The first stage

While Anne was walking home from volunteering at the thrift store, she kept inspecting the amulet that the cloaked stranger brought in to, Anne presumed, have valued, and the owner gave it to her instead as a thank-you gift for her time. Anne had a bad feeling about the amulet, as she kept hearing a whispering sound coming from it. She only took the thing to be nice to the store owner and had intended to throw it in the nearest trash can as soon as she got out of sight. But something in her couldn't bring herself to do it. The amulet did look nice, the purple gem embedded in the center, as well as a peculiar addition, a green orb with yellow bands around it. Anne gazed into the orb, seeing her face reflected on its surface.

"At least this time I didn't steal this treasure, or whatever this is," Anne commented to herself. She arrived home to her parents, who were busy getting dinner started.

"Hey, sweetie. How was volunteering today?" Mr. Boonchuy asked.

"Pretty quiet, but that's the way I like it. Weirdest thing happened, some guy in a cloak wanted to have this amulet valued, but the owner just gave it to me instead. Customer didn't mind at all. Barely said a word, in fact," Anne explained. He then showed the amulet to her mother and father.

"Anne, remember the last time you got weird junk from that place? You got zapped to another dimension for five months," Mrs. Boonchuy reminded.

"Oh, come on, what are the odds of that happening again?" Anne joked.

"All the same, I think you should take that thing to…..what are they called again?" Mr. Boonchuy advised.

"The Department of Homeworld Security. Not to sound paranoid, but that thing does look like it came from another world," Mrs. Boonchuy added. Anne hated to admit it, but her mother did have a point. This didn't look like anything you'd find in a typical jewellery store. It looked like a family heirloom, of sorts. Where it came from, Anne could only guess, but it did not look like it came from Earth.

"Maybe you're right. I only took the thing because the store owner insisted on it. I had planned on throwing it away as soon as I could, but if it is dangerous, best get it contained, or destroyed, if possible," Anne agreed.

"Great, just one question. How do we contact them?" Mr. Boonchuy wondered.

"Mr. X. might know. Calling him would be worth a try," Mrs. Boonchuy suggested.

"The sooner, the better. This thing gives me the creeps," Anne urged. But before anyone could do anything, the amulet glowed bright purple, and the voice Anne had been hearing throughout her journey home became more coherent, speaking in plain English.

"This I cannot allow!" the voice hissed. Anne felt a burning sensation in her chest. She looked down to see the amulet fusing itself with her skin. She tried to pull it off, but it was no use. Mrs. Boonchuy tried to help, but also with no success, while Mr. Boonchuy was frantically calling Mr. X. He heard that he got through.

"This better not be a social call, Mr. Boonchuy. This is an official line, after all," Mr. X. cautioned.

"I know, I know. Get me Homeworld Security, the Feds, ANYONE! Anne brought something home and now it's sticking to her!" Mr. Boonchuy said in a panicked tone. Mr. X. was confused by this but had worked with the Boonchuys long enough to know when they were serious. After all, they were a big help with Andrias. He decided to forward the call to Captain Kilstone, head of Homeworld Security.

Meanwhile, Albert and Annie, the head of Interdimensional Relations and Chief of the Sentinels respectively, were discussing Annie's recon mission. Annie had relayed to Albert what she had seen in the thrift store, having gone to Los Angeles to home in on a source of dark magic that Annie's bosses, the Court of Ancients, had detected in the area. Annie had called up the Court, a quartet of dragons, to speak with them to relay her findings. Albert had questions.

"Tell me again about this amulet," Albert requested.

"The Amphibians call it the Eye of Gaul. In truth, it is one of many such devices the Dark Master utilised to communicate with his lieutenants during his multiversal domination campaign thousands of years ago," Ignitus, the de facto leader of the Court, answered.

"Each device contained a fragment of the Dark Master's mind. Through these devices, he could see and hear everything his lieutenants could, and issue orders to them, even from other worlds. When he fell, it was thought that all of them were destroyed, yet somehow this one survived," Volteer, another of the court, and the chief scholar, added.

"This particular device belonged to Gaul, King of the Apes, a brutal, warrior race exiled to a remote world for numerous acts of barbarism by the Ancient dragons. They served the Dark Master because he offered them an outlet for their bloodlust. The Dark Master's defeat reduced them to mere mercenaries, offering their services as bodyguards and enforcers to anyone that could afford them," Annie concluded.

"And now the last remaining device has fallen into the hands of this 'Anne Boonchuy' person. We must retrieve it at all costs," Terrador, the tactician of the Court, resolved. Albert then pulled up Anne's file on his laptop.

"Let's see, Anne Boonchuy, came to Homeworld Security's attention when she fought King Andrias in the Battle of Los Angeles, after she, along with Sasha Waybright and Marcy Wu, mysteriously disappeared for five months. It was initially thought the girls were dead. Turns out they were holed up in this 'Amphibia' world," Albert explained.

"So the tyrant Andrias has finally been deposed, then? Took them long enough. We have been out of touch with Amphibia since Salamandron's rule, but we have seen what they had become," Cyril, the last member of the Court, commented.

"Their dark past has been erased. The Core is no more, and Amphibia is embracing a tech-free lifestyle, abandoning their war machines in favour of a more peaceful, idyllic way of life," Annie remarked.

"Which would make it safe to travel back there. Still, I'd rather not have to, given that Sentinels have already made their mark on that world," Terrador responded.

"The Sentinels of old aided Salamandron against King Gaul during his invasion of Amphibia. They did tell Salamandron that Amphibia was just another front in the war against the Dark Master, but also requested that he keep that knowledge to himself and never reference them in any historical re-tellings of events," Annie recalled. She, along with her sisters and the other Sentinels, were told of this history, and of others. How could she forget the gruelling hours of studying the Sentinels that came before and their deeds the Court insisted she and the other Sentinels did? It was drilled into their head so much, Annie could recite the tale word for word.

"OK, barring all of that, can this thing be destroyed?" Albert asked.

"Yes, easily. I could cook up the concoction in the Sanctum once the amulet has been retrieved. We dunk it in and watch the thing go 'poof'," Annie replied.

"High Justice Red has volunteered to destroy the last device himself to free up the Sentinels' time to track down the Malefic Order. He was…..quite insistent on this," Ignitus interjected.

"I see, well, I can't fault him there. The guy in the cloak does sound like an Order member, and they are still at large, plus we still need to track down the last Light Keeper and put defences in place before the Order finds them," Albert reasoned.

"It is settled then. Track down the one that handed Anne the amulet. Try to capture him alive. High Justice Red feels that he could help us hunt down other Order members," Ignitus briefed Annie.

"Very well, councillors," Annie acknowledged. Just then, Albert's phone went off and he answered it.

"Hello? Captain Kilstone, what is it? I see. We're on our way, thanks for the call," Albert spoke and hung up. "We have a problem," Albert informed.

Albert and Annie had portalled their way to the Boonchuy residence, only to find that others got there first. As soon as they got in, two women emerged from the living room to greet them. They both had cheek symbols, similar to Albert's half-moon, only one woman, dressed in silver battle armour, had diamond shapes on her cheeks, while the other, all dressed in purple, had the spade suit on her cheeks. Albert had extensive dealings with both these individuals before. They were Senator Moon and Ambassador Eclipsa of Mewni, although Albert gathered that they weren't here for diplomatic reasons.

"I see you got the call as well?" Moon remarked.

"Have you had any luck removing the amulet?" Albert asked.

"Afraid not. That thing's stuck on her tight, and any attempt to try had….adverse consequences," Eclipsa replied.

"Like what? Could it have killed her?" Albert probed.

"Perhaps. I would not want to test it," Eclipsa cautioned.

"Has she shown any signs of possession?" Annie inquired.

"Possession? I want to know exactly what my daughter has gotten her hands on this time!" Mr. Boonchuy demanded.

"In short, Anne now has a dark amulet that contains the mind of a very evil…. presence," Annie explained.

"And you say she got this at a thrift store?" Mr. X. asked.

"Yes, the same one she got the music box from months ago, that led to her disappearance," Mr. Boonchuy replied.

"I see, well, once is a coincidence. Twice is a pattern. I want that place searched," Mr. X. insisted.

"While I certainly wouldn't blame you, if you want to go searching the place for interdimensional artifacts, you need to go through Homeworld Security," Albert countered. Annie, however, had a different mindset.

"Actually, I'm with Mr. X. We should search the place, just in case anything else turns up. I would, however, like my sisters to help. We will know what to look for, and can be of great assistance," Annie offered.

"While I appreciate the vote of confidence, who the devil are you?" Mr. X. queried.

"She's an expert when it comes to this stuff, and so are her sisters. She has my confidence," Albert backed up Annie.

"This I have to see for myself. Very well, but no more than two, got it?" Mr. X. agreed to have Annie's sisters along.

"Understood. Now, about the amulet. If it has indeed fused with her, then I'm sorry, but removing it will be nearly impossible," Annie revealed bluntly.

"Are you KIDDING ME?!" came a voice from the living room. Anne Boonchuy had emerged, overhearing the conversations being had without her.

"You should be resting," Eclipsa urged. Anne was having none of it.

"You mean I'm stuck with this, this… whatever it is?! Ever since it became stuck to my chest, that creepy voice I've been hearing won't shut up!" Anne ranted. She started panting mildly, as if she'd run a 100-meter dash, then took a seat on the couch, and took her face in her hands. "What's happening to me?" Anne asked, despair in her tone. Annie noticed that dark veins were appearing on Anne's arms, a sign of worse to come. Anne had also started shivering slightly. She then got out a bunch of unknown ingredients from the pouch she carried with her, as well as a pestle and mortar. She brewed up a quick potion and gave it to Anne.

"Here. It'll silence him for 12-24 hours. I'll come back later to give you some more, on the house until we find a way to remove it. We will give this the utmost priority. You have my word," Annie vowed. Anne was never one to accept vials of unknown substances from strangers, but if it meant shutting up that creepy voice, Anne was willing to try anything. She gulped the potion down as if it were a cold glass of OJ on a hot summer's day. To her surprise, it tasted quite nice, and a warm feeling enveloped her, as if she were being hugged by a koala bear, or she was wrapped up in a thick duvet, but most important of all, the voice could not be heard.

"Thanks," was all Anne could say out of gratitude. Annie then turned to Mr. X.

"If I might, this amulet contains a very malevolent spirit that can possess whoever carries it. As a precaution, I'd like Anne monitored," Annie requested.

"Woah, woah, woah, you can't treat Anne as if she were a criminal! If anything, she's a victim!" Mr. Boonchuy defended.

"I'm not. They will only observe, and report any signs of activity from the amulet, no matter how insignificant," Annie reasoned.

"When you say 'possession' do you mean, like, Cipher-like levels of possession? Yes, I was briefed about him," Mr. X. probed.

"Worse than that. The darkness in that amulet can make Anne a prisoner in her own mind if it wants to," Annie clarified.

"In that case, I should have no trouble convincing Homeworld Security to spare someone. You are helping with the search of the store, so I can hardly say no," Mr. X. conceded.

"Thank you, Mr. X. If you'll excuse me, I must meet with my sisters," Annie dismissed herself from the house.

"I will tell Homeworld Security to expect your call," Albert excused himself in a similar manner. Mr. X. simply waved goodbye and left.

"Stay strong, dear. If I know that lot, it won't be long before we get that thing off you," Eclipsa assured and left. Moon went with her, leaving the Boonchuys alone to contemplate what to do next.

Meanwhile, Annie returned to the Sanctum, a large castle where she, her sisters, and all other Sentinels, gathered. From this vast building, they met, trained, studied, and enjoyed each other's company. Annie and her sisters Delilah, Sylvia, Morgan, Amy, and Zella were the strongest of all Sentinels, with Annie as their leader, their Chief. Together, all Sentinels formed the Dragon Guard, the Court of Ancients' most loyal servants. Annie and her sisters were gathered at the conference chamber, where they held all meetings of great import, to discuss the current situation concerning the Boonchuys. They were all sat around a large, round table, and Annie had conjured holographic images of the four dragons that made up the Court of Ancients.

"Sisters, councillors, I have called this meeting to relay some disturbing news. The Eye of Gaul has bound itself to Anne Boonchuy," Annie relayed her findings. This made all her sisters and the dragon councillors start hushed discussions amongst themselves. The lead dragon, Ignitus, called for order.

"In some way, we should've expected this, though I had hoped we would recover the device before this happened," Ignitus lamented.

"As did I. This has caused the human authorities to take notice. Since the amulet was taken to the same thrift store where Anne found the Calamity Box, Mr. X. wants to search the place for any other inter-dimensional artifacts, something I have volunteered to help with, as a show of good faith," Annie explained.

"You think there may be others there?" Amy inquired.

"No, but we can't be too careful. A magical artifact being found in such a place once would be cause for concern. The fact that it's happened twice is very alarming," Annie reasoned. She then turned to another of her sisters. "Sylvia, I'd like you to assist Mr. X. with his search. Also, interview the owner about the cloaked Order member that brought the amulet there," Annie requested.

"Any specifics I should look for, Chief?" Sylvia asked.

"Anything capable of taking someone from one world to another. If you find any, bring them here. Be gentle with the owner when you speak to her. I doubt she has malicious intentions, nor does she know the true nature of such items," Annie clarified. She turned to another sister, this one dressed in all black. "Zella, I'd like you to go as well. You can use your shadow power to track down where the Order member has gone to, if you can," Annie instructed.

"I will see it done, Chief," Zella acknowledged. Annie then turned to another sister, one dressed in a lab coat.

"In the meantime, we need to find a way to get that amulet off Anne without causing her any harm. Amy, I'd like you to research the object, see if we can remove it safely," Annie instructed.

"Knowledge of such dark magic will only be kept in one place; the Forbidden Archive," Amy observed. Annie winced at the mention of the Forbidden Archive. That was a place that only the Court had permission to access. It was used to house all knowledge deemed too dangerous for even a Sentinel to learn. Not even Annie had clearance. It was the Court's turn to address the sisters.

"I will grant you permission to access the relevant texts only. Volteer, you should assist Amy with her research. Anything you two can turn up, no matter how insignificant, might be helpful," Ignitus allowed.

"I can barely recall the last time I ever set foot in the Forbidden Archive. Still, if writings pertaining to the Eye are in there, we'll find them," the dragon known as Volteer stated.

"Another thing; I noticed that the amulet was outfitted with an Avalaran Orb. We still have not accounted for all the orbs from those realms. We need to know where the orb that is attached to the Eye of Gaul came from, and that means cataloguing every orb stolen. Morgan, that's your job," Annie outlined.

"The Malefic Order took orbs from many worlds. Keeping track of all the ones that were stolen will be difficult," Morgan replied. Another of the dragons spoke up.

"I maintain close relations with the races of Avalar. They will be more forthcoming with me. I will accompany you," Cyril volunteered.

"Excellent. One last item on the agenda. Since the Eye of Gaul has found a new host, there is the possibility it may use Anne to free King Gaul from his prison. We need to monitor the Ape Clans for any chatter regarding the Eye, Gaul, or Amphibia. Delilah, that job's yours," Annie directed.

"You think they're planning to remobilise their army, Chief?" Delilah probed.

"At this point, I'm not discounting anything. Remember, you will be observing. Try to be discreet," Annie cautioned. Another of the dragons took the floor.

"We could set up an observation post near the Ape homeworld. A few scout Sentinels and I could watch them with Delilah," Terrador suggested.

"I'd like the number of scouts to be kept to its absolute minimum. I don't want to draw attention," Annie interjected.

"Agreed. We will bring three at most," Terrador responded.

"I will return to Earth and keep watch on Anne. If anything comes up, alert me immediately," Annie ordered.

"Aye, Chief," all of Annie's sisters aid at once.

"You all have your assignments. Meeting adjourned. Good luck, everyone," Annie wished. The holographic dragons disappeared, and the sisters dispersed to carry out their tasks.

Meanwhile, Anne was still fretting about the amulet that had now been fused to her chest. While Annie's concoction served its purpose in silencing the voice in her head, she still wanted the thing off her, and was not going to wait until someone else came up with the answer. Who knows how long it would take. Fortunately, Anne had access to, in her mind, the smartest girl alive. If anyone either had the answer or could find it in record time, it was Marcy Wu, Anne's long-time bestie. True, she had moved away, but they still talked online, and they loved their weekly catch-up chats. Even though it was late, Anne figured that Marcy would still be up playing some video game or other junk like that.

Speaking of Marcy, the girl herself was in her new room, enjoying a virtual game of Dungeons, Dungeons, and more Dungeons, a new pen-and-paper RPG she got into thanks to a new online friend she made. Her time in Amphibia gave her the confidence to approach others as her genuine self, rather than hiding her interests in order to fit in. Both in the digital space and in real life, Marcy found companions that accepted her for what she was. She even managed to catch the eye of a few boys, but Marcy let them down gently, politely telling them she was not ready to date just yet. Truth be told, she only had eyes for one person, but access was difficult, to say the least. But she put such thoughts to one side, as her new online friend was urging her to make her move.

"Marcy? Earth to Marcy. You in there. It's your move," the boy on Marcy's laptop screen pressed. Marcy shook her head to snap herself back to reality.

"Sorry, Dipper. I was miles away. Where were we again?" Marcy asked.

"You had just opened a giant doorway to reveal a vast prison, holding thousands of marauders in an ice spell, that has been there for thousands of years. The sorcerer promises great riches will be bestowed upon you from the King if you release him and his horde, but they will go on to enslave hundreds of innocent civilians. The sorcerer also gives his word that your home will be left alone, and to sweeten the deal, he offers you the chance to immerse yourself in all the knowledge you desire. What do you do?" Dipper posed. Marcy thought about this hypothetical scenario.

"Decisions, decisions. I do like to study other cultures, but is all that worth the pain and suffering the innocent will face? I say no. I use my Enchanted Staff of Wisdom to cast a sleep spell on the sorcerer, halting his evil plan," Marcy decided. She then activates a random number generator on her laptop, which she uses in place of dice whenever she does these online adventures to keep things fair. It rolled a 26.

"Oh dear, the sorcerer is barely able to deflect the sleep spell, but the effort completely drains his mana. He switches to his sword and now the two of you are locked in melee combat," Dipper narrates. Undeterred, Marcy presses on.

"OK, time to roll for a duelling check," Marcy said excitedly, but before she could use the random number generator again, she got an incoming call on her video chat app, from Anne of all people. "Huh, that's weird. She never calls this late. Must be urgent. BRB," Marcy noted. She answers the call and Anne appears on screen.

"Hey, Marcy. Woah, are you web-chatting boys? Sasha and I have been waiting for this day, we just hoped you'd still be in California when it happened. Have you two had your first date yet? Tell me everything," Anne insisted.

"Woah, woah, woah, we are not an item. Sorry to burst your shipping bubble, but I already have a girlfriend," Dipper corrected.

"This is Dipper, and we met online. He made this dungeon for me to play in virtually. We're in the middle of a game right now," Marcy explained.

"Right now, I'm not sure what I'm more surprised by; the fact that you play this dice game online, or the fact you're playing with someone that actually managed to get a girlfriend," Anne jibed.

"OK, I'm just going to ignore that personal attack and go get a drink," Dipper sassed and walked off-screen.

"Don't take offence, Dipper, that's just her way with people," Marcy defended, but Dipper had already gone. Marcy sighed heavily. "Not that it's not totally awesome to see you, but you don't usually call at this time. What gives?" Marcy inquired.

"Marcy, do you know anything about this?" Anne replied. She showed Marcy the amulet that had fused to her chest. Marcy zoomed in to get a closer look and recoiled in horror.

"Anne, where did you get that?" Marcy probed, a tone of sheer terror coming from her voice. Anne tucked the amulet back underneath her clothes.

"Some weirdo brought it into the shop we got the music box from. The owner gave it to me as a thank-you gift, and now I can't get it off," Anne summarised.

"That amulet is from Amphibia's past. They called it the Eye of Gaul. According to legend, King Salamandron claimed it from the Ape King Gaul after liberating Amphibia from his rule. The official writings say it was a royal family heirloom that was tragically lost," Marcy recalled reading about the tale from the Royal Library in Newtopia, where she spent a lot of time as Andrias' understudy.

"Let me guess, the actual story's a lot different?" Anne guessed.

"When I was part of the Core, I heard the true story. That thing contained something even they didn't know what it was, but apparently, it influenced the Amphibians into the conquerors we defeated, and accelerated Amphibia's technological evolution. It was so evil, one of Andrias' ancestor's advisors stole the thing and hid it somewhere. The amulet was never found after that. Anne, that thing's serious bad news," Marcy explained.

"Don't need to tell me twice. Any way to remove it?" Anne asked hopefully. Marcy racked her brain, trying to remember anything pertaining to the safe removal of the amulet, but nothing came to mind.

"Nope, sorry. To hear the Core tell it, the Eye relayed instructions and knowledge to the wearer, but it never forced itself on anyone. Seems to me that willing subjects could take it on and off at their leisure, whereas unwilling subjects were victims of its powers of possession and enslavement," Marcy rambled.

"That explains the creepy voice, and why that girl Annie gave me a witch's brew to help shut him up. Did the Core know anything about this?" Anne asked. She showed Marcy the dark veins that appeared on her arms. Marcy sported a look of deep shock, sadness, and despair, something Anne picked up on very quickly. "You know something. What is it?" Anne pressed. Marcy took a deep breath before giving her response.

"This is something we should have Sasha present to hear. Be warned, it isn't going to be easy," Marcy braced Anne for the worst.

"OK, you're starting to scare me," Anne replied. Marcy called Sasha, who responded quickly. Her face appeared on-screen.

"Hey, Mars. Long time, no speak, how are- "Sasha began before she saw that Marcy was deeply troubled. "Is everything alright? What's happened?" Sasha queried.

"Like I said, this won't be easy to hear," Marcy reiterated.

Meanwhile, Amy and the yellow dragon Volteer made their way to the Forbidden Archive. The entrance displayed various warning signs stating 'Keep Out' and 'Court Dragons Only'. To further emphasise the point of restricted access, a holographic dragon appeared before them as they approached the door. Volteer addressed the hologram.

"I am Volteer, chief scholar and historian of the Court of Ancients. The Sentinel with me is here on the Court's permission," Volteer asserted.

"Sufficient," the hologram replied. It disappeared and various clicks could be heard coming from the other side. This, Amy surmised, was the multiple locks being released. Eventually, the door opened and revealed several vast bookshelves, all containing knowledge of dark magic. Some of the books had to be restrained as they constantly thrashed about in desperate bids for freedom. Others had to be encased in magic-proof containers. A fair few even carried warnings never to open them, lest you suffer a terrible fate.

"I see why this place is restricted. This wing is very unsettling," Amy observed.

"Indeed. The sooner we find what we're looking for, the sooner we can go. I don't like being here any more than you do," Volteer sympathised. He and Amy walked through shelf after shelf, each more disturbing than the last. Just when Amy had reached her limit and was on the verge of running in the other direction, away from the Archive as fast as her wings could carry her, Volteer snapped her back to reality. "Here. This is what we came for," Volteer pointed out. He pointed his head towards a rather ominous book titled 'Advanced Possession; How to use your mind to take over others'. Amy grabbed it and almost ran towards an empty table to read it. Volteer was looking over her the entire time, offering words of assurance and encouragement. Scrawling through the pages, Amy encountered an illustration matching the Eye of Gaul.

"Did the Dark Master…." Amy asked.

"… use this book to create his devices? Yes, he did. Much of what you see here, he had utilised, which is why we keep it sealed away down here," Volteer explained.

"I always had the odd idle curiosity about this place. Never again," Amy vowed.

"Sometimes it is better to face darkness and emerge into the light than to avoid it completely," Volteer mused. Amy smiled and turned a few pages until she found a passage that greatly distressed her. It read as follows:

The piece of your mind that you leave behind inside the object develops sentience, or the capability to think and act for itself. It is a direct copy of your own mind, embodying all that you believe, containing all of your memories prior to the split, and can even reflect the original's personality, but it cannot retain your abilities. It can, however, take control of others, or impart knowledge and wisdom to those it deems worthy. To the willing subject, a mutually beneficial bond can be formed. To its victims, it can slowly invade the host's mind and body until the vessel is completely subjugated, erasing all that the host was completely

Amy started hyperventilating, not wishing to read anymore. She slammed the book shut and frantically reached for her orb, a small, green, spherical device with yellow bands around it, to call Annie.

"Come on, pick up, Chief," Amy said desperately. A small hologram of Annie emerged from the orb.

"You have news?" Annie probed.

"It's bad, Chief. I need to get Anne into the Sanctum for testing, pronto!" Amy half-begged, half-demanded. Annie was visibly disturbed by Amy's tone.

"That's going to be a hard sell to the Court. The Sanctum's for Sentinels and dragons only. I trust there's a good reason why we should bring a human inside," Annie asserted.

"There is. Chief, there's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it," Amy responded. She took a deep breath, collected herself, and gave her answer. "Anne is dying," Amy revealed.

Back at Anne's bedroom, Marcy had just finished giving the rundown on the amulet, including what was happening to Anne, who just sat there, unresponsive, as still as a statue. Sasha was having a hard time processing what she had just heard and was already shaking her head frantically.

"No, no, no, not again. I'm not watching this happen again! There has to be a way! Did the Core ever find a cure?!" Sasha pressed.

"They weren't concerned with it. They used the amulet to extract information when they needed it. As far as they were concerned, the victims were expendable, so they didn't bother to look into it," Marcy answered grimly.

"W-what about that potion this 'Annie' girl gave Anne?" Sasha recalled.

"From what I heard, it will only slow down the process. Like with all medications, over time, even they will stop working. All it would do is delay the inevitable. I'm sorry, but this condition is terminal," Marcy grimly spelled out. Anne managed to find her voice long enough to utter two words.

"How long?" Anne inquired.

"It depends on the strength of the individual. Given that there's palliative care available, and your previous experience with the Calamity Gems, I'd say 3 months at best, and that's if you keep up with the care. Without those potions, it's likely to be a lot less," Marcy estimated. Anne was despondent at best, while Sasha looked like she was about to explode.

"3 MONTHS?! That's all she has left?!" Sasha raged.

"I'm sorry, Sasha, I don't know what else to say," Marcy tried her best to calm Sasha down, but Sasha was still too upset to think rationally.

"But I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to rip that thing off Anne with my bare hands! Then I'm going to find whoever slipped her the thing, and then, just because I'm that mad, I'm going to take my time ending his worthless, sorry, life!" Sasha ranted. Anne had no response. Marcy was thinking about something.

"You're already at the second stage, Sasha," Marcy observed.

"Second stage of what?" Sasha probed.

"Grieving. There's five stages; denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance," Marcy listed.

"And where are you?" Sasha interrogated.

"Does it matter? What's done is done. I'm going to bed," Anne interjected and closed her laptop, terminating her end of the video call.

"I may not know where I am, but Anne, it seems, is already on stage four, depression, and to be honest, I'm having a hard time with it myself," Marcy disclosed.

"Would yanking it off stop this?" Sasha asked.

"Stage three, bargaining, and no. In fact, everything I read about the Eye suggests that any attempt to forcibly remove it will end up killing the host instantly," Marcy shot down Sasha's suggestion, bringing her to the brink of emotional collapse.

"So, that's it. All we can do is watch our friend die? That stooge better watch his step," Sasha menaced. She, too, terminated her end of the call, leaving Marcy alone to process the day's events.

Anne tried to get some sleep after abruptly ending the call to Marcy, but she found nodding off difficult. After all, she had just learned that she had three months before that thing in the amulet either took complete control of her body or killed her outright, and she had to rely on potions to stave off the inevitable. She tried to hold out hope that a cure would be found quickly, but without answers, Anne was quick to fall into negative thinking. She made one last attempt to get some rest and had just about managed it when the voice from earlier spoke in her ear again.

"It is true what your friends say. It is inevitable I will take your body," the voice confirmed.

"I thought that girl's potion shut you up!" Anne rebutted.

"The more negatively you feel, the stronger I get, and your timeframe gets shorter. However, the end result would be a waste, for both of us," the voice replied.

"Not much I can do about it, is there?" Anne observed.

"What if there was? I can detach the amulet from you and save your life at the same time. All I ask is for something in return," the voice bargained.

"Well, sod off! I'm not interested in making deals with disembodied voices that are slowly killing me!" Anne rejected.

"I would think about your options very carefully. I wasn't called 'The Dark Master' for nothing. I was one of the most powerful beings ever to exist. That children's chemistry set your Sentinel acquaintance used cannot compare to my power," the Dark Master boasted. The mention of the term' Sentinel' caught Anne's attention.

"What is a Sentinel, and why did you call Annie that?" Anne queried. The Dark Master chuckled mildly at this question.

"There's lots you don't know, Boonchuy, but we're getting off-track. Your options are to help me with one simple errand, or…." The Dark Master outlined. The amulet started glowing and Anne's heart momentarily tightened, almost stopping, causing Anne to clutch it tightly with her hand. "…..I can just kill you now. Your choice," the Dark Master threatened. The tightness ceased, and Anne gasped for breath.

"Alright, alright. What do you want?" Anne asked submissively.

"That's a good girl. There is something on Amphibia's Forgotten Continent that I want found. Do this and I'll release you," the Dark Master offered.

"We're nowhere near Amphibia, and I have no way of getting there," Anne responded.

"I can help with that," the Dark Master stated. The orb attached to the amulet started glowing. Anne had flashbacks to the day she opened the Calamity Box at the park on her birthday.

"No, not again," Anne winced before being engulfed in a bright purple light and losing consciousness.

Another quiet day in Wartwood came and went. Nothing much happened here, not since Anne left Amphibia, and to be perfectly honest, that was the way most people liked it. Don't get them wrong, everyone in Wartwood was eternally grateful to Anne and her human friends for saving them from certain destruction at the hands of the moon, but since she left, Wartwood had not faced near-destruction or invasion. Everyone was free to go about their lives. Toadie ruled as mayor with a firm, but fair hand. Hop Pop's avocado business was booming, and the diner had never seen so many customers. One of Wartwood's citizens, a young frog named Sprig, ended his day the same as he always did, with a visit to the statue of Anne that stood proudly in Wartwood's centre square. Out of all of Wartwood's residents, Sprig was the one that missed Anne the most. His first real friend, the one that changed him for the better. Not a day went by that Sprig remembered their adventures so fondly, and he missed her so terribly, but knew in his heart that she was thriving back on Earth. He was in the middle of one of his recollections when a hand on his shoulder interrupted him. It belonged to his girlfriend, Ivy.

"Evening, cutie. Copper for your thoughts?" Ivy probed.

"Just thinking back to all the fun times Anne and I had together," Sprig answered.

"I swear half of those 'fun times' end with you two almost getting devoured by some giant bug," Ivy joked. Sprig chuckled at those memories.

"Yeah, they were fun times," Sprig recalled.

"I know. I'm sure she misses you too," Ivy assured. She then remembered why she approached Sprig in the first place. "Got the last of the things we need for the trip to the Forgotten Continent?" Ivy asked.

"They're down in my study. I'll just go get them," Sprig responded. When the pair arrived at the Plantar house, they went inside and Sprig went down to his study, Anne's old bedroom, while Ivy sat down with Hop Pop and his fiancée Sylvia. Neither Ivy, Polly, nor Sprig could have ever conceived of it that Hop Pop would muster up the courage to propose to Sylvia, but Anne had a profound impact on his life, inspiring him to move past his mistakes and seize life by the throat, because the moon nearly colliding with the planet taught them that life was precious and short.

"So, you two got a venue booked?" Ivy inquired.

"We've been thinking about having an outdoor wedding, a small ceremony, just the citizens of Wartwood. We don't want to be fussed over," Sylvia disclosed.

"Oh, come on, guys, it's your special day. You deserve to be fussed over," Ivy encouraged.

"That's sweet of you to say, Ivy, just don't go overboard with the presents," Hop Pop requested.

"Oh, so don't do what you did and summon a chicken beast to cover up the fact that you didn't get us any," Sylvia joked.

"Or maybe just don't get us anything because we already got what we wanted," Hop Pop retorted.

"What are you saying? Grandma needs some new crockery," Sylvia countered. The three laughed it off until Ivy saw Sprig staring down the stairs to his study.

"Everything OK, Sprig?" Ivy queried. When Sprig didn't respond, Ivy, Sylvia, and Hop Pop rushed over to him.

"Sprig, what are you-" but before Hop Pop could get his question out, he could see why Sprig was just standing there, dumbstruck. Polly saw the scene and walked over to investigate.

"Hey, what's got everybody as still as-" but even Polly couldn't finish her question as she saw what everyone else did. In the middle of Sprig's study, slumped unconscious on the floor, was Anne Boonchuy, their old friend and, in the case of the Plantars, their adopted sister/grand-daughter.

"Oh my frog!" was all Sprig could say, as he wondered how she got here.

Author's note: I was really stuck with this chapter, hence why it took so long. I have this habit of starting stories before I've fully formed them in my head, and going with the flow. It is something I have to crack down on, but I have an overall impression of how I want this story to go now. It should flow more smoothly going forward. I hope everyone had a happy Christmas and New Year. I kinda want to know what your resolutions were and whether or not you managed to stick to them. The usual disclaimers, I own nothing. All properties belong to their respective owners. Enjoy.