEAL AND BE DONE WITH IT. DON'T THINK YOU CAN REFUSE ME AND GET AWAY WITH IT, HUMAN."

"Now hold on," Janna said, trying not to show her newfound fear of the entity. "You told me that this was my choice. That I could decide whether or not I wanted this. Are you seriously going back on that-AHHHH!" She screamed, feeling a sharp sudden pain in her left arm, right underneath one of her casts. A few cracking sounds were heard as the pain intensified, and Janna grit her teeth as she fell to her knees, writhing in agony.

"Oh my, am I doing that? So sorry." The Fire-god said dryly. "You think you can undermine a god? You think you can just tell me to go screw myself? Do you have any idea what I can do? What I've done? I've had people tortured for thousands of years for saying things ten times less severe than the way you just casually addressed me. I have been patient with you because I want you as my successor, I have explained things and argued and even talked like a normal fucking person, but now that time is done. Take the deal, Janna, or I'll break every bone in your body just like those knights did to Bren."

"Stop…" Janna groaned. "Please...I can't-"

Before she could say anything else, her right leg exploded in pain, twisting a different direction and causing her to fall onto her back. She screamed in pain again, sweat rolling down her forehead, and began to cry out, wanting someone, anyone, to be there with her.

"MOM!" She shouted. "DAD! HELP ME! HELP ME, I'M-"

"Don't bother." The Fire-god scoffed. "I soundproofed the room. Locked it as well. They can't hear a thing, and no one can interrupt us. And if they try...well, I don't think we have to worry about that. When was the last time your parents came to your room anyway? A month ago? Two months ago? A year,? I'm sure they won't be visiting you anytime soon, so you best get comfortable, Janna, because those bones I just hit are only two of the big ones. We still have over two hundred to go."

"What…" Janna groaned. "Why do you want me as your successor so bad again? Why not use Star...or Meteora...or hell, Tom! Why not Tom? He's the prince of the Underworld! Do you know how much influence he has? He could have converted hundreds of demons into following a religion based around you! And considering how long some of them live, it could have easily lasted for thousands of yearRERRSS!" She shrieked, as another terrific crack rang through the air, this time from the inside of her skull. Janna felt like fifty migraines struck her all at once, situated in every side of her head. She could feel blood running down her nose as the pain intensified, leaving her almost unable to speak.

"No." The Fire-god said calmly. "You are better. Tom may have influence, but he is too well known. Too famous. I don't want that. For my next successor, I wasn't someone inconspicuous. Someone who doesn't stand out in a crowd but still has many useful abilities. Someone like you, Janna. Someone who knows how to control people and get into their heads without them noticing. You've done it before, and you're going to do it again."

With that, Janna opened her mouth in shock, but with no sound coming out as her fingers twisted backward, her fingernails hitting her wrist. She looked to the side and saw her closet, which contained a safe that held many different types of potions and weird Demon Magic spells that she had brewed over the past few months. One of which was the one that permanently got rid of the Fire-god in a person's mind. The one she had intended to use on Bren, but never got the chance to. But she could use it now. And then she could use the healing potions she had in there to fix her recently broken bones. But she had to hurry, as the only ones she was able to make were the kind that had to be used less than ten minutes after the to-be-healed wound.

So Janna rolled into her back, then her stomach, and then kept rolling as she made her way towards the safe.

"Don't think you can get rid of me that easily." The Fire-god said, before twisting both of her ankles and fracturing a rib. Janna's eyes widened even further and her vision darkened as she nearly passed out from the pain, but the brief moment of shock she got from it allowed her to keep moving forward, although she knew it wouldn't last long enough before she reached the safe.

"This can stop at any time." The Fire-god reminded her. "I know you can still speak. It's just you can't scream because your brain is overloading from the pain. But I have not damaged your vocal cords. Just say the word. Just say yes, and all this goes away."

"Ple-please… Janna groaned. "I'm not sure if I can even be your successor."

"Oh? And why is that? Don't have the guts? Feel like it will be too much responsibility to bear?"

"No…" Janna said. "But there are other beings out there besides you that I've made deals to. Other gods in the multiverse. It's how I got all my knowledge of the occult. How I got a hold of all these formerly magical artifacts. I've practically pledged my allegiance to someone else!"

"Well, that can be easily remedied." The Fire-god said, suspecting that this was all a lie. "I'll simply tell these gods to get lost, and that you're my property now. For you see Janna, any deals you made with them, you would have made with normal magic since it was easier. But since that is destroyed, those deals are no longer applicable to your life. The gods in charge of them have no power over you, and if they try anything, I'll stop them. Think of it as me being a mob boss, and you a "made-man". If someone from another "family" attacks you, it means war."

Janna paused and thought about this for a moment, before wondering if she could come up with any more excuses to get this to stop. The whole thing about making deals with other entities was actually true, and all of them were made back when she was young and stupid, at the age of six, when she found the remnants of a spellbook that gave instructions on how to summon a god. It had been one of her biggest fears for a while, but after the destruction of magic, she thought she was safe.

However, now that she knew gods could and did survive that little apocalypse, the fear was coming back with a vengeance. Ironically, in the form of an entirely different god. But she was sure that at least one wouldn't be too happy if she practically sold her soul to someone else, and if it arrived and started quarreling with the Fire-god…

Well, Earth's total annihilation would be putting it lightly as the aftermath.

And she had to make sure the Fire-god knew that.

"You don't understand." She said, bracing herself at any moment in case another one of her bones broke. "This being I made a deal with isn't some low-tier demigod. They're someone like you. Someone who can blow up galaxies and manipulate people to the highest degree and create entirely new forms of magic on the fly! And if you survived with all of your powers intact, I'm sure they did too! Even if they don't use demon magic! And when they arrive here-"

"We'll fight, and your precious little word will be destroyed? Yeah, I don't think so." The Fire-god said. "Gods may be greedy, and mean, and selfish, and so many other words that you humans would insult one another with, but we're not stupid. If there's a fight, it will be far, far away from this planet. We're not going to risk destroying it. The rest of the galaxy? Eh, I'm sure Earth could survive a good long while without it. Or at least humanity. But the point is that there is no point in drawing that card, Janna. Another god coming here won't change a thing. Either it'll be after you, or I will. And even if you die, I'm sure it will haunt you to the grave and beyond for whatever deal you made with it. Because something like that...that allowed you to obtain all this...well, I'm sure you must have promised a lot. You were a pretty stupid kid, weren't you?"

"Didn't think it all the way through…" Janna said, finally reaching the safe after what felt like an eternity of crawling. She weakly lifted her one good arm up and attempted to punch in the code, but just like she feared, and practically expected, her arm twisted around to the point where one second the back of her palm was facing her, and now the front was. She didn't even feel her pain this time; her arm simply dropped and she felt herself starting to pass out, blood still dripping down her nose as her head hit the ground with a clunk.

"Oh no, I don't think so." The Fire-god said, forcing her eyes open and preventing her from entering her subconscious. "So that makes a little over fifteen bones I've broken...we're not even a quarter done. This can last all day, Janna. I can keep you alive just like Bren. And then I can heal your bones and do it all over again. You're not getting out of this, so you may as well just accept the inevitable and-"

"How…" Janna said softly.

"Hmm?"

"How are you doing this…" She asked. "I thought...you told me...that you couldn't interfere with the real world like this. Only people's minds. How...how can you do this to me if the rules should be holding you back?"

"Oh, did I say that? Yeah, I guess I said that." The Fire-god mused. "That was a total lie, something that you're so fond of telling. I can affect the "real" world just as much as an imaginary one, Janna. It's not hard."

"That's a lie…" She groaned. "If you could do that...you wouldn't need Bren in the first place...you could just appear in the sky, yell "worship me" and instantly you'd have thousands of people flocking to build churches for you. If this was about followers...you'd have done that."

"...Maybe." The Fire-god said. "But I suppose you're right. In a way. Normally I don't like interfering this much, as it's too difficult without a proper method. Luckily, I have one for you. You agreed to allow me into your mind to talk to you. The whole reason any of this is possible is because you made that deal. You only assumed that I would use it to simply communicate with you, and nothing else. Obviously, that has brought us to where we are now."

"Nahhh…" Janna said, now attempting to punch in the code with her knuckles. "I knew...you would try something. Which is why I put...multiple spells in this safe." She coughed and imputed the last number, resulting in the safe swinging open and revealing dozens of vials filled with all sorts of glowing liquids. "Just never thought that you'd go to this length…"

"Hm. And here you are. The potions." The Fire-god said. "Or the one you have to drink, at least. Because I believe there are multiple versions. One you have to speak aloud like the others, one you have to wave your hands around, and then this. Of course, this will only purge me for a short while, but should give you enough time to perform the real one, right?" It sighed. "Isn't that exactly what you're thinking?"

"..."

"I thought so." The Fire-god said, taking in her silence with a hint of pride. "But how do you plan to do that with no functional limbs? Heck, how do you even plan to pick up that vial? Or get out of this room? How do you think you can get out of this one without my he-"

"Can you just be quiet…" Janna moaned, leaning forward and grabbing the vial, which was thankfully in the bottom shelf, with her teeth. She then started rolling back over to her desk, intending to hit the top against one of the chair legs to dislodge the cork.

"What are you doing? You are aware that I could break your spine at any moment, yes?" The Fire-god asked rhetorically. "Why are you so persistent in achieving the impossible?"

"Because I don't want to become the slave for your whole religion…" Janna replied. "It may be a surprise to you...but I don't want to be some great follower for a god."

"A lie. In the old days, even before you came across Star, you would have sold your soul to Satan if it meant getting a magical position higher than any normal person." The Fire-god said. "And now I'm giving you the chance to become the top disciple for me, with all its benefits! I can put a mark on you that will prevent any other extra-dimensional entity from hurting you! I can give you powers similar to the ones Bren has! I can make you and your family the richest to ever exist! I can do almost anything for you, give you abilities beyond your wildest dreams, and you're saying that I should leave and let you throw all that away?!"

"Yes," Janna said. "Because if all this was the cost, then I don't want it."

"All this? What are you...oh. Oh, I get it." The Fire-god scoffed. "You're still angry at me. Because of all the people that have died in Bren's crusade. Because of how it's hurt you and the town. Well here's my advice for you: Get over it. A hundred billions things ten times worse than what's happened to your town occur every day across the multiverse, and that's not even an exaggeration. But the people there don't get angry about it. They tighten up their stockings, grab a broom, clean the mess up, and move on. They don't get vengeful towards the being who did it, the one they know they can't harm. There wouldn't be any point besides pettiness."

"Well, maybe those people are used to it, but we aren't!" Janna countered. "That's a dumb point to make. Don't compare other dimensions problems with ours. This isn't a competition! Just because they're suffering worse than we are doesn't mean life should still suck, and that I don't have a right to get angry about it!"

"Perhaps." The Fire-god said. "But you're never going to get anywhere in life if you don't learn to let go of things."

"I'm an expert at doing that when it conveniences me, actually." Janna pointed out. "But you've gone too far. You may not have done this directly, but I'm sure you knew what was going to happen. And it doesn't matter how much power you give me, I'm not submitting to the person who caused the death and mental snapping of one of my best friends and the near-death of literally...all the rest!" She shouted, finally managing to pop the cork off of the vial. "Finally. Say goodbye."

"Have you forgotten what I said earlier?" The Fire-god asked. "How do you intend to do anything after this? If you banish me, I won't be able to heal your wounds. And while the soundproofing spell will be broken, it will be months if not years before all your bones are fully healed. And even then, they'll be...twitchy from time to time."

"What am I going to do? You just gave me an answer." Janna growled. "If I get my parents up here fast enough, and tell them exactly what to do, they can set up the healing spell with Demon Magic. Bye-bye injuries, and bye-bye you."

"So young. So naive. It's ironic almost, how much you remind me of Bren at times." The Fire-god said. "Because I'm going to tell you exactly what I told him. And you've heard this before, feel free to skip over it."

"...Wait, are you talking to me with that last sen-"

"No. Now, everyone that uses Demon Magic can only do so because I allow it." The Fire-god explained. "Including you. So if you cast a spell, but I don't want it's effects to take hold of you, then they won't. You won't be healed. You won't be saved. You'll be taken to the hospital and mended the old fashioned way. I don't think it would be that fun. You've already spent quite some time there. And nowadays, it's even less fun…"

"Are you really that petty?!" Janna asked, growling it through gritted teeth. "That you wouldn't even let me heal myself? I know most gods are jerks, but come on! Taking revenge on one mortal because they won't accept your little offer! Aren't you...just making a fool out of yourself? Making yourself look bad?"

"All gods are ridiculously petty, as you said. This is nothing. If anything, I'm being less petty than most of them." The Fire-god said. "So now I'm going to start begging you. Just take the deal, Janna. I don't enjoy doing this to you. But there are so many more bones I could break before you fully manage to down that potion, several of which might paralyze you from the neck down."

"..."

"..."

"So that's it, then?" Janna asked. "Should I just purposefully spill this potion, if there's no point in even trying to drink it?"

"You could do that." The Fire-god said. "Or you could try. Paralyzation afterward, of course, but hey, at least you stuck to your guns and refused to surrender. You can remember that for the rest of your life any time you futilely try to move your limbs. And don't bother with a healing spell, because again, I control it all. You'll be stuck like that forever, and your tombstone will say, "here lies Janna Ordania, paralyzed for most of her life. All because of a few deals gone wrong. But hey, at least she refused to-"

"Okay, I get it," Janna growled. "I won't drink the potion."

"Really? And after all the effort you went just to get it?" The Fire-god asked. "Well, that was a sure waste of time. I can't say I'm not disappointed."

"Shut it," Janna said. "If you were going to stop me anyways, then there would be no point. I'd just be causing further pain and torture."

"True. And now…" The Fire-god said. "Have you accepted it? Have you reached your decision to become Bren's successor? There is no one better suited, no person better-"

"Actually...I have a better idea." Janna said. "I want to...make a deal with you. How does that sound? I know you and the rest of the divine are so fond of your deals with mortals…"

"A deal? I...okay. Go on…" The Fire-god said, with a hint of intrigue in its voice.

"I suggest something else," Janna said. "I'll supply you with an alternate target, one who is even better suited than I am to be your successor. And in exchange, you will heal all my injuries. You will leave me alone forever. And...that's it. Nothing else. Just those two things, and I'll tell you someone who I think would make an even better successor than me."

The Fire-god scoffed. "Is that so? Very well then. Tell me who would be better than you, Janna. Because I have looked over every person in this town, even the most useless ones. So remember that before you name someone, I've already looked over them and disregarded them entirely."

"Noted," Janna said. "I propose...Ludo Avarius."

"..."

"..."

"Ludo."

"Yes."

"Avarius."

"Yes."

"You...you...pahha...hahaha…HAHAHAHAHA!" The Fire-god cackled, now totally out of control. Wherever it was, Janna was sure it was doubling over with laughter, completely unconcerned with her, and she rolled her eyes at the sheer display of arrogance. After a minute or so the howling died down, and the Fire-god spoke again, giggles present in it's every word. "Seriously? Out of every person in the town, you pick...him. Ludo Avarius. Probably the most pathetic and useless person of them all? You had the entire town at your disposal, thousands of people, and that's the one you went with?"

"Why don't you hear me out first?" Janna suggested. "I actually have several good points to make about him. Quite a few I'm sure you overlooked when you were quote on quote "looking through everyone in the town"."

"...You know what? Fine. Humor me." The Fire-god said. "Make a good case for Avarius. But I can tell you that I only looked at this one for a few seconds because I knew of his past, and I knew of his failures, and I knew that if I gave him this position, that he would find some way to screw it all up in the end."

"Only a few seconds, eh?" Janna asked. "Well, that certainly explains a few things. And you're right. Ludo's past is fraught with failures. But we really shouldn't define someone by their past acts that much. I think if you had taken a minute and considered things, you'd see that Ludo is actually a better choice than me."

"I doubt that. Now explain before my amusement dies down."

"Okay," Janna said. "First of all, Ludo has led people before. Groups of monsters. Armies of rats. The first one didn't turn out as well as the second one did, but he's had experience in the ruling position. He knows how to control people. How to get them to kneel down. If you make him your successor, I'm sure he could easily control the followers he gains, no matter how many of them there are."

"An interesting point." The Fire-god said. "But there is a problem. He does not truly care for those followers. He treated those rats like slaves. The monsters were a little better, but they still suffered constant insults and sometimes even derogatory remarks. The only thing he had ever cared for that's been under his control is that giant bird and spider he's always had with him, and that's only because he knows they won't fight back no matter what, and subservience is like air to him. He wants to see it. So if he gains followers for me, he'll just lose them again treating them like they're all below him."

"Technically, they would be, if he's the leader of that little cult." Janna pointed out. "But okay. You could just help him with that. After all, it should be your job. Telling your head follower what to do to spread the word or whatever. However, I have another reason you should recruit him. I am sure this position involves many magical perks like it does with Bren. Ludo has had experience with magic before. If you want Bren's successor to be someone powerful and familiar with magic, even Demon Magic, Ludo is a much better choice than almost everyone in this town. He knows how magic works. How to use it. And I'm sure that with how small and fast he can be, that he would have no trouble gathering all the blood or objects needed for the rituals."

"You're better." The Fire-god said. "If we're talking about stealing things here, then you're the best pickpocketer I've seen in the entire Western Hemisphere. You've pulled off thefts that shouldn't be physically impossible. Ludo may be small and fast, yes, but you're quick with your hands and perfect at slipping away unseen. And I favor that above small and fast. And by the way, whoever becomes my successor won't have to worry about stealing things in order to perform rituals, trust me. They will get special privileges when it comes to that kind of stuff. And one of them is that if they want it, they get it, no matter who says otherwise."

"So I became your successor and asked for a device capable of killing gods, I would have that?" Janna asked slyly.

"Don't be a smartass." The Fire-god warned. "But you will get anything you need for rituals."

"Then perfect, Ludo won't have to worry about stealing," Janna said. "And now on to my next point for why you should pick him. With him, I'm sure you can get the whole monster village worshipping you right off the bat."

"...Explain."

"Look at it this way," Janna said. "Recently, Ludo has been bettering his friendship with his siblings. They don't hate him like they used to. Really, only his father and sorta his mother ever truly hated him. The former of which is dead and the latter of which is living...somewhere now."

"That would be a random house in the monster village that was up for grabs…"

"Great. Then they live there now." Janna said. "But now his siblings like him. They trust him. They'll believe him when he tells them something. So what if, say, he becomes your successor, shows them some tricks with Demon Magic, and convinces them to join his little religion of worshipping this Fire-god? It'll spread to the siblings, and they will spread it to the other monster children…" She explained. "...Who in turn will spread it to their parents once they see Demon Magic. Once they see that following this religion gives them all the power."

"Gives them all the power?" The Fire-god echoed. "You make it sound like they would only do this to gain power over the town or something. Which is an act the Monsters would never do. Between the humans, Mewmans, and Monsters, they're the best of the three."

"Maybe I worded that poorly," Janna admitted. "But the point is that it will spread through the village like wildfire. And then it will spread throughout the town, then the state, then the country, and then the world. All because of Ludo and his connections with his siblings."

"Yeah...no." The Fire-god said. "That is going to be a lot harder than it looks. First off, the Royals hate me since they know that I was the one who cussed all this crap. And anyone who doesn't know about me will eventually. They're not going to let a religion dedicated to me and my magic spread through the town."

"Hold on," Janna said. "Then why are you choosing me, you dolt?! I'm going to spread it here! How's it any different than Ludo doing it?"

"Because they're scared of you." The Fire-god said. "You've stolen things from them more times than I can imagine. Sneaking into their castle, taking old, valuable furniture, precious relics, anything you set your sights on. No matter how many locks there are, no many how many guards, you always find a way to get it and they know it. And they know that you still have all their stolen goods."

"Actually, no," Janna said. "I sold most of those things on the black market so I could buy other things to get stuff for my Demon Magic experiments. Those castles are easy to break into, but the places where the stuff I'm sacrificing are stored? Not so much. Easier to just get something else, sell it, and then buy it. I don't even know where most of that Royal stuff is right now. Europe, maybe."

"Well, they still think you have it all and that you'll destroy it if they try to threaten you. That's why they haven't sent any guards or the police after you." The Fire-god explained. "They think it's safe for now, so there shouldn't be any reason to take any risk until the time is right."

"Boy, will they be disappointed," Janna said. "But that's the reason? They're scared of me and will let me do whatever I want? Even if this was true, why would they even care about a new religion in the first place? They don't have to follow it. It's not like their castles will be taken over and converted into temples. Who cares?"

"The taking over castles thing is the exact event that they would be worried about." The Fire-god said. "A religion takes time. It needs to grow. It needs to find its root and find a place to take hold. And this town is it. The Royals know how religion works on Earth. The slideshow Globgor gave them had twenty slides on Earth religions, customs, beliefs, and how to respect them so Earthni doesn't accidentally piss off a few billion people. And those Royals saw the capitals of those religions. Huge cities devoted entirely to it. So what if Earthni becomes one of those cities? What if the religion grows and grows to the point where it strangles everything out and all non-believers are forced to get out?"

"That won't happen. They'll enact laws beforehand." Janna said. "The whole religion shouldn't interfere with government thing. Anyone who wants to worship you can worship you, but they have to keep their business out of formal affairs. Otherwise, it'll be complete chaos."

"You know that won't happen." The Fire-god said. "The only people that will be allowed to use magic will be the believers, do you think the Royals are going to let that slide? No. They'll either join themselves or throw a hissy fit and demand that they get access to magic."

"And if they do, you'll just deny them any spells?" Janna asked with disdain. "Like you said you would?"

"No. The more people that use Demon Magic, the more sacrifices to me that are made. Yes, I will not accept those sacrifices in...certain circumstances, but most of the time I don't care and just take them. If they want to fight for who gets to make the most sacrifices, let them. As long as there's still a side believing in me in the end."

"Of course," Janna said. "But let's go back to what I was trying to convince you of. Using Ludo as Bren's successor instead of me. Everything you just said was another giant sidetrack, and I'd like to finish this up before my ribs start stabbing my heart even more."

"Are you still going on about that?" The Fire-god asked. "You made a few points, ones that I might even consider good, but overall you still overshadow Ludo with your advantages. I am not going to choose him. He may have his siblings, he may have experience as a leader, but you are still superior. That is the plain truth, Janna. Now if you want your ribs to stop poking into your heart as you said, just say yes and get it over with! Like I've repeated a thousand times! Just say yes!"

"...Okay. Piss off." Janna growled. "There. I said it. Piss off. I'm not going to be your pathetic successor. I'm not going to take over a religion devoted to the same being who made a mess of the town where I grew up and all my friends. I'm not going to spend my life praising this being along with a bunch of other blind morons who will likely be as stupid as Mina's followers were. I want to live an actual life. One that's not filled with you, or Bren, or revenge plots, or giant explosions ruining everything! Why can't you just…" She started, before sighing. "Why can't you just go to the other side of the world and choose someone else? Maybe it will spread faster from Earthni or whatever, but there are billions of people who will be extremely eager to gain those magic powers this position offers! Are you seriously telling me that you, a god, can't find one other person on Earth like me? On the entire damn planet?"

"...Yes." The Fire-god said. "Because no other human on Earth has had the same magical experience you had. No one else is as knowledgeable in magic and how to control people at the same time. Those scientists that studied the town are brilliant, yes, but overall you still know more about this topic than them. You're better. End of discussion."

"...Fine," Janna said.

"For the love of, you have to-WAIT!" The Fire-god exclaimed. "You said fine? Does this mean you're actually going to take my deal? Finally?"

"What? No." Janna scoffed. "Fine as in whatever. I don't care. You can say how I'm better than anyone else a million times over, you can try and bribe me, or torture me more, or do anything else like that, but the plain truth is that I will never say yes to you." She spat. "And I'm sure this isn't like me. But if you were even remotely human, you'd understand."

"I'm more human than you know. And I understand perfectly." The Fire-god said. "Fine then. Fine! If it's torture you want, then it's torture you're going to get. Wanna know how much a broken femur hurts? LET'S FIND OU-"

"..."

"..."

"What happened?" Janna asked. "Having second thoughts?"

"No, I….how did she…?" The Fire-god stuttered, suddenly sounding quite nervous. "...Damn you. Damn you all. I...I have to go."

"What? Right now?" Janna asked.

"Yes."

"And you're just going to leave me like this? Completely helpless with all four of my limbs broken?!"

"Shut it, or I'll break a couple more before I leave." The Fire-god said. "And this is not over. I will get to you eventually. One way or another, everyone breaks in the end. It's only a matter of time, Janna. And I would suggest that you use that time wisely…"

"Brilliant advice," Janna said sarcastically. "But can you at least turn me over or something? I think I'm starting to have trouble breathing like this."

"Hello? Are you there?" Janna asked, and realizing that the Fire-god was gone, she sighed.

"Okay. You can start talking now."

"..."

"..."

"Is he gone?"

"Yes," Janna said, trying to fight off an itch that was building on her nose. "He's gone. And shouldn't you already know that? You've been watching this whole thing."

"Yes. But I wanted to be absolutely sure. I don't want him knowing I'm here until the time is right."

"Fair enough," Janna replied. "So, I held up my end of the bargain. Now you do yours. Heal me."

"Very well. But remember, only the ones-"

"He administers to me right now, I know." Janna sighed. "It's gonna be forever before I heal everything else up. I still have months left of wearing this cast, and it's already the most uncomfortable thing in the world."

"You'll get used to it. Humans always seem to."

And with that, Janna grit her teeth as an otherworldly and invisible force began mending her bones back together, causing her to grit her teeth and whimper as she tried not to scream in pain. With the Fire-god gone, the soundproofing in her room had also vanished, and she did not need her parents coming up here right now. After a few seconds of this, the cracking stopped and she was able to feel her legs again, confirming that it had worked.

"There. It is done. Now to hold up your end of the bargain. Tell me who that fool brought back to life with my stolen energy. He has been hiding them from me, and I cannot detect them. But that time has passed. Tell me, now."

"Okay, okay," Janna said, scooting over to one of her crutches and pushing herself back to her feet. "Marco. Marco Diaz."

"Marco...Diaz."

"Yeah," Janna said. "If you need, I can give you the address so-"

"Not needed. I have encountered Marco before, in the Neverzone. Although he will not remember. But that is irrelevant. Perhaps I should go and pay him a visit."

"Yeah...you do that," Janna said. "But one question. What are you going to do to him?"

"What shall I do to him? Nothing, I suppose. I merely wish to speak with him at this time. That is all. Unless he does something to make me angry, I shall not harm him in any way. He does not need to be involved in this any more than he already is. None of you do. Once I talk with Marco, I will finish what he tried to start, back in purgatory."

"And that is…?" Janna asked.

"Why, killing the Fire-god, of course."

"But if you two fight, then the releasing energies could devastate the entire solar system," Janna said, with some caution. "If you're going to do that, could you at least do it in another galaxy?"

"Relax, Ordania. You will not be harmed."

"I'm more worried about the town," Janna said.

"Then I will dispose of him quickly and ensure that your little town is not harmed. But no promises when it comes to that. The only thing I can promise is that you will be alive by the end of this, one way or another. That was our agreement."

"Hardly," Janna said, sitting in her chair and letting out a soft groan as the aches in her back faded. "I wanted you to place protection spells on Star, Marco, Eclipsa, Globgor, and everyone else I care about. But you claimed that that "wasn't how deals work". Alive or not, I don't want them to die by the time this is all over."

"Then you will have to make sure that they don't die yourself. And now, I shall be leaving. I am not a simple babbler like that Fire-freak, and I will not be associated with ones either. Goodbye, Janna. And remember, do not inform anyone of this. You can make all the deals you want, try to find all the loopholes, but you signed the contract."

"..."

"So don't do anything stupid."

"I won't," Janna said, but by then the entity was already gone. Janna's face dropped as she sat there in silence, thinking to herself. After what felt like an hour of just going over everything that had happened in the past hour, she sighed and turned back to her desk, finger and all.


Today was also a very special day, for a very different reason.

At least for one person.

Two people?

Okay, one person, and another who could be considered a shell of a former person. And in case you don't who we're already talking about it, that would be Marco Diaz and Star Butterfly, who have both received some of the best news in their lives: After what felt like months of being apart, even though it had really been no more than a day or so, they were finally going to visit each other again.

So as you can imagine, they were both very excited. Star externally, shifting on her bed as she waited for Marco to arrive, and Marco internally, keeping his stone-faced look while his heart was beating twice as fast out of excitement. He was currently on his way to the hospital inside the Diazes car, which was being driven by Angie. Rafael had chosen to stay home to clean up their driveway a bit, namely the remains of Eclipsa's car and the boulder that lay on top of it, so it was just them for the moment.

And if there was any word to describe the situation, it was awkward.

"So, Marco…" Angie started, barely catching her son's attention. "Do you want me to come in with you when you visit Star, or would you like to wait outside?"

"...You can come in if you like, mom." Marco deadpanned. "I don't think Star will mind either way. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

"Well, not as happy as she'll be to see you," Angie replied. "I think you two really need some time with each other. I feel like it's been so long since I've seen you two together, and I hope that this little...visit will be the first of many as Star continues to heal. And I'm sure she'll be out of the hospital before you know it!" She exclaimed. "Then you two can get back to-"

"-fighting for our lives against a genocidal maniac?" Marco guessed.

"...I was going to say "being a couple", Marco." Angie sighed. "After that last incident you had with Bren-"

"You mean him beating me to death?"

"...Yes, that," Angie said, gulping and hoping that Marco wasn't going to be like this the whole time. "But like I was saying, after that incident, I think you two need some time away from all this...nonsense with demons and Gods and possessions and all that, Marco. It would do you two some good."

"Mom, the last time that happened, we went to the beach, which eventually ended with that incident." Marco pointed out, his newfound pessimism still going strong. "And I don't think getting away from it all is an option anyway. Not after the explosion. Bren's not going to let us be happy until we stop him. Which is exactly why we can't stop fighting until we beat him."

"Funny you should say that," Angie mumbled. "Considering that all you've been doing the past day and a half is sitting in your room, doing nothing, instead of going outside and helping people after the explosion like everyone else." She snapped, a tone of mild irritation in her voice.

"..."

"I...I'm sorry." She said, clearly shocked that she had said that. "It's not you. Everything recently had been so frustrating. Your father getting kidnapped, you and Star getting hurt, the explosion...all of it has made me have to bottle up a lot of stress, and I feel like I just need to take it out in something. I didn't mean to say that to you, I only-"

"It's okay if you did," Marco interjected. "I get it. I haven't been the best person recently. It's like you said. I've been moping and acting all depressed and I purposefully try to avoid you guys because I don't want to interact with other people. And you're also right about me being a hypocrite. I haven't gone outside once besides this since we first got home that day. When you asked me to help me move the boulder that was sitting in our driveway, I ignored you. Same as when you asked me to help you clean up all the glass as well as call Janna and the rest of my friends to make sure they're all okay." He sighed. "But I didn't do any of it, all because of a few measly injuries I received. You're...right. I shouldn't be letting those memories control-"

"Marco, stop," Angie said, who now had a few tears in her eyes. "Don't say that."

"Say what?"

"Measly injuries," Angie said. "Don't treat them like they don't matter. It's fine if you push past the memories and try to ignore them for a little while, but you shouldn't do that constantly and just lie to yourself about it."

"Why?" Marco asked. "That'd make you happy though. I stop acting sad and go back to my old self, and you get your real son back. Isn't that why you snapped at me? Because you were frustrated with how I was acting?"

"I don't want my "real" son back if this is the cost behind it!" Angie claimed.

"What cost?" Marco asked. "My injuries are all healed. There's no scars or anything like that. If I just ignore what I see every time I close my eyes, I should be back to normal in no time."

"Marco, your behavior the past few days is definite proof that you have scars from those incidents," Angie said. "You may have been healed physically, but your mental condition is still...suffering because of what you went through."

"Well, that can be fixed," Marco said. "What did I just recommend? These memories can't bother me if I don't let them. I've heard that if a person acts like someone else for too long, then they'll become that person. It's called the mask theory. It can be a similar thing here. If I act like my old self for long enough, then maybe I'll turn back into him. With no trauma, no horrible memories, no care about those measly injuries that I-"

"Don't call them that!" Angie sobbed. "And you're smarter than that, Marco! You of all people should know that's not how the masking theory works. Even if you did try that and it worked partially, those memories would remain no matter what. You can't erase them."

"Again with that? Why are you so worked up about the measly injuries thing?" Marco asked. "They're all healed now, so-"

"Marco, What did I just say?" Angie asked rhetorically. "Those injuries may be gone physically, but the method of how you got them still remains. The point is that you suffered an immense amount of traumatizing experiences in less than twelve hours, and that theory of yours won't work against it!" She exclaimed, squeezing the steering wheel. "I...heard you last night, Marco. I went to get a glass of water, and I heard you crying in your room. I went in to check, and you were doing in your sleep. And then you started mumbling a thing about a "bar" and an "arena", two things that I know full well the meaning of."

"How do you know about that?" Marco asked, silently reminding himself to put a lock on his door. "I never told you the specifics about my beach dream. I just told you that I was possessed. Who did you learn that from?"

"Star," Angie said. "A little before we undid your possession, and a little after when I called the hospital and talked to her about you and if you wanted to visit. I asked her about those specifics...and she told me everything."

"Why did she have to do that…" Marco mumbled, placing his head against the window.

"Because she's worried about you and wants you to get better," Angie said. "I told her about the state you were in. About how you're acting. Marco, do you know what she said?"

"..."

Seeing no response from her son, Angie sighed again. "She said, "that's not the Marco I know". And I think that coming from her, that should mean more to you than almost any other thing I could say. Especially considering that I'm sure Star knows you better than we do, if that incident with the magic painting is anything to go by."

"..."

"Marco," Angie said. "For the third time, it's okay if you want to push us away temporarily. It's okay if you need time to...recover. You don't have to submit to that mask theory or any other method you come up with that requires burying everything deep down inside you where it will only haunt you later." She explained. "But you also can't do this."

"Do what?" Marco asked, turning away from his mother entirely.

"That." Angie specified. "You just turned away from me to avoid looking at me. You can't do things like that. If you turn away from your family, from us, both physically and metaphorically...it won't get you anywhere. You'll only hurt inside more as you refuse to accept help from us and eventually, you'll cave, Marco." She gulped and gripped the steering wheel even tighter. "And I don't want to see that happen to you. To my son. It was already painful enough to hear about all the pain you went through. I don't think I could handle you going through it again. Me or your father."

"How do you know that's what's going to happen?" Marco asked. "I never figured you as a psychologist, mom."

"I'm not a psychologist, Marco, I'm just using my common sense," Angie said. "Anyone can tell you that pretending that nothing is wrong and just ignoring it will only have worse consequences. What if you leave yourself...vulnerable again? Star told me that the...Fire-god likely got into your head because of your weakened mental state that it induced with that dream at the Beach. If you don't want us to help you, if you push us away and tear apart again in the process…" She sobbed. "...it might return and-"

"It won't," Marco said confidently. "It gave me its word. And I don't think I'm of any use to it anymore."

"Its word." Angie scoffed. "I know what happened at Janna's house, by the way. Eclipsa told me. Your nose started bleeding and you started shouting some things that heavily implied that you had been possessed again. Was that second possession before or after the promise it made, Marco?"

"..."

"..."

"...If Eclipsa told you everything that I shouted, then you should already know the answer to that one," Marco mumbled. "But if she didn't, then...yes. It was after."

"See?" Angie said. "It lied to you. And while I am greatly unnerved by the fact that there is now a god working to bring us all down, if what Star and Eclipsa told me is to be believed, I'm not going to let you let it possess you again. After this visit...we're going to get you the help you need. And that's final, Marco. You can complain and pout, but I'm not going to let my own son tear himself apart because of this mess."

"...And what will that help be, exactly?" Marco asked. "I went through experiences that no other human has gone through and survived. That possession and the arena. Fighting Bren. I literally died and then was resurrected for whatever reason. And I know you know all this, but the point is that no. person can relate to that. No person can help me. No therapist can sit down and say, "I can relate with that, and this is how I got through it". If I was ever going to get therapy for all the weird experiences in my life mom, I would have gotten it after I left the Neverzone. But I didn't, and I turned out just fine."

"You told us about the Neverzone, and if my knowledge of those next few days after the supposed date you came back on are correct, then you didn't act anything like...this!" Angie said. "You were back to your old self rather quickly. I noticed that there were some things you looked at like they were a new concept, but not everything. If that was traumatizing for you...you didn't show it, Marco. And what you said about therapists…" She continued. "Yes, you're right. No other human on Earth can fully compare to what you went through. But most therapists can't fully compare with any of their patients! But they manage to help those people anyways. Yes, again, your situation is just a new one for them to handle. But that doesn't mean you're beyond help. You just need a little more...time. Time for all of this to be sorted. And once that's done-"

"You'll get me a therapist, Star might come back to live with us, and we'll all live happily ever after?" Marco suggested, saying it with an almost sarcastic tone, which was more emotion than he had shown all day. "Mom, I know I'm going to sound pessimistic again, but even if Bren and whatever demon army he has were all killed this instant, and then Tom and the Underworld were freed, we'd still have a mountain of problems to take care of."

"Yes, I know." Angie sighed. "None of us have forgotten about how the town is running short on money or how the citizens are ready to riot. But that doesn't matter. We can simply ask for help from other towns. After they see what we've gone through, I'm sure they'll pledge to help any way they can."

"About that…" Marco mumbled.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure," Marco replied. "But I have a hunch that no help is coming. We didn't get anything for the demon attack, and while other hospitals did take in some of the towns wounded, have you seen a single military or air vehicle from outside Earthni show up on the streets? Why is the military standing by while Earthni burns? Shouldn't they be helping us beat Bren and shoving him back into whatever hole he crawled up? Have you seen or heard any form of support from the outside?"

"Come to think of it...no," Angie replied. "I haven't been actively searching for any, but now that you've mentioned it, I don't think I've seen any signs of outside help. But maybe they're just getting ready, Marco. Even for the military, this is an extremely dangerous situation. I'm sure they're just readying their troops on-"

"No, something's wrong," Marco said, shaking his head. "I didn't go to the last meeting, but I have a feeling that the whole "no help" thing was one of the topics they discussed. I think Eclipsa, Globgor, and everyone else is aware of something that Star and I aren't."

"Do you have any proof of this?" Angie asked, now looking slightly unnerved.

"Other than the fact that again, I haven't seen any outside aid around here, no," Marco replied. "But I feel like it's true. I just...know it."

"...Right." Angie sighed, before turning the wheel as she finally made it to the hospital parking lot, which was so packed that there were clumps of cars strewn about everywhere, their drivers not even bothering to find a proper space for them once all the real spaces ran out. Angie didn't know how most of these people planned to leave without waiting for an extremely long time, but at the moment she honestly didn't care herself. She parked the car in a spot where she could easily drive over a patch of grass to get back to the main road and turned the engine off, causing the constant hum of the car to fade into silence.

"We're here." She announced, stating the obvious. "Now, if we're not allowed to see her for whatever reason, then please don't get upset. Those doctors and nurses in there have been working day and night for almost two days helping people, and I'm betting at this point that most of them are ready to pass out from exhaus-"

Angie turned to look at her son as she said this word, only to notice that he was already outside the vehicle, waiting for her and looking through his phone. He was seemingly texting someone, although Angie couldn't see who. She sighed and got out herself, locking it behind her before signaling for Marco to follow her. He finished up whatever he was typing and then shoved his phone back in his pocket, before catching up to her and making it to the entrance before she was even ten feet away.

Once they were inside, however, they were met with a rather odd sight. The desk attendant was gone, their seating place empty, and there was nobody in the lobby besides a security guard that glanced up at them with a bored expression.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "Sorry, but didn't you get the memo? If you have any injuries, you can't come here. They're packed full. If you need help, you'll have to go to a hospital outside of-"

"We're not here for any of that," Angie interjected. "We're here to see a patient. Star Butterfly."

"Oh." The guard said. "Go on ahead then. I think she's in room-"

"We know what room she's in," Marco said. "But are...you really just letting us go see her? Just like that? We don't need to fill out any visitor forms or anything like that?"

"Listen, kid." The guard sighed. "That was the job of the desk Attendant. And since they're currently dead, we don't have anyone else on call to do it. They asked me to, but I couldn't give less of a damn."

"Wait, the Attendant is dead?" Angie gasped. "What happened?"

"Bren happened." The guard deadpanned. "He came in yesterday with that demon servant of his and forced us to pull the evacuation alarm. It took forever to get everyone out of the hospital." He shook his head. "And don't even ask me how long it took to get everyone back in…"

"Hold on, Bren was here?" Marco asked, showing genuine interest. "Why? What did he want?"

"Well, he was actually after the same person you're here to see, coincidentally." The guard replied. "Butterfly. He didn't hurt her as far as I know, but he definitely did a number on the window to her room. We had to move her to another room entirely. And I know that doesn't sound like much, but considering how many patients we had, the number of people we had to displace for that one action was rather...high." He shrugged. "I don't know. It didn't matter to me."

"Star?" Marco growled, his fists balled together. "What did he do to her? Did he hurt her?"

"Uh...I already answered that." The guard said. "And the answer is no. He didn't hurt her. Her parents were here though, and I heard they got into a fight with him, which eventually led to the parking lot outside." He scoffed and twiddled his thumbs. "But not before he killed the Attendant and the Mewman security guard we had down here. Because of course, things couldn't be as simple as he claimed they would be, which was, by the way, just to "have a talk with Butterfly". Which honestly just sounds like an excuse to do something terrible."

"How dare he…" Marco mumbled. "When I see him again, I'll-"

"No, Marco, control yourself," Angie interjected. "Remember what we're here for, just to see Star. We're not here to worry about any of that."

"I don't care!" Marco contested. "If he came here and-"

"Visiting hours are going to be over soon, so do you two want to see her or not?" The guard asked. "I mean, I'm not going to stop you, but if anyone else sees you, it could get ugly. We're currently in the process of updating the hospital protocols since yesterday, and one of those protocols is making sure nobody can...sneak around."

"You sound like you don't care much about your job," Angie noted. "Considering that Bren came here just yesterday, and already killed one of the guards, I figured they'd hire someone more competent to take that position. Or at least hire multiple people."

"Don't assume I don't have any power." The guard sighed. "I won't tell you where it is, or how it works, but all I have to do is press a button and twenty heavily-armed men come storming in here to apprehend whatever threat attempts to break into the hospital. I know you two aren't a threat, but I suppose I should let you know, just in case you have doubts about our security."

"Even that may not be enough," Marco muttered. "At least not for Tom. Are all those men just regular humans and Mewmans? If they reveal themselves and they're still a decent distance away, then it'll be like shooting fish in a barrel for him."

"Maybe." The guard said. "But it's all we have at the moment. Everyone willing to do their job is here. The rest...well, they're still picking up whatever's left of their homes and/or families."

"Didn't need that imagery, thanks," Marco said. "But whatever. Let's just go, mom."

"...Okay," Angie said, before glancing over at the guard again. "One last thing. Where are all the doctors and nurses? The last time I came here, dozens were walking through this lobby constantly. But now it's just you. Why is that…?"

"They're all in the basement." The guard replied. "Eclipsa made sure that this hospital had a secondary hospital located in its basement with all the same equipment and stuff as the main one. In case of a total emergency. They're all taking shifts switching between the one upstairs and the one downstairs. It's been working so far...I think."

"Hold on, so if there's any problem with Star, we can't call for help?" Angie asked.

"You can. The patients up here were all given buttons to press in case of an emergency." The guard said. "It just might take a minute or two for them to get here…"

"This sounds like it goes against a lot of hospital protocols," Marco muttered.

"Probably, but that part of all this isn't my job." The guard said. "Now get going."

"...Gotcha," Marco said, and without waiting another second he pushed through the double doors that led into the main hospital, which was now completely vacant. Angie followed him a second later, and once they both disappeared the guard took out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it.

"Hallway C," He said. "Two visitors. Send someone to tail then to make sure they don't pull anything."

"Roger that." A voice from the other end said, and the guard shoved the device in his pocket and continued staring into oblivion.

By the time this task had been completed, Angie and Marco were already fifty feet away, moving towards the stairwell that led them to the floor Star was on. Angie couldn't help but be a bit unnerved by the empty corridors, like someone was watching her. The fact that all the lights were still on helped a little bit and they weren't cast in darkness, although the constant buzz of the fluorescent lights definitely took its toll on her psyche.

But Marco was affected by any of this he didn't show on, only staring straight forward and continuing to walk like nothing was wrong. Occasionally he turned around to look at his mother, which was rather confusing for the latter. But soon Angie realized that he wasn't looking at her, but rather at something behind her.

So casually as possible, she turned around and caught a glimpse of someone tailing them. They were dressed just like the security guard they had met in the lobby, although they weren't the same person. They were walking at the same pace as the two of them, and in an instant, Angie knew what they were following them for.

"They're there to make sure we don't do anything stupid." Marco suddenly blurted out. "In case you were worried, they're just making sure we don't try to harm the patients or anything like that."

"I was already aware of this, Marco," Angie said. "I thought it was too good to be true when that guard said we could go right ahead, especially after he mentioned that Bren came here yesterday."

"Ugh…" Marco spat. "He better not have done anything to Star that the guard didn't tell us about. Even if he just came here to "talk", him being near her makes me sick. I can't imagine what he wanted to talk to her about...but knowing him, it can't be good."

"From what I've heard, he likes to monologue and drag on conversations," Angie said. "It's possible that Star's parents attacked him before he even got the chance to fully explain what he had come there for."

"That's true. He always seems to have a way with words." Marco said. "And by "a way", I mean he uses way too many of them. Seriously, whenever I see him, ninety percent of the dialogue seems to come out of his mouth in whatever situation follows. It's so...egotistical. And that's not even getting to the pretentious crap he spouted before and during our fight. So much boasting. So many words that were filled with so much smugness that it's possible I died from that rather than my injuries. I doubt that smile of his left his face even once during that, even when Eclipsa hit him with her car." He sighed and shook his head. "And the worst part was that most of his pre-fight boasts were true, as he showed me a second later…"

"I...just realized," Angie said. "I don't think I'm aware of...why he wants to destroy Echo Creek. I've never been to any of your council meetings. The most interaction with a Royal other than Star is a few with her parents and the one with Eclipsa I had right before the Mansion blew up. I've been told a few things, but nobody ever said it flat out. I don't believe...I'm aware of why this is all happening."

"Really?" Marco said. "I feel like you would have known by now…"

"Well, again, no one told me, and I never asked before now. Like you, I suppose they assumed I already knew." Angie said. "I just know who Bren is and what he's been doing lately. But I don't know anything about why he wants to destroy the town and everyone in it."

"Hm. For starters, he doesn't want to destroy the town." Marco corrected, pushing open the door that led to the stairwell. "He's after Star. From what we've gained, Star destroying the realm of magic also caused his home dimension to be destroyed as well, and with the help of the Fire-god, he escaped and is now here for revenge against her. The rest of us...are just in the way."

"..."

"..."

"...So he wants revenge because Star destroyed his dimension?" Angie asked. "And everyone he ever knew, including his friends and family?"

Marco nodded.

"Well…" Angie started, biting her lower lip. "I'm not justifying his actions, but I certainly get why he would want revenge. If someone took away you and Rafael, I'd want justice against whoever did it. I have a feeling that-"

"NO."

"..."

"..."

"...Excuse me?" Angie asked, looking quite surprised at her son's outburst. "Marco, what do you mean "no"?"

"Don't…" He started. "Are you really...saying that you "get it"? That you understand why he's doing this? Are you joking, mom? Do you have any idea what he's done to accomplish that goal that you're trying to justify? Blowing up that mansion? Enslaving Tom and the rest of the Underworld? Killing me?! Are you trying to say...that he had a good reason for doing all those things?!"

"...Marco, I just told you that I wasn't trying to justify it. Not at all." Angie said shakily. "I just understand why someone would want revenge. What he's done is horrible, yes, but I'm not-"

"Not what?" Marco scoffed, before turning away from her and shaking his head. "You...just don't. Please don't say anything ever again like that, mom. Maybe you do understand it. Maybe you're in the right here. But I can't accept a view like that after what he did. It doesn't matter if his dimension was destroyed. We didn't know what would happen. Star didn't know what would happen. He had no right to just come by and-"

For a moment, Marco lost his momentum. He simply stood on the stairs, now a full three feet higher than his mother thanks to them, looking down on her while she looked up. And then, he simply turned around and started ascending them again, the mood now one of stony silence. Angie watched him go and then looked behind her to see the guard who had been following them, an awkward and sweating look on his face indicating that he had heard the whole conversation. He slinked out of sight at Angie's gaze and she sighed before following Marco, but making sure to keep her distance.

She figured he needed it.

'I shouldn't have said that.' She thought. 'I should have known he would have misunderstood what I was trying to say. I wasn't making light of anything, just showing that...no, it doesn't matter now.' She huffed. 'Hopefully seeing Star will cheer him up. It's like that's the only thing that makes him happy ever since...that. When Rafael and I eventually get Marco to therapy for all this, I think Star will need to be there. Otherwise, nothing might change. He might not listen to what the therapist has to say, unless Star convinces him to. At this point...she may be the only way to help him.'

After this, the rest of the walk up the stairs was silent, as was their walk as they made their way to the hospital room. Angie still kept her distance from her son, until finally, they stood in front of the doorway to Star's room. There were no guards to either side like last time, although that one guard was still watching them from afar, and Angie figured that the hospital figured it would be enough.

Or maybe they had just given up on protecting Stat from Bren entirely, considering that he had already killed two of their employees and they'd rather not lose any more. But whatever the case, they were mostly alone now. She and Marco glanced at each other, and the latter took the doorknob in his hand and twisted it. The door swung open a moment later, and the two were greeted with the familiar (well, familiar for one of them) sight of Star lying in the hospital bed. She was asleep and facing away from them, and almost looked peaceful despite her injuries. Angie started to wonder how much longer they were going to keep her in here after spotting the numerous bandages, while Marco slowly started forward, almost walking on his tip-toes as if not to wake her.

Angie followed him and shut the door behind them, and soon the buzz of the fluorescent lights in the hall faded away. The only sounds now were the ones from Star's heart monitor, and a soft snoring sound coming from her. Marco got closer and closer to her until he reached the edge of the bed, and then stuck one hand out and grabbed her shoulder, slightly shaking it.

"Star." He whispered. "Star, it's me. I'm here. It's Marco, I'm-"

The second Marco said "it's Marco", Star's eyes shot open and she sat up, making the boy jump back in surprise. She rubbed her eyes and gazed blankly at the two people that were now in her room, although she was really only looking at one of them. For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other, as if waiting for one to make the first move.

And in the next moment, Marco practically lept at Star, embracing her in a hug, which she returned before he even finished wrapping his arms around him. Angie was about to interrupt and make a comment for Marco to be careful because of Star's condition, but decided against it once they pulled their heads backs and then locked lips. She awkwardly looked away as they kissed, and this went on for a full thirty seconds until they stopped and separated, looking deep into the other's eyes and smiling happily.

"You came," Star whispered. "I was wondering...I was worried that you wouldn't visit...I've spent weeks in here without you…"

"Star, it's only been a few days," Marco said, before pulling her into another hug. "I think whatever terrible food they're feeding you is making you delusional."

"Well, with how bad it tastes, that's definitely a possibility…" Star chuckled, before closing her eyes and sighing. "How...how are things out there? I know it hasn't been that long since the explosion, but I haven't left this room except to use the bathroom once or twice, so...what's going on?"

"...It's bad," Marco said, with some hesitation as he squeezed the back of Star's hospital gown. "Even days later, people are still picking up bodies. Or finding new ones...the death count is going up by the hour, and the roads are a complete mess. We're just lucky that the path to the hospital was mostly cleared of debris. Although most of it was just swept to the side. It's like having a wall of rubble on either side of the road." He let out a sigh of his own and leaned into her. "I'm not sure...things are ever going to be good after this."

"Oh, don't talk like that. Of course they will!" Star exclaimed, before coughing and lowering her voice. "We just need a little time. You and me. Once I get out of this hospital, we'll take care of all of this together! I'm sure you and Eclipsa and the rest of the Council are doing a great job helping everyone. How is that going?"

"..."

"...Oh god, it's going horrible, isn't it?" Star asked, taking Marco's silence as an immediate bad sign. "How bad is it? Can the Royals not work together? Have any died? Please don't tell me that-"

"They're all okay...to my knowledge," Marco said. "Although I have heard that there is a lot of public hate towards Ponyhead. Apparently, she insulted a group of people attempting to clean up the town in a "demeaning" way, and once word spread that she wasn't cleaning up anything herself…" He sucked his breath in and slowly let it back out. "...Well, let's just say she's not that popular. I was actually woken up yesterday night by her screaming as an angry mob chased her. She's luckily the Cloud Kingdom floats and is only accessible by air, otherwise, I'm sure it'd have been demolished by now."

"I'd say I'm surprised, but I'm really not. That does sound like her." Star said. "Hopefully people forget about it in a few days though. There are more important things to worry about."

"I'm not sure that's the problem, Star," Marco said. "People are looking for someone to be angry at, and Ponyhead is currently that person. Before all this, people would forget about it in a few hours, but now...this could escalate into something a lot more serious. The public hate for Royals is already a well-known thing, and it may not be long before the lid on that pot goes flying off and the steamed anger of thousands of people come spilling out."

"..."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you anxious." Marco said. "Just...giving you an update."

"No, it's okay. I'm already as anxious as can be." Star said. "I don't think a little more bad news is going to faze me that much. You can tell me all the horrible things going on in the world right now, Marco. I don't care what it is, as long as you're here with me. Anything you want."

"Anything?" Marco asked, raising an eyebrow.

Star paused for a moment, before lowering her voice even further, so quiet that Marco almost couldn't hear it despite her mouth being directly next to his ear. "Well...unless you're dating someone else while I'm in here. I don't think my heart could take it."

Marco almost let go of her at this statement, frantically trying to find the right words as they poured out of his mouth. "Wha...what? No, Star, I would never, you-"

"Relax, I was kidding," Star said, resulting in Marco's face becoming one of relief. "Mostly because I know that if you were doing anything like that, then my dad would have killed long before I got the chance to."

"Yeah, that's true." Marco chuckled, knowing full well how protective River could be of Star, especially if it came to her feelings. "Speaking of River, though...I heard your parents came here yesterday, and things went a little...crazy."

"Ugh. Yeah." Star scoffed. "Bren showed up and wanted to tell me something, but he didn't get to fully explain it before my dad tackled him out the window. Not that I'm complaining. At this point, it's a pain to even hear his voice. Made me want to tear my ears off."

"Agreed," Marco said. "But what did he come here to talk about?"

"Something about Demon Magic, and that's all I remember, unfortunately," Star said. "When my dad took both Bren and himself out the window, my mom followed them, and I tried to as well by attempting to disconnect all this crap. The doctors who arrived five seconds later didn't take too kindly to that, and...they sedated me. It wasn't that fun. I woke up not knowing if either of my parents were alive, or if all that had even been a dream or not. But then when I saw that…" She jerked a thumb over to the window, which now had a thick sheet of plywood placed over it. "...I knew it wasn't."

"So then...what did happen in the end?" Marco asked.

"Bren got away, and my dad is currently in the hospital basement, getting treated for a few internal injuries," Star said. "Just like me, they had to drag him there to treat him, and if the rumors I'm occasionally hearing outside my room are correct, he's refused any painkillers." She giggled and sighed. "I guess a hatred of medicine just runs in the family…"

"I think that comes from your Johansen side," Marco said, stifling a laugh. "Back at the Hill of Flags, I saw one of those guys take three arrows to the chest and walk right off like nothing had happened. I honestly wonder if he even removed them or not, or just left them there."

"Probably removed them," Star said. "And then made sure to show off the scars any chance he got. I've been at Johansen-only family gatherings before. And I have to say, there is a lot of...clothing removal. And not in a weird way, just a "check out my scars and muscles, my body is superior to yours" way."

"That certainly explains why River wears nothing but a loincloth half the time…" Marco said. "But how are your parents anyway? And by "parents", I mean Moon. Based on what you said, River is still the same as ever."

"Mom is...that's complicated," Star said, hugging him a little bit tighter. "We had a bit of an argument yesterday during her visit...or several. It really got nowhere by the time Bren arrived. She wanted to use Demon Magic to help fix the town, and I accused her of trying to take power again, and she tried to reassure me that she wasn't…" She sighed and shook her head, nuzzling her chin against Marco's shoulder. "...And that conversation went in circles until you-know-who showed up."

"Yeesh. Maybe I should try and talk to her." Marco said. "I'm not sure I'm too excited with the idea of her using Demon Magic either. Does she even know how it works? We did help with that spell back during the demon attack, but I honestly think we should leave this stuff to people like Janna until further notice. But...do you really think your mom would try to seize power again?"

"I don't know...maybe," Star said. "She may be kind of aloof these days, but every time I see her, she just seems depressed. Like she's longing for the days of when she was still queen. Or had anyone following her, for that matter. Now she has no subjects, her reputation is trash, and even though most everyone doesn't care about what she did anymore, she still thinks they all hate her. It's made just about the most introverted and antisocial person in the entire town. Even more so than Janna, and that's saying something."

"I think she said to me once that she's thinking of moving to another Earth country, in the middle of nowhere, and settling down there forever," Marco recalled. "I guess she just wants to run from her past, and each time she goes outside or talks to a person that isn't River, it catches up to her in no time flat."

"Where is she even going to go?" Star groaned, which was her response every time this rumor came up. "Some remote place in the mountains where nobody lives? How is she going to survive? Farm everything herself?"

"I mean, she did it just fine after she and River left the castle." Marco pointed out. "But I think River himself would be the problem here. He definitely wouldn't want to move and have to take a twenty-hour plane ride anytime he wanted to see you. And wherever they're going, I doubt it's going to have the Internet...or electricity in general. So calling him by phone or by a video chat is also not an option. And I think your dad would just screw up and accidentally smash the thing the first time it requested for an "update"." He chuckled.

"Yeah, he totally would." Star agreed. "But she better not leave now. If she abandons us when things get to their absolute worst, then I swear I will call a ceasefire with Bren, find her, and then inflict every single possible torture I can-"

"Star…"

"...Right, I'm just going to teach her a lesson." Star corrected, Marco's brash saying of her name reminding her that Moon was still her family, and families didn't torture each other physically. (Although if she did leave, her status as a member of Star's "family" might be due to change.) "But seriously, if she leaves-"

"She won't," Marco said. "I get why she would, and why you think she might...heck, I would get why anyone would leave these days...but she's not going anywhere. I've visited her a few times, alone, and I can say with certainty that even if she wants to avoid everyone and keep to herself, she still greatly cares about the kingdom. Even with those rumors, she won't abandon the citizens to Bren just to save her own skin. I get that your relationship with her is...rocky, at the moment, but don't think of her that badly."

"She's certainly not giving a lot of reasons to." Star scoffed. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that she was trying to worsen our relationship. Talking about taking power with magic again...why did she think I would approve of that? In any shape or form?"

"Actually, can I get some full context on that?" Marco requested. "I don't know the whole story. What was she planning to do with it? Just blast Bren in the face and hope for the best?"

"Something like that, I guess," Star said. "And after we used it to kill him, she told me that we could use it to better the town. Fix everything. Make life here...livable again. Maybe spawn some money to take care of that problem. She never actually said that, but I'm sure she was thinking it."

"That's...not a bad plan, to be honest," Marco said. "But the only problem is…"

"Yeah. The cost." Star said. "We'd need to have an annual blood drive every day just to get enough to do anything close to that."

"Well, if you need blood, there's plenty of it on the streets…" Marco joked.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...I am so sorry. That was a horrible joke."

"Better be," Star said. "If anyone around here heard you say that, you'd get punched in the mouth."

"I know. I'm just trying to lighten the mood." Marco said. "Although I'm not sure if I'm doing that for you or for myself…"

"Oh yeah...that reminds me," Star said nervously. "How are you, ah, coping? Janna called the hospital earlier and asked to speak to me, and-"

"Wait, that was an option?!" Marco asked, pushing away from Star and looking at her like she had just revealed the secret to life, the universe, and everything, and this time it wasn't just 42. "If I had known that, if I could just talk to you whenever, then I would have been on the phone with you every chance I got! This...This changes everything! I'll have to as my mom when we get home if you can borrow her phone or something so I can call you using mine and then-"

"I'm standing right here." Angie pointed out, trying not to point out that she had already made a call with Star, and had actually mentioned it back in the car. And Marco...had more likely than not just not paid attention during it. "And although I didn't hear a word of what you two were whispering about for the late ten minutes...I did hear that last part. And yes, Marco, Star can borrow my phone for a...while if it means that it'll make you happy."

"Yes! Thank you, mom!" Marco said, before turning back to Star. "Finally some good news, am I right? Now we can talk whenever we want!"

"Yeah, but I do like it better when you're here in the flesh," Star said. "But also, yeah, that was an option. Although I think it's only allowed for more...high-profile patients, for whatever reason."

"Probably because if other patients knew that that was allowed, then the hospital would have to keep a stockpile of phones just so everyone would be satisfied. And I can't even imagine what the phone bills would be like at the end of the month." Marco said, before scoffing. "Oh, who am I kidding? They'd just past them off to the patients anyway…"

"Probably," Star said. "But back to what I was saying. Janna called the hospital earlier and told me that you were...not doing so hot. How are you exactly? Is there anything I can help you get through?"

"Just being here with you is helping me get through this," Marco said. "Although I would say that...I could use a little comfort. I've been having nightmares nonstop, and whenever I close my eyes, I see…" He shuddered and gulped, bringing Star into a third hug, this one tighter then the previous ones combined, to the point where Star considered if she should push him off due to her poor physical state. "...things. I see things."

Although she knew she was going to regret it later, Star couldn't resist. "What kind of things?" She asked.

"Mostly memories," Marco replied, his voice shaking slightly. "That nightmare at the beach, me attacking you, fighting Bren and dying, talking with the Fire-god after death, the nosebleed I got and falling out of the car when it tried to possess me again...mostly those things. But it varies. Even if it hasn't been that long since it all happened, I can still see it all so often that I've practically relived the entire experience at this point. And...all the pain that came with it. But not physically this time. More mentally. It more feels like someone is dragging a rusty nail across my brain, and all I can do is sit and do and nothing and now-"

"Okay, okay, calm down, Marco, calm down…" Star said softly, trying to soothe him after noticing how fast his voice was getting. "It's okay. None of that is happening now. You have me, and your mother, and your father, and a bunch of other people who will help you get through this. You don't have to worry about being alone here…"

"That's not what I'm worried about," Marco said. "I try to be alone on purpose. Before I came here, I spent practically the whole day in my room, avoiding everyone else, I didn't want to talk to my parents, or see them, or do anything else they involved their presence and I don't know why it was almost like someone had taken over my brain again and-"

"You're just recovering, Marco, it's totally normal," Star interjected again. "I've seen it before. Different people cope with trauma in different ways. Back on Mewni, before I came to Earth, I saw knights that had gone to war come back traumatized. Some of them avoided other people, saying that they just needed to be alone and didn't give any explanation beyond that. But they got better eventually and stopped being so anti-social. And that's you, Marco. Don't worry if you don't want to be around anyone. It's perfectly normal. Eventually, you will, but you just have to give it some time."

"I...you really think so?" Who was frankly surprised at how good of a speech/answer that was. "Do you think I can just get better using time?"

"Well...no. You're going to have to do a few things yourself…" Star started. "But it's only going to be hard if you let it. And are you going to?"

"Definitely not," Marco said.

"That's right," Star said. "So when you get home, it's fine if you go straight up to your room again, Marco. But soon you'll feel an urge, small as it may be, to go back downstairs and be surrounded by other people, and that's where your participation in this whole healing process will come in. Okay?"

"O-okay," Marco said shakily. "Eh...but, Star, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"How do you know so much about this stuff?"

Star laughed after this, as if Marco had just told her the world's most hilarious joke. "Oh, Marco, I saw more death and blood and destruction at the age of ten then almost every person on Earth. And while most Mewman parents want their children to get used to that kind of stuff, and they usually do, some don't. And my parents taught me all sorts of lessons on how to deal with trauma in case all of the horrible stuff they were showing me didn't have the effect they wanted. It didn't, but the lessons were still useful. And I'm glad…" She sighed happily and buried her face in his shoulder. "...That I finally got to put them to use."

"Yeah, well hopefully they'll actually be useful," Marco said. "But thanks for the advice."

"It's nothing," Star said, before yawning. "Wait." She then pushed Marco away again and stretched herself out. "What time is it?"

"It's about...12:30 in the afternoon," Angie said. "Why?"

"Ah, great. It's lunchtime." Star whined. "Or about to be, anyway. At twelve thirty-five lunch starts, and somehow the meals they give us are even worse than the dinner and breakfast ones. Seriously. It looks like someone vomited on a plate and then tried to reconstruct it by hand."

"I think that's probably an exaggeration, Star," Marco said. "I know hospital food has a reputation for being bland and tasteless, but you're making it sound like they're serving you piles of grey slop."

"May as well be," Star said. "Because of the influx of patients, they've already run out of normal food and are currently waiting for the next shipment. And in the meantime, they've been using the "emergency stash" from the basement. And there's apparently enough down there to last for weeks."

"Emergency stash?" Angie asked.

"Yeah. It was created by Eclipsa a couple of months ago." Star said. "Well, sorta. A month or so after Earthni started, Eclipsa found a three-hundred-year-old cookbook buried deep in the remains of Butterfly castle that had a recipe for a dish that's easy to make and highly nutritious. But the downside is...it tastes like literal crap. I have no idea what's it made of, but whatever it was, the ingredients for it were so numerous on Earth that once someone who worked at the hospital caught wind of the whole thing, they bought the recipe from Eclipsa and had like...five metric tons of the stuff made and stored in one of the hospital's sublevels, in case the hospital ever ran out of food."

"Five metric tons? Jeez." Marco said. "But wouldn't it have spoiled by now? Unless they have a freezer down there the size of a convention center…"

"It doesn't spoil. Whatever it is, it's completely immune to spoiling as long as it's properly stored in a container, like honey or something." Star explained. "And before you ask why this recipe hasn't been mass-distributed for all the world to use, it almost was, but several food industries got a taste of the stuff and claimed that nobody would eat it, not even in a life or death scenario." She sighed and flopped backward. "Guess they were wrong about that…"

"At least you won't run out of food," Angie said.

"Sure, but when the doctor comes in here with the dish, I dare you to take a bite," Star said. "Both of you. You'll see why I'm tempted to starve myself."

"I'm good, thanks," Marco said. And then almost like clockwork, the door to the room opened and in strolled a security guard, carrying a medium-size plate that was on top of a plastic tray one might find in a school cafeteria. He took one look around the room, realized that Angie and Marco were visitors, quickly handed it to Angie, whispered something in her ear, and then left as soon as he had come.

"...What was that all about?" Marco asked once he had left. "Mom, what did he whisper to you?"

"He told me to just give the plate to Star," Angie said. "Although I don't know why he couldn't do it himself. I suppose that he just has to work fast with so many patients and that anything that could quicken his pace is appreciated-"

"Actually, it's all my fault," Star interjected. "During the first few days I was here, I occasionally tried to...attack anyone that came into my room at random intervals, telling them to let me go back home, even if I was in a mountain of pain. They eventually wised up and sent a security guard instead of a doctor, just in case I tried to pounce on someone else."

"If you were strong enough to attack them, then wouldn't you be strong enough to leave on your own?"

"Oh, definitely. Except for the fact that I'd be swarmed with dozens of guards the second I tried to leave the room by myself." Star said. "I'm pretty sure they're keeping a constant eye on this place...even with the shortage in personnel."

"Well, in any case…" Angie said, approaching Star and setting the tray in front of her. "If you want us to leave while you eat, we can. We'll just go back to the lobby and come back when-"

"No, it's fine, it's going to be a while before I eat it anyways," Star said, shakily picking up the tray and setting it on the bedside table. "Usually I have to mentally prepare myself to eat that stuff, which takes like...a half-hour or so. Not only does it taste disgusting but it also feels like it saps all the happiness and feeling right out of your body for a few hours. I don't know why, but my personal theory is that it's my brain working in tandem with my body, punishing me for ingesting such a horrible thing."

Marco was about to comment on how that was impossible, but he decided against it, instead sitting down at the edge of her bed and biting the edge of his lip.

"When do you think you'll be able to leave?" He asked. "How much longer are you going to be stuck in here?"

"I have no idea," Star said. "A week, a month, the doctors won't give me anything specific. Although considering how many x-rays they showed Eclipsa...it's probably going to be a while before everything heals to the point where they're legally allowed to let me go."

"I'm not sure if that's a real thing, but okay," Marco said, clearly disappointed with her answer. "Well, I promise to visit as much as I can. And to use that phone function the hospital has, which I didn't know about until now for whatever reason…" He growled. "...So you don't have to worry about being alone. And I'm sure the rest of your friends will want to see you as well."

"Don't even talk about that," Star said. "Starfan13...if she has a real name, I don't know it, tried to see me yesterday in the middle of the night, and she caused quite a stir, literally for some patients, when she refused to leave without getting to visit. She left eventually, but later that night I heard tapping on the hospital window." Star sighed again. "I didn't even bother looking, since I knew what was going to be there if I did anyways."

"Yeesh. I was kinda hoping she would grow out of that, but I guess not…" Marco said. "Although come to think of it, it feels like I haven't seen her in forever. In fact, it feels like I haven't seen tons of my former classmates in forever. The last time I saw Ferguson or Alfonzo was months ago. And Jackie...well, I guess she did go on that all-summer trip with her girlfriend. I wonder if she even knows what's going on here now."

"I hope not. I don't want her worrying about us." Star said. "Even if my friendship with her has been rocky in the past, although that was really only from my perspective, I want at least one person from this town to be happy in the middle of all this crap. She's safe, at least. We can be happy about that."

"Safe…" Marco echoed. "God, now that we're on the topic, I really should check up on them. I hope none of them got hurt, or worse, died in that explosion. It wasn't closer to the main neighborhood where they all live, but those rocks and the shockwave proved that they could do enough damage by themselves."

"Make sure to give me an update when you do find out how they're doing," Star said, before pointing at the TV hanging on the wall. "But I did see on the news that classes are probably going to be canceled until further notice when the time comes to open the schools. And not just because of the blast, but because they're afraid the school may be "targeted" due to how many people are going to be inside it at one time."

"You really don't think Bren would…?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Star asked. "He's shown that he'll do anything to get at me. If blowing up that school and everyone inside hurts me in any way, whether physically or mentally, I don't think he would bat an eyelid at the idea. More than a few of the victims in that blast were children after all. And if he showed any remorse for that when he came to my hospital room, he didn't bother showing it."

"..."

"..."

"I think we should switch topics," Angie said. "Marco, after this, we'll call all your friends to see how they're doing, but as for now, I don't think that talking about Bren attacking the school is doing anything for the conversation."

"That's fair," Star said, rubbing her head. "But other than all that, I really don't have much to talk about. I've been in this bed for days. I don't fully know what's going on. Heck, what is the Council doing? I get that there's public hate against them now, or mostly Ponyhead, but what are they doing to remedy this?"

"Pretty much nothing," Marco replied. "I know for a fact that more than a few have holed themselves up in their castles because they're afraid the citizens will try to kill them. I heard from Eclipsa in a phone call last night, when she was informing me about what happened at the last meeting, that Janna apparently mentioned the French Revolution during it and made an analogy about how we're the rich people that the "peasants" got angry at and decapitated. Eclipsa said that Janna's little comparison had a much greater effect on the Royals than she realized, so now a bunch have taken to hiding away before they meet a similar fate as the people in her history lesson." Marco then scoffed again and shook his head. "I guess Janna failed to mention the part where the "peasants" consistently stormed the houses of the rich to destroy documents and trash them, but whatever. Long story short, the Royals are all running scared, except for Eclipsa and Globgor. Which of course will only worsen their public image even more."

"Well, that's just great," Star said sarcastically. "At least my mom had the guts to actually go outside. Heck, when she first saw the blast, because she was so far away and couldn't make out what it was, she thought it was a nuke and headed to her mini-shelter in the basement."

"Your mom has a shelter?" Marco asked. "Huh. Well, if the world outside ever devolves to a point where nuclear war is a likely possibility, make sure to remind me to go to her house…"

"Mini-shelter, Marco," Star said. "She mentioned it was made for only three people. And I'm sure she intends for the third person to be me. But anyways, she at least went outside to face what was happening. And judging by the look on her face when she got here, she saw a lot more than what she was usually accustomed to…"

"Seriously?" Marco asked. "Hasn't she fought in multiple wars? Shouldn't this be like a walk in the park for her?"

"The actual fighting in a war and the aftermath of one, or any event like it, are two different things, unfortunately," Star said. "My mom never really got around to getting used to the latter. And neither did I. If there's one thing I'm grateful for while being stuck in here, it's that I don't have to see all the horrors that are literally right outside my window."

"Trust me, it's not easy to get used to," Marco said. "I mean, god, the death toll is still rising. There are dozens of partially collapsed buildings still waiting to be uncovered, and that's only the human and Mewman part of town! I haven't heard anything about the Monster section! But considering how weak and fragile their houses can be to the normal ones, I can only imagine what they're going through." He said, before putting a hand to his chin. "Huh. You know, come to think of it, I actually haven't heard anything about the Monster section of town, not even from the news."

"Yeah…" Star said, once again glancing at her TV. "I did notice that. Maybe they're not that damaged at all. They are, after all, the district that's farthest away from the blast site."

"There has to be more to it than that," Marco said. "Just the shockwave should have blown some of those huts over like they were made of tissue paper. I wonder if they just want to be left alone...maybe some Monster tradition where after some great tragedy, they-"

"Doesn't exist," Star interjected. "If it did, I would know about it, and I don't. I guess that once I get out of this hospital, we can go see Buff Frog and Katrina and everyone else. See how they're coping. Or maybe...we should pay another visit to that secret little council they have set up in the woods. Haven't heard from them in a while either."

"Oh, yeah," Marco said. "At Ludo's house. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope he's okay."

"Excuse me…" Angie said. "What secret council are you two talking about? In the middle of the woods?"

"Oh, right. You don't know anything." Marco said. "Uh, I'm not sure if we should tell you. We've probably already said too much, and they did ask us to keep their existence a secret-"

"We can tell her. If they care, tough." Star said. "Their existence shouldn't be a secret anymore. Their little club was created to make life for monsters better. If anyone tries to be racist towards Monsters after this whole Bren business is finished, then they're getting kicked out of town, no questions asked. I'm done playing around with that sort of stuff. If we make it through this, we'd have survived one calamity, and I'm not going to have anything like riots or protests about the presence of Monsters on my hands. I'll drag them out with my bare hands if I have to, but long story short, we're done with that chapter in Mewni's history."

"...Well, I'm all up for that," Marco said. "But how are we going to enforce it? Are we going to literally kick out anybody who tries to be biased towards Monsters? Because people can get better. We should at least try that first before-"

"Marco, if these people were going to get better and see that they were in the wrong, it would have been after Mina was defeated, over six months ago," Star said. "Anybody who even had the smallest hint of intelligence turned to our side and gave up on her. You saw how stupid her remaining followers were. Seriously, that posse was something out of a comedy skit. I honestly couldn't believe people like that existed in real life and managed to make it to adulthood."

"That's...a fair point," Marco admitted. "But what Manfred? He stayed with Mina almost until the very end."

"Almost," Star said. "And then he gave her up at the last moment. Now I think he's in Europe or something, checking out all the ancient castles. He kinda fled the first chance he got."

"No surprise there…" Marco mumbled. "Well, I hope he's having fun without having to deal with Bren."

"I'm sure he is. But forget Manfred for now. And preferably forget. I'm sure he's never coming back once he catches wind of what's going on here." Star said. "And speaking of which, how is the situation with outside help? I've been hearing rumors out in the halls that no help is arriving, but considering that this is coming from people who have been in a state of shock for the past few days, I've been taking it with a lick of salt. How's that going?"

"Umm…" Marco said, not looking forward at all to this. "Bad. It's very bad, Star. I'm sorry to say this, but those rumors are completely true. If what Globgor told me on the phone is correct, then yes, no one is coming for us. Bren made a deal with the U.S. government that allows them to gain possession of some spells, Demon Magic of course, and in turn, they won't let any information about what's going on here get outside of Echo Creek. And no aid will come right to us. Military, medical, or anything else of the sort."

"..."

"..."

Star scoffed and looked away, surprisingly unsurprised. "Bureaucrats." She spat. "Of course. I honestly should have seen this from the-"

"No, you shouldn't have," Marco said. "None of us did. This isn't your fault, and it's not mine, and it's not anyone else's. It's Bren's and the government's. Theirs. And it's not-"

"Excuse me?" Angie interjected, stepping forward and looking much more concerned. "Did I…is that true, Marco? Is no one coming to help us?"

"Wait, you didn't know?" Marco asked. "Didn't you talk with Eclipsa last night though? I feel like that's something she would have told you…"

"She probably didn't tell me because she knew that I might tell other people, and it could lead to a mass panic!" Angie said. "I wonder how many others know about this...how long have you known?"

"Not that long. Honestly." Marco said. "And I was just as surprised as you are. Yes, this is a terrible problem and we're going to have to fix it, but just...try not to freak out for me, mom."

"I think I need to take a seat…" Angie mumbled, before grabbing a chair leaning up against the wall and sitting in it. She leaned back, looking fully ready to pass out at any minute, so Marco sighed and turned back to Star, figuring that he better just give his mother time to calm down.

"Anyway." He said to Star. "That's a thing. And before you ask about people going to hospitals that aren't in the town, that's probably because the government hasn't gotten to them yet. Or Bren is just allowing it so the riots don't destroy the town before he does. But either way, that's likely all we're going to get when it comes to outside aid. We're on our own now."

"I'd make some comment about this makes things even worse, but honestly, things are already so bad that this hardly affects me in the slightest," Star said. "Just another problem to be solved. Although if we do win this fight, we're going to have to hammer down on the government and expose the fact that they let this all happen, and didn't allow any news about it to get out-" Star suddenly stopped cold mid-syllable, her mouth hanging open just the slightest bit as her voice died in her throat. It was like she was a TV, and someone had pressed the pause button on the remote.

"Star?" Marco asked. "Are you okay?"

"...That's a lie," Star said. "News did get out about the explosion. Yesterday afternoon, before Bren arrived, and before another one of my naps, I got a package from Janna. And it contained a transcript of the last meeting, the one where the Royals talked about what they should do to fix the problem. And in it, Janna mentioned how a relative of hers called her to see if she was okay. That alone is proof that at least something about it got out."

"Really?" Marco asked. "But if that's true...then did the whole country just dismiss it? Or did the government somehow cover it up before it got too large?"

"If the news made it thousands and thousands of miles away, then I don't think there would be any way to fully "cover it up"," Star said. "No, this had to be something else. Did they claim it didn't happen? That it was all a load of crap? Or maybe...is Janna's cousin like Janna? The kind of person who finds out information that they're not supposed to?"

Marco shuddered after Star said this. "Oh, please no." He begged. "You just made me think about having two Janna's in the same room. I'm pretty sure that every single one of my possessions would be stolen by the end of the day."

"I'm sure only one Janna is needed for that." Star chuckled. "Even with those broken arms, she's still the best thief I've ever seen. Seriously. Remember that time when we visited Ponyhead in the hospital when she got sick? Yeah, when we got back to your house, once you went into the bathroom, Janna pulled out what looked like three bottles of pills, six syringes filled with who knows what, and a few bags of blood from her pockets. Pockets that couldn't even carry half of that. And I can tell you that we didn't come close to any of that stuff while we were in there. But somehow, she managed to get them. Sometimes it makes me wonder if she doesn't secretly have super-speed or something. It would explain a lot."

"She stole from a hospital? Seriously?" Marco asked. "Okay, I know she's kind of a kleptomaniac, but that's...not cool."

"Ah, don't worry," Star said. "She said she got them from the basement, and that what she grabbed was nothing they wouldn't miss. Again, she was by my side the entire time and we never went to the basement, but I didn't ask her about it. Mostly because I knew she wouldn't tell me how…"

"If she's capable of pulling off feats like that, then it sucks that she's out of commission," Marco said. "We could have her infiltrate the Underworld, and she'd probably succeed, for god's sake…"

"Let's not get crazy," Star said. "But okay. The government has turned against us. Janna's cousin somehow got the information, but other than that we don't know if anyone else managed to. If news about this gets out, then-"

"Too late." Marco gasped, his eyes going wide.

"Huh, what do you mean-" Star started, before her gaze followed Marco's own and hit the TV, which had been on and turned to a news channel but was muted this entire time. But they didn't need sound to understand what was going on. The headline at the bottom of the screen was clear to see.

"GOVERNMENT HAS ABANDONED EARTHNI." It read, which didn't take a genius to figure out the meaning behind. Star grabbed the remote that was next to her bed without even taking her eye off the screen and pressed the mute button, which unmuted the TV and instantly sounds burst into the room.

"...And there is no change to the law as of this time. But in other news, recent details have come out concerning the U.S. government's reaction to the events currently happening in Earthni." The reporter said, who was standing in front of a random road. "Recent details have emerged from an unknown source that the government knows what is happening in Earthni, referring to the recent incidents with Bren, and is doing nothing to stop it, possibly because of an unknown deal between them and the person attacking our town. Is it also believed that they are purposefully preventing information about the attack from reaching any outside sources, although this is currently speculation at best. Again, it is unknown who this information came from. It was delivered to the local news station via an unmarked envelope late last night. Security footage shows a person, likely human or Mewman judging by their shape and size, arriving last night and dropping off the envelope."

The screen then switched to show a short video of the said person approaching the front of the news station, practically walking on their tiptoes. They were obscured completely by a large cloak, to the point where even their hands weren't visible. Just like the reported had said, they pulled an envelope from their coat and slid it underneath the door before walking off, briefly checking their surroundings to make sure nobody was following them. After this, the video stopped and the camera went back to the reporter, looking grim.

"If anyone recognizes this person, please alert your local poli...I mean knight force, and tell them where you saw them and when. And if this person is watching this right now, we please ask that you turn yourself in to give us the source of what we found in that envelope. Because if this is true, then-"

"You're going off-script!" Someone off-screen hissed, completely audible to everyone. "Stick to it! Stick to it!"

"No, I'm not sticking to it!" The reporter complained. "If this person is out there, then they should show themselves for the betterment of the town! If this information is true, even a small part of it, then the implications are that-"

"This is the news, not the time for personal opinions!"

The reporter scoffed and rolled their eyes. "Oh please. Isn't that all the news is nowadays?"

"Why you little-" The unknown person started, and someone blurry ran on-screen before it quickly clicked to black. Everything was silent for a few moments until another reporter showed up, looking rather nervous, who then started giving a weather report in the most boring fashion imaginable.

Not wanting to hear any more of this nonsense, Star groaned and muted it before burying her head in her hands.

"Well, I guess the cats out of the bag," Marco said. "I hope that guy doesn't get fired."

"Not our problem," Star said. "But what's really important is that everyone in town now knows the truth. And I'm betting they're all going to have the same reaction as her over there."

Star then motioned over towards Angie, who was still looking shell-shocked over the news.

"Uh...mom?" Marco asked, just now realizing how traumatized she looked. "Are you okay? You looked like you've seen a ghost...like, a lot of ghosts."

"Well, around here I wouldn't be surprised…" Star mumbled. "But yeah. Mrs. Diaz? Are you-"

"I'm okay," Angie said, waving them off suddenly. "I'm still just processing all this. And hearing it on the news like that...Marco, I think we should get home before rioters swarm the streets. I think the arrival of information like that into the public is going to cause mass panic, whether they think it's true or not."

"Okay, but can we stay here a few more minutes?" Marco asked. "With that having been announced, there's a few things that Star and I need to talk about."

"I suppose, Marco. But be quick." Angie said. "Hopefully we can get home before their streets become clogged with people."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, mom," Marco said, before lowering his voice to a whisper and sighing. "Great. Now she's turning into me when I'm not around you. Is my entire family going to end up like this eventually? What's going to happen to my father? He already got kidnapped, and while he oddly wasn't affected in the slightest by that whole ordeal, I'm still worried-"

"Marco, you make it sound like your family is cursed, which it's definitely not," Star said. "Just give your mom some time. I don't think you'll have to worry about the streets being clogged. I'm sure everything is at home thinking to themselves right now, wondering if this is true or not."

"Probably," Marco said, before scooching closer. "Okay. Who do you think the guy that dropped off the envelope was? One of the Royals?"

"Well, I'm not sure." Star. "Before five minutes ago, who else but me, you, your mom, Globgor, Janna, those knights, and Eclipsa knew about the whole government thing?"

"Umm...not that many, as far as I'm aware," Marco replied. "Again, I only got this information because of a phone call, and even then Eclipsa didn't give that many details. She didn't sound like she wanted this information to get out."

"For obvious reasons," Star said. "So that rules out her and her husband, I think. Hm. What about someone who works in the Monster Temple? Like that Archibald guy? Their butler? Do you think he may have overheard them talking about it?"

"I've seen Archibald before, Star, and the guy in the news footage was definitely not him," Marco said.

"Yes, but he might have told someone else who in turn sent out that envelope," Star said. "Or heck, I heard that they converted the Temple into a shelter for people whose homes were decimated. Maybe one of them overheard and wanted for it to get out."

"I don't think so," Marco said. "Eclipsa told me that all of them had already left when I asked about it, and I believe that this was before she and Globgor got a hold of this info. I don't think it was any of them."

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning it was someone else. Maybe someone who was listening to what they were saying." Marco said, before his eyes widened. "Oh...shit. You don't think…?"

"That Bren did it?" Star asked. "I mean, if he wants to cause chaos and get us to turn against each other, this is a pretty good way to do it. Like I've said before, he claims he wants us to try and beat him for fun, but it's obvious he wants us weakened first before he actively goes out to destroy us." She scoffed and turned away. "Yeah. It's possible that he did this."

"Fantastic," Marco said. "But even if it wasn't, this is still a huge problem. I think we should focus on-"

"We?" Star asked. "Shouldn't we let Eclipsa and Globgor handle this? What are we going to do? I'm still stuck in the hospital and you're...I'm just going to say it flat out. I'm sure you're in no condition to stop any riots with the power of your voice."

"True, but you can do that," Marco said. "Remember your speech on Beach day? You calmed everyone in that force down even though they were five seconds away from screaming for blood. You saved the day then, and I'm sure you can save it now."

Star frowned. "Marco, what did I just-"

"And I'm sure the hospital will let you go if it means that the town will be saved." Marco continued. "Once they see how bad things are about to get, we'll demand that they let you go. They will, and together, but with mostly you because I'm pretty useless right now, we can solve this problem before it becomes a bigger one."

"As enthusiastic as that makes me, I don't think it's going to work," Star said. "Yes, Marco, I hate it here. The bad things I've said about it do not even come close to the truth of how much I hate this place. But I think…" She gulped and looked away like she was ashamed. "That I may need to stay here until the doctors say I can leave."

"What?!" Marco exclaimed, wondering if this Star Butterfly was the same one he had been talking to just five minutes ago. "Are you serious? I thought you'd be jumping for joy at an opportunity like this!"

"I would be if I could jump at all, and that's the whole point!" Star said. "You weren't here yesterday. You didn't see the state I was in. But I can tell you that it was awful. I woke up in the middle of the night and threw up multiple times throughout the day because of the pain. The doctors told me it was because I had held off getting medical care for so long, and my body and the pain receptors we're finally catching up. I could barely move for most of the morning, and that feeling persisted almost throughout the entire day. I was in so much pain that even talking made me want to throw up."

"So...what does that mean?" Marco asked, shocked by the possible revelation that his girlfriend wanted to voluntarily stay in the hospital for longer.

"It means I don't want to risk that happening again," Star said. "If I jump out of bed and go walk around town, then the next day I might have aches in every part of my body, preventing me from even moving. I may be desperate to get out of here, but I'm not that desperate that I'd submit myself to the same pain again." She gulped and stared at the bedsheets, and for a second Marco almost thought she looked afraid. "Never."

"Oh…" Marco said. "Sorry. I guess I just-"

"No, it's okay. And I was actually going back and forth with that one for a long time." Star said. "But you understand, right? I don't want to disappoint you, Marco, but-"

"I understand perfectly, Star," Marco reassured her. "You don't have to explain anything like that to me. Trust me. I've gone through pain like that before. And even if it meant saving the entire town and killing Bren, I would never willingly go through it again."

"I mean...in exchange for that…" Star started.

"Yeah, you're right, that was a stupid example," Marco said. "But like I was talking about earlier, I think we should still try to do something about all this. If and when the townsfolk learn that the Royals, or at least a few of them, knew about this whole government thing and didn't let it go public, we're going to have a problem on our hands."

"More riots, I know," Star said. "You know, everyone keeps saying that there are going to be riots but I never actually see any. What's up with that? Was it all just a bunch of hysteria or something?"

"Funny you should mention that…" Angie chimed in, and the two teens turned to look at the woman, who was still looking shell-shocked, but someone remaining coherent in speech. "When Eclipsa called, she mentioned how there was a riot outside the Monster Temple, but Globgor managed to get them to disperse. The riots have already started. I just don't think they're particularly big ones."

"Really," Marco said, looking slightly concerned. "I wonder how he did that. Just told them to screw off? I always thought it would be Eclipsa getting rid of the rioters when it came right down to it. Globgor doesn't like doing that sort of thing...or any kind of violence in general."

"I wouldn't say that. Did you see him at the Cornonation?" Star asked. "He might not like fighting, but he'll do anything to protect his family. If those rioters were threatening to storm the Temple...then I have no doubt that he personally gave them the boot."

"That's going to cause a bit of a problem in the PR department," Marco mumbled. "Not that I blame him, but still. If people are getting mad, and the Royals are fighting back, what then? What if they decide to try to break into some other castle? One that isn't as benevolent? Those other guys will not hesitate to send out their knights and bodyguards to get rid of any mobs gathering on their doorstep. And then a lot of blood is going to be spilled. Which will only escalate things further. It's…" He groaned and leaned back. "...It's begun then. The end of all of this. Those riots are only the start. Soon enough, Bren will take advantage of the confusion and swoop in to destroy everything. End of story. Our story, at least."

"Think you're being a little too pessimistic," Star said. "Yes, those riots are only the start. But if it comes right down to it, we can do whatever's necessary to calm them down and make them go home."

"What does that mean?" Marco asked. "I'm sure that most of the angry people are that way because they don't have homes. Where are we going to tell them to go? Random buildings?"

"That's beside the point," Star said. "I meant that if it comes down to it, we can send out the knights and make those people go somewhere else before riots start. A show of force. We're already dealing with Bren. We don't need our own people screwing things up and ruining it for everyone."

"Hold on…" Marco started. "Are you saying that we turn Earthni into a dictatorship or something?! Where we send out armed goons to shove people off the streets and arrest anyone who doesn't comply? And, "a show of force"? What are you suggesting? That we set a curfew and beat up anyone who isn't inside?"

"I hadn't actually thought of a curfew, but yeah, that works too," Star said.

"I...no. No, we can't do this, Star." Marco protested. "Telling the rioters to stop us one thing. Trying to resolve problems peacefully and all that. But dealing with them with violence is quite another. That won't make them go away! It'll just push them to further violence! I know for a fact that more than a few of them have rifles or pistols for home protection. What if they whip those out and fire them at the goons we send to-"

"They won't be "goons", they'll be knights." Star corrected.

"Well, considering how criminal your suggestion is, I think "goon" is more appropriate," Marco said. "And like I was saying, what if they use guns against us? The knights won't be able to do anything about that! I'm pretty sure that the whole reason humans stopped using medieval style metal armor in the first place was because bullets could go through it and thus made it totally useless in wars! Now, maybe Mewman armor is a bit stronger, but it's still not going to be that effective, I'm sure." He took a short breath and then continued. "Star...if we do this then people will die. A lot of people. The knights will be forced to fight back against the gun-wielding citizens so that they don't die, and then more guns will be brought in, and then the cycle will begin again until there's a pile of corpses so large that it holds up the traffic!"

"I'm pretty sure any-sized pile of corpses would hold up the traffic," Star said. "But, Marco. I know. I know that things could go bad. But this is a risk I'm willing to take. We are out of money. The police are all gone. The leftover knights are all that is left. Bren could strike and kill us all at any time he wanted. We do not need rioters. If they appear on the streets, then it will be the final piece of the puzzle. And in that puzzle is an image of the destruction of Earthni! We have it prevent that no matter what, and if forcing people to piss off and go home is a way to do it, then so be it!"

"Star…" Marco started, using the same tone he had been using for the past five minutes. "That may be true. There may be no other option when it comes to getting the rioters to stop. But that still doesn't take into consideration what I just said. They're going to have Earth weapons. The best the Royals can scrape up in that department is a few guns from the police station that they can hand to the knights, who have no idea how to use them and are terrible shots. And don't say that we can get the Mayor to calm them down either, because if he speaks out then the citizens will just lump him in with the rest of us."

"Then we take away all the guns," Star said, crossing her arms. "We send the knights out from house to house to collect all the guns. Now the best thing the townsfolk can scrape up is a few gardening tools against metal swords. Now they're the ones who stand no chance."

"Star, again, terrible idea," Marco said. "None of those people are going to want to give up their guns. They're scared of Bren. Scared of another demon attack showing up at their door. They don't just want it for protests, they want it to protect themselves against the bigger problem!" He explained. "And plus, it's illegal for us to do that since it goes against the second-"

"Screw the Amendments!" Star shouted. "The government has abandoned us, remember? So why should we give a crap about their laws?! Heck, if doing that makes them send some people down there, then that gives us even more incentive! It'd be nice to see any kind of response! Why don't we throw riots against them for doing this to us?!"

"..."

"..."

"...Now that would end in a bloodbath," Marco said.

"I...I know." Star sighed. "I know, Marco. I'm just trying to think of something. There's too much going on and I want to do all this as fast as possible before they all get worse. Only problem is…" She groaned and leaned backward. "...you're right. All my solutions will just accomplish the opposite of what I want. That is what will make things worse. Even if we beat Bren, what will the townsfolk do then? They're going to hold a grudge if we push them all into their homes. Even if we win against the enemy, our "allies" might still come and get rid of us all in the end. What...what was I even thinking?"

'She summed it up perfectly.' Marco thought. 'But there's no way I'm going to let her sit there and get all sad and depressed. Not like me. I'm never going to let her turn into that.'

With a shrug, Marco got up and embraced Star in another hug, who fumbled with her hands and eventually returned it, like a child desperately grabbing for something. There was no talking this time, no secret whispers, they just stood/lay there, enjoying the warm feeling of their bodies pressing against each other. With a satisfied sigh, Star let go of Marco and flopped back into her bed, her head hitting the pillow as she put on a face that made Marco think she was going to instantly fall asleep.

"Well, I better get started on this garbage…" She mumbled, turning to look at the tray the guard brought in and it's contents. "Still disgusting as ever, but I'm too hungry to care."

"You...want me to get you something from the vending machine?" Marco asked. "Or is this a serious thing, where you can only eat specific foods or you'll die?"

"Oh, I can eat most normal foods. But I'm sure the vending machines are picked clean." Star said. "You're free to go check, however. I'll take anything that's left, as long as it's not this."

"Okay," Marco said, pulling out his wallet and making sure that he had money. "I'll go look then. You stay here and...oh, sorry. I didn't-"

"It's fine. Go." Star said, waving him off. She grabbed the tray and pulled the saran wrap off of it, causing a smell to be let loose into the air that immediately made Marco think there was a gas leak. With a single wave back at Star, he walked out of the room (speed-walked) and was met unsurprisingly with the empty hallway.

He then turned to his left and started moving back towards the stairwell, knowing that if there were vending machines anywhere, it'd be the lobby. Before long, however, he noticed that the same guard from earlier who was following him and his mother was tailing him again, matching his exact pace. And again, Marco ignored him and continued moving, aware that he was only checking to see if Marco would do anything stupid.

And in a matter of minutes, Marco made it back to the lobby, still as lonely and depressing as ever. He took a quick scan of the room and spotted the vending machines up against the far wall, and Star seemed to have been correct: They looked completely empty.

But on closer inspection, Marco noticed that there was something left. An entire row was full, like no one had even noticed that it was there. Marco's bore furrowed in confusion as he approached it, until he realized that the row was full of oatmeal raisin cookies, and then it suddenly made sense.

"...Ah, well. I'm sure Star won't mind at this point. The smell alone from that stuff gives me enough of an idea to surmise that it tastes like…" He sighed, putting some money into the machine and buying one of the cookies. He repeated this process two more times, getting cookies for himself and his mother, and after that, he turned tail and nearly ran into the security guard standing right behind him, no more than a few feet away. Since he had pretty much stayed in the shadows the entire time, Marco was once again confused as to why he had chosen now to reveal himself, at a time like this.

But after a couple of seconds of him not saying anything, Marco narrowed his eyes out of boredom and continued forward, stepping around the guard and refusing to acknowledge his presence beyond that. The guard watched him go with a disappointed look on his face, and at that moment Marco knew that he was hoping for a better reaction than that.

"Probably some dumb intimidation tactic…" He mumbled, as he speed-walked back towards the stairwell. The guard followed him again, looking dejected, something that Marco couldn't care less about. He opened the clear paper-plastic container his cookie was in and began chowing down on it, one bite telling him why these were the only things left in the machine. But at this point, he didn't really care, because the alternative was that slop Star was currently eating.

And...it's not like there was much waiting for him at home, either. Sure, they had a lot of food, thanks to Angie going to the grocery store a day or two before his whole "dying" incident, but most of that was standard stuff. He didn't even have any nachos, and when he snuck out the house late last night (yes, he left the house for a reason that wasn't Star, shocking) to go to the 24/7 grocery, he found that they were fresh out of them. And out of a lot of other stuff too. Eclipsa's words about how they would receive no outside help began to dance in his mind as he stared at some of the empty shelves, and he realized that a shortage of food might become their new new problem if all the shipments from outside had been canceled by the government.

And yeah, they had acres and acres of corn, but anyone with half a brain knew that eventually, people would get sick of eating nothing but corn, both physically and mentally. Soon enough all other foods could run out, and even if people started going to grocery stores outside of the town the same way they did with the hospital, then either Bren would put a stop to it or force the government to.

And the real kicker? Since Marco had figured it all out easily enough; the inevitable food shortage, the riots, Bren arriving to destroy everything once and for all; there was only a matter of time until the townsfolk realized it as well.

And then the real riots would begin. How long until the water was shut off? The electricity? The plumbing? Just when would Bren order for the things that kept the town together to be shut down so he could enact his final plan? Yes, Bren was apparently "different" now, some whole possession thing, but Marco doubted that his overall goal had changed much. He still hated Star and Earthni.

It was only a matter of time, and by the time Marco finished that thought, he realized that he had also finished his cookie. The taste had been so bland that he hadn't even noticed. He frowned in disappointment, now seeing again why no one would buy this thing, and shoved the wrapper in his pocket. He then took a brief glance at his surroundings (because his brain had been auto-pilot for that entire internal conversation), and saw that he was still on the staircase, just next to the door that led to the level Star was on. With a depressed sigh, he pushed it open and just jogged the rest of the way to her door, not caring if it made him look suspicious or not. Once he was there he pushed that door open and was greeted with a familiar sight.

His mom was still sitting down, although now she looked like she was merely thinking to herself instead of having a nervous breakdown, and Star was eating that disgusting slop, clearly struggling to choke it down. She spotted Marco entering and tried to smile at him, but only managed a frown.

"I'm back." He announced, as only one of the two people mentioned had noticed he arrived. "And I got snacks for us all. These were the only things available, so sorry if they aren't that good."

"Marco, I don't care what you got me, as long as isn't more of this," Star said, as Marco tossed the cookie over to her. "Just give it to me and...oh." She groaned softly, as she finally took note of what the "snack" Marco brought was. "Okay. That explains why it was the only one left."

"Yeaaaaaaaah," Marco said awkwardly. "If you want, I can try to-"

"No, it's still okay," Star replied, ripping open the wrapper and tossing it in the vomit bowl next to her bed. "I may not like these, but as I told you: Preferable to this." She then took a bite and looked like she regretted it immediately. Marco grinned and then walked over to his mom, eventually resorting to snapping his fingers in her face to get her attention.

"Hm? Oh, sorry, Marco." She said, taking the cookie without even glancing at it. "I was just thinking about what you and Star told me. I was wondering if we should go to the grocery store again after this. That information is out, and I'm worried-"

"Mom, I'm sure it's gonna be fine." Marco lied. "The people in this town can get a little...crazy at times, but deep down they just want what's best for their families. I'm sure that if Eclipsa and Globgor show them that throwing a riot is not that, then nobody will do anything bad."

"I'm more worried about something else." Star chimed in, slowly picking all the raisins out of her cookie. "That Fire-god. That big, evil jerk that's behind all of this. I was hoping to discuss this later, but I don't want to wait any longer. I'd like to know what Eclipsa and Globgor plan to do against that. Even if the riots are stopped, as well as Bren, maybe imprisoned or better yet, killed, that God will still be hanging over the town."

"I'm trying to make her less worried, Star." Marco mouthed to the girl, and Star's face dropped. He took one last glance at his mother and then walked over to the bed, sitting down on the chair next to it. "And I don't think he's really evil." He continued. "When I was talking to him...oh. Crap, I just remembered…"

"Just remembered what?" Star asked, before realization flashed across her face. "Oh right, you're not allowed to talk about your encounter, right? He'll get all angry or something. Ugh. That sucks. I'm sure he told you plenty of things that could be useful, if only we were allowed to know them."

"I'm not so sure about the second part," Marco said. "Most of the stuff I learned wouldn't be useful as of right now, and honestly, with the way things are going, I have a feeling he might have lied about a few things."

"Wouldn't be surprised," Star said. "Glossaryck was the same. He didn't lie, really, but he never quite told the truth either."

Marco nodded. "Remember that time he ran around on all fours for months yelling "Globgor" just to screw with us?"

Stat shook her head and chuckle-coughed. "How could I forget? I swear, if he hadn't floated away on that umbrella right after, I'm sure I would have tried to throttle him."

"I'm sure we've all wanted to do that at one point or another. But I kind of miss the guy, you know?" Marco sighed. "He was super annoying and rarely did anything useful, but it was still nice having him around for things."

"I get what you mean," Star said. "But I didn't regret destroying the magic. Nope. Not one bit. Never in a million years. Doesn't matter what it's brought with it, doesn't matter who. I will never-"

"Okay, Star, I believe you," Marco said. "I always will. Just because Bren is here because of magic being gone, that doesn't mean you're to blame. We didn't know what would happen. How could we? The people at fault here at obviously Bren himself and that Fire-god."

"I know," Star said. "But I still can't help but feel guilty every now and then."

"I've actually been thinking about that," Marco said. "And I may have a way that we can get the Fire-god to leave us alone."

"What's that?"

"Ehhh...well, that's just it. I can't tell you." Marco said. "It concerns something it said to me while I was dead, which you obviously know I'm not allowed to talk about. I mean, maybe he isn't watching me right now, but considering that he is also a god...I'm sure that it isn't much of a stretch for him to be in multiple places at once."

Star groaned. "Maybe you could sign language it. He said you can't talk about it, right? Did he say anything about that?"

"I'm sure he meant that I'm not allowed to tell anybody about it in any way," Marco said. "So no, I can't sign language it. And I don't even know sign language, and neither do you."

"Shame," Star said. "Maybe after all this is finished we can learn it. So we can have secret conversations in public about anyone knowing what we're saying. Because I seriously doubt that many people in this town have bothered to learn either. I don't think there are any deaf people in Echo Creek…and anyone on Mewni with that disability was just killed at a young age for being useless."

"Yeesh," Marco said. "I guess there's no room for people they deem as useless in that sort of society. But why haven't I heard of that before? I'm pretty sure that a law like that would have been appealed by the council, and I don't remember-"

"Everyone met beforehand in a Mewni-only Council and agreed to just silently get rid of it right then and there. Less hassle." Star said. "There's a lot of stuff we did in that meeting. I remember we spent a lot of time on how we would conquer Earth if it ever came to that." She chuckled. "Course, every plan we came up with was made pointless when they heard about the kind of weaponry that Earth had. I didn't tell them because I wanted to see the looks on their faces. All that confidence fading away...it was honestly pretty fun to watch."

"And that was the only part of the weapons meeting that could be considered fun," Marco said. "But back to what we were talking about, I don't think we can get rid of the Fire-god in a way that I'm allowed to tell you about. At least not by ourselves. I believe Janna has a spell that could get rid of their influence in a person, which would have been useful earlier, but I think that tad far as it goes when it comes to getting rid of him. It's in the name. He's a god. There's not much we puny mortals can do."

"Like hell," Star said. "What does he want?"

"What does he want?" Marco asked. "Uh...for Bren to succeed? I'm pretty sure you already knew that, Star."

"Bullshit," Star growled. "That's not what he wants. If that was it, then we'd all be dead already. It's like you mentioned just a second ago. He's a god. If he's so great and powerful, then why hasn't he just wiped us off the face of the Earth entirely? It seriously shouldn't be that hard!"

"Maybe he wants to drag this out?" Marco suggested, really wishing he could tell Star what the Fire-god said to him right about now. "He did seem to have a peculiar personality when I met him. Kinda human-like, if I'm being honest. And one of humanity's most diverse traits is cruelty. Maybe that's what this is? Just cruelty?"

"I still think it's something else," Star said. "Cruelty, shmuelty. If he was so cruel, then he'd come down and unplug my life support system right while you were hugging me. Force you to die in my arms just like you died in like back in that van. Bring it all full circle. If he's dragging this out for fun, there are a lot worse things he could do than this garbage."

"Um, don't give him any ideas," Marco suggested. "But I guess you're right there. Maybe he doesn't want to do that, then? Or maybe it's like a tidal wave. The water level drops before the big load comes in."

"Tidal waves are disasters, Marco." Star pointed out. "If the explosion was the water level dropping, then whatever happens next is sure to kill us all."

"That's what I meant," Marco said, before thinking to himself. 'God, this is so annoying! If only I could at least mention a few of the things the Fire-god told me about that. That other god it stole the resurrection from, the fact that these gods are the only thing keeping humanity around, and the whole afterlife or reincarnation thing, even though that wouldn't be useful...and I'd probably keep it to myself anyway. I don't think people would be happy if I start saying things that denounce their whole religion. But regardless, can't I get some sort of pass? Just for this?'

'...'

'I guess not.' Marco sighed. 'Fine. Whatever. I'll live with this for now. But if you're somehow listening to my thoughts, you bastard, then know this: I will find a way to get rid of the whole stupid thing. Maybe drinking that potion, inventing a whole new one, I don't know! But I will get rid of you!'

"I take your silence as more agreement to what I was saying," Star said, snapping Marco out of his head and realizing that he had zoned out again. "But, uh...I kinda have to go to the bathroom, so I'm sorry, but you guys are gonna have to leave."

"Oh." Marco said. "We can't wait for you outside or…?"

"Definitely not." Star said.

"Okay. Okay." Marco replied, trying not to show how disappointed he was. So he stepped forward for the final time and gave Star another hug, which she returned as best she could. "I'll see you around, Star. I'll make sure to call as soon as possible."

"I'll be looking forward to it." Star said, as they let go of each other. "Bye, Marco. I love you."

"...I love you too, Star." Marco said, trying to hide the blush on his face. "...Goodbye."

And with that, he sighed happily, waved goodbye to Star one final time, and he and Angie left the room, the latter giving Star a wave of her own. But then she paused for a moment and looked back at Star, who seemed to be fidgeting in her bed.

"Star…" She started. "When you get out of the hospital, would you like to come stay with us? I know you've already been doing that recently, but well, if you want to stay with your mother or Eclipsa to help them deal with the current crisis, then that's perfectly fine. So I was just wondering if-"

"I'm staying with you guys," Star announced. "Marco obviously needs me around him. He was really trying his best to act happy. And while some of it was genuine, I can tell that he still needs help. And if I'm the cure for this little spark of sadness he's currently going through, then there's no way I'm not going to hang around him as often as possible until it's gone entirely."

"I see. T-thank you." Angie said, her voice trembling only the tiniest bit. "I know it hasn't even been that long since he started doing this, but Rafael and I have been trying our hardest, and nothing seems to be working. He's just sat in his room all day, not making a noise and keeping completely to himself. And while I'm sure it is normal for most teenagers to do this…" She chuckled, before returning to her morose attitude. "I'm sure it isn't because of puberty, and that it's not going to go away by itself."

"Yeah. I could tell." Star said. "But what have you two done? Had he even come down to eat dinner? Make nachos? Watch movies with you guys? Anything? Did he even watch that show about penguins he likes that airs every week? If I remember correctly, that should have been last night."

"Actually, yes, he watched the penguin show," Angie confirmed. "Although he did seem rather irked when we sat down besides him, and left the second it was over just a little too eagerly. As for the other things...that's about it. I was woken up in the middle of the night by what I thought was a robber, but when I went to investigate it was just Marco scrounging around in the kitchen eating leftovers. Not that dignified of a sight."

"Yeesh," Star said. "Okay, I'll try to see if I can get out early like Janna did. Although I'm sure she bought her way out, and anything else she said was a lie. But either way, I promise to leave this place as soon as possible. Not just for the sake of my taste buds, but also for Marco. I'm not going to sit by and watch him turn into an even sadder mess than he is now. I promise."

"Thank you again, Star," Angie said. "Now I should probably go. I have no doubt that Marco is getting impatient. See you soon."

"See ya!" Star said, and a second later Angie left the room, gently shutting the door behind him. Star took in the silence for a second before sighing and staring out the window, or more specifically, at the piece of plywood.

"I'm out in three days, or else I'm smashing right through that plywood and leaving myself…"


"So," Angie said, as she turned on the car and started to move it out of the parking space. "That was a nice visit, wasn't it, Marco? You got to see Star again, she's okay and she's likely going to come home soon...wasn't that nice?"

"Sure was." Marco said, who wasn't quite back to his "old without-Star self", but was definitely getting there. "I'm just glad she didn't force me to taste that glop they served her. Just the smell made me want to throw up."

"I actually tried some of it while you were gone," Angie revealed. "Star offered it to me to help me get my mind off...things. And I must say, it worked, but...I don't think I'll be able to eat anything pudding-like in my life ever again."

Marco laughed. "I can imagine." He said. "That stuff looked like it had been made in Hell's Kitchen. Actual Hell."

"I'm sure they could make something better than that, even in the Underworld," Angie said. "When I met your friend Tom, he was so polite and nice to me! Since he was a literal demon, I expected worse, but I guess those are stereotypes for you."

"All stereotypes started for a reason," Marco said. "Trust me, mom, most demons are exactly what you'd expect. Sure, there are a few nice ones, but most act like...well, demons. And Tom used to be such a jerk too. He tried to kill me on multiple occasions. All because of Star."

"What?!" Angie said, looking like she was about to brake the car and bring them both to a screeching halt. "I don't believe I knew about this. Why did he try to kill you? Were you fighting over Star?"

"Ehhh...I guess you could say that." Marco mumbled. "But really, it was more that I crashed a party that he invited Star to and became her soul mate under the light of the blood moon, an event that happens every three hundredish years. And bonding his soul with Star's is what he wanted to do, so he got really angry and tried to murder me and Star was forced to stop him by freezing him." He sighed again and gazed out the window. "And then he came back a few times, we played for my life over a game of ping-pong, and eventually...we reached a mutual understanding. It definitely took a while, but we're good friends now. I just hope he's okay by the end of this. Not only do we have to stop Bren, but we have to save Tom and his parents as well. I don't want them to die by the end of this."

"That's...actually nice. You did have a talent for making friends when you were younger. I'm glad to see it stuck with you. And...that's the most you've spoken to me directly in the past two days." Angie quipped. "Looks like reminiscing on the past is helping. Why don't you tell me another story?"

"Another? I don't even know what to tell you." Marco muttered. "There are so many things you don't know about or only know a little about. The whole Toffee crisis where I thought Star had died, the time Meteora grew to the size of a building and literally sucked my soul out of my body…" He trembled before continuing. "...Babysitting Buff Frog's babies and giving them food poisoning, almost getting killed by a psycho librarian in Kelly's dimension, almost getting smashed against a cliff face by a giant fist in the Neverzone...lots of crazy stuff."

"Maybe we could talk about a time where you or someone you knew didn't almost die?" Angie suggested, a sheepish and worried expression on her face.

"Oh, I have tons of those. And most of those situations turned out okay in the end, even if the lead-up was complicated." Marco said. "Hmm...there was this time that Star and I fought against each other when I wanted to prove myself that I was strong enough to beat Mariposa. And before you get worried, no, we weren't trying to actually hurt each other, Star was being just as careful as I was, I'm sure."

"Hopefully," Angie said, with arched eyebrows. "But how was that fun, exactly?"

"I guess it kinda reminded me of how we used to fight monsters together," Marco said. "Seeing all her old spells, battling an opponent that's actually in my league, unlike Toffee, and...I guess it was just fun? Even though anyone walking in at the time would have automatically assumed the opposite. They would have thought that we were going full-out. And...I guess we sorta were, in a way. Besides not using her butterfly form, Star wasn't holding back at the end. She used her most powerful spell on me."

"The spider with a top hat?"

"Hey, you remembered!" Marco exclaimed happily, before looking back out the window. "Yeah. The spider. Those were some good times. And like I said, beating up all of Ludo's monsters was fun too. They never learned. We must have beaten them up a dozen times over before Toffee arrived onto the scene and got them into shape. Huh…" He rested a hand on his chin. "...I wonder where all of them are now? I hope they survived the explosion. They didn't really seem like bad guys, they were just following orders. I'm sure we could have become friends as we did with Lobster claws...sorta."

"Perhaps you can check later in the Monster village," Angie suggested. "But for now, let's get home. Is there anything specific you want for dinner? Or want to do tonight?"

"Ehmm…" Marco hummed. "I would have said nachos, but we don't have any. Maybe we could swing by that smaller grocery store on the edge of town. The one that I'm sure hardly anyone goes to. I would have checked it already, but I didn't have the time. Or...incentive."

"That's okay. We can go right now, Marco." Angie said, trying to hide her excitement that Marco had accepted her proposition of sitting down at the table and having dinner like a true family should. "I think I know where it is. I'll just turn off here and…" She made a few turns and eventually started driving in a part of the town that could politely be described as "dirty". However, it still had its charm, and it was not that heavily damaged, so thankfully the roads were mostly clear of debris.

"So, Marco." Angie continued. "I was also thinking that tomorrow you could go see your friends Ferguson and Alphonso. You mentioned that you hadn't seen them in a long time, so I think it would be a nice surprise if you showed up and wanted to hang out with them, or do whatever it is teenagers do nowadays."

"Oh yeah," Marco said softly. "Those guys. We were just talking about them, weren't we? I don't even know if they're dead or alive, and they're probably thinking about me the same way." He sighed. "I guess maybe I could call them. See how they're doing. But I'm not sure if I want to hang out. Unless they...come over to my place, or something, we can play some games together and they can leave...um…"

Angie sighed like Marco just did, taking note of how hard he was struggling to not just flat out say, "I don't want them to come over, I just want to stay in my room like I've been doing". Although he had been in seemingly good spirits for most of the car ride, it didn't take a genius to see that he was slowly reverting back to his sad self, just like Angie predicted he would.

"It's okay, Marco." She said. "If you don't want them to come over, I won't force it. But I do want you to call them or text them or do something. Like you mentioned, you don't know how they're doing and they don't know how you're doing. And it would show that you care about them if you tried to communicate."

"I...okay," Marco said, accepting this small defeat. "What about Jackie? Do you want me to call her too?"

"It wouldn't hurt," Angie said, before pausing and thinking to herself. "Actually, no. Don't tell her. Don't tell her anything."

"Really? Why?" Marco asked.

"Because she doesn't know about any of this, and because of that she's safe," Angie explained. "I've met Jackie a few times. She's a very nice girl that I don't want to see getting hurt or getting mixed up with any of this. And if you tell her about Bren and what's happening, she might want to come back and...well, get herself hurt. It may be cruel to her in the long run, but if it will keep one more resident of this town from dying, then I think she shouldn't have to know about anything."

"...Wow. Okay." Marco said, clearly shocked by his mother's decision. "I have to admit, I didn't expect that. But...when she comes back eventually, which may not be for another month, will all this even be over? Or what if it is over, and we've lost? Her parents came with her, and she doesn't have any other relatives living in Echo Creek to my knowledge, but her house and most of her belongings are still here. And if Bren wins, then I don't think anything is going to be left, that house included."

"I know. That's why I said it was cruel." Angie replied. "But I'm sure they'd rather lose their house than their life. And Jackie's girlfriend...sorry, I can't remember her name, maybe her family in France can take them in for a while. While they get things sorted out. And I remember correctly, Jackie's house is more on the edge of the neighborhood, closer to the edge of the town. So even if Bren sets off a giant bomb right in the middle of it, I'm sure there'll be something they can scavenge."

"..."

"..."

"This is getting too depressing to talk about. And that's something I don't need more of." Marco said.

"Sorry," Angie said. "Just staying what I think. But do you agree with me? I won't stop you if you want to contact her, but I do think that it's best if-"

"I won't. You're right." Marco said. "And I'm sure that if they saw what was going on here, they'd just come back, grab all their stuff, and get out. Which is something I'm surprised I haven't seen it heard more of. I figured that after the explosion, at least half the town would have gotten the hell out of here."

"Language, please, Marco." Angie reminded him. "But, Marco, it's for the same reason that I haven't "rented" a moving truck, packed as much of our things inside it as we could, thrown you and Rafael in our car, and then drove away as fast as possible. This place is still our home. We can't abandon it to a madman. We have to defend it as best we can. And even if everyone leaves, then Bren might just follow and take the fight to other cities. The more people that leave, the more they might end up dead. So we have to take care of the problem here, for their sake."

"Speaking of other cities…" Marco mumbled. "Can't we send our messengers or something? People that can tell the world what's going on? If enough of us spread the word, then the government can cover it all up. Something will get out, that will spread, and then the public outcry could very well force them to abandon their deal with Bren and send in someone to stop him."

"Messengers?" Angie echoed. "I guess that could work. But there is something I'm wondering about...it's been on my mind ever since the hospital, when it became public that the government was behind no one knowing about us."

"And that is…?"

"Why hasn't something like that happened already?" Angie asked. "The hospitals from other towns are apparently taking in people, so a massive influx of injured monsters, Mewmans, and humans into them should have caused some sort of news presence. But it hasn't. Nobody is here. And I'm beginning to wonder...if those ambulances ever arrived at those hospitals in the first place."

"What the heck are you talking about?" Marco asked. "Of course they did. Eclipsa called them and got confirmation."

"Called them?" Angie said. "Or called someone pretending to be them? Marco...I'm thinking that not a single person has successfully left the town limits since all this began. I think that something is keeping us in, preventing us from leaving."

"Mom...now is not the time to become a conspiracy theorist," Marco said. "I'm sure that-"

"I'm checking."

"What?"

"I'm checking," Angie repeated. "I'm going to drive to the edge of town and leave the city right now. I'm going to keep driving until we get to another town, or are stopped by something else."

"...Mom, you're acting too impulsive." Marco pointed out. "This isn't like you. And while I get that you may be erratic after hearing the news about the government and stuff back at the hospital, we shouldn't be forming theories that have no real evidence."

"Marco, I already gave you the evidence," Angie said. "Nobody has come to help us, even though allegedly, people have gone to other towns to get help at hospitals. Again, if they suddenly saw this many injured people arriving, they would immediately suspect something! And any people at that hospital who weren't doctors would have taken photos of videos of this massive throng of people arriving and posted them online. The images would have spread like wildfire across the world, especially since they were of people from Earthni, which was the world's number one tourist destination until...all this." She sighed. "And that's another thing. There were days when the number of visitors in town far eclipsed the number of actual residents. Tens of thousands of people, to the point where we had to have checkpoints made to turn people away once a certain number arrived. And yet, I haven't seen a single tourist for what's felt like two weeks now. Which means the government is probably keeping them out. And the best way to do that is to make an artificial barrier around the town that we're now aware of. One that will also keep us in."

"Mom…" Marco started, unsure if he wasn't believing this because he genuinely thought it was crazy, or if he just didn't want to believe it. "...If that's true, then we shouldn't go and check. If they were just keeping people from leaving, then the wounded they sent to other hospitals would have come back after they were told they couldn't leave. But they haven't. If your theory is true...then what does that tell you? And take into account Bren's complete ability to not care about the lives of anyone in Echo Creek."

"..."

"Dead, mom. It means they're dead." Marco said. "More likely than not they were shot on sight with their cars carted away and thrown in a random junkyard. You do understand that if my theory is true, and if your theory is true, then if we try to leave we're not making it back?"

"..."

"...Mom," Marco said. "Please say something. Before you drive us into a death trap."

"..."

"Mom!"

"..."

"MOM!" Marco shouted, as Angie continued to drive. "Don't let me die again!"

That got her attention.

Angie got the brakes suddenly, causing them both to lurch forward, only saved from being launched out the windshield by their seatbelts. Marco let out a dramatic OOF as the seatbelt slammed into his dormant and nearly made him throw up on the spot, to the point where he had to kneel over and hold on to the glove compartment for comfort. Angie didn't have any of these problems, hardly even reacting to the sudden stop like her son had. She simply stared straight ahead, their car stuck right in the middle of the road like it had stalled out.

"Uh, mom?" Marco said, slowly recovering and looking in the car's mirrors. "You stopped in the middle of the road. Do you think you can get us moving again before someone comes up behind us-"

"I'm so sorry, Marco." She said softly.

"Huh?"

"I'm so sorry." She repeated, turning to him with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry that you had to go through all that. I'm sorry if we're not trying our hardest to make you feel better. I'm sorry that you had to see me like this and that you can't have Star there for you and-"

"Okay, stop!" Marco interjected. "Mom, we already had one of these discussions before we even drove to the hospital. In the foyer, remember? And I forgave you for everything, and then we moved on like nothing happened. You don't have to apologize twice for something. Especially when most of those things aren't your fault in the slightest."

"But I'm not sure if I think the same way!" Angie sobbed. "I should have come with Eclipsa, Star, and Janna in that little car to go get you. Maybe if I had been there, maybe if I was there for you, there might have been something that I could have-"

"Mom, there was nothing you could have done," Marco said. "If Star replayed the events of that day to me correctly, then I was already dead before they even arrived. My heart hadn't stopped, sure, but the inevitability was that I was going to die. Heck, if you had come along they might have arrived later, due to you trying to figure out how to fit four passengers in that tiny thing, if that's even possible!"

"...I still should have been there," Angie said.

"No, you shouldn't have," Marco said. "And I don't think you really wished you could have been there either. Because when Star was telling me the events, you stayed behind, and seemed quite adamant that they leave you and just get going, instead of trying to figure out another way to fit in the car. And that stuck with me. I don't think you wanted to be there because you were afraid of what you might find if you arrived. What happened to me...was exactly what you were afraid of seeing, wasn't it?"

Angie didn't speak, but the expression that suddenly crossed her face told Marco everything he needed to know, including the fact that he was correct.

"Yeah. I thought so." He said. And I don't blame you for that. Not at all. It's like I just mentioned. There's nothing you could have done about it. Even if by some hypothetical scenario you somehow managed to get in the car, it would have been too late. It would have always been too late, mom." Marco explained. "That's just the plain truth of it, and something you need to understand. I'm already a giant mess, I'm not going to bother to hide it, and the last thing I want is for you and dad to turn into ones too."

"But...I could have done something." Angie claimed, making Marco almost shake with frustration. "Back at the house, before you went to the Sanctuary, you were possessed. I should have tried to stop you then. I shouldn't have gone after your father, I should have made sure that you were okay."

"Mom, the whole point is that I was possessed, and the person who possessed me would make sure you didn't find out if they didn't want you to!" Marco said. "That's not your fault either! Not even close!"

"Even so," Angie said. "I'm your mother. I know you better than anyone...except maybe Star. It's my job to spot signs that something is wrong with you before it's too late. If that happens again, and I'm still unable to see the signs, then can I even call myself your mother?"

'God, how did we get from talking about grocery stores to this?' Marco thought, wanting nothing more than to bang his head against the glove compartment until he knocked himself out. "Yes, mom, of course you can. No matter what you do, no matter what you think, you'll always be my mother in my eyes. You don't have to ever worry about that. No one blames you for not seeing the signs, and I get why you might blame yourself. It's only natural."

"But-"

"Nope, not done yet," Marco interjected. "And going back to the whole, "I should have been there for you back in the car", again, I get it. If by some hypothetical scenario Star and I have kids in the future or something, I'm sure I would never want to see them like that either. I've spent years protecting her from all the weird crap we've been through. Even if she doesn't want my help! I may not be a parent, but I think I'm getting an idea of what it's like to be one. And if Star got hurt, or if my hypothetical kids got hurt, then yeah, I'd hate to see it. But I would still try to remain strong. For them. No matter what. And that is the person I need you to be right now, mom. For me, for dad, for everyone."

"..."

"Now...do you think you can do that?" Marco asked. "Or do you want me to explain it all over again? Because I'm happy to do it as many times as you need me to until-"

"No, I think I finally understand," Angie said. "I know, Marco. I know I shouldn't be blaming myself, but I can't help it. Everything I see happen to you, every wound, every injury...I feel it like it's my own. I just want to keep you as safe as possible, and that's why I still want to go to the edge of town to see if anything is there."

"Oh my god." Marco said. "Mom, did that huge conversation we just had even matter? Come on! I thought-"

"Please, Marco.' Angie begged, turning and meeting her son's eyes.

"What?"

"Just...please let me do this for you."

"...'

"..."


'I can't believe I agreed to do this.' Marco thought, as the derelict and ruined buildings situated on the town's edge was all that now filled his field of view. 'Two things could happen here. One, there actually is a government barricade trapping us all in, and they will shoot and kill us the second they spot us, and I don't think the Fire-god will be that eager to bring me back this time. Two, there is nothing like that there, we have been wasting time, and my mom's mood will worsen even more. Either way, we lose and get nowhere. This is a complete...ah, I can't put it like that without sounding redundant.' He sighed again. 'Maybe I can still try to convince her to turn around...no, you promised. If you do that now, Marco, then you'll be going back on your word. Another situation in which we all lose.'

"Almost there…" Angie said, as the last building faded out of view. Soon there was nothing but a dusty field, whose road led to the next city over. Tourists had always complained about how the entrance to the city wasn't very "inviting" but Eclipsa and the council didn't care. The "dust field" was actually a sacred and ancient Mewman battlefield that had a road implanted into it, and the council preferred if nothing else changed. Yes, it was still just an empty field, with no evidence that it was a battlefield or even of importance, but still. It was a valuable part of Mewman history, and they didn't want it changed. End of the story to that whole scenario.

But at least it made for easy driving. The road was flat, there were very few potholes, and Angie hardly even had to keep her eyes on the road.

At least, until the dust storm picked up. Like the weather itself was angry at then, a sudden cloud of dirt and dust blew towards the car and engulfed it out of nowhere, surprising both of the vehicles off the road occupants. It wasn't doing any damage, or even blowing the car over in the slightest, it just obscured their field of view a lot. Angie slowed down a bit in case a sudden obstacle came along, and Marco squinted his eye to get a better view of what was outside the window.

And then he saw it.

A van. Laying in the brambles on its side. Looking like it had crashed, and nobody had bothered to come out here to pick it up. He stared at it in confusion until it was out of view, his mouth hanging open slightly. Because, again, the Council liked this area free of any outside things. If a van crashed there, they would have it removed immediately, without question. So for them to just leave it there…

Well, something was definitely up.

"Uh, hey, mom?" He asked, turning back to Angie. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" Angie asked.

"That van," Marco said, pointing out the window at the barren landscape. "Didn't you see it? It was lying on its side and looked like it had been attacked with a rocket launcher!"

"No…" Angie replied. "I was looking at the van on my side of the road."

"...What are you talking about?" Marco asked.

"There was a van, similar to the one you just described, on my side of the road," Angie said. "Only it was upside down instead of on its side. I was looking at that. Are you sure that you weren't looking at the same one I was?"

"Unless space itself is in a fritz, yes, I'm sure," Marco said. "I wasn't looking at your side of the road at all. But you saw a van...and I saw one...are you seriously telling me that we both saw a wrecked car on the side of the road at the exact same time?"

"..."

"..."

"...I'm not sure what to say to that," Angie said. "But I'm going to keep going. Maybe the owners just wanted to leave it there after the crash for whatever reason and-"

"No, no, something is wrong," Marco said. "Remember where we are. Remember why it's still a cesspool of dust and emptiness. This is sacred Mewman ground or whatever. They wouldn't just leave a trashed van in a place where they refused just to build a fence around. And they sent someone out here every week to check it out. My van looked like it had been there for...a while, so what gives? Shouldn't they have packed it all up on a truck and carried it out of here?"

"Maybe they haven't had the time," Angie suggested. "A lot is going on right now. They might not want to waste any resources on a trivial matter like this."

"It's not trivial," Marco said. "If you were in the Council meeting when we discussed this, you'd understand. But I think we're missing the main point of this. If both of those vans were there, how were they destroyed? That did not look like someone had swerved off the road and hit a rock or something. I'm pretty sure I saw scorch marks on that thing." Marco gulped and then looked out the window again, his eyes widening to comical levels when he saw a car door on the side of the road, half of it looking like it had partially melted. He waited until they have passed it to say anything, his mind almost paralyzing him with fear.

"Mom…" He said. "Turn the car around. I think you should turn the car around right now."

"Not yet," Angie said. "We still haven't-"

"Mom, I just saw a car door that looked like it had been thrown into molten metal. And judging by the distance, there's no way it was part of the two cars we saw earlier. There was a third one around here that "crashed" too! I'm going to admit it. I think you're right. There's something keeping us in the town. And I think that our car is going to turn out like the ones we just saw if you don't get us out of here!"

"Marco, just because…" Angie started, before her gaze drifted off to something on the side of the road. Marco followed her eyes and he gasped when he saw what she was seeing, which was a burned-out husk of an ambulance. And it looked very recent. Like whatever had done that to it only happened a day or so ago. And the worst part? Marco almost thought he could see a body or two poking out of the front window, still strapped in with their seat belts.

Once they passed it, Marco slowly turned to Angie and spoke again, his voice deadly calm but serious.

"Mom." He said. "You'd know I would never want to harm you in any way, but you're either going to turn this car around and get us out of here, or I'm going to knock you out and do it myself before whatever destroyed that ambulance comes for us next."

"..."

"..."

"Okay. Okay." Angie said quickly, slowly bringing the car to a stop and preparing to turn it around. "Just have to be careful...have to be...be...Marco, what is that?"

"What is what?" Marco asked in exasperation. "Just get us out of here-"

"That," Angie said, pointing a finger out the front window. Marco resisted the urge to grab the steering wheel and looked, where he saw what his mother was talking about. In the distance, through the storm of dust, he could see what seemed to be lights. Lights similar to one might see at a lighthouse, moving through the dust and going over areas in a pattern.

'What the hell?' Marco thought. 'What are those? Something Bren set up? Or the Fire-god? They look like giant flashlights, or lamps, or...or...searchlights.' His heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he came to this conclusion, right at the unfortunate moment when one of the lights rapidly approached from the side and fell on them. It stopped in place and turned a bright red in color, and instantly what sounded like a faint air-raid siren rang through the air, causing the other lights to fall on their position as well.

"MOM! GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE NOW!" Marco screamed, and Angie didn't waste another second, flooring the gas pedal and turning the car around. They roared back the way they came, any care for crashing long gone. The lights stayed on them, unfortunately, and the sirens didn't become any quieter. Marco turned around to look back at them, where he saw more lights pop up…

...And then fade. It took him only half a second to register what they had been, and before Angie could do anything he grabbed the steering wheel and jerked or to the left, just as an insanely loud sound exploded right next to them in a cloud of dirt and debris. Angie screamed so loud that it almost overtook the sound of the explosion, and Marco jerked the steering wheel back to the right, before going back to the left, and repeating this so the car was moving in a serpentine formation. Both of them could barely hear after this, so even what Angie yelled next was almost indistinguishable to marco.

"MARCO, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" She cursed, momentarily shocking him for her uncharacteristic swearing. "Did someone just fire a-"

"Rocket or bomb at us? Yes." Marco said, trying to remain as calm as possible despite his heart feeling like it was going two hundred fifty beats per minute. "This is exactly what you and I were scared of. Your barrier theory was correct, and they don't want anyone to leave. And I guess they're willing to take any measure to ensure that."

"But...then that means...everyone in those ambulances-"

"Dead, but we can't do anything about that now!" Marco said. "I'm sure if we had gone a little further, we would have seen a lot more cars on the side of the road. And the ones we already saw...I'm guessing just got blown all the way back there."

"Oh my god…" Angie said. "I...I didn't want to believe it. It was just a theory, I never thought in my heart that it was true, that all those people had been-!"

"Well, next time you come up with a theory, don't have such good evidence for it!" Marco suggested. "But hey, look on the bright side. If we somehow manage to escape this, we can tell Eclipsa and she can prevent anyone else from leaving and dying. And speaking of escaping…"

Marco then looked in the rearview mirror, where he saw another flash spark up then fade. He gulped and felt his entire body tense up, ready to move the wheel to avoid being hit. A second later a huge shape appeared in the dust, and that was all Marco needed to guess it's trajectory. He threw the wheel to a hard left, resulting in the missile blowing up right next to them and blowing out their windows on that side of the car. Angie screamed again and lowered her head down to shield herself from the glass, while Marco grit his teeth as several shards implanted themselves in his hands and arms. The explosion itself heated up the car to what felt like two hundred degrees from a fraction of a second, making Marco feel like his eyeballs were about to melt right out of his head. Thankfully, it passed as they left the crater behind, although both of them were trembling from realizing how close they were to death.

"I thought that was going to tip the car over!" Angie said. "Marco, are you-"

"Not...really," Marco said, glancing down at his now blood-stained arms and hands. Angie sucked her breath in and moved to help him, but Marco quickly swatted her hands away.

"No!" He said. "We don't have time to deal with that! We'll take care of it after we're out of danger. Which will be when these dang spotlights get themselves off us! And they...have not yet. Based on how fast we're going, I say we have a mile until we get back to town. And I'm going to guess that we're going to have to dodge one more of those things. Shouldn't be too hard, we managed to elude the first two, as long as...they don't fire multiple at once." He gulped and looked behind him again, where right on schedule, he saw two lights flash and then vanish, resulting in him cursing his own words. He continued staring at the direction they came, not even blinking as he started to speak.

"Mom. When I say, brake. Brake as hard as you can."

"Brake? But why-"

"Just do it or we die!" Marco shouted, and Angie players before nodding her head. Marco kept a close eye on the sky above, and no more than a second later he spotted the two dreaded missiles approaching.

"NOW! BRAKE NOW!" He said, and Angie did as she was told, taking her foot off the gas pedal and stomping it down on the brake. The car was brought to another screeching halt as the back wheels were nearly lifted off the road, and Marco grabbed his mother's head and forced it downwards before diving under the dashboard. A millisecond later, the missiles struck the road in front of them in another massive explosion, blowing out the front window this time and scattering more glass shards all along the front of the car-thankfully avoiding it's two occupants, saved due to Marco's quick thinking.

But the moment the fire had disappeared and the sound was no longer loud enough to pop a person's eardrums, Marco yanked his mother's head back up, who was hitting one of her ears like there was something stuck in it.

"Go! Go to the side of the road and drive around the hole!" He yelled, and even though Angie felt like she had been deafened in one ear, she obeyed, moving the car forward and quickly maneuvering it around the two giant holes that the explosives had left in the road. Once she was around them she moved back to the center of the asphalt and took off again, hoping that they were far away enough that whatever was shooting at them couldn't get a clean shot.

And her hopes were right. A moment later the ever-present searchlights blinked out a few times and then vanished altogether, and Marco saw no signs of any more missiles being fired from behind them. The two took at least three minutes to calm themselves before Angie finally stopped the car, coincidentally right at the start of town, with an abandoned building only ten feet away.

"..."

"..."

"...Are we safe?" She asked, gripping the wheels so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. "Do you think they're going to fire anything else at us?"

"N-no," Marco said, his hearing still only at half of what it used to be.. "No, no, we're safe. I'm sure they're not happy that we managed to get away, but I don't think they're going to risk coming after us. Someone else might spot them, and I'm sure that they want as little people to know about this as possible. It's why they kept firing even after we turned to leave. Because if this gets out…"

"It's going to." Angie gulped, before looking at the rear-view mirror again and frowning. "We're going to go to the Monster Temple right now. We have to tell Eclipsa and the Council about this. They have to tell the citizens to not leave the town. Everyone that's already left is…"

"Not coming back," Marco said. "I'm guessing that brings the death toll up by at least a few hundred. And that's only going to keep rising." He took a deep breath and shook his head. "Okay. Yeah. We have to go to Eclipsa. And...wait, no! We can't do that! More people could die in the time it takes for us to tell her and then for her to get the word out!"

"Then what do we-"

"Stay here," Marco suggested. "Turn the car so that it blocks off the road. This isn't the only exit in the town, but it is the main one. If anyone comes by, stop them and show them the windows and any other damage the car sustained from the explosions. That should be enough to convince them...and if it's not, then just tell them to turn around when a dust storm starts up. Because the way that thing started, I have a feeling it was somehow artificial."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Go to Eclipsa, of course," Marco replied. "I'll tell her everything that just happened. If our goal here is to try and save more people, then I think that this is the way to do it. The Monster Temple may be a good distance away from here, but I think I can make it maybe twenty minutes if I run. Once she gets the word out, or sends people to get the word out, I'll come back to tell you. And that...may be a couple of hours, so-"

"I'll stay here for as long as I need to," Angie said. "I'll just have to call your father and let him know what we're doing, though. Can't have him getting even more worried for us."

"Agreed," Marco said, before opening the car door and hopping out.

"Wait! Marco!" Angie said, realizing she had forgotten something important. "Your hands! They're still covered with glass! We have to get you to the hospital first! If those get infected, then…" Her voice trailed off, but her expression told Marco everything she was trying to say. "Please. Just get back in and I'll drive you there. It's already been several minutes. People may try to leave the town, but I'm not going to risk anything happening with you. Not again. So please-"

"Sorry, mom," Marco said, as he began to slowly pick out the shards of glass. "But some things are just more important. If Star wants me to lighten up and not spend all day in a single room...then I don't think getting immediate attention for these wounds is going to help that."

And with that, Marco ignited his mother and ran off like the village idiot, while Angie stared at him with her mouth gaped open. She then rolled down her window and started shouting things, desperately trying to convince him to stop.

"That's not what she meant!" She yelled. "And doing this will only force you to stay in a single room longer in the future!"

But by then, Marco had already disappeared, and Angie knew that it was futile to go after him. Whatever street she went down in trying to find him, odds were he had gone down the exact opposite one. So instead she sighed and leaned back in her chair, before whispering softly to herself.

"Oh, love can make people do the stupidest things…" She mumbled. "Please don't hurt yourself, Marco. I trust you enough to not do that...but please be careful."

Angie wasn't sure what saying this was supposed to accomplish, considering he wasn't anywhere near her, but it felt good to say anyway. Just as she was about to close her eyes, a sudden bright light shined directly into her vision, and she looked to her left to the that a car was approaching the edge of the town. A van, to be exact, with a family inside with several bags of luggage wired to the top. They stopped when they saw she was in the middle of the road, and she sighed again as she prepared to get out.

"Stay here and tell them what's going to happen if they keep going." She said to herself. "Okay."

"I guess we'll have to start somewhere."

End chapter 24

A/N: This was a mostly uneventful chapter overall, but still a slightly important one. Janna was revealed to be sorta-not really in league with the Fire-god for a while (which only consisted of him asking her to be Bren's successor), and we got introduced to another divine being that had been mentioned before. Let's just say the two of them might come to blows eventually, and hopefully, it won't be in Earth's solar system.

And there is a barrier around the town. Explains why nobody had come in or out. Spreading a few lies about quarantining the town, a deadly flesh-eating necrosis...and voila! Nobody is going in, and anyone who tries to get out...well, you read what happens. This is going to be a difficult situation for Eclipsa and the rest to handle, but they may have a few tricks up their sleeve.

Until next time.