Note: I got a review that made me realize I need to clarify some things. This takes place after the series, so Queen Goodfey and King Darius are back. The reason Zarya isn't going to them is that she's not used to asking parents for help.

"I'm here to see Proxima," Zarya told the guard standing in front of the Astromancer Academy.

The guard looked confused at Zarya for a second before letting her in. The guard's reaction didn't surprise her. It was rare for only one of them to visit Proxima, and unless it was some kind of party, they were typically in their Mysticon outfits when they went. She was just glad that, since everyone knew of their identities, she didn't have to be in her Mysticon form to be recognized. She couldn't risk having someone take a picture of her affected by the spell, so she chose to stay in her normal clothes, where no one could see the mark.

As soon as Zarya reached the throne room, she saw Gandobi and Proxima discussing something. Gandobi noticed her first.

"Mysticon Ranger," Gandobi said. "Do you not have enough respect for the Astromancers to come properly dressed?"

Proxima looked at Zarya. "I don't mean to be rude, but if this is just a visit, can it wait? Gandobi and I are discussing methods to increase the Starchamber's security."

"Trust me, this is important," Zarya said. "I need to talk to you alone."

Proxima's eyes widened. "Of course.". She looked at Gandobi. "We'll have to finish this later."

XXX

Proxima led Zarya to her bedroom and closed the door. "We won't have to worry about any of the Astromancers interrupting us here," she said as she sat on her bed. "Now what's going on?"

"Before I tell you, promise me you won't freak out," Zarya said.

"Zarya, you're scaring me," Proxima said. "What's going on?"

Zarya sighed as she took off her jacket, making the mark on her arm visible. The mark seemed to have grown, taking up half of her upper arm. "I woke up this morning, and this was on my arm."

Proxima examined Zarya's arm and gasped. "A life-drain spell? Who did this? And why did you come by yourself?" Proxima's eyes narrowed. "Nobody else knows, do they?"

"That's the weird thing," Zarya said as she sat down besides Proxima. "Tazma did this almost a year ago, and Aunt Yaga reversed it. It just came back up this morning."

"That doesn't answer my last question," Proxima said.

Zarya looked at the ground. "The Mysticons and Malvaron know I was cursed before, but they don't know that it came back. I don't know if anyone told Doug or my parents about the previous curse, though."

"Zarya, they have to know," Proxima said. She pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I'm telling the Mysticons."

"No," Zarya said quickly. "They'll freak out if they find out."

"They'll freak out more if they find out you hid it from them," Proxima said. "Most life-drain spells only take three hours to completely take over, and I don't know if I can reverse it in that time, especially since it came back from a previous curse."

"The mark seems to be growing slowly, so we may have more time," Zarya pointed out. That was true. Piper said that the mark almost completely covered her arm shortly after the curse took hold, and it only covered part of her arm now. She just hoped that it was enough to convince Proxima to keep the secret.

"Still, I'm not sure," Proxima said. "I don't know much about Life-drain spells, and I never heard of one coming back. I don't know if I can help you by myself."

"Please, Proxima," Zarya said. "I don't want to worry the others, and I'm sure that you don't either."

"But what if I don't figure this out?" Proxima said, her voice sounding as though she was about to panic. "I don't want to lose you when I could've gotten help."

Zarya put a hand on her shoulder. "I need your help, and I know you can do this."

Proxima took a deep breath, and seemed to think about what to do. Zarya hoped that Proxima would agree with her.

"Fine," Proxima said after what seemed like an hour. "But if I even think that we won't figure it out by ourselves in time, I'm telling the Mysticons everything."

Zarya smiled. "Thanks."

Proxima stood up. "There may be something in the Academy's library that may help us. Let's go."

Zarya stood up and followed Proxima out of the room. As they were heading towards the library, Gandobi approached them.

"Are you ready to continue our discussion, Starmistress?" Gandobi asked.

"We'll have to finish our discussion another day," Proxima said. "Could you clear my schedule for today? Something urgent came up."

"I guess," Gandobi said.

"Thank you," Proxima said. With that, she and Zarya left.

XXX

Zarya struggled to focus on the words on her page of the book she was reading. The curse was starting to take it's toll on her. She was feeling tired, and everywhere began to hurt.

She would occasionally move her sleeves up her arm to see if it has spread, making sure to only do so when Proxima seemed preoccupied with whatever she was doing to notice. The lines were slowly growing.

"I found something," Proxima said.

"Hope it's good news," Zarya muttered.

Proxima looked at the book she had open in front of her. "While Life-drain spells can be removed, there is always a risk of some of the spell remaining inside the victim's body, only to reappear later. This risk increases as the curse spreads throughout the victim's body." Proxima looked at Zarya. "How long did it take you to get the spell reversed?"

"A while," Zarya admitted. "There were a few hiccups."

Proxima returned to her book. "If the spell reappears, it will affect the body at a slower rate than the initial spell. However, this should not be taken as the spell is less dangerous, as the spell will eventually overtake the victim's body. Furthermore, it is more difficult to undo the spell."

Proxima and Zarya looked at each other. "Does it say anything else?" Zarya asked.

Proxima flipped the page. "That's it. But there has to be something in another book."

"Great," Zarya said.

"We have to tell the others," Proxima said. "Or your parents."

"I hate to admit it, but you're right," Zarya said.

"Who are you going to tell first?" Proxima said.

Zarya thought about that question. On one hand, Queen Goodfey should know first, as she was her mom. But Zarya was still getting used to having a parental figure around, so going to her for help felt weird. The Mysticons, Doug, and Malvaron, on the other hand, have been her family for longer, and has already seen her at her worst. Besides, if she was going to cancel her plans with Piper, it would be better to tell her before the demolition derby, so Piper doesn't think she forgot about it, like she did with the camping trip.

"I think I'll tell the Mysticons, Doug, and Malvaron first," Zarya said. "I'm still getting used to having a parent, and I don't even know where to start telling her about this."

Proxima thought for a moment. "That's probably for the best anyway. Malvaron's been though Astromancer training, so he can help with the spell while one of the others tells your parents. Besides, Malvaron knows the best way to get in touch with Aunt Yaga for help."

Zarya stood up, and saw Proxima look at the books that were on the table.

"Will you be alright going by yourself?" Proxima asked. "I really need to do more research."

"I'll be fine," Zarya said. "I owe you one."

"Just promise me you'll tell the others right away," Proxima said.

"Promise," Zarya said. With that, she left the library.

"I can't believe I'm letting Piper down," Zarya said to Choko as they walked down the Academy's house. "But Proxima is my sister to, and I can't just go to a demolition derby while she put her whole day aside to help me." Zarya winced in pain. "Besides, I don't think I can act like I'm fine for that long."