King: I am so freaking sorry this took so long to get out! I had a lot of stuff going on and new projects taking up my time... Oh well... I have one more chapter after this one, but this is the big climax. Hope you enjoy, despite how long you had to wait...

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In a flash of light Star fell out of her portal and took a deep breath. She looked around to find herself back in her reality, back home. She took a deep breath and found the rest of the group appearing from their portals at the same time. Well… all but one. "Where's Marco?"

Pony Head snapped awake, having fallen asleep at her post, "Huh? What? Oh! That's… weird. He should be here."

Hekapoo looked back toward Marco's portal. "What the heck is taking him?"

Janna was getting a little concerned now, "That's not the question to ask… According to a pamphlet the space-time guy gave me, you were all supposed to arrive at the same time, no matter how long you were in the other dimension. So, why didn't he?"

Moon looked around the room, "Where's Rhombulous?"

Janna blinked for a moment before turning on her chair. "I… have no idea."

Said magical being came running into the room and slammed the door behind him, pressing his back against the wood. "We've got a problem!" He noticed everyone had returned and raised a snaked hand, "Um… Welcome back."

The door was blasted in by a bright fireball. The mage from the monsterlands walked through the door slowly. "Apologies. But I was growing impatient."

Janna kicked her seat out and ran behind the magically inclined. "What the heck is going on?!"

The combat ready members entered into fighting stances toward the mage.

The mage bowed toward them, "I am Pietro Silvanous, Mage of the Abyssal Reach. And you all have items I want." Pietro raised a hand pulled it back quickly, ripping the gemstones out of their hands. Star tried to hold onto the item as best she could but collapsed as the mage increased his force. With five of the six gems floating above him, he glowered, "Where's the sixth gemstone?"

Star jumped back off the ground and glared toward the mage with wand ready to attack, "How do you know about that?!"

"I am a mage. One with the magical universe. It is my duty to know all things magical. As for the how, it is through a spell. I can place my magic on others and see through their eyes. Hear though their ears. I knew of your plans and your search. I knew there were six shards, but you have only five here. Where is that boy in the red hood? He surely has the final piece."

"Oh no you don't!" Star fired a blast from her wand, which was deflected by Pietro with little effort. "What?"

Moon followed after using a magical blade. Pietro caught the blade between his fingers and thumb, twisting his hand, and snapping the magical blade.

Pietro smirked, "Magic will not harm me little ones. I am a mage without equal. Far better than you Butterflys."

"If magic won't work on you…" Hekapoo created several clones and charged him with her scissors as knives. "Then try this!"

Pietro fired a blast of magic into the non-clone Hekapoo, forcing her back. With a flick of his wrist, she was slammed into each of her clones before sending her into a wall. Rhombulous tried to run around the grab him, but he phased right through Pietro and into Hekapoo. Tom and Kelly tried to attack him together, only for him to push them both back. When Rhombulous got back, he tried to seal the mage in a crystal, but his magic backfired and seal him in a bubble. Pietro did the same thing against the rest of the group but could only capture Janna and Pony Head within the bubbles, the rest escaping through magic or good training.

Pietro chuckled at the scene before him. "Why don't you all just tell me where the last gemstone is? It'll make all our lives easier."

Everyone tried to rush him, seeing as magic wasn't working. But he just created a barrier to keep them all back. He burst the barrier to knock them all back. The force behind it, however, was too great for the room to handle. The group, bubbled included, was pushed out the wall and into the courtyard below.

Pietro hovered in the air and sighed. "Enough of this… I'll just pull him here. I wanted to avoid unnecessary expenditures of magic, but I have no choice since none of you are talking." Pietro snapped his fingers, causing magic to pool around him. It flew off like a cloud and formed a makeshift, one-way portal. After a moment, Marco fell through the portal and onto the ground.

Marco looked up and blinked in confusion. "What?"

Pietro slammed onto the ground in front of Marco and used his magic to pick the young squire off the ground. Pietro smiled as he wrenched the purple stone from Marco's grasp before tossing him back again. "Now… everything is together~" He held his hands out and the gems started to float closer together.

"Oh no you don't!" Star fired a bolt of magic into Pietro's shoulder, doing little damage, but distracting him enough to force him to turn around. "I don't know what you want with the shards, but it's obviously not good!"

Pietro chuckled again. "Foolish little princess… Do you really think you can beat me with your magic? You skim the surface and think yourself a master?"

"What?"

"Magic is a wellspring of power, but it is deeper than so many can understand."

"So… you dip down, or…?"

"You dip in a bucket, but magic is an ocean. I am immersed in the power!"

Marco had gotten himself back together and kicked the mage from behind.

Pietro, having focused his work on his mental and magical studies, was physically weak. Taking the hit hurt him more than he preferred. Truthfully, 'preferred' would technically be no pain at all, but his weakness made him take more pain than others after the same attack. Pietro roared and turned toward Marco. Then he noticed the glow in the young man's hand. He stole the purple gem back during the hit. "Give that back!"

Marco ducked a magical attack and held the stone out in hand. "Not happening. By the way…" The stone glowed and started to fight against Pietro's magic. "The purple stone is the Royal stone. It controls the rest."

Pietro was freaking out, trying to hold the stones in place, "How the hell do you know that?!"

"Each stone is a memory. My stone has the information about the rest. Each one holds a spell Nova created. That's why you're after them!"

Pietro's eye twitched, but he smiled, "Yes! That's why! And you aren't going to stop me!"

Tom looked up to see Marco motioning toward Pietro. Tom grinned and stood back up. He cracked his knuckles and jumped onto the mage's back, disrupting his concentration. Tom used his fire to burn Pietro or tried to. Physical attacks hurt, but Tom's magical flames dealt next to no damage. Pietro spun around and finally dislodged Tom from his back. The mage froze, realizing his mistake.

Marco now had the memory stones swirling around him. He released the purple gem, causing the other memories to halt their flights before flying into the purple gem. When it was all said and done, the gems created a rainbow colored, five-pointed star.

Pietro went mad seeing his work taken from him. "You think you can take what is mine?!" The mage released a massive wave of magic, knocking Marco back.

Marco held onto the gem as best he could. He held on until his back smacked against the castle wall. He coughed out and grabbed the gem again, only to be met with a foot colliding with his hand.

Hekapoo jumped over and tried to slash at the mage. Pietro used his anger to ignore the pain and grab the being by her throat. "You are a being of magic…" He held his other hand up, which started to glow, "What would happen if I drained you of that which gave you life?" Hekapoo started to cry out as her magic was ripped from her body slowly. Everyone else tried to stop him but were swiftly repelled as he used her as a human shield.

Marco clenched his teeth and took in a sharp breath. He clutched the gems harder, if only out of the force of the foot pushing down on him. This star should be a good catalyst… The problem is getting it to work. But I have to try! Then he heard it again.

*Ba Bum Ba Bum*

The gems reacted with the sounds, catching Pietro's attention. "The heck?" In the bright flash, he released Hekapoo and tossed Marco off with a kick. He looked around and didn't find any sign of the star. "Where did it go?!"

Marco laughed a bit through a cough.

"You… WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Marco looked back and showed off his grin, and a few new things. A pair of rainbow stars now adorned his cheeks. Everyone was surprised to see that. It didn't make any sense, but it happened all the same. Magic is weird, but this was out of their realm of understanding.

Pietro shook in place. "Damn you… DAMN YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Marco stood back up, clutching his arm. "Shining star, burning bright, seen before the first. Go beyond your limitations and burst!" Marco's body started to tense as his new cheek marks glowed. He clenched a fist as magical power surged in his body, his hair standing on end as it flowed through him. The Red Gem's spell was released. Super Nova.

Pietro just blinked, "The heck is this supposed to be?"

Marco groaned a bit as his body felt like it was on fire. The magic was expanding his muscles, putting him on par with his adult self, just in his teenage size. "The spell is called Super Nova. It enhances the physical body using magic. Now, ready to get beat?"

Pietro smirked and raised a hand, but Marco was instantly in front of him and inside his guard. Marco landed and massive punch to the mage's gut and sent him flying into the other side of the courtyard.

Marco landed next to Hekapoo, who looked up to him in sheer confusion, "Marco? What is…"

Marco glared toward Pietro as he roared from within the rubble, "I'll explain later. Star! Hit him hard!" Marco held up both hands toward the mage. A series of small lights surrounded Marco, the Orange Gem released, "Star Swarm!"

Star grinned and held up her wand. "Warnicorn Stampede!"

The two spells slammed into Pietro, who strained to stop both powerful attacks from two directions.

Marco turned his head to the side, "Kelly! Hit him now!"

The sword fanatic didn't need an invitation. Using her new Titan Killer sword, she swung a nasty hit into the mage. He was able to prevent getting sliced in half, but only at the cost of tanking the remaining damage from the spells.

Pietro screamed out in frustration. "This isn't how this is supposed to work!"

Hekapoo got back up, but barely. She was drained from before and couldn't really fight back. She decided to get over to the bubbles, hoping to pop them somehow. She was just surprised by what she was seeing. Partially because it seemed familiar, somehow… She'd seen these spells. But she couldn't remember where. Nova… Nova Butterfly… Her head felt like it was splitting apart, but soon memories returned. Memories of a long-lost monarch betrayed by his wife. "Holy…"

Marco reared a leg back, the lower half of which started to glow. He kicked out and unleashed a wheel of fire, the Yellow Gem's power, "Shooting Star!" Two more.

Pietro blocked the attack but took a narwhal to the face for it. He growled in frustration and released a mass of magic through the ground.

Marco hopped in front of the others and held an arm up as though he had a shield. After a moment, he did. A shield of stars appeared on his arm and shielded them from the attack. This was the Blue Gem's spell, "Constellar Barrier!" He pushed the magic off and punched the ground, unleashing the Green Gem's power, "Crater Maker!"

Magic welled up underneath Pietro before bursting in an explosion of stone and dirt. The mage roared again in frustration. "ENOUGH!" He unleashed a magical whip and pulled the still exhausted Moon to him by her neck. He held her in front of him like a shield. "Give me the gems or I rip her apart!"

Star instantly froze up. "Mom!"

Marco glared toward the mage, holding a hand up. The stars on his cheeks disappeared and the gems reformed into the star in his hand.

Pietro grinned and moved slowly, keeping Moon in front of him in case anyone tried anything.

Marco took a breath. "Fallen kings and monsters light…"

Pietro paused and raised an eyebrow. "What are… DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?! I'LL KILL HER, YOU HEAR ME?!"

"Hear the beating of magic's might."

Pietro's smile turned psychotic, "Fine! Have it your way!" He went to move but found himself unable. "What the hell is going on?!"

"Silence that which beats within. The heart of power accepts my sin. Shatter what my foe never again will find! Break the will, the soul, and mind!"

A flash of light cast everyone in shadowy silhouettes. A heart appeared over Pietro's own, beating rapidly. After a moment, the heart cracked from the top and the world returned to normal.

Pietro looked around, trying to figure out what happened. He took several shallow breaths before he shouted, "Whatever! Time to kill a Queen!" He raised a hand to shatter her in ashes, but nothing happened. "What?" He tried again to the same effect. "What's going on?!" The bubbles has burst as well.

Moon, now able to avoid being turned into dust by the magical master, elbowed him in the chin and jumped off and away from him. "What happened?"

Marco took a breath. "Nova's most powerful spell, and his greatest regret. A spell to take away the magic of another person."

Pietro's eyes widened in horror. "What? That's impossible! How could you do that?!"

"Nova's spell attacks your connection to the magical energy within you. In other words, you can't use magic anymore."

To the members of the High Commission, the spell threatened their existence, being forged from magical energy. As a result, they now held a certain fear of the young man that just cast the spell.

Pietro tried to stand again and glared toward Marco, "This isn't over… I'll… I'LL…" His threat was cut off as Rhombulous trapped him in crystal.

Marco collapsed, sitting on the ground. He looked down at the star in his hands. The light was fading from within the gems. Soon they blacked out, and Marco followed soon after.