JP Here, back from my vacation from the Bahamas. The cruise was great, did a lot of activities, the beach and water look so clean... but man, it's good to be back here.

All review questions from last chapter will be answered in the PMs. The review questions you have for this chapter will be answered in the next chapter.

And also as a reminder, we're having a contest where you, the readers, can make fankids based off of the Luz Clawthorne story. So if you have a fankid in mind, you can submit either to the reviews, or PM us.

All characters from Disney and other properties are owned by their respectful owners. The OCs made here are written entirely for the story. Enjoy the fic.

This chapter is dedicated to the ever loving Smash Mouth icon, Steve Harnell, who's now a shooting star. And Jimmy Buffett, the man behind Marguaritaville.

Chapter 117: Starcrossed

Long ago…

In the Septarian camps, Toffee's group had returned. Toffee was carrying a baby in his arms and shushing it.

"Quiet down," he said while rocking the baby Star.

"Toffee!"

Toffee paused, gulping when he saw his leader marching towards him. The rest of the Septarians backed away from the intimidating presence of the grand leader of the Septarians… Seth.

"S-Seth, sir," Toffee saluted while Star continued to cry.

"What is that you have there?" Seth asked, pointing to the baby in the blanket.

"Oh, it's… it's a baby, sir," he answered.

"Let me see the child," Seth demanded. Toffee gulped, but hesitated.

"Come on, Toffee, I'm not getting older!" Seth demanded again, making the baby cry harder. Toffee sighed before he showed the baby to Seth.

"You… you brought a Mewman baby?!" Seth growled.

Toffee pulled Star back, holding her protectively. "B-But sir, this isn't any Mewman baby, this is Star Butterfly of the Butterfly Family… I took her."

"You took her instead of killing her like you were ordered?!" Seth growled. "You better explain."

Toffee looked fearful of Seth. He knew he couldn't just tell Seth that he didn't have the heart to kill her. He needed another reason…

"I was thinking that… she may be more useful alive than dead, sir!" Toffee declared. "Like, imagine this. It'd be a waste to kill our enemy's child. Just imagine her… being raised by us. We could raise her into a soldier. A Butterfly raised to hate the Butterfly family is a big opportunity that we can't pass up on!"

Seth glared at Toffee, then at the baby. He stood there in silence, letting the words sink in for the moment. Despite his hatred of Mewmans and his better judgment…

"Very well… I can see this as a… lucrative alternative," Seth decided. "But… raising her will be your responsibility, Toffee." He placed his claw under Toffee's chin before leaning forward to whisper into his ear. "I expect good results from this…"

Toffee gulped. "Y-Yes, sir! I won't disappoint you, I promise!"

"Good," Seth replied. "Just be sure that her hatred for the royal family is deep rooted…"

Years later, inside a cave, two figures sat next to a campfire. One was a young blond girl in a blue shirt, gray pants, and blue furred boots. This young girl was Star and with her was Toffee, her foster father. Laying on a rug between them are weapons.

"The weapons you choose are yours, Star," Toffee told her. "They will represent what kind of a Septarian warrior you want to be. Choose them wisely, since that weapon will be bound to you like a third hand."

Star looked at the weapons she could choose from: a sword, a mace, a shield, a sickle, and a futuristic-looking gun. Star's hand moved around to make her choice, seemingly going for the futuristic gun… until her hand grabbed the sword.

"The sword!" the young Star declared, raising her sword up.

Toffee smiled. "Then the sword it is."

"Can I name it?" Star asked him.

"It is your sword, give it a name if you wish," Toffee encouraged.

"I'll call it… the Rich Eater!" Star declared, raising her sword up again.

And so, Toffee started to train the young Star in the way of the sword.

"Now, it's all about your balance, and your footwork, Star," Toffee declared, moving his sword up with one hand.

Star tried doing the same, but the sword kept falling off from her hand. She tried to do it again, aiming at the target dummy that resembled Queen Moon. Toffee helped her get in position.

"Arm straightened, shoulders lengthened, straighten your posture," he said, helping Star get in position. "You gotta learn a good posture."

"Good posture… yeah, thanks dad!" Star replied.

"Don't thank me until you get it right," Toffee replied as Star attempted to get good posture.

Star and Toffee later practiced fighting using staffs. He taught her how to block, then strike before he used his tail to swipe at her beneath her feet.

"Oof!" Star said as she fell to the ground. "Hey, that's cheating!"

"The enemy doesn't play fair," Toffee advised, while looking at her missing finger. "The Butterfly family will do anything to get the upper hand. And magic is hardly fair, is it?."

Star got up. "Their magic sure is dangerous, isn't it?"

Toffee nodded. "I've learned the hard way to never underestimate the royal family and magic. And I'll make sure that you are prepared to face them, Star."

However, growing up, Star wasn't the most popular girl among her Septarsis peers. At one point, she saw a disk land in front of her feet before she looked up to see some Septarian girls coming up to her.

"Over here… oh," spoke one Septarian girl as she along with two others spotted Star, who picked up the large disk.

"Hey, you dropped this," Star said as she lifted it up. "Can I play with you guys?!"

"Uh…" the lead girl flinched as she rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, Star, but we're already got like five players, and we're keeping an even number."

But Star realized something. "Wait… five isn't an even numb-" Before she could finish that thought, the disk was swiped away from her.

"Too slow!" the Septarian girl said while her tail pushed Star back before she ran off with her friends laughing, "What a geek!"

"She's not even a reptile!" another replied as they ran off and laughed.

Star just glared at the girls as she got up, angry at them for tricking her like that. But then she just turned away while kicking a rock, since she was used to this kind of treatment.

"Oh there she goes again," spoke Rasticore while seeing Star passing by. "Toffee's kid."

"Man, if it weren't for the fact that Toffee was one of Seth's generals, we would've eaten her," another responded.

"She's not going to last much longer anyway," another gruffed in dismissal. "She's a Mewman who can't regenerate like us!"

Star just looked down while looking at her own hands…

"Hey dad," Star spoke up while Toffee cooked up his poach.

"Anything wrong, Star?" he asked her.

"How come everyone still thinks that… I'm not one of them?" Star asked him while looking down sadly. "I mean, I may not regenerate like the other Septarians, but I still believe in the cause. I still worship our culture, our way of life… yet, they treat me so differently because of what I am."

Toffee looked hard at his daughter before sighing. "Star, I understand your feelings," he admitted. "But the truth is… believing in the cause is not enough to win them over. Actions speak louder than anything else.."

"My actions?" Star asked him.

"Well, if you wish to prove yourself to them, especially Seth, you'll have to do something that they can't ignore. Like, I don't know, fight a bigger monster, conquer territories, bring in a chopped up hand of a rich royal…" Toffee said, giving examples.

Star thought about it before she gave a determined look. "Then… I'm going to prove to them that I have it in me," she said. "I vow to become the Septerian's fiercest warrior! I'll make you, Seth, and everyone proud to have a warrior woman like me!"

Toffee smiled lightly. "Oh, I bet you'll be one of the finest Septarian warriors they have ever seen!" he encouraged before he handed her a plate of cooked meat.

The Septarian younglings were set to spar with each other. This included Star, who had been paired off with another young Septarian kid.

"Fight!" Rastacore ordered.

Star and the other kid threw punches at each other. The kid swung his tail at her, but Star jumped over it and delivered a kick to the boy, sending him back.

With her next opponent, she faced off with the same girl who laughed at her before. She went to try to snap at Star with her jaws, but Star wrapped her arms around her jaw and pinned her down before she twisted the girl's arm, making her cry.

Star's next opponent was a much bigger Septarian kid. He swung his large fists at Star, who dodged them. However, she was eventually struck by the tail of the larger kid, knocking her out of the ring.

After a break, Star drank some water while Toffee confronted her. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I was doing good until the big kid showed up!" Star replied.

"Ah yes, Big Gumbo," Toffee commented before he knelt down. "Want a little tip on how to take down big guys like him?" advised. "Instead of focusing on fighting harder, focus on fighting smarter."

"Smarter…" Star repeated before she saw they were starting up again. "Thanks for the tip, dad."

Soon she was facing Big Gumbo again as Toffee shouted. "Fight!" Big Gumbo threw a punch at her. Star dodged the punch and then saw his tail coming at him. She dodged the tail and climbed up his body. Big Gumbo tried to get her off, but Star managed to get him on a choke hold.

"Hey! Get off!" he shouted while trying to get Star off of him.

"Not until you fall out of the ring!" Star declared as Big Gumbo then jumped back to get her off. But Star spun herself over his shoulders, her feet landing in his face.

Big Gumbo groaned as he saw Star standing on his stomach. When he didn't get up, the rest of the Septarians started to clap at Star's victory.

And Star couldn't feel any prouder of herself, thanks to her dad.

Later, Star and Toffee were spending time together, with Star reading up on her history lessons.

"'And so the Mewmans wrongfully stole land from and slaughtered our monster brethren,'" Star read with a look of disgust. "Man, this is sick!"

"What's worse is that they white-washed the whole thing and turned it into their own holiday." Toffee replied.

"Mewpendence Day… what a horrible holiday," Star commented.

"Horrible, indeed," said a voice.

Star and Toffee turned around to see Seth coming into their tent. "Toffee, I see that you've been teaching Star about our history… the true history."

"Of course, sir," Toffee saluted as Star saluted as well.

"Well now, Star, what have you learned about this Mewpendence Day?" Seth asked her, his arms folded behind him.

Star then began to recite. "From the author of G.B. Forskara, who managed to document the truth about Mewpendence Day: 'We monsters owned the land and lived on the land before the Mewmans came. When the Mewmans showed up, possessing magical abilities with a wand, they colonized our lands and terrorized us with their weapons. The first user of the wand formed the Butterfly Family, one of the main royal families that has time and time again caused war and slaughter against our brethren!'" She paused, her stone-cold face shown when reciting. "'The Mewmans have taken everything from us, our kingdoms, our land, our families…'"

"You can stop now," Seth said as he turned to Toffee. "You taught her well, Toffee. As expected from my top general."

"Thank you, Seth," Toffee responded as Seth walked over to Star.

"And as for you, Star," Seth said while patting her shoulder and giving her a grin. "We have big plans for you…"

Present Day.

Star's eyes opened when she heard her alarm. She got up from her cot and stretched with a yawn. The blonde rebel looked at the time and saw that it was morning.

"Less than a week to stop the Day of Unity," Star said as she got up.

She did some meditation while taking deep breaths. She then went to the bathroom where she freshened herself up a bit… by just combing her hair and splashing water on her face. She smelled herself. "Oof, gonna need a shower."

After a shower, Star glanced in the mirror. She looked unsurprised to see the spirit of Glossaryck, staring at her. "Morning to you too, ghost," she muttered as she left the bathroom.

As she headed to the meeting room, Star walked by some other members of CATTs, Shadow Wolf and Hikari spotting her.

"Good tidings, Star," Hikari greeted while Shadow Wolf gave her a wave.

"Hey, you two," Star waved back as she walked past them.

"Hey Star, you want to see this new trap I made?" Bunker asked while holding up a bear trap and some rope.

"Mmm, maybe later," Star said as she walked past him, arriving in the main room where she spotted the rest of the CATT members gathered around a crystal ball. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"There was an incident last night…" Raine explained as the crystal ball relayed the news.

"Last night's art gallery show took a tragic turn when Head Witch of the Beast-Keeping Coven, Calypso Brooke, was reportedly bitten by a vampire. The vampire in question was incapacitated by Slasher Brooke, who in turn was revealed to be a werewolf."

"Oh no…" Lilith said as she covered her mouth in shock, she along with Odalia looking worried for the Brooke couple.

"Both Slasher and Calypso are reported to be in the Healing Coven making a recovery. While Slasher Brooke is being prepared for discharge, Calypso is still being treated from her vampire attack. Scouts have surrounded the Healing Coven and the Emperor's Coven is making an investigation into the incident."

"How could this have happened?" Odalia asked, shaken. "Calypso is usually on guard for this kind of thing, even when she's not sober!"

"There's no way the Emperor would put a hit on her," Vina said, knowing that the Emperor wouldn't waste a Coven Head unless they turned coat.

"Is there anything we can do?" Steve asked, looking around at everyone.

"I'm not sure, Steve," Lilith admitted with a saddened look. "All we can do is hope for Calypso's recovery…"

Meanwhile, in the Human Realm in the home of Daryl Blubs and Edwin Durland, a young Basilisk girl heard her alarm clock beeping, waking her up. After she hit the alarm, Vee got up and yawned as she rubbed her eyes.

"Another day of Gravity Falls weirdness," Vee said as she slithered out of bed. She opened her own personal fridge and brought out a rainbow beverage that read 'Leprechaun Sparkle Tea'. She drank it up and since the tea was made of magic, she was able to transform into her human look.

After cleaning herself up in the bathroom, she checked herself in front of the mirror. "Hmm, what should I wear for the Isles?" she asked while transforming her skin into different outfits. After some consideration, she chose to wear a black and white striped short-sleeved shirt with a gray waist up bell-bottom trousers, and black flats. She also sported a red ascot with a black beret. "French style."

She then headed downstairs to meet with her dads at the breakfast table. "Morning, dads."

"Good morning, Vee," Blubs responded.

"Wow, you look great today, Vee!" Durland commented. "What's the occasion?"

"Well, it's something that I want to talk to you guys about," Vee said. "You guys remember Star? Yesterday I realized that I wanted to pay her a visit… which means going back to the Demon Realm."

This caught Blubs and Durland by surprise. "The Demon Realm? Are you sure, Vee?" Blubs asked.

"Yeah, from what you've told us, you don't seem to have some fond memories down there…" Durland mentioned, remembering what Vee explained to them about her past and origins in the Demon Realm.

"Maybe we should come with you over there," Blubs suggested.

"N-No!" Vee told them. "I mean, look, I appreciate you guys worrying about me, but Luz and Eda made it clear that they can't have any humans in the Demon Realm as long as Belos is still in power. If he learns about you two, he'll learn about the portal door." She took a deep breath. "I wish you can come, but it wouldn't be wise to do so."

"We understand," Durland replied. "We're just worried for ya."

"I know, but I do promise to come back," Vee assured them. "And it's not just about meeting Star again, since I also want to see the other basilisks… my siblings again. I want to check up on them and see if they're okay, and maybe I can even bring them back with me here, where it's safer. But I'll see you both later tonight after I'm done with my business."

"It sounds like you'll be doing a lot," Durland said, but he and Blubs gave encouraging looks. "And we hope it goes well."

"Just remember to be careful and stay safe, Vee," Blubs said as he and Durland gave Vee a hug.

"I will, Pops," Vee responded.

"Tell Star we said 'hi' while on your date!" Durland added, much to Vee's embarrassment.

"I will, too," Vee said with a chuckle.

Soon Vee walked over to Soos's house and went into the backyard, where she found Amity, Ghost, Acorn, Dipper, Camila, Clara, and Masha.

"Vee!" Amity shouted, waving to her.

"Hey guys," Vee responded, waving and seeing the others there. "Are you all here to see us off?"

"Yup," Dipper responded. "Amity already filled us in about you coming with her."

"We both wanted to see Amity off and see you going as well," Clara said.

"And see Luz again," Camila added while looking concerned for Vee. "Now are you sure you want to go back to the Demon Realm, Vee?"

"Yeah, we know you'll be coming back, but we all know it must not be easy for you to go back there," Dipper said.

Vee sighed, but gave a nod. "I'm positive, Mrs. Noceda. Thank you all for your concern."

Shortly after that, the portal door appeared and opened up before them. As it opened, they saw Luz and Eda coming out of there, with Luz jumping up first.

"Ams!" Luz shouted while raising her arms up with a smile.

Amity smiled back as she raised her arms to catch her girlfriend. "Luz!" she shouted as the two hugged each other before they both fell on the grass as they laughed. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too!" Luz replied as the two shared a kiss. "I am so glad that I got your message, because I couldn't wait any longer to come and see you again!"

"I know, I'm just glad to see your face again," Amity said, pressing her hand to Luz's cheek as they smiled and looked into their eyes...

"Geez, you three have only been separated for three days and already you're all over each other," Eda commented with a smirk.

"Hey Luz," Clara said to Luz, which brought Luz's attention to the others.

"Don't mind us, you can continue kissing your 'wife,'" Masha said with a smirk as Luz got up.

"Oh, hey, guys!" Luz said before going over to her biological mother. "Hey mami, how are you settling into Gravity Falls?" she asked while hugging Camila.

"Doing well, Luz," Camila replied while hugging her daughter back. "Those agents helped me find a house for us to live in."

"Aw sweet, that's great!" Luz responded before looking around. "Wait, where's Abigail?"

"With the agents," Amity answered. "Yesterday was a bit… exciting and she is helping the agents with an investigation related to it."

Luz nodded. "Oh, yeah. You texted me about the spider-lady. Did I miss anything else?"

"Well, me and Masha are together now," Clara said as she held Masha's hand.

"Really? When did that happen?" Luz asked.

"Yesterday," Masha responded with a smirk. "Clara wanted to be the one to ask me out, but I beat her to it." This made Clara blush.

"You're not the only one with a girlfriend, Masha," Dipper brought up, which made Luz turn to him.

"No way…" Luz said in shock.

"Yup, me and Candy are a thing now," Dipper said proudly.

"Shoot, man!" Luz said while lightly punching Dipper's arm. "Lucky you, Dips! And right before you turn thirteen!"

Dipper chuckled. "Yeah, and hopefully I'll see you at my birthday party."

"You know it, bro," Luz said while turning to Vee. "Hey Vee, how are the folks?"

"Doing good, Luz," Vee answered. "But as for the reason why I'm here..."

"Vee is coming with us," Amity revealed, much to Luz and Eda's surprise.

"Really?" Luz asked while turning to Vee. "Are you sure, Vee?"

Before she answered, Vee thought back to her time in the Boiling Isles, right after she and her siblings escaped from the Hieron Labs…

Basilisk Number One, Three, and Five were all hiding behind some bushes. They peeked out, seeing many civilians and scouts in the market area.

"So many scouts… we should split up," One suggested. "Let's blend in, grab supplies, and meet back here in half an hour."

"Got it!" Three and Five replied.

As the older Basilisks left, Five was left with her own thoughts. 'Hmm, what disguise should I choose?' she thought to herself before she got an idea. "Aha!" She grinned and changed her form into that of a scout.

After getting some supplies like food and drinks, the disguised Five walked through the market area. She saw some scouts patrolling, but they didn't pay attention to her.

"No one suspects a thing," Five said while having her head turned. "I'm such a genius-AH!" She bumped into someone. When she saw who it was, she froze.

"Hey, watch where you are going, rookie!" shouted a scout captain who was accompanied by another scout with pointy ears sticking through her cloak. "Which station are you from?"

Nervous, Five made up an answer. "The…Toes?" She then quickly saluted. "I mean, the Toes, sir!"

The captain noticed something about the disguised Five. "Why are you sweating so much?" he asked. "Wait… are you sweating through your… clothes?"

"Um...I was… born with my clothes on!" Five nervously explained. But the captain's masked eyes narrowed at her, putting Five on the verge of panic. 'Oh no, he's onto me!' she thought.

"Five?" the captain asked, which made Vee's eyes widen when she realized who she was talking to. After a moment of silence, the three Basilisks dropped their disguises and just looked at each other.

Later, the three Basilisks were living in the woods, gathering sticks to make a campfire while Five tried to set up a tent.

"So… does anyone know how to set up a tent?" Five asked.

"Didn't you read the directions?" One suggested.

"Yeah, but they're a bit hard to understand," Five replied, while Three looked at the directions.

"Come on, they're not that hard," Three said. "Huh… it says you're supposed to connect the metal stick thing here, and the blanket there…"

After a few tries, Five and Three managed to set up a tent… barely. The tent immediately fell apart.

"I guess we'll just have to sleep in the cave," One said.

Later, the three Basilisks were hiding from a trio of scouts that were passing through the woods.

"You see any wild witches around here?" asked one scout.

"Negative," another responded. "We'll just have to report back to Head Witch Lilith that this area's cleared."

"Finally," the third one said as they walked away. A rustle from the bushes made the third one turn around. "Did you hear that?"

"Eh must be some animals," the lead scout said with a shrug. The trio of scouts walked away but if they had stuck around, they might have realized that in the bushes Five and One were restraining Three.

Later, Three ranted about the scouts to the two other Basilisks.

"You guys should've let me at them!" Three shouted while slithering back and forth. "I could've had them if you two hadn't interfered!"

"We're trying to not draw too much attention to ourselves," One told him sternly. "You could've gotten captured or brought more scouts!"

"I could've handled them! We have the power to drain their magic!" Three pointed out.

"And then what? You give ourselves away? Maybe you could take on three scouts. But how about five? Or ten? Or twenty? Eventually it will be too much and we go back to that awful lab!" One argued while Five just silently listened, looking anxious.

The trio were asleep in their cave for the night. Well, at least they were trying to get some sleep. Five looked over to her siblings and saw that they were still awake, so she tried to make some small talk.

"So… what do you guys think happened to Number Two and Six?" Five asked.

"Probably in hiding somewhere," One replied.

"Hopefully Number Two will go all out on those witches," Three said under his breath.

One was quiet for a moment, thinking about something. "You know, we've only been referring to each other by our numbers…"

"Yeah, because that's the only thing we have ever been called," Five pointed out. "We were never given real names."

"Well, if we did have names, what name would you like?" One asked them.

Five gave it some thought before she responded. "Well… the sign outside of the cell had 'V' on it since I'm 'Number 5'. So… maybe I can call myself 'Vee'." She looked over to One. "What would you call yourself, One?"

One looked down. "Well… I've been thinking of calling myself… Megan."

"Megan?" Three asked. "Why that name?"

"It's… nevermind," she replied while looking over at Three. "What about you, Three?"

Three thought about it. "Well, maybe I should go by Trip. You know, like, short for 'Triple'."

Vee and Megan shared a look before Vee spoke. "Nah, I don't think so."

"Yeah, I have to agree. 'Trip' just wouldn't cut it," Megan said, much to Three's dismay.

After consideration, Three had to agree. "Yeah, it does seem too on the nose…"

"Well, what else can we call you then?" Vee asked.

Three thought about it for another moment before he decided. "Tres. I hear it's another word for 'three'."

"Yeah, that does sound fitting," Megan agreed. "Tres it is."

Vee had thought of something else. "So what do we do now? Like, now that we're alive and all, is there a future for us? What kind of future would you like to have?"

Megan and Tres looked over at Vee, Megan responding first. "Well… I honestly wish that we could co-exist with the witches, instead of having to live in fear and in hiding. I mean, maybe it's possible, right?"

Tres responded next. "I doubt it. And I think I want to fight back against those that hurt us. Particularly the Emperor's Coven." He narrowed his eyes. "I want to show them how it feels to be helpless…"

"That's… a bit much, don't you think?" Vee asked.

"Well what about you?" Tres asked her. "What future would you like?"

Vee was quiet for a moment before she answered. "I… I just want to get away. I want to get away from the Isles and the Emperor's Coven and just be… somewhere else. Somewhere I won't have to worry about the Emperor's Coven ever again. Where I can be safe."

One day while at the market, Vee was behind Megan and Tres as they all wore cloaks to hide themselves with. They were trying to make it through unnoticed until a guard called for them.

"Hey, you three!" the guard spoke up, causing them to stop. "I'd like to ask some-" But not wanting to get caught, the trio immediately made a run for it. "Hey!"

The three Basilisks ran through the crowd as they saw more scouts in the area. "Crap! There's more of them!" Vee exclaimed.

"We should fight back!" Tres suggested as they kept running.

"No, we need to avoid making a scene!" Megan argued as they ran through the crowd.

"What's with this crowd?!" Tres asked.

"Lunch rush!" Vee exclaimed as they brushed through the crowd running back and forth. Each got separated from the other as Vee got pushed back by a sea of shoppers. "Megan! Tres!"

"Vee!" Megan shouted as she and Tres got separated from Vee.

Eventually, Vee managed to squirm her way out of the crowd. Looking around, she called for her siblings again. "Megan! Tres! Where are you?! Please follow the sound of my voice!" she cried out, but no one answered.

"Hey kid," spoke a scout, scaring Vee. "Are you lost or something?"

"WAAAAH!" Vee screamed in a panic, waving her arms and running away from the scout.

"Was it something I said?" the scout asked.

Some time had passed. Vee had been wandering around the marketplace, looking for her siblings. She was too afraid to ask anyone for help. And she didn't know where else to go, so she just waited in the marketplace, hoping she would find them or they would find her.

More time passed as she waited. It had been days since she last saw Tres and Megan. And yet there was still no sign of them. She was all alone now…

Vee was scared and worried that something had happened to them. But she didn't want to think that they got captured. Vee was in tears as she finally decided to leave the marketplace while keeping her head down.

'Megan… Tres… where are you?' she wondered while silently crying and wiping her tears. Without them, she didn't know what to do.

But then, Vee spotted something that took her interest. She noticed a group of shoppers were gathered around a stand labeled 'Human Collectables'. They were all bargaining for a small, cube-shaped box with a dancing tiny human on the screen.

"Take a look at this, my curious customers!" Luz exclaimed as she patted the portable TV. "This shadowbox will show you things you've never seen before! All from the Human Realm!"

"This shadowbox is going up for forty snails!" Eda declared. "Unless someone can offer higher?"

"I'll give you fifty snails!" one customer declared.

"I'll give you a hundred!" another replied.

"Can I eat the tiny person inside?" one asked.

Vee noticed Luz and her eyes widened when she noticed that unlike the witches, Luz had round ears.

Wanting to know more, Vee decided to sneak toward the tent behind the stand after the two made a sale on the 'shadowbox'. Once they headed back inside the tent, Vee decided to sneak in. There, she saw a bunch of human junk, but Eda and Luz were nowhere to be found. It was like they had just vanished into thin air.

'Weird,' Vee thought, wondering where they went as she looked through the human junk. There was a large cellphone from the nineties, a Godzilla lunchbox, a broken lamp, a large mattress, and other weird objects she had never seen in the Isles before. She then saw a bright flash as a portal door unfolded itself, Vee quickly hiding herself in the pile of junk. She took a peek out and saw the door opening, Luz and Eda coming out with more human junk.

"I don't know about you, but these earrings make me look foxy," Eda said while having iron hangers hanging around her ears.

"Whatever you say, mom," Luz replied while carrying a bag of human junk. She also held up the portal key and tapped it, causing the door to fold back.

Seeing the key, Vee realized that it must lead to this… Human Realm that Luz spoke of. Another world. Vee wondered if she could somehow grab it from the human girl. She tried to be sneaky as she saw Luz set the stuff down. Vee saw the key in Luz's pocket and when she was close enough she started reaching for the key…

Her wrist was grabbed by Luz, who turned around and gave Vee a glare.

"Meep!" Vee squeed as she was flipped over and pinned to the floor. "Waah!"

"Think you can get the jump on me?!" Luz demanded to know as Eda rushed over.

"Luz, are you alright-" Eda stopped when she saw Luz pinning the Basilisk down. "Oh, nevermind."

"Caught this thing trying to eat me," Luz said.

"W-W-Wait! I'm not trying to eat you!" Vee claimed.

"Then explain why you are in our shop?" Eda asked, giving Vee a closer look.

"Uh…" Vee said, feeling anxious from Eda's stare and seeing the Owl Lady's eyes widen.

"Oh my… I can't believe it," Eda said in shock.

"What is it, mom?" Luz asked.

"Luz, we're closing up shop," Eda told her. "We're taking our little intruder with us back home so she can explain herself."

Back at the Owl House, Vee was given a chance to explain her story.

"The name I was given was Number Five, but I prefer to call myself Vee," Vee explained. "I'm a Basilisk and I shouldn't even exist. My kind went extinct a long time ago, but we were brought back." She gave an uneasy look, something Luz and Eda took notice of. "The Emperor's Coven… they wanted to know how we drained magic, which was how we fed. But I don't want to hurt anyone or anything. Some of us escaped, but I knew it was only a matter of time before Belos caught us again."

"Gosh…" Luz said with a saddened look. "We're sorry to hear that."

"I thought you were a Basilisk," Eda noted. "To think that the Emperor's Coven would revive your species… where are the others?"

"I don't know, I got separated from the two that were with me," Vee admitted, still worried for Tres and Megan. "When I saw you." She pointed to Luz. "I realized that there may be a way out of this realm. Which is why I wanted your key to the Human Realm, so that I can get out of here."

Luz and Eda looked at each other and gave a nod. They turned to Vee. "Well, we can't give you the portal key," Luz told her.

"But we can open a portal for you," Eda offered, much to Vee's shock.

"R-Really?" Vee asked. "You're not gonna turn me in?"

"Kid, look at us," Eda said, pointing at her wanted poster up on display. "We don't like the Emperor's Coven anymore than you do. I'm a wild witch."

"We understand your situation, Vee," Luz said. "So we're gonna take you to somewhere in the Human Realm with a lot of magic you can feed off of without hurting anyone."

"There's magic in the Human Realm?" Vee asked in surprise.

"A lot if you know where to look," Eda said while holding up her key, tapping it as the portal door opened. "Hope you're ready to set foot… or lower body… in Gravity Falls…"

Vee looked through the portal door and on the other side she saw the Human Realm before her. "Whoa…" she said, though she hesitated. "Is it… safe out there?"

"Well, it's a pretty weird place, Gravity Falls that is," Luz commented. "But you won't have to worry about Belos. And if you come across a human boy named Dipper Pines, he could help you out if you need it. Tell him you know Luz and Eda Clawthorne."

"I got it, and," Vee said as she turned to the two. "Thank you two for helping me out."

"Hey, we don't ignore someone who needs help," Luz said. "Us weirdos have to stick together, you know?"

Vee smiled and then turned to the entrance to the portal. Just to be sure, she checked her surroundings, which were the forests of Gravity Falls. She could smell the magic from here. She did hesitate, especially since Tres and Megan were not with her… but this was her chance to never have to worry about the Emperor's Coven ever again and she was going to take it. So she slithered through the portal, breathing in the air and looking around in awe. It was beautiful.

"Thank you," she said as she looked back at the two Clawthornes, waving at them.

"Good luck, Vee!" Luz replied, before the portal door closed.

Vee was alone once again… but she didn't mind it as much now, since for her it meant a fresh start. One that she was going to take.

Back in the present, Vee thought of everything she had been through both before and after coming to the Human Realm. She thought of the new friends she made along the way… and the old friends she had left behind. She looked back at Luz.

"I'm sure, Luz," she said with a determined look.

Luz nodded. "Alright," she said while turning to Eda and Amity. "Let's take you two back to the Demon Realm."

"Wanna go first, Vee?" Amity offered as the portal door reopened.

Vee looked through the portal and saw the forest on the other side. The disguised Basilisk girl looked hesitant at first, but then she took a deep breath. "Let's do this."

Taking her first step back into the Demon Realm, Vee closed her eyes as she went through the portal door. She took it all in, breathing the familiar Demon Realm air…

And when she reopened her eyes, she was back in the Demon Realm again.

Later, walking through the forest were Star, Raine, and Lilith. They all were wearing cloaks and their CATT masks, which were cat-like. Lilith and Raine were silent.

"So… where exactly are we going?" Star asked them, having been kept in the dark about what they're doing.

"We're here to meet someone," Lilith said. "And it's important that you came with us."

"Why me?" Star asked.

"Let's just say, this someone would really want to see you," Raine responded as they came to a stop. "Right… here."

Hearing someone stepping out of the bushes, Star saw who they were meeting… and she was left speechless.

"Hey, Star," Vee said, making her appearance known. Besides her new look, her ears were also pointed. With her was Eda, who had come along to escort her.

"Vee?!" Star exclaimed, taking off her CATTs mask. "Oh my gosh… you're here?!" She rushed over to her to give Vee a hug.

"Hey, Star!" Vee replied happily, hugging her back.

"What brings you around here in the neck of the woods?" Star asked after releasing her from the hug.

"Well… I came here for two reasons: to see you and to see my fellow Basilisks," Vee replied before becoming a bit more sheepish. "Regarding the former, I was wondering if you would… like to go… on a date with me?"

Star blushed, but still smiled. "Of course! I'd love to go on a date with you!"

Vee smiled at this, but then noticed Lilith, causing her smile to fall. "Oh… Lilith…"

"Uh, hello, Vee," Lilith replied awkwardly, not forgetting that the two of them were not on good terms with each other. "Um… I hope that you don't mind, but… Eda has asked me to be your chaperone for you two, since I can take you to where the other Basilisks are… I hope this isn't a problem…"

"It's… fine," Vee responded. "Luz already told me that you know where Tres and Megan are. So… I don't mind, even if it means being around you."

"I promise not to get in the way of your date," Lilith said.

Behind her was Vina, who looked disgusted at Lilith. "Oh of all the blasted insignificance, that you allow yourself to be associated with these disgusting, magic-draining creatures! I thought they were supposed to be extinct!" she ranted, much to Lilith's chargin. "Wait... why are Basilisks still around…?"

"So, I'll leave you two to catch up a bit," Eda said while grabbing Raine and Lilith. "I'm gonna chat with the adults about something," she said as she pulled the two aside, leaving Star and Vee alone.

"So… how's it hanging in the Human Realm since the last time we've seen each other?" Star asked.

"Well, I helped out on a mayoral election and I took a road trip where me, Amity, Masha, and Clara ended up facing off against a crazy spider-lady," Vee replied. "Also there was this wedding between Luz and Amity…"

"Whoa, for real?" Star asked, looking shocked. "Luz and Amity got married?!"

"Well, a faux wedding," Vee clarified. "But what about you? What have you been up to?"

"Well, I did meet another Mewman who is part of this Order," Star explained. "And after me and Raine left the Owl House, we started recruiting those who want to oppose the Emperor's Coven as well. Pretty much, I'm a rebel with a cause now."

"That's great!" Vee replied with a smile.

Meanwhile, Eda was talking to Lilith and Raine about what she learned the other day. Both of them, plus Vina, looked shocked.

"Eda… this is big… big news," Raine said.

"Terra… she gave love potions to minors?!" Lilith asked in horror. "How could I not know this?! Why was I not aware of this… I am so bad at my job…"

"For once, Lilith, you're not the only one who was deceived by this," Vina said in disgust. "I can't believe… actually, I can believe that Terra would really go behind Belos's back for this. I'm just as appalled as you are..."

"It's what Lao Shi informed me," Eda said while looking down. "Terra Snapdragon gave the love potion to Jenny to use on Perry… back when they were kids. And who knows how many kids she also supplied love potions and whatever else to."

"This could be a big blow to the Emperor's Coven if word gets out," Raine pointed out. "It'll be a huge scandal."

"Yeah," Eda agreed while looking at the two. "So… are you guys working together now?" she asked. "Since you two came together with Star after I contacted you."

Raine and Lilith looked at each other, knowing that they couldn't keep Eda in the dark forever. "Yes, we are," Lilith responded honestly. "I'm helping Raine in the rebellion against Belos."

"We're sorry for not telling you about this earlier," Raine said, looking nervous as they scratched the back of their neck. "I didn't want to get you or Luz involved in our rebellion. The less you and Luz are involved, the farther you are from Belos and you two have had enough danger for the last few weeks."

Eda crossed her arms and sighed. "I understand your reasons, but… I still don't like being kept in the dark. Especially since this is relevant to keeping Luz safe," she told them sternly. "But we'll talk about this later, especially because I have plans for you, Raine."

"Um… what kind of plans?" Raine asked.

"Let's just say in the near future, when things are settled in, calm and not chaotic, you'll have to make it up with me," Eda told them. "I'm thinking of some… cute outfits. Hope you like to wear a cat headband."

"Eda… your sister's present," Raine reminded her, slightly blushing while Lilith looked embarrassed.

"I know." Eda responded. "That's why I'm forcing this image on what I have plans for you."

"Oh Titan…" Lilith grimaced, not wanting to get a mental picture.

"Your sister's never in the right mind, is she?" Vina asked.

"But there is another thing I should talk to you about," Eda said, back to seriousness. "Luz has learned more about those creatures from Belo's vision. Turns out, they're mechanical death robots called 'Exbots' that were created by Department A."

Lilith's eyes widened in shock. "Department A?!"

"Those same anti-magical fanatics… they're responsible for the winged creatures from Belo's vision?!" Raine asked as Eda gave a nod. "But that would mean…"

"That Belos probably caused the very thing that he was trying to prevent by starting his feud with the Gates family? Yeah, Hunter got that down when me and Luz told him," Eda mentions.

"Then it's decided," Raine said while crossing their arms and giving a determined look. "Before we deal with this Department A, we'll have to deal with Belos first and stop him from causing any more damage to the Boiling Isles… like by starting a war with the Human Realm."

"Which would only cause greater destruction to the Isles," Lilith added

Eda gave a nod of agreement, though at the same time couldn't help but look worried. She then received a text from Luz on her scroll.

'Come back to the Owl House, something came up.'

After reading the text, Eda brought her staff up. "I gotta go," she said while looking over at Vee and Star. "Yo, Vee! Good luck on your date!"

"Thanks, Eda!" Vee waved to her, seeing Eda fly off.

"Well, I should head back to the headquarters," Raine said as they put their mask back on. "I'll see you and Star when you get back, Lilith."

Lilith nodded as she saw Raine walking away. She then turned to Vee and Star, awkwardly looking away when she made eye contact with Vee. "So, um… where do you girls want to go first?"

"Oh, um… anywhere, I guess," Vee responded, her voice lowered.

Star sensed the awkward tension between them and she decided to suggest something. "Maybe we can go grab something to bite?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice," Vee replied happily to Star.

Lilith nodded, agreeing to take the girls to somewhere they could eat.

Meanwhile, Donna flew over to Cross's home while in her normal wear.

"Alright, time to make it up to Cross," she said to herself while looking up at the door. "Which means meeting his family… other than Zee, I don't think I've ever met the rest of his folks before."

"Well's now the time for that, isn't it?" Whirlwind asked.

Donna nodded and rang the doorbell. Answering the door was Clair.

"Oh, hey, you must be Donna," Clair replied. "Cross was expecting you."

"Good morning, Mrs. Drakescale," Donna said politely.

"Come on in," Clair said as she invited the silver-haired girl inside the Drakescale home.

Donna was definitely nervous as she wondered how much the family knew about how the date last night truly went down. 'Calm down, Donna. I'm sure they're not gonna rile you up about using their son to get Nina jealous… oh Titan, I'm going to be eaten alive,' she thought.

"Clair, who was at the door?" Damien said as he along with Draydon showed up, seeing Donna. "Ah, you must be Donna, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, sir," Donna replied, shaking Damien's hand. "It's nice to finally meet Cross's family."

"And it's nice to meet you too, Donna," Draydon replied. "From how Zee described you, you sound wonderful. Funny that he asked out a Healer like his mother did, who is also in the Plant Coven."

"Yeah, funny how things play out," Clair mentioned while Donna chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, it is…" Donna agreed as Cross came over.

"Alright, I got the daisies planted and-" Cross said before coming to a stop when he saw Donna. He was wearing a green shirt with a purple short-sleeve jacket with pockets, blue jeans, and gray boots. "Oh, hey Donna."

"Hi, Cross," Donna waved to him as Zee also came in.

"Hey, look who's here for you, Cross~!" Zee teased while patting his back. "Welcome to our humble abroad, we'll leave you two to Cross's room. Don't worry, I'll remember to put a sock on the knob…"

"Zee, it's… not like that," Cross told her.

"I'm just yanking your chain, bro," Zee said while patting Donna's shoulder. "Don't take too long."

Donna looked weirded out as she turned to Cross. "Hey, Cross, want to… talk in your room?"

"Sure," Cross nodded before he turned to his folks. "Excuse us."

"Don't mind us," Draydon said while seeing the two off. Once they were gone, he chuckled. "Heh, you know, she reminds me of old Jane Doe, why she was a beaut for a doe demon."

Once they were both in Cross's room, Donna looked around. "You have a nice room, Cross."

"Uh, thanks," Cross replied.

"So… am I the first girl to have ever been in your room?" she asked teasingly.

"Uh… I mean, I wouldn't say that," Cross said as he cleared his throat. "L-Lindsay has been here… not that I want to mention her, not to be rude-"

"Cross, I'm just messing with you," Donna said while patting his shoulder. "And I just want to say… thanks for not telling your folks about what really went down last night. Even if you should have…"

"Well, as I said before, I'm willing to give you a second chance if you're serious about being sorry," Cross responded. "So they don't need to know… for now."

"Right, well since I already took you out, why don't you take me out somewhere," Donna suggested. "Somewhere where you'd like to go. Your call."

Cross gave it some thought. "Well… I do like going to the park a lot," he admitted. "So yeah, the park would be nice and simple."

"Yeah, that does sound like a nice change of pace," Donna nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled," Cross replied with a smile. "We'll just have a day to ourselves at the park."

"Yeah, just a fun, non-romantic walk at the park," Donna added.

"Yeah," Cross nodded, the two falling silent for a moment before they awkwardly looked away from each other.

At an outdoor Newt Burger joint, Star (who was covering up her ears) and Vee had their own table to themselves while Lilith sat at another table watching over them. The two were sharing some fast food with each other.

"Mmm, the fries are almost as good as Wendy's fries," Vee commented.

"I know, right?" Star agreed. "Also, the last Newt Burger I was at, the burgers cost like six snails. This one's burgers costs about seven snails."

"Really?" Vee asked in confusion. "Is that some kind of sales tax reduction or property pricing around here?"

"Beats me, but man does this feel like a ripoff," Star responded. "So, tell me all about the road trip you went on."

"Well, I was traveling down the highway with Amity, Dipper, Clara, and the others, visiting all of the roadside attractions down that route like the world's biggest yarn ball, an upside down house, a corn maze…" she recounted. "Oh, and I made some new human friends during the trip: Kendra, Simone, and Emma Sue. I even got their emails so I can stay in touch with them. They also know that I'm a… b-a-s-i-l-i-s-k, after I saved them from that crazy spider-woman."

"Whoa, really?" Star asked and Vee nodded. "They don't really mind?"

"Nah, they think I'm adorable… um, not to make you jealous or anything," Vee responded nervously.

"It's fine, 'cause it's true. You are adorable," Star commented, making Vee blush.

"So… what about you? Have you made any new friends?" Vee asked her.

"Yes, actually," Star revealed. "There's Hikari, who was a teenage wild witch on the run before she joined the CATTs, and Shadow Wolf, who is under a vow of silence. There's also Bunker, a survivalist that I get along great with, and his girlfriend, Bindell, who brought Shadow Wolf into the CATTs and is also a giant."

"Whoa, a giant?" Vee asked.

"Yeah, who apparently used to live up in the skies," Star commented before she briefly fell silent. "I will admit though… it's a lot easier to make friends here in the Isles than in Mewni."

"What do you mean?" Vee asked her.

Realizing her slip-up, Star hesitated before she decided to be honest with Vee. "Honestly, I was something of an outsider in Mewni," she admitted. "See, the Monsters weren't a fan of Mewmans, not even Mewmans on their side."

"Oh… sorry to hear that," Vee said sympathetically.

"I tried not to take it personally, but it still hurt," Star responded with a sigh.

At Lilith's table, Lilith was just stacking up her fries into a tower while sipping her drink. She looked up at Vina, who was crossing her arms. Lilith sighed. "Got anything to say?"

Vina, who had been staring at Vee, responded. "How is she alive?"

"Pardon?" Lilith asked.

"The Basilisk," Vina clarified. "She mentioned siblings like her… how are there more Basilisks? I thought they're supposed to be extinct."

"Oh, that," Lilith said. "After you passed away, the Emperor's Coven greenlit a program to secretly revive Basilisks. By collaborating with Hieron Labs, we managed to revive six of them. Five of them managed to escape and four of them are still alive."

"Why would the Emperor want to revive these creatures?" Vina questioned. "Doesn't he know that they drain magic?"

"That was part of the research, to learn how they could drain magic along with how their shape-shifting worked," Lilith admitted. "The program was shut down after the Basilisks escaped thanks to a turncoat scout. It cost us a bunch of snails. Hieron Labs tried to recapture the living Basilisks and dissect the dead ones to save face, but… let's just say that didn't go well for them. Last I heard, Nicole Hieron was kicked out as CEO of her own potions company and Vitimir took over."

"Ato's colleagues?" Vina asked, remembering Vitimir and Nicole. "Nicole… I remember how… weird she is. Thank Titan Vitimir became Head."

"Yeah, well nowadays Nicole is a wild witch after she assaulted Vitimir," Lilith revealed.

"Seriously?" Vina questioned. She scoffed. "Honestly, I'm very disappointed in how your generation turned out."

"Well, at least some of us from my generation are trying to fix the damage that your generation caused," Lilith retorted. "That way, the current generation won't suffer from both our mistakes."

"Oh please, I'm not the one who's been on trial," Vina countered.

"And I'm not the one who was so unpleasant that someone decided to kill her," Lilith spat while a passerby noticed Lilith's talk. "Seriously, Vina, you should be glad that I haven't decided to ruin your reputation by telling the Isles about the real Vina Charmspell."

"Oh you wouldn't…" Vina said with her eyes narrowed.

"I can post a Penstagram journal or talk to a few reporters who would be interested in how you treated me over the years," Lilith told her while the passerby gave a weirded out look.

"Who the hell are you talking to?" he asked while Lilith turned around and saw him looking at her like she was a crazy person.

"...A ghost?" Lilith suggested.

In the Metropelvis park, Donna and Cross had gotten some ice cream and were now walking and talking.

"So… how come you never accepted a position in the student council?" Donna asked him.

"Well, I'm not a fan of anything with meetings," Cross admitted. "I don't like just sitting down, listening or talking about what to do like budget cuts and how to keep programs and such. Best I can do is just submit ideas in the suggestion box."

"Yeah, I guess not everyone is up for it," Donna understood. "I joined because I wanted to do some good for the school. Even if it means going through Danny's lunch menu suggestions."

Cross snickered. "I wonder how he deals without the council."

"I'm sure he manages," Donna said with a shrug while looking around the park. "You know, my moms took me here right after my adoption."

"Really?" he asked her.

"Yeah, we played frisbee together," Donna recalled. "We haven't come here in a while, but I forgot how good it is to just… enjoy the scenery."

"Yeah, I do enjoy just looking at the lake here," Cross mentioned. "It is a good place to just sit down and think."

Donna nodded before she remembered something and turned to Cross. "You know, I've seen you hang out with Beo sometimes, though he never talks about it. How did you meet?"

Cross didn't know if he should tell Donna that he and Beocrow were cousins. In fact, he was surprised that Beocrow had not told her. "Well… I met him at the Healing Coven when we were little… I think back when he got attacked by a bear demon."

"Oh, that… Tina and Veronica mentioned that story before," Donna replied. "It's how he got that scar on his back."

"Yeah, my dad was a nurse at the time and had me accompany him after his surgical recovery," Cross recalled. "I remember him just mostly silent which can be frustrating. When he finally spoke up to me, he said that he finally learned what he wants to be… a death god."

"Oh yeah, I know about his life goal," Donna said with a nod.

"Yeah, I remember him talking about seeing death's door-"

"And how the bear attack awakened something in him," she added.

Cross nodded. "Yeah! Man, you know, he can be aloof, but he's still a pretty cool friend to have."

"Yeah," Donna replied. "I first met him when his mom came to visit, bringing him and his brother Felix showed up. Honestly, Beo… he's kinda like a brother to me."

Cross noticed Donna having a distant look on her face. "Is… something the matter?" he asked.

Donna sighed as she found a bench to sit at. Cross sat next to her. "I'm fine, just… I actually do have a brother somewhere."

This surprised him. "You do?"

"Well, I have this feeling that I have a brother and that he is still alive," Donna admitted while looking down. "I know that both of my birth parents are dead, but I don't know what happened to my brother."

"Do you wish to talk about it?" Cross asked him. "About your birth parents and your brother?"

Donna looked up at the lake. "All I know is that we lived in a cabin outside of Bonesborough before my parents were murdered by a werewolf. He would have killed me too if Eda, in her Owl Beast form, didn't save me from that monster. The Owl Beast left me at Scooter Crane's orphanage, where I was raised. I still have a lot of questions about my family, about where I come from… and about other things." She brought out her key, showing it to Cross. "See this key right here? It's a lot more special than it looks, like, it can transform into a keyblade!"

"I think I remember seeing you use it at the beach and I saw Mel using it in the Underworld," Cross mentioned, remembering how Mel used the keyblade for her own dire purpose.

"Yeah, Luz gave it back to me but lately I've been having these performance issues," Donna admitted before realizing what she had said. "I meant, that it stopped working for me! For some reason, the key doesn't transform into the keyblade like I wanted… I wonder if Mel did something to it or if there's something wrong with me… but I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Maybe I should ask someone who's familiar with the keyblade."

"That sounds like a good idea," Cross said, though he did wonder if some of Luz's allies might know. "Well, if the problem is you… have you had any self-doubt about yourself lately?"

Donna sighed. "Yes, I have. Even more after last night. I… I think I might be relapsing on my old self again."

"What do you mean?" Cross asked.

Donna then started to explain. "Well… before I took up counseling, gymnastics, and skinnis… I didn't have the cleanest record," she admitted. "I hung out with a bad crowd and, well, I engaged in some destructive behavior to the point where I almost and could've died from a stroke in front of the other students." She looked down. "You probably have heard about that…"

"I… don't really follow rumors that much, other than you and your friends' sneak outing and getting detention," Cross admitted. "Though I guess I now know the reason for that."

"Yeah, LOWTH has become a big part of my life," Donna confessed. "I wanted to be a hero, and things were going great for a while… but, lately, I haven't been feeling very heroic." Her expression became pained with guilt. "Last night was the second time I hurt Nina… first time was when I rejected her last week after she confessed her feelings to me. I was… afraid of making the same mistakes I did before, so I tried to cut ties with her when she needed me the most, after she had learned she was infertile. All because I let that damn Emily bitch get into my head!" Her outburst startled Cross, which she noticed. "Pardon my language, it's just that… I'm afraid that I might go back to my self-destructive behavior… I… I don't want to go back to that dark place again…"

Hearing her out, Cross gave her some words of encouragement. "Listen Donna, you're not going to that dark place again. I mean, you're at least self-aware; you know that you've messed up, but rather than focus on self-pity, you should focus on making things right."

She looked up at him. "You think… I can?"

"I know you can," Cross reassured her.

Donna smiled at him before their moment was interrupted when she heard a crow call as the crow flew up to her. "Donna! Need you! Emergency!" it cawed with Eda's voice.

Donna answered the crow. "Eda?"

"Hey, Silvey, listen, I need you and your team's help right now," Eda explained. "Last night, Nina Fang's younger siblings and her mom were kidnapped by Dr. Sonya Mera… and her Big Bad Wolf partner."

Donna stood up. "What?!" she exclaimed in shock. "Are the rest of Nina's family alright?"

"From what I've heard, they're alright. Me, Luz, Nina and everyone are doing our part in searching for her siblings and mom," Eda explained. "And I want to collaborate with LOWTH on this, which is why I'm contacting you."

"Alright, I'll contact the rest of the team and we will split up to search the Isles," Donna promised as she hung up.

"Is everything alright?" Cross asked, standing up as well.

"I'm so sorry for this, Cross, but it looks like we'll have to cut our date short," Donna said apologetically. "Nina's mom and her siblings were kidnapped by some really bad people, and there's no way I can ignore-"

"Then what are we waiting for, then?" Cross asked, sharing Donna's concerns. "We should go find them! I don't mind if we go out patrolling, I want to help too."

Donna looked surprised by this, but she gave him a nod. "Alright, but first you may need a mask to keep your identity safe. As for me, I already got my outfit ready." She did a little spin and a glowing light ring formed at her feet before rising up to her head, outfitting her with her Wonder Witch costume as a bright flash popped up from behind her. "Wonder Witch is here to help!"

Cross sweat dropped upon seeing Donna in her Wonder Witch outfit. He definitely could tell how form fitting it was… especially the leotard. 'I'm starting to see why my sister wanted to set me up with Donna,' he thought with a blush. "Um… yeah, I should get a mask."

"Then bring out your staff, let's go," Donna said as she summoned her staff. Cross did the same and they flew off together.

However, unknown to them, they were being spied on. Watching from afar was a familiar indigo snake biped demon with yellow eyes, a muscular body, spiked cuffs, and a white tank top and black pants. He was hiding behind some bushes when he saw the two set off.

"Oh, this just got interesting…" spoke the snake demon known as… Silas Hissenger. Former Glandus student.

Elsewhere, Lilith had taken Vee and Star to a secluded beach, not populated by others.

"This is the place where we'll meet them," Lilith said while turning to Vee. "You don't have to worry. This part of the Titan isn't used by the Emperor's Coven or any other Coven."

"Basically, our private little beach," Star declared while turning to Vee. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, just… nervous," Vee responded while fidgeting her fingers. "It's just… it's been months since I last saw Tres and Megan. I'm happy about seeing them again… but also worried about how they'll respond since I did… leave them behind." She started to rub her own arm out of nervousness. "I'm afraid they won't take it well… especially Tres."

"I'm sure they won't hold it against you," Star reassured her. "They'll probably just be glad you were safe this whole time."

"Vee," Lilith spoke as she pointed toward the Boiling Seas. "They're here."

Vee turned and saw a boat sailing down to shore. Her eyes widened when she saw the two cloaked figures on the boat. Once they landed on shore, Vee walked over to them.

"Tres? Megan?" Vee asked as parts of her Basilisk face were shown. "Is that you?"

"Vee?" Megan asked as she removed her cloak. Tres removed his cloak as well, showing that they were in their witch forms, though with Basilisk features on their faces, just like Vee. "Is that… you?"

Vee smiled, tears flooding from her eyes as she, along with her siblings, shifted into their Basilisk forms completely. "You guys!" she exclaimed while slithering over to them as they got off the boat. They all shared an embrace with each other.

"Vee!" they cried out as the two hugged the youngest Basilisk.

"Oh Titan, we were so worried sick about you!" Megan commented, tears flooding from her eyes.

"Yeah, we thought something bad happened to you until Luz told us that you were safe," Tres said while they hugged Vee.

"I'm so sorry," Vee said while hugging them. "I'm so sorry for worrying you… and abandoning you guys." She looked down out of guilt. "But Luz and Eda, they showed me a way out and-"

"Vee, listen," Megan said as she patted her shoulders, looking at the young Basilisk. "We're just glad that you're alive and safe."

"Yeah," Tres reassured her. "When Luz told us about where you are, we were relieved. You being out of this realm is better than staying here."

"We also came in contact with Number Six, he's back at the island," Megan informed her. "These days, he goes by Ivy."

"Six's alive? Thank Titan," Vee said in relief. "Oh, I should probably introduce you guys to someone…"

She went back to Star, who came over. "Hi, you must be Vee's siblings."

"Star, these two are Megan and Tres," Vee introduced. "Megan, Tres, meet Star. She's from another realm called Mewni, and I met her back in the Human Realm. But now she's in the Demon Realm for the time being."

"Yeah, doing rebellion stuff against the Emperor's Coven," Star said.

The two Basilisks were shocked that Star was from another Realm, but not just any Realm… Mewni of all Realms. They wanted to learn more about her.

"Nice to meet you, Star," Tres said to her, shaking her hand. "Glad to meet someone who shares the same feeling about the Covens."

"And we are glad that Vee has friends now," Megan added with a smile. "So tell us, you don't mind her being…?"

"Of course not, she's a pretty adorable Basilisk," Star reassured them while hugging Vee. "Plus where I'm from, I was raised by lizard people."

Now this also surprised the two Basilisks, that this girl was raised by 'lizard people'. The two shared a look before turning back to Star and Vee.

"You know, Star, there is someone that you should meet. You too, Vee," Tres brought up.

"Tres…" Megan warned.

"Wait, what?" Vee asked as Lilith looked surprised as well.

Tres sighed. "Well, I did tell a few… friends about the island we have been living on," he admitted. "Before I rescued Megan, I was scouting out Hieron Labs when I met this… guy who wanted to help me and Megan. I led him and his friends to the island, and I think you two should meet them." Megan had gone silent as Tres continued to explain. "One of his friends is from Mewni… his name is Seth."

Both Star and Lilith shared shocked looks on their faces. "Seth…?" Lilith asked, remembering when Star mentioned that name back at Eclipsa's temple…

"Seth? That old bastard is here?!" Star shouted in anger, surprising Vee and startling the Basilisks. She walked up to them and grabbed Tres. "Where is he? Where is Seth?!"

"Star, calm down!" Vee shouted as she and Lilith grabbed Star, pulling her away. "What's gotten into you?"

"Yeah, what's your problem?" Tres asked.

"She knows Seth," Lilith explained. "The two have… bad history."

"Not just bad history… he abandoned his own to save his sorry ass when the Exorcists, who he allied with, wasted Mewni on both sides. The Septarian army, my father, and the monsters I've known my whole life were killed because of Seth!" Star explained, her tone filled with anger. "And he's been here this whole time…"

"Look, I don't know how much of that is true, but he's a friend of Draco's and he wants a better future for us," Tres explained.

"I doubt he does…" Star muttered.

"Draco?" Vee asked.

"The friend I met," Tres explained.

"He has been helping me and Tres with the promise that we will never have to worry about being hunted again," Megan explained. "And he has been using the island for his plans against the Emperor's Coven."

"Which is why we want you two to come with us to meet him," Tres said.

"Might I come with as well?" Lilith asked, causing everyone to turn to her. Tres gave her a glare. "Please, if this Draco is someone who wishes to take down Belos as well, he could be a potential ally."

"I think she should come too," Star said while turning to them. "After all, she is our chaperone."

"I don't know about this…" Tres said before Megan pulled him aside.

"Excuse us," Megan said as the two walked away to have a private chat among themselves. It sounded like they were arguing. As the trio watched them talk, Vina floated close to Lilith.

"If what Blondie here says is true, I don't think that either Seth or Draco have good intentions for the Isles," Vina said.

"We'll see soon enough," Lilith whispered to her ghost as the two Basilisks reached an agreement.

"Alright… you can come," Tres said begrudgingly.

"Yeah, we'll explain it to Draco when we get there." Megan added.

And so, Tres and Megan led Vee, Star, and Lilith onto their boat. As they began the journey to the island, Vee, Star and Lilith all shared anxious looks…

Meanwhile, Donna, as Wonder Witch, was waiting in an alley for Cross at a costume stand. He then showed up wearing a mask.

"What do you think?" Cross asked, wearing a black, flaming bandanna mask over half his face.

"Well, simple but I could hardly recognize you if not for your Palisman," Donna replied, pointing to Elio on his shoulder.

"Well I don't want to wait longer. We have to find Nina's siblings and her mom," Cross said.

"Right," Donna agreed. "Well should go up to the rooftop and-"

HIIIISSSSS!

The hissing sound startled the two, who suddenly found themselves surrounded by four snake biped demons who jumped off the rooftops and landed on the ground.

"You're not going anywhere!" spoke a dark green cobra biped demon who wore a blue V-shaped vest and black shorts, metal cuffs, and black boots. "Rattleton, Madusan, Coils, don't let them escape!"

"Got it, Viperion!" Rattleton, a red snake biped with an overly long neck, said as he launched his head towards the two.

Donna and Cross separated to avoid the surprise attack. "Who are these guys?!" Cross questioned.

"I don't know," Donna said while bringing out her staff and shooting magical beams at her attackers. "But they could be working for the Tarot Guild!"

Coils, a stretchy looking green snake biped, stretched himself to avoid the beams. He grabbed Donna's staff and pushed it aside before he wrapped his extended arms around her. "Don't try to fight back. I can squeeze rocks into pebbles…"

"Then you don't mind a little ice?" Donna asked, using her ice magic to freeze up Coil's arms.

"AACK!" Coils screamed, feeling his arms growing cold before he felt Donna's kick to the jaw.

Cross cast a flame spell against the snakemen, pushing Medusan away. But he was then tackled by Viperion to the ground. "You're coming with us!"

"Why?" Cross questioned as he uses plant magic to get Viperion to get off of him. Once he got back up, he was hit in the back by Rattleton's rattler arm.

"Yee-haw!" Rattleton declared, the golden snake biped holding up his left arm which was a large rattle. He then got hit by an ice blast from Donna. "GAH! Ice! It burns!"

"Get away from him!" Donna declared as Viperion wrapped his arms to grab Donna. "Hey! Let me go!" she shouted as Viperion turned her over to Medusan, a blue snake biped with smaller red snakes for eyes. They started biting Donna. "Ow! Quit it!" she shouted as she kicked Medusan away from her and hit Viperion in the head.

Despite the snake bites, Donna managed to get herself free from Viperion's grip. She turned to Cross, who was getting up. "Are you alright, Cross?" she asked him.

"Yeah, but… are you alright?" Cross asked, noticing her snake bites.

"I'm… fine…" Donna said… right before she fell to the ground.

"Donna?!" Cross exclaimed before Medusan bit him in the neck. "Gah!" he shouted as he felt his neck and turned to the villain. "What did you do?!"

"My paralysis always kicks in quickly," he told him while Cross felt his body getting heavy.

Cross looked at his attackers in anger while struggling to stay up. Green scales started to appear on his arm… before he was hit in the back of the head by a large fist.

POW!

Cross fell to the ground alongside Donna, neither of them moving. The one who had punched him was Silas, who had shown up with a coven scout.

"Wow, now that was a good tussle!" Rattleton declared.

"Keep it down," said the scout, who removed her mask to reveal… Venoma. She turned to Silas. "Look, you don't have much time. The patrol will be here soon."

Silas smirked and turned to his gang. "Wrap it up, boys! Time to take them to Draco."

"I understand the girl, but what about him?" Viperion asked while lifting Donna onto his shoulder.

"You saw his arm, and from what Venoma has told me about him, he could be someone Draco would be interested in," Silas said as Coils picked him up.

"Do we eat them?" Coils asked as they began to leave.

"No Coils, we're not eating them," Silas said in irritation as they escaped while Venoma stayed behind for the scouts.

Once they left, Venoma put back her mask on. She then saw some scouts showing up.

"We got a report on a commotion, is everything alright?" he asked.

Venoma saluted. "I've already checked the area, I found nobody… just a false alarm."

"We're here," Tres announced.

The five had made it to King's Island, where Tres and Megan led Lilith, Vee, and Star through the forest.

"So this is the place where Eda found King?" Vee asked, looking around the jungle.

"Well, he used to live in a tower before Eda found him," Lilith explained. "We still don't know much about this place though."

"Well, maybe Draco would have some of the answers that you seek," Megan replied as they saw the tower and someone coming out of it.

"Megan? Tres? You're back?" Ivy asked as he came over to his siblings and their guests.

"Number Six?" Vee spoke up, seeing the large Basilisk. "Is that really you?"

"Vee? Oh thank Titan, you're alright!" Ivy declared as he and Vee hugged. "I am so glad to see you!"

"Same!" Vee responded as she hugged him back. "How have you been since your escape?"

"Well, not easy," Ivy admitted. "I got captured but rather than be taken to the Emperor's Coven, I became a prisoner for the Tarot Guild. I didn't like it, but they made me eat people to survive…"

Vee looked shocked. "That's horrible…"

"Indeed, it was," said another voice. Everyone turned to see a figure cloaked in purple coming out of the tower, a snake-headed staff in his hand. "Tres, Megan, you've brought… guests."

"Sorry Draco, but we thought that Vee and her friend Star would want to meet you and Seth, and Lilith wanted to meet you as well," Megan explained. "Vee, Star, Lilith, meet Draco."

"Yes, a… pleasure to meet you," Draco said as he removed his hood, revealing his Basilick/Witch hybrid face.

Lilith was surprised by his appearance, but was polite nonetheless "It is a pleasure to meet you, Draco.."

"Can you take us to Seth?" Star asked as she stepped forward with a determined look, her arms crossed. "I would like to have a word with him."

"You know Seth?" Draco asked her.

"Yeah, he used to lead the Septarians before he bailed when we needed him most," Star told him.

"Hmm, that is news to me," Draco said, feigning ignorance. "But very well, follow me and I shall take you to him."

As they went into the tower, Ivy slithered besides Star. "So who's your friend? She's from another Realm?"

"Yeah," Vee confirmed. "Her name's Star, and she's kind of a rebel."

"Huh, sounds like she'd fit right in here," Ivy replied.

Lilith walked alongside Draco. "So Draco, what can you tell us about yourself? I can't say that I have ever met someone like you before."

"No, I imagine you haven't," Draco replied. "You see, I am a half-Basilisk hybrid."

"Hybrid?" Lilith asked in shock. "You mean-"

"I mean I am the result of an affair between my mother and a Basilisk, the last living Basilisk. I was considered an outcast because of my heritage, but I have made it my personal goal to repopulate the Basilisk race and bring it back from extinction," Draco explained, hoping to receive sympathy from his guests. "And I think it is possible, especially now that I've met Tres, Megan, Ivy and now you, Vee."

"That would be great," Vee admitted. "Though when you mean repopulate…"

"Oh don't worry about it, since you are still young," Draco reassured her. "I am not forcefully breeding anyone, especially since I have other means of creating more Basilisks."

"Well that's… reassuring." Vee said, trying to not think of these thoughts… especially when it came to her thoughts on Star…

"And Lilith, I have heard about you from Megan, who told me about how you helped save her from that rotten Coven established laboratory," Draco said while turning to Lilith. "I've also heard that you were a… curator to a museum. Interested in some history?"

This intrigued Lilith. "What kind of history?"

"Oh here we go…" Vina groaned.

Draco just smiled. "Tell me, Lilith, how much do you know of this tower?"

"Nothing, really," Lilith admitted. "Just that it's where King was born."

"King?" Draco asked.

"My nephew," Lilith clarified. "Short guy, covered in fur, has a head that looks like a skull."

"Aw, interesting," Draco responded. "But have you ever heard of… the Horned King?"

Lilith's eyes widened. "I've heard of the name, but… what can you tell me about the Horned King?" she asked in curiosity.

Draco nodded. "I am even surprised you have heard of him, considering that he was omitted from the Titan's lore," Draco admitted. "Look."

He gestured to the walls and ceiling of the tower. Not only was the tower better lit up now, but it had also been cleared of debris. This allowed Lilith to get a better look at the paintings of a meteor and the Horned King battling the Titan.

"You see, the Horned King was a God originally from another world that was cleansed by beings called the Archivists."

"Archivists?" Lilith asked in confusion.

"Beings from the stars," Draco explained, gesturing to a painting that showed the large humanoid beings. "After they cleansed his world, the Horned King traveled through the cosmos before he fell into our world. However, the Archivists have pursued him, most likely to finish the job."

Lilith was fascinated. "I'd like to learn more about the Horned King from you, Draco. And I wish to discuss an alliance."

"An alliance?" Draco asked, arching his eyebrow. "Very well, we can talk more."

Lilith turned to the girls. "Star, Vee, why don't you two go with Tres and Megan?"

"Yeah, I definitely do want to meet Seth," Star said as she grabbed Vee's hand protectively, the Basilisk girl blushed at the action.

"Come on, let's show them to the others," Megan told Tres as they slithered away.

"Come now, and I'll tell you more," Draco told Lilith, who followed him deeper into the tower. Vina follows as well, though she couldn't help but get suspicious about Draco…

The two alone, Lilith looked around the tower. Last time she was here it didn't have that much… shed skin all around.

"Sorry about the leftover shedding," Draco said politely. "It's not everyday we get guests here, so we don't bother to clean up much."

"It's fine," Lilith responded. "Now, about the Horned King, I'll admit I have been curious about him. How did you learn about him anyway? I have been unable to find any information about him in the Isles."

"Why it's simple, really," Draco said, forming a smile. "You see, it's much easier to find information about the Horned King… when you look outside the Isles."

"Oh… that does make more sense," Lilith realized. "So… you have traveled around the Demon Realm?"

Draco nodded. "I was curious about my own roots and that led me to learn about the Horned King, who wouldn't you know it, created the Basilisks and abandoned them."

Lilith, along with Vina, were shocked by the news. "What…?"

"Think about it, the children of the Titan produce magic, so why would the Titan also spawn something that drains magic?" Draco pointed out. "The Titan is magic, and the Basilisks are anti-magic."

"So, would that make the Horned King an anti-Titan?" Lilith asked. "And for that matter, was the Titan involved in the conflict between the Horned King and the Archivists?"

"Good question," Draco commented. "And yes, the Titans were involved in the Archivists and the Horned King's conflict. Though, since there are no more Titans around, you can guess how that turned out."

"That… that is something that should be in the Boiling Isles history books…" Lilith said.

"Oh it should," Draco agreed. "But you know Belos, he tends to hide things from his people. I had to learn all of this by myself since my mother never told me much before her death." He looked down sadly and sighed. "My mother fled the Boiling Isles during Belos's genocide against the Basilisks when his cult turned into a crusade army. She was the lone survivor. She fled from the Isles and found another Titan corpse, where she adopted the form of a witch. And the rest is history. Or at least, it will be." He then turned to smile at Lilith. "Oh, and you don't have to worry about anything. Unlike Belos, I'm no servant of any god. Especially not to the Horned King. Because as interesting as the past is… I'm more interested in the future." He looked at the murals again, which showed an army of Basilisks. "Oh, you mentioned an alliance with me?"

"Why yes," Lilith confirmed. "You see, I along with some friends have formed a rebellion against the Emperor's Throne. And we plan to stop him and the Day of Unity from happening."

"Oh, so we have a common enemy then," Draco said with an impressed tone. "Why, I've been wanting to deal with that Belos for a long time, since he caused the genocide of my people..."

"Yes, and I am sorry for what he has done to your people," Lilith told him while Vina gave her own opinion.

"Lilith, I don't trust this guy at all," Vina said, glaring at Draco. "I think he is hiding something."

Lilith brushed off Vina's warning as she continued. "With your help, we could create a better future for the Isles. A future without Belos's rule and no Emperor's Coven."

"Yes, well… though my plans for the future do involve taking down not just the Emperor's Coven, but all the witches that support it," Draco said while Lilith looked confused.

"But… wouldn't that be most of the Isles?" she pointed out.

"That's the idea," Draco replied, shocking Lilith.

"What?!" she exclaimed. "But… you can't do that! I know almost everyone supports it, but not everyone today is responsible for-"

"Oh, not responsible you say?!" Draco snapped at her, giving her a glare. "My species was exterminated by a mad tyrant! And then they got brought back to life just to be tortured and dissected!" he shouted. "IF BELOS KNEW THAT I EXISTED, HE'D STOP AT NOTHING TO DESTROY ME AND I WOULD DO THE SAME TO HIM!" He stomped his scepter and formed an insane grin. "I'll… I'll burn down everything that he built and take down anyone that stands in my way! HIS EMPIRE WILL FALL INTO THE FLAMES OF MY HATRED!"

Lilith stepped back, shaken by what he said. "But Draco, you'll be no better than Belos!"

But Draco just smiled. "And what makes you think I want to be better than Belos?"

Lilith's eyes widened as she realized what kind of person Draco was. "You… you're nothing but-!"

"What? An opportunist who will do whatever it takes to get what he wants?" he asked as his scepter glowed.

Lilith summoned her staff and brought out some glyphs to try to fight him. She slammed a fire glyph at him, but he zaps the flames away. She then used a plant glyph and he narrowly dodged the attack.

"Lilith, just run!" Vina warned her. "You can't fight him without your magic!"

But Lilith didn't heed her former mentor's warning as she used light glyphs and ice glyphs against him. But Draco dodged the attacks as he used his scepter to blast at her. "If I get my hands on the scepter…"

"You won't," Draco said after jumping close to her and kicking her in the stomach. She was pushed back until she slipped on some shed skin. After having fallen on the ground, Draco hovered over her. "You should've realized that I would never work with someone who was once part of the Emperor's Coven…" he declared before kicking her in the face and everything went dark for her.

Draco smirked, though was a bit surprised when he noticed that her hands were missing…

Meanwhile, Vee and Star were being led by Tres and Megan to see Seth, but Ivy and Megan both suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong, you two?" Vee asked them.

"Y-you guys go ahead," Ivy told them. "I'm just gonna wait here."

"Y-Yeah, I don't think you'd want to go through there, Vee," Megan responded nervously. "There's a… lab in there."

Vee understood what their concerns were and she nodded. "I think I'm going to go through, you don't have to worry about me."

"Are you sure, Vee?" Tres asked.

"You don't have to go through if you don't want to," Star said.

"I'm fine, and… well, you need someone to support you when you meet this Seth guy," Vee said as she held Star's hand.

Tres looked to Vee in concern, but seeing as she wanted to go through with this, he nodded. "Follow me, and… try not to lose your lunch…"

After he led them in, Vee and Star looked into the lab and their eyes widened.

There were dead carcasses laying around, as well as bodies of other Basilisks… or what was trying to be Basilisks. Some were misshapen, others were unfinished or translucent. There were also jars filled with organs and blinking eyes. The smell of potions caused Vee to almost gag as she was reminded of her time in Hieron Labs. The whole set-up was very crude, including the glowing chambers. One of them opened and out came a revived Basilisk… who had multiple eyeballs and five human-like arms with a vertical large mouth.

"Why am I alive?!" the abominable Basilisk cried out as it fell on the floor.

"WHAT THE SHIT?!" Star exclaimed.

"Tres… what is this?" Vee gulped, trying to not hyperventilate.

"It's a way to repopulate our people, Vee," Tres said. "I… know that it isn't a pretty sight, but Draco said it's all for the good of our kind."

"The good of our kind?!" Vee asked, pointing at the abominable basilisk. "How is this good?!"

"Someone end my existence…" the abominable basilisk wept as it was dragged away by some Septarians.

Tres tries to calmly explain himself. "Look, we're just working on perfecting the process. But it's going to take a lot of trial and error to do so, especially since we don't have the same resources as Hieron Labs."

Vee still looked disgusted. "It's… it's downright wrong to do this! Reviving them like this… don't you see how painful this must be to them?!"

"I know, I don't like it, but we're still learning a lot from this," Tres admitted. "Especially in learning how we were created in the first place."

"But still…" Vee said while feeling Tres pat her shoulder.

"Vee, don't you ever question or wonder how we were able to develop mentally so quickly?" Tres asked her. "Think about it… when we were first revived, we quickly gained maturity, a process that should have taken years since we were literally just born. How do you think that is possible?"

Vee was quiet, looking around the lab and at her hands. She had never considered how she was able to develop to maturity so quickly even with her body being… new. "I… I don't…"

"Come on, Vee," Star said as she held her hand and pulled Vee out. "Let's get you out of here."

As Star escorted Vee out of the lab, they went through the doorway… only to run into someone.

"Hello, Star," Seth said with a smile when he saw the two.

"You…!" Star snarled. She was angry… and seeing red. Her first instinct was to raise her hand… and shoot a blast of magic at Seth.

"UGH!" Seth groaned as he fell flat on the ground.

"Star! Are you-" Vee was shocked, but Star's battle cry was unleashed when she ran up to attack Seth more.

"YOU OLD FUCKING BASTARD!" she shouted as she punched and kicked Seth while he was down. "YOU LEFT US! YOU GOT YOUR OWN OWN PEOPLE KILLED!" She punched Seth some more, even clawing at his face.

It was then that several Septarians rushed over and pulled Star off of Seth. She was held back while Seth was helped up by the other Septarians. "LET ME GO!" Star shouted while Seth wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Well now," Seth said while rubbing his jaw. "You've got quite the punch… and a pretty magic trick." He pointed to her magic leaking hand. "The Fallen Star… oh how it is a pleasure to meet again… traitor."

Star snarled. "YOU'RE THE TRAITOR! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ALLIED THOSE-" But before she could finish, she was punched in the face and the stomach by Seth.

"I don't need anymore lip from a traitor like you!" Seth told while continuing to beat up on Star, punching and kicking her while she was being held by the other Septarians. He even grabbed her head and slammed it on her knee repeatedly. This causes her to have a nosebleed and black eye.

"STAR!" Vee shouted, trying to interfere, but Tres stopped her.

"Don't!" Tres told her, pulling her back.

"Let me go, Tres! Star needs me!" Vee cried out while unable to stand seeing Star getting beaten by the larger Septarian, especially since Seth was great pleasure in beating down the girl who was once on his side.

A badly bruised Star looked up to Seth as he grabbed her hair. He grinned at her and thew one more punch to the face, knocking her out. The last thing Star heard was Vee's voice...

"STAR!"

Star opened her eyes and looked around, realizing that she was inside… the hallways of Butterfly castle. She then looked down and saw that she was dressed in a golden gown and blue princess dress.

"I'm… in the castle?!" Star cried out as she heard fighting going on nearby. She followed the sound of fighting, which led her to the throne room. When she saw the battle going on inside, she froze in place. "No..."

Toffee had been fatally wounded. He was holding up his bleeding stomach while missing an arm. He groaned before getting tackled by a monstrous woman with large, blue butterfly wings. She was purple and indigo, with large purple hair where her crown is in the middle, diamond shaped glowing white eyes, dark purple skin and pink lips, and her pink, diamond-marked cheeks. She had six arms and wore an indigo, purple, and dark-purple large dress. She blasted the struggling Toffee.

"DAD!" Star cried out in shock as she recognized the butterfly creature. "Moon…" She raised her hand up at the Monstrous Moon, but nothing came out of it. To her surprise, she saw that there was no longer a piece of wand in her hand. "What?!"

Hearing her, the Monstrous Moon turned her head toward Star, her face showing no emotion. When Star saw Moon start to fly toward her, she turned around and fled from the butterfly creature, running through the halls of the castle.

"Yahahahahahhahaha!"

As she heard that laughter, the castle around her started to crumble. "Crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP!" she shouted as the floor beneath her broke apart while the laughter continued to echo around her…

"AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!"

A panicking Star managed to get onto a balcony, where she saw what was happening out there. "No…"

Cracks had appeared in the sky as it seemed like reality itself was breaking. And having emerged from these cracks… was a yellow, triangular being with black arms and legs, one eye and a top hat. This being was now levitating Lekmet, Omitraxus Prime, Hekapoo, and Rhombulus in front of him.

"Well, well, welly-well, well!" Bill Cipher laughed. "If it isn't the so-called Magical High Commission!"

Lekmet wasn't lucky as he was split apart piece by piece. He cried as his fur was plucked out one by one, while his bones stuck out and were turned into milk…

Omnitraxus Prime was no better, as he was forcefully shifted around like a blob. "No! Stop! Please!" he cried out before his skull face was plucked out and split into pieces.

Hekapoo struggled in her bonds before she got electrocuted by a zap from Bill's eye. "AAAAAAAH!" she screamed as her eyes glowed yellow and she was struck in the back by a levitating spike. "AAAAHH!"

"Please… no!" Rhombulus cried out while getting beaten down to the ground repeatedly. He was slammed up and down, while his crystal-like head received some cracks…

But Bill Cipher was not the only thing to emerge from the cracks. Mewman and Monster alike screamed as they were set upon by demons from the Nightmare Realm. Some were turned to stone. Others were turned inside out or all kinds of oddities. And the really unlucky… were devoured alive.

"Oh… oh no…" Star was hyperventilating as she witnessed the carnage. Before she could look away, she was grappled by the Monstrous Moon. "Moon, wait-" She was struck to the face by Monster Moon, who hissed at her.

"Wait! Stop!" Star shouted as she kicked Moon off of her and jumped back. She grabbed a sword that was lying there and faced off against the Monster Moon. The monstrous queen shot several magic beams at her, prompting Star to dodge them. She also swung her sword to deflect the beams, but one of them managed to hit her, knocking her to the ground. Star looked up at Moon as she hovered above her. Star looked angry.

"You… this is all your fault!" Star shouted while getting up and pointing to Moon. "You escalated this damn war!" She glared at her. "I went to you and talked to you, trying to convince you that there was another way! But you… you rejected me! Your own daughter!" Tears leaked from her eyes as Moon got close to her. "You're heartless!"

Moon then tackled Star, knocking her off the balcony. As they both fell toward the ground below, Moon's face started to morph… into Toffee.

"Star…" Toffee said before morphing back to Moon. "YAAAH!"

"Dad?!" Star cried out as Moon shifted in-between herself and Toffee until she looked like a fusion of the two.

"AAAAAH!" Star screamed as they plummeted toward the ground. She shut her eyes, waiting to feel the impact of the ground…

But that never came. Opening her eyes, she found herself neither in the palace nor the battleground… she was floating. Looking down, she realized she was floating over the burning Book of Spells. The blonde warrior then looked in front of her and saw someone floating there… Glossaryck.

"You!" Star shouted, pointing to him. She was shaken by his appearance. "You… you keep haunting me!" she pointed out, though as usual he said nothing. "So… what is it that you want to tell me, huh? That what I did cost a lot of lives? That the blood on my hands will never go away?"

Glossaryck still wasn't responsive, which irritated Star.

"Well? Answer me!" she shouted at him.

Glossaryck still wouldn't respond, just looking at Star. She fell silent too and eventually looked down as tears flooded from her eyes. "Just… what was the fucking point of all of this?! I… I really fucked things up… I tried to do the best I could, I…" She wiped her own tears as she looked down to see the Book of Spells burning away. "I didn't know Seth would do this…"

"I am sorry."

Star's eyes widened when she heard Glossaryck finally speak up. She looked up at him. "W-what?"

Glossaryck shook his head. "I am so sorry that things turned out like this, Star. I knew this was going to happen, but I still wish it hadn't gone this way…"

Star watched as she saw Glossaryck getting burned along with the Spell Book. "Hey, wait!" she shouted, trying to reach out to him. "Stop! NO! PLEASE!" She was tearing up as she tried to reach out to Glossaryck, who was now burned away. "W-w-waaaaahhaait!" she cried as she wiped her tears, which flooded out of her eyes non-stop. "W-Why… why am I crying?"

She looked down and saw the flames starting to consume her. Star screamed in a panic as the flames that pulls her in. "AAAAAAAAHHH!"

Star gasped as she shot up from the floor. Looking around, she realized she was handcuffed and chained to the wall. "What the…? Where am I? VEE!" she called out.

No answer. She remained in her cell, all alone.

Donna opened her eyes with a gasp. "W-Where am I?" she asked before she realized she was chained to the wall. "Oh crap," she said, looking around in fear. She had found herself in a cell, while also thankfully still clothed in her Wonder Witch uniform. "I've been kidnapped again!" she shouted in frustration. "Wait, Cross? Cross, where are you!?" she called out while looking around, unable to see Cross anywhere.

Taking a deep breath, Donna tried to get things straight. "Okay… I'm kidnapped… by these snake guys. Either they figured out who I am here because of my foster parents… Titan, I'm here for ransom…"

Then, she heard a tapping sound. She looked through the bars of her cell and saw a shadow looming on the wall. She gulped as a purple cloaked figure opened and entered her cell.

"Ah, I see you're awake," he spoke to her.

Donna put on a brave face. "Listen, I'll pay whatever amount you want, just let me go and we can forget all of this."

"I'm not interested in a ransom," Draco said as his eyes glowed while he removed his hood. "I had you brought here so I could see you… Karona."

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Donna exclaimed, backing away as she was freaked out by Draco's appearance. "W-Who are you? And who's Karona…?"

"That name should be familiar to you," Draco pointed out. "It was once yours, after all."

"Karona…" Donna repeated, some of her earliest memories coming back to her…

As a baby, Donna was picked up from her crib by her mother, who had long silver-blond hair, blue eyes and moon-light skin. "Good morning, my Karona," she told her baby daughter as coming over was a golden blonde haired man with a beard, green eyes and platinum skin. He was shown holding a silver-haired boy with platinum skin and blue eyes. "How is Andros?"

"Oh he's as healthy as his twin," the father responded, smiling to his wife and daughter. "This is just what we needed, my Astronema, a new life in the Boiling Isles."

"I know, my Ulysses," Astronema agreed as she looked down to her children. "A fresh start…"

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sound of a window breaking. The adults placed their children down as they went to check the noise. "What was that?" Ulysses asked.

They were met by Lupe in his werewolf form, who had broken through the window. He smiled. "Hello there… you two must be Astronema and Ulysses…"

"Protect the kids!" Astronema shouted as she and Ulysses went to protect their children. Unfortunately, Lupe went for Astronema first, biting a chunk of her shoulder. "AAAH!"

"Astronema!" Ulysses shouted.

After a blink, Lupe's old partner was mutilating Astronema while Ulysses was forced by Lupe to watch. "No! Stop! Let go of her!"

"Make sure you got her good, Saboris!" Lupe ordered as Saboris slashed at Astronema's body and dug his claws into her body, making her death slow and painful.

"ASTRONEMA!" Ulysses cried out in horror while stepping inside was a purple cloaked figure with a snake scepter.

"Well, ain't this a mess," Draco said as he looked down and met Ulysses with a grin. "Enjoy the show, brother?"

Ulysses's eyes widened as he recognized the figure. "D-Draco…" He then gasped, blood spilling out as he felt his heart carved through by Lupe.

Donna gasped, shocked by what she remembered. "My... my parents..." She looked up to Draco. "You... you had them killed... and my dad was your-!?"

"Brother? Yes, he was," Draco hissed at her "My half-brother, to be precise. Which makes me your uncle." He saw the shocked look on her face and he grinned in amusement. "Yes, you have a family member who happens to be half-basilisk... not that you are one," he pointed out. "But oh how glad I am to finally meet you in this little reunion. Though we'll have to catch up later," he said as he walked out from her cell.

"W-Wait a second!" Donna cried out from her cell. She tried to rush to him but she was yanked back due to her bonds. "Wait! What about my brother!? Come back here!"

Draco just walked away, a smile forming on his face.

Meanwhile, Lilith woke up in her cell, groaning as she found herself tied up "What?!" she exclaimed before she noticed her hands were missing.

"Finally, you're awake."

Lilith looked up to see Vina, who floated above her with her arms crossed. "I told you I had a bad feeling about this Draco but you didn't listen! The one warning I gave you and you refused to listen! Just like before!"

"I… I thought that he could-"

"Could what?" Vina asked, scowling at her. "That he'd be understanding of your cause? For Titan's sake, Lilith, you are too trusting…"

Lilith looked mad at the remark. "Well, maybe it's because whatever you say doesn't hold any meaning anymore…"

"Oh, is that an excuse for falling prey to that Basilisk's false-sympathy?!" Vina retorted. "I'm starting to think you have an intrigued infatuation for people who share your tastes in science, history and… wooden desks!"

"Your criticism isn't going to help with my situation!" Lilith spat at her. "All you do is criticize everything I do, and insult everyone who grew up trying to be better than what we once were! Why do you always have to act like a %&*^!" Vina looked shocked at Lilith using that kind of language. "I will not apologize for not being like how you try to turn me into."

"Lilith, if you get yourself killed by these creatures, then we'll never find out who my killer is," Vina points out, looking worried. "We had a deal."

"Yeah, we did, I mean, that's so important that I have to stop helping people just to look for your killer!" Lilith said sarcastically. "I mean, all you care about is yourself! You molded and groomed me in your image! Made me think having relationships with anyone was worthless! Your beliefs and way of thinking is worthless! Hell, you're worthless!" She scowled at Vina, who backed away while surprised by Lilith's outburst and anger. "Give me a reason why I should help you? Cause I'm not going to tolerate your behavior any longer!" Lilith told her while turning around. "And then you'll just have to be stuck as a ghost…"

"Lilith…" Vina spoke up but Lilith interjected.

"Tell me, were you always this bitchy in your life? Even before the coven system?" she asked.

Vina silently looked at Lilith, her words actually seeming to have struck something in her. She wanted to say something, but was unable to so she just looked away.

But something else caught Vina's eye. "Lilith, your hands!"

Lilith noticed them as they crawled into the cell and over to her. "Looks like you two have made it just in time," she said as she felt the ropes loosen as her hands were untied.

"Is... how did you learn to do that?" Vina asked.

"I've picked up a few tricks from my sister," Lilith said as she stood up while reattaching her hands. "Come on, let's find Star and Vee."

Meanwhile, Draco was speaking to Silas's group.

"Thank you for retrieving Donna," Draco told them. "I knew I wasn't making a mistake when I recruited you. I promise you will have a place in the new order…"

"What about the other guy? What should we do with him?" Viperion asked.

"I suggest we eat him," Coils said as he raised his hand while the others turned to him.

"We've been over this, Coils…" Silas groaned before they heard a shout.

"Draco!" Vee shouted as she slithered over, Tres chasing after her.

"Ah, Vee, what seems to be the matter?" Draco asked her, looking concerned.

"What's the matter? WHAT'S THE MATTER?!" Vee shouted.

"Vee, calm down…" Tres advised her.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Vee shouted while turning back to Draco. "Do you know what your friend, Seth, did? He beat up Star to a pulp!" She then turned to glare at Tres. "And you just allowed it to happen!"

Tres looked down in guilt, but Draco spoke up. "Ah yes, I heard about how Star was… confrontational towards Seth. But don't blame Tres, Vee, he was only following orders."

"Orders?" Vee questioned as she noticed Silas and his group. "Who are they?"

"Why, they are recruits for my army," Draco explained as the other Septarians, reptile bipeds, and Vee's other siblings, Megan and Ivy, showed up. "Vee, we have a chance to go up against the Emperor's Coven with the help of you and your siblings… once we have perfected the reviving process for our kind, we shall go our way and conquer the Boiling Isles!"

"Conquer?!" Vee asked.

"Yes, I can overthrow Belos and those that supported his dogmatic system! Soon, I will rule as King of the Basilisks and make sure that we have our retribution…"

Shocked, Vee backed away. "No…" She then turned to Tres, Megan, and Ivy. "How can you guys be on board with this?!"

"Well, Vee, it's not like there are any options for us," Ivy pointed out. "We'll just be hunted otherwise."

"Not to mention that if the Emperor's Coven gets brought down, someone has to take the Emperor's place," Tres added. "So it might as well be a basilisk who will be sympathetic to us. Probably better with us in control for once."

Vee turned to Megan, who just looked away while rubbing her own arm. "Megan…"

"So are you in or not?" Draco asked her.

"No, I'm not in!" Vee refused. "I am not going to join your little supremacist group! All of this… it's just wrong! There's gotta be something better than this!"

"Vee, you don't get it," Tres pointed out. "Especially since you've been safe in the Human Realm this whole time, while the rest of us had it hard! Megan was recaptured by the Emperor's Coven, Ivy was imprisoned by the Tarot Guild and treated as an animal, and Number Two was killed and dissected!" he shouted before calming down. "Please… join us, Vee. We want you to be a part of this."

Vee narrowed her eyes at him. "No, I refuse."

"That is unfortunate… but I understand your reluctance and I accept your decision," Draco said as he patted her shoulder… before he struck her in the face, knocking her down.

"VEE!" Tres, Megan and Ivy cried out, seeing Draco just hit her.

Tres looked at Draco in anger. "Why did you do that?! You didn't have to hit her!"

"She turned out to be a liability, as are Star and Lilith," Draco told Tres, while narrowing his eyes at him and Megan. "You two knew the risks of bringing outsiders to our little island."

"But she is one of us!" Tres countered.

"No, she is not!" Draco pointed out, shocking Tres. "She is a liability!" His grip tightened on his scepter. "Are you a liability as well, Tres?"

Tres looked at Draco, then at the knocked out Vee. Tres slithered back and lowered his head. "I'm not."

"Good," Draco said while turning to his recruits. "Take her to one of the cells."

Vee was picked up by Silas and Coils, who carried her to their makeshift prison while the trio of Tres, Ivy, and Megan watched with guilt-filled expressions.

Meanwhile, Lilith was sneaking through the tower, passing different empty cells. She was currently in her Harpy form.

"Some of Draco's men are coming around that corner to the left," Vina advised as Lilith hid herself just before some Septarians passed by. Once they were gone, Lilith resumed her journey. "Behind you."

Lilith turned around and saw one of the Snake Men attempting to sneak up on her. She kicked him in the face, knocking him out to the floor.

"Thanks, Vina," Lilith responded while continuing to scout around.

As Lilith and Vina searched for Star and Vee, they heard a cry. "Let me out! Someone please let me out!"

"Hello?" Lilith called out as she followed the voice. Much to her surprise, she found Donna in a cell. "Donna? Is that you?"

"Lilith?" Donna asked when she saw the elder Clawthorne sister. "Thank Titan, you're here!"

Lilith opened the cell and used her talons to break off Donna's cuffs. "Are you alright? How did you get here?"

"Me and Cross were together when these snake guys got the jump on us," Donna said as she went to hug Lilith. "Thank Titan someone showed up…" she said while teary eyed. She then remembered something. "Cross! We have to find him, he's somewhere around here!"

"Cross is here?" Lilith asked before becoming determined. "Don't worry, we'll find him."

"It's not a big place, so it should be easier to find him," Vina pointed out while noticing Donna's outfit. "What kind of burlesque get up is she in?"

The two ran out of the cell and began to look for Cross. They spotted a reptile biped guard carrying a cage filled with their Palismen, including Cross's.

"Heh, you guys will make good pets for Draco… or snacks," the guard said before he was struck with an ice blast. "GAH!" he cried as he got frozen, with the caged Palismen and his hand sticking out of the ice. Donna grabbed the cage, releasing Whirlwind, Edgar, and Elio.

"Do you guys know where Cross is?" Donna asked while Whirlwind spoke to her.

Lilith communicated with Edgar. "Edgar knows where Star is as well…"

"Star?" Donna asked, not familiar with the name.

Meanwhile, Star was in the cell across from Cross, who was still knocked out when Lilith and Donna showed up.

"Lilith!" Star shouted as Lilith opened her cage.

"Don't worry, we're here to free you two," Lilith said as she slashed Star's bonds.

Donna opened up Cross's cell and ran over to him with Elio. "Cross!" Donna shouted while Lilith and the now released Star came in to help him up.

"Cross, it's me, Lilith!" Lilith shouted while shaking Cross as Donna broke his cuffs. Donna noticed the scales in his arms.

"His arms…" Donna said as Cross started to stir.

"D-Donna?" Cross groaned as he lifted his head up, noticing Lilith and Star as well. "Lilith? What… what just happened?!" He then saw his own scaly arms. "Ah shit!" he shouted while trying to hide his arms.

"I don't know why you're hiding the scales, but we gotta get out of here," Star said as the four exited the cell. "We have to find Vee!"

"Where did you last see her?" Lilith asked her.

"With her siblings, after my confrontation with-" She stopped when she heard the sound of arguing and the four hid themselves as Silas and Coils came in.

"I'm telling you, we should just eat them!" Coil suggested.

"And I'm telling you that these prisoners are more valuable to us alive then dead!" Silas told him while the two carried the knocked out Vee with them. "Titan, if I wasn't cousins with you…"

"Oh boys," said a voice.

The two turned and saw Wonder Witch out of her cell. "You!" Silas shouted, pointing at her. "You're not supposed to escape!"

"How'd you get out of your cell?!" Coils exclaimed.

"Had a little help with my friends," Donna responded as she summoned her staff. Lilith, Star, and Cross also revealed themselves, Cross holding up his staff while Lilith was still in her harpy form.

"Let Vee go!" Star shouted as she blasted Silas away from Vee while Lilith swooped in to kick Coils in the face.

Silas picked himself up and brought out his whip. "I'm not going to be taken down like this!" he declared, raising his whip, only for it to be grabbed by Cross.

"I don't think so, buster," Cross snarled as he shot flames out of his mouth at Silas, knocking him back.

Coils stretched out his arms to try to punch Lilith, who dodged his attacks and used a lightning glyph she drew, shooting lightning at Coils, striking him out.

Donna used her own staff to form mini tornadoes at Coils, which ended up spinning him around. "YAAAH!" Coils cried out as he entangled himself.

Silas was cornered by Cross and Star, who blasted the whip out of his hand. "What kind of witch are you?!" Silas barked at Star.

"I'm not a witch, actually," Star said while aiming her hand at him.

"Better surrender now, or end up like this guy," Cross said as he pointed to Coils, who was tied up like a knot.

Silas just glared at them. "Like hell I'm gonna be taken down that easily!" he shouted as he lunged at Cross, but then he got hit by an ice blast from Donna, making him feel cold. "Gah! Fucking ice…"

"Stand down," Donna told him with a glare.

Realizing that he couldn't win this, he shoved past everyone and grabbed Coils before fleeing from the fight.

"Hey!" Donna shouted.

"Let him go, we have more important things," Lilith said while they turned to see Star checking up on Vee.

"Vee?! Are you okay?!" Star cried out in worry as Vee stirred.

"S-Star?" Vee asked as she looked up to her, finding her head resting on Star's lap. "Oh man… thank Titan you're safe…"

Donna walked over to them. "Here, let me help," she offered, kneeling down to them. Vee looked up at Donna with a frightened expression. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," she reassured her. "Just tell me where it hurts."

Sensing no threat from Donna, Vee pointed to where Draco had struck her. "Right here."

"You're going to be alright," Donna said as she healed Vee before looking at Star and seeing her bruises. "You'll probably need some healing as well."

Lilith pulled Cross aside. "Are you alright, Cross?"

"Yeah, just… didn't think this date would go like this," Cross said while still trying to hide his scales. "She saw…"

Lilith looked concerned for Cross, but then looked back at Donna who was healing Vee without prejudice. "Eda told me that she's a good kid, Cross. You should be honest with her."

"Yeah, maybe…" Cross said, sounding unsure.

After Donna healed everyone up, they regrouped. "So what are you two doing here again?" Lilith asked Donna and Cross.

"Well, we got in contact with Eda who told us that Nina's younger siblings and her mom were kidnapped, so me and Cross were planning to help search for them," Donna explained.

"Then those two along with some other snake biped demons jumped us and one paralyzed us," Cross explained while turning to Star and Vee. "And… those two…?"

Lilith gives the introductions. "These are Star and Vee. Star is from another Realm, and Vee..."

"I am a Basilisk," Vee admitted, surprising the two. "But I'm not here to hurt you, not like Draco would. I'm from another Realm… well, I used to live in this Realm, but made a home in another Realm… I'm a revived basilisk."

"Revived?" Donna asked.

"Under the Emperor's Coven's orders… my orders," Lilith revealed, much to the shock of Donna and Cross.

This got the two to remember the Greater Basilisk that attacked Glandus and Hexside. "Wait, are you saying the Emperor's Coven revived the Basilisks, including the Greater Basilisk that attacked Glandus and Hexside?" Donna asked in shock, also remembering when her friend Tina said she saw a Greater Basilisk.

"Beel was right…" Cross realized.

"That was Number Two," Vee admitted while looking down. "I did hear that she was killed…" She slithered back while Star patted her on the back to try and comfort her.

"Whoa, hey, we don't blame you for what the Greater Basilisk did," Donna reassured her. "We're just… surprised that there are still Basilisks around."

"Yeah, we're not afraid of you," Cross said. "Besides, you don't look that threatening."

"Yeah, you're quite adorable actually," Donna admitted.

This made Vee smile slightly. "Thank you."

"Alright, now that all things are in order, we have to figure out a way to stop Draco and his army," Lilith explained. "Draco is the one in charge of this operation. I had thought that he could be an ally but his plans involves-"

"Total takeover of the Boiling Isles?" Vee interjected.

"Not to mention Seth," Star said with a glare "We need to take those two down."

"Agreed," Donna nodded. "Draco has to be stopped at all costs."

Vee looked upset as she realized something. "That could mean fighting against my siblings…"

Lilith turned to Vee, seeing how she was upset by the idea. She knew all too well what it was like to fight one's own siblings. "Vee, you can sit this one out."

Surprised by Lilith's offer, Vee looked up at her. "No… I refuse to sit this one out," she decided. "I think… maybe there's a chance for me to reach through to my fellow Basilisks. I know it may not be easy, but I should at least try."

"Now hold up a second," Cross said, realizing something. "Why don't we just leave and go get help?"

"Because by the time we come back with help, Draco might already be gone if he believes his operation is compromised," Star pointed out. "He along with Seth would probably find another island to claim as their base of operations. They need to be stopped right here, right now."

"So it looks like we're on our own then," Donna realized.

Meanwhile, Draco and Seth were away from everyone else, talking about their plans.

"Funny how things fell into place, isn't it?" Seth asked with his arms crossed. "Star has been here in the Isles this whole time and then she just delivers herself to me…"

"You're welcome, by the way," Draco replied.

"So what do we do with the prisoners?" Seth asked him.

"I wish to keep Lilith and Star alive because they could have information about Belos and the Emperor's Coven that could be useful to me, especially since Lilith once worked for him and they are apparently part of a rebellion against him," Draco explained.

"And the Burlesque Savior?" Seth asked, having heard of Donna's other Wonder Witch name.

"Oh, you mean Donna," Draco said with a chuckle. He pulled out a vial of acid and smiled while looking at it. "Well, I am going to have some fun with her. And after that, I'll give what's left to an old friend of mine whom I promised a meal to…"

"And what about the boy?" Seth asked him.

"You saw the scales when we brought him in, I wish to learn what his deal is," Draco said.

"Yes, I am curious about that as well," Seth admitted. "But this doesn't change anything, does it?"

"Of course not," Draco said. "Once we've gathered enough forces, we'll make our move to take down the Emperor's Coven and take over the Isles."

"And exterminate those disgusting witches," Seth declared. "Those witches remind me too much of those damn Mewmans. I just hate looking at them. I prefer the company of reptiles. I only tolerate you, Draco, because you're half-Basilisk."

"My better half, I assure you," Draco promised.

"And… what about the young Basilisk?" Seth asked. "The one that came with Star and Lilith?"

"Oh, you mean Vee?" Draco asked. "She has to be kept alive for now to keep the other three in line, since they are currently our only Basilisks. We have to ensure their loyalty, at least for now. Once we've revived enough Basilisks to replace them it will be a different story. And then I will dethrone Belos and claim my throne. Finally, I will have a kingdom to rule."

"Finally?" Seth questioned.

"Let's just say that… I was once denied a throne," Draco mentioned.

Meanwhile, the trio of Tres, Ivy and Megan were talking amongst themselves. Tres and Ivy looked shocked by Megan's declaration.

"I will not take part in this anymore," she declared angrily. "I already had my doubts about Draco, but seeing him hitting our sister was the last straw!"

"Megan, you can't be serious," Tres argued. "You can't just bail on us now, Draco will think you're a-"

"Liability?" Megan hissed at him. "Might as well be, rather than join him on his war path! My only regret is that I should've run and warned the others earlier…"

"That would make you a traitor!" Tres pointed out.

"Guys, calm down…" Ivy said, trying to ease the situation.

"You're just too forgiving of those witches, Megan!" Tres shouted at her. "The same witches that tortured us, probed us, and tried to kill us! You are even trying to emulate that scout's dead daughter!"

Megan glared at Tres. "Not every witch is as evil as Belos or Nicole. There's Faraday, who helped free us from Hieron Labs and sacrificed himself holding off the Emperor's Coven. There's Eda, who helped not only get Vee out of this realm, but also helped to free you, Ivy, from the Tarot Guild. And of course, Lilith, who you went to for help, Tres, and who helped rescue me from Hieron Labs."

Mentioning Eda gave Ivy a look of guilt. And as Tres started to calm down, his guilt resurfaced as well when he remembered how Lilith helped him save his sister and even gave them this island to live on… and now Lilith was in danger because of him. But she deserved it, right?

"So do you all plan on repaying them by conquering their home?" Megan asked them. "After everything they did, you want to spit at their faces while letting Draco kill them? We would be no better than the Emperor's Coven if we repay our saviors with their blood. And what about Vee? She is now in danger because of us."

Ivy and Tres were silent after this. Before they could respond, they heard shouting.

"The prisoners have escaped!" Silas shouted while carrying Coils and running past them. "I repeat, The prisoners have escaped!"

The trio of Basilisks were surprised as they looked at each other, thinking over what they should do next…

Harpy Lilith, Star, Vee, Donna, and Cross had made it to the main center of the tower. There, they saw they were surrounded by snake bipeds and Septarians.

"Halt, in the name of Draco!" one snake biped declared.

"Yeah… no," Star replied, shooting her magic blast at the snake man.

"Petrify them, Medusan!" Viperion declared as Medusan went in to paralyze them, only to get his head frozen in a block of ice by Donna.

"Not falling for that again," Donna declared.

One Septarian warrior came at Cross, slashing at him with his sword. Cross gasped and leapt back, narrowing avoiding the sword. When the warrior swung at him again, Cross lifted his hand up… and it transformed into a dragon's claw that shattered the sword upon impact.

"W-what?" the warrior asked in confusion, while Cross just smiled.

"Surprised?" Cross asked as green flames started to burst around him. "Well, you're about to be even more surprised," he said as he changed into his dragon form and blasted cold flames at the Septarian, weakening him.

While fighting some of Draco's forces, Donna looked over at Cross and saw that he had transformed into a dragon. She was shocked by his appearance. The wings, the physique, the well toned muscles…

It just made Donna turn red. "Cross…?"

After taking care of a snake man, Cross turned to Donna, realizing that she could see his dragon form. "Uh… I can explain…"

Donna noticed one Basilisk coming after him. "Look out!"

Cross turned to see the Basilisk about to drain his magic, but that basilisk, Megan, charged at a snake man instead and drained his magic.

"Uh… thanks?" Cross asked, seeing Megan having stopped the snake goon.

"Megan?" Vee asked, as she saw her siblings betraying Draco's and Seth's men. "Tres, Ivy? You're fighting against them?"

"After what Draco did to you, consider this our resignations!" Ivy declared while draining magic from the snake men.

"You can thank Megan for knocking our heads back on!" Tres added while draining another snake biped.

Vee smiled, relieved that her siblings had decided to do the right thing. She then saw some snake men coming up to her, including Rattleton. She decided to drain the magic out of them and though Rattleton tried to get her with his rattle, his magic was drained as well.

"Rattleton… down!" Rattleton said before he fell.

Star and Lilith, meanwhile, were fighting the Septarians together, Star blasting at them with her hand while Lilith used her electric charge strikes against the Septarians. When one got too close, Lilith slashed him in the chest, only for the Septarian's chest to instantly heal.

"Forgot to mention," Star said while blasting a Septarian away. "The Septarians have this insane regenerating factor."

"You mean they're immortal?!" Lilith asked in shock.

"Yeah, which means they won't go down easily!" Star declared as she kept blasting at the Septarians. She then noticed who else had shown up. "You!"

Seth, along with Draco, observed the battle. "Oh great, a prison breakout," Seth muttered.

"Well no matter," Draco said while seeing that the Basilisks had betrayed him "I'll deal with that later, but first." He looked over at Donna. "This will be fun for me."

Donna looked up and saw Draco smiling at her. She glared and ran after him.

"Donna, wait!" Cross called out, only to be attacked by Viperion, who pinned him to the ground.

"A dragon, eh? I thought you were supposed to be extinct!" Viperion declared only to get a flaming chill from Cross's blue flames. "GAH!"

Seth ran to join the battle before he got blasted by Star. A chunk of his shoulder went missing, but it was instantly replaced. He glared at her. "If it isn't the traitor…"

"I am not the traitor here!" Star shouted as she kept blasting him with her magic hand.

"Gah! What are you doing…?" Coils carried out after feeling his magic drained by Ivy.

"Why…?" Silas asked after he felt drained.

"We're not going to let Draco hurt our sister and her friends anymore!" Megan declared.

"Yeah, and this is not the way to take down the Emperor's Coven," Tres said before he got tackled by a Septarian.

"Tres!" Megan shouted, only to get pinned down by another Septarian.

"Well, well, looks like not having magic works to our advantage!" the Septarian soldier declared.

"Guys!" Vee shouted while Lilith handed her some glyphs.

"Here," she told her before flying over to tackle some Snake Men.

Vee saw some Septarians coming running over to her and she tapped on the glyph, which created a mini-tornado that the Septarians got caught. "Wow," she said in amazement.

Donna faced off against Draco as the two had a standoff. She held her own staff while Draco held his scepter. When Donna's hand went for her key, Draco took the first shot at her. She jumped away and dodged, using her staff to create a wind spell while also adding a snow spell, which created a blizzard attack towards Draco.

Draco used his scepter to form a shield around him, protecting him from the blizzard attack. "Not a bad spell, I'll give you that," he admitted before he saw Donna jump towards him with her staff up.

"YAH!" she cried out as she used a spell to slash at Draco with ice. He used his scepter to block the attack before creating flames from his scepter that surrounded them.

"I'm afraid you'll need more than snow and ice," he declared.

Donna held up her key, trying to activate it. "Come on! Work, dammit!" she shouted as she dodged a kick from Draco, only for his fist to hit her in the stomach. She gasped in pain and saw Draco about to blast her with his scepter, but she just summoned another wind spell to knock Draco back.

Draco stopped himself from sliding back by digging his scepter into the ground. He chuckled. "Is that all you can do? Cause I'm no longer impressed!"

"You're going to pay for what you did!" Donna declared as she used her staff to shoot more spells at Draco, but Draco just opened his mouth, draining the magic from the spells.

"Did you forget the part that I'm part-basilisk?" Draco pointed out. Donna still tried to use more light and ice spells against him, but Draco just ate up the magic while Donna felt herself weakening as her magic got drained by Draco.

"Oh… crap…" she said before she fell on her knees. She tried to perform a spell as Draco casually walked up to her.

"Well now, isn't this neat," Draco said before he smacked Donna across the face, knocking her to the floor. "You're quite pathetic, aren't you? Just like your brother when I was done with him."

This shocked Donna. "What…?"

"I guess you want to know where your brother is? Well, you can give up looking for Andros," Draco said with a grin. "Because I killed him."

Donna's eyes widened. "No…" She looked up at him with tearful eyes. "No, you're lying!"

"He was useful to me… for a time," Draco admitted. "I mean, I didn't want to be stuck as a father." When he saw Donna's shocked look, he shrugged. "So I did to him what I do to anyone who has outlived their usefulness…"

As Donna struggled to get up, Draco just kicked Donna around the floor and let out a mocking laugh.

Hearing this, Cross saw that Donna was in trouble. "Hang on, Donna!" he shouted as he tried to go help her, but he was then pulled back by some Septarians who threw him down. "Oof!"

Cross used his plant magic to sprout thorny vines from the ground. He entangled some of the Septarians, but more started to dog pile on Cross. "Hey, wait!"

Meanwhile, Star was fighting Seth, who just regenerated from everything Star did to him. He grabbed her and hoisted her up in the air before he threw her down. Star blew a hole in his stomach, but Seth laughed as the hole filled in.

"You can't kill me, Star," Seth declared as he marched towards her while she kept blasting him. "Of all the Septarians, I was the strongest, the longest lived. If it weren't for me, Toffee wouldn't have killed Comet Butterfly! But that was before he went soft!"

Star glared at Seth. "You have no right to use his name!"

"Oh? You're mad, aren't you?!" Seth asked with a grin while Star kept blasting him. "Toffee used to be one of my best generals, until he grew soft when he took you in! And now he is a disgrace to the Septarian race!"

"Shut up!" Star shouted as she kept blasting at Seth, who either took or dodged her attacks. "Toffee was more Septarian than your old ass ever will be!"

Meanwhile, Donna was kicked around some more while Draco just laughed. "Look at you, is this how you've chosen to spend your life? Playing dress-up and acting like a wannabe hero! I'm shocked that someone hasn't killed you already!"

Donna was still struggling as she managed to grab her key. She looked down at it and closed her eyes. "Please… help me," she requested. "Help me beat him… I… I need to avenge my family… I need to stop him!"

It was then Donna felt her magic coming back. Looking down, she saw her key glowing darkly. "Wha…?" she asked as she felt herself rejuvenated while the key in her hand formed back into a keyblade.

Draco noticed Donna getting back up, now with a keyblade in her hand. "That's weird…" he said as he shot at Donna with his scepter.

Donna blocked his blast with her keyblade, which deflected the scepter's magic. Donna got a good look at her keyblade, noticing that it looked… darker. "Alright!" Donna declared. "It looks darker than usual, but I'll just have to worry about that later," she declared while glaring at Draco. "Time to kick your ass!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Like you'll be able to-" But it was then Donna used her keyblade to charge a sparkling strike that passed through him. It sent Draco into the wall and left him in a state of shock as he felt a cut on his cheek. He rubbed the cut and saw the blood before growling. "Oh, now I'm mad."

Draco held up his scepter and sent several blasts at Donna, who deflected his blasts with her keyblade. He kept shooting while Donna brought out her keyblade to slash at him, causing him to falter back.

"Ugh!" Draco shouted as he looked at Donna's keyblade… and saw its dark aura.

"I think I get you now," Donna said while she used her keyblade to shoot purple light beams at Draco, which Draco deflected by shielding himself with his scepter. "You may be half-witch, but you can't use magic yourself, can you? That's why you need that scepter. It's the only way you can do magic!" Her keyblade charged again and she sent more beams towards Draco.

He deflected most of the beams, but one of them got him in the shoulder. "Ack!" he shouted while glaring at Donna. "You're really gonna get it!" he declared while shooting more spells towards her with his scepter, including multiple beams of light.

Donna spun her keyblade to create a shield that the light beams bounced off of. Donna then charged toward Draco with her keyblade, darkness charging around it. Donna's blue eyes were darker as her anger towards Draco grew.

Draco saw how serious she looked and for the first time he actually felt… afraid. "Wait!" he shouted to her while avoiding Donna's strike. "Stop! You don't have to fight me!"

"And why shouldn't I?" Donna sneered at him.

"Because… there's still so much you don't know about yourself!" Draco pointed out while one of his hands reached into his cloak. "I am the only one who knows where you came from, who you really are…"

"What?" Donna asked in confusion. "What am I…?"

"Yes… if you just stop and listen to me…" Draco pulled out his flask of acid. "I can tell you everything that you need to know!"

"What I need…" Donna said before she noticed him holding up the flask.

"The answers are right here!" Draco shouted as he held up the acid, but her keyblade shot magic at his hand, knocking the flask so that the acid splashed onto Draco's face. "GAAAAHHH!"

Donna stepped back in shock as she saw the acid that spilled all over Draco's face take effect. His face started melting and sizzling. "YAAAAHHH! MY FACE! WHAT HAVE YOU FUCKING DONE!?" he cried in agony.

"Titan..." Donna said while covering her mouth in shock. "Hey, maybe I can help you." She tried to reach out to him, but Draco backed away.

"STAY AWAY!" he cried out while holding his face. "LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME!" He revealed his melting face to her, parts of his skull now visible to her.

Upon seeing this, Donna felt sick to her stomach.

During the battle, Lilith kept blasting electricity at the Snake Men and Septarians while Cross, Vee, and her sibling struggled against the Septarians. One Septarian grabbed Coils and formed him like a slingshot, aiming at Lilith.

"Time to take that bird down!" he declared as he slung Coils towards Lilith with his jaws out.

"Lilith, your left!" Vina shouted as Lilith flew down to avoid Coil's assault. Coils ended up crashing through a pillar connecting to the ceiling.

"That was close-" Lilith's eyes widened in a panic when saw what Coils hit. "IS THAT THE SUPPORT BEAM TO THE TOWER?!"

Coils looked up at where he crashed through. "What's a support beam?"

The tower was already damaged thanks to the earlier fighting, but now it started to crumble right above their heads. Parts of the ceiling started to fall down, crushing some of the Septarians and drained snake men.

"We have to get out of here!" Lilith shouted.

Donna and Draco heard the rumble, Donna backing away. She saw Draco running off while holding his melting face and she tried to chase after him, but a piece of the ceiling fell in front of her, causing her to lose sight of her uncle.

"Donna!" Cross called out to her, after taking some Septarians off of him. "We need to get out of here!"

Donna tried to locate Draco, but he had disappeared. Knowing that she couldn't chase after him, she ran towards Cross, Lilith, and the Basilisks.

"Star! Where are you!" Vee called out, but she was pulled away by Tres.

"Come on, let's go!" Tres told her.

"But I can't leave without Star!" Vee argued, no longer able to see Star and Seth in the chaos.

"She's probably made it out already!" Megan said as the three fled with Ivy, escaping from the crumbling tower.

As soon as the heroes made it out, they watched as the tower completely fell to the ground, no doubt burying any of Draco and Seth's army who didn't make it out in time… and possibly burying a certain Mewman girl as well.

"STAR!" Vee shouted.

A boat filled with the surviving Snake Men and Septarians departed from the island. On this boat were Silas along with Coils, Medusan, Viperion, and Rattleton.

"I told you guys we should've eaten them!" Coils claimed. "But did any of you listen to me? No…"

"Oh shut up, Coils!" Silas retorted to the snake biped in irritation.

"Do you think Draco got out of there?" Viperion asked. "And what about Seth…"

"Help!" Seth groaned while he was pinned down by a pile of rubble. He struggled to get out. "Anyone! Draco! My Septarian men!" He then heard approaching footsteps. Turning his head, in the dust he could make out… the silhouette of Star. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Oh, you. Here to gloat, Fallen Star?"

Star didn't respond, her face obscured by the dust.

"Oh, silent treatment, huh?" Seth muttered.

"Hello, Seth," said a distinctly male and familiar voice.

Seth started looking around. "Who's also there?" he asked before looking back at Star… and noticing her eyes lighting up. "Wait… when did your eyes…?"

They were green.

"You don't recognize me, Seth?"

Seth's eyes widened. "No… it can't be…?!"

"But it is," 'Star' said as he stepped closer, giving Seth a better look. "Surprise," 'she' said while forming a wild grin, a grin that reminded Seth of her… father.

"Toffee," Seth whispered in shock as he noticed that 'Star's' bleeding hand was leaking rainbow color. He looked up to the Toffee-possessed Star. "I-I don't know how this is possible, but… please, Toffee… what I said before, I didn't mean those things!"

"Oh?" Toffee tilted 'his' head. "You didn't?"

"Y-Y-Yes!" Seth cried out like the cowardly bitch he is. "I just said these things out of… frustration! Yes! Now if you just help me up, we can start over together! You can be my general again!"

"Hmm, tempting offer…" Toffee said, pretending to consider it. "You know, Seth, I once looked up to you. But now that I see you as the pathetic, worthless coward that you are… eh, I've outgrown you."

Seth felt Toffee glaring down at him. "What… why are you in her body? How long…?"

"Oh, this was just insurance," Toffee explained. "I wish it didn't have to be Star… but you work what you got. And right now, I have my own plans, and you're not part of any of them," he said as he raised Star's hand up. "Now… what was that spell Moon used on me? Oh yes, I remember…"

Seth struggled as he heard Toffee recite the spell. "I call the darkness unto me, from the deepest depths of Earth and sea…" Star's cheek marks started glowing.

"Toffee, please don't!" Seth begged. "We could rule together!"

"From ancient evils unawoken, break the one that can't be broken," Toffee recited while ignoring Seth's plea. A purple storm cloud roams above them. "To blackest night, I pledge my soul and crush my heart to burning coal…"

Star's hand was suddenly covered in dark ooze instead of rainbow. Dark veins appeared around her arm as her hand glowed a purple light.

"Toffee, please!" Seth cried out. "I can't die!"

"To summon forth a deadly power, to see my hatred foe devoured!" Toffee finished as a dark, energy blast hit Seth's head.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Seth screamed as he was blasted by dark magic, his face blackening as he appeared to crumble into dust. His screams died out… once his head was completely gone.

Once Toffee finished the magic blast, he looked down to the headless body of his former leader. He didn't see the stub of the head regrow a new head, which meant the spell worked… Seth was dead.

"Goodbye, Seth," Toffee said to his former colleague. "Good luck in Hell."

"Star!" Vee shouted while looking for Star in the rubble of the tower. "Where are you?!"

"She's gotta be around here," Lilith said as she along with the others looked for and called out for Star.

"Star! Please, respond!" Vee cried out while in tears. While looking around, she noticed the dust cloud clearing, which allowed her to spot Star with her back turned to her. "Star? Star!" she shouted while running up to her. "Star, you're okay!"

As Vee ran up to her, Star turned around… and her eyes were back to normal. "Vee! You're alright!" she shouted as Vee jumped into her arms and they both shared an embrace.

"And so are you!" Vee said as she hugged Star tightly. She then noticed her arm looking all black. "Your arm! Were you hurt?!" she asked, looking at her arm.

"I… don't know what happened to my arm," Star admitted while looking at her arm. "I think I blacked out when the tower collapsed. Hell, I don't even know how I'm still standing up… yeah, I should probably be worried about this."

"Come on, let's get back to the others," Vee said as she led Star away. "Hopefully, Donna will be able to heal it," she said as she spotted the others. "Guys! I found her! But she may need medical attention."

The others turned to see them. "Thank goodness you're alright, Star," Lilith said as everyone regrouped. "So is that everyone accounted for?"

"Yes/We're all here/Even us," Cross, Donna, and the Basilisk trio said.

Cross turned to look at Donna, who held up Star's blackened hand as she tried to heal it. He remembered what Lilith had said to him earlier, about being honest.

"I don't think this is an injury I can fix," Donna admitted. "I don't even feel any swelling."

"Well, thanks for checking up on it at least," Star replied.

"And if it hurts, I can look into it more," Donna offered before she heard Cross clearing his throat. She turned to him. "Cross?"

Cross looked down awkwardly. "Hey, um… so I said earlier that I could explain my… dragon form."

"Oh yeah, I uh… was curious about that," Donna responded.

"I… never thought that I would end up showing you my dragon form. I mean, unless we're serious or anything," Cross said while avoiding Donna's gaze. "I just… I was afraid about how you'll react and-"

"Cross," Donna said as she placed her hands to his face. "Look at me." She got him to look at him. "You're still you, right?"

"Well… yeah," Cross responded, his face blushing.

"I am still processing this, but I don't think your dragon form is something to worry about," she said. "Maybe… you can transform so that I can get a better look at your dragon-self. I-If you want to."

"Of course," Cross replied as he shifted into his dragon form.

"So what are you?" Donna asked as she took a step back and looked Cross over, in awe of him. "A lycan?"

"Not exactly," Cross explained. "My ancestors were actual dragons who were able to take on a witch form. There were more like me, but we were wiped out. Only the Drakescale Clan are left. But I have heard there are others like me somewhere according to Eda."

"Huh, that does explain a lot about you," Donna said while pressing her hand to his chest. "I can still hear your heartbeat, and-" She looked up to him. "Your eyes… yeah, you're still the same Cross that I know."

"You're not… afraid of my appearance?" he asked her.

"Why should I?" she asked him. "Cross, dragon, witch or not, you're still you. And I'd still hang out with you." She smiled.

Cross sighed in relief. "Thank you, Donna. That is so reassuring to hear."

"Huh, looks like we're not the only ones with the whole last of our kind shtick," Tres commented after hearing about Cross's dragon heritage.

"Yeah, I think I can relate to your situation, Cross," Vee admitted. "And not just because we both belong to species that have almost been completely wiped out. But I have also had to… come out to people about what I really am. And even though that terrified me… it still turned out okay. I still had people who cared about me and the friends I made accepted me for who I am."

Cross looked to Vee, considering her story. "I'm glad it worked out for you, Vee," he said while turning to Donna. "Maybe it will work out for me as well."

Donna smiled at him before Megan walked up. "So… now that the tower's down, where do we go?"

"Yeah," Ivy said. "Where do we go now?"

"Definitely not back to the Boiling Isles," Tres replied.

"Well… why not come with me?" Vee offered them. "I can take you guys to the Realm I've been living in. I can introduce you to my dads and all the friends I've made. Plus, there is no Emperor's Coven and enough magic to help keep up appearances."

"Hmm, that does sound like a great offer," Ivy said. "Yeah, count me in!"

"I would like to go to your Realm as well," Megan replied.

Vee turned to Tres. "What about you, Tres? I know some people that could help you."

Tres looked over at the crumbled tower, thinking about Vee's offer. He then lowered his head as he turned to her. "I'm… going to have to sit this one out, Vee."

"Really? But why?" Vee asked him. "You could have a new life out in the other Realm-"

"I know and that sounds great, just… not at the moment," Tres told her. "Right now, I think I want to stick around and follow through on my vow, to take down the Emperor's Coven. And probably take down anyone who would insert themselves as the new Emperor, like Draco." Upon mentioning his name, he gave Vee an apologetic look. "And… I'm sorry for siding with him over you."

"Yeah, we're all sorry, Vee," Megan said as she and Ivy lowered their heads.

"It was pretty messed up for us to do that to you," Ivy said.

"Don't worry, guys, it's all water under the bridge," she replied, which her siblings were confused by. "It means that I've forgiven you. When it mattered, you chose the right side and helped us out. You've been with Draco for a while, so he had plenty of time to get you on his side. I wasn't here for you guys. But I am now."

The Basilisks smiled at Vee as they all went in for a group hug. Star looked around before she spoke up. "Sorry to interrupt your sibling moment, but we should go. Who knows if Seth's forces are still around."

"She's right, we don't want to stick around much longer," Lilith replied as everyone else nodded in agreement and they began to head away from the remains of the tower.

Once they reached the shore of the island, Lilith, Donna and Cross brought out their staffs while the Basilisks change into their witch disguises, including Ivy, whose witch form was a slim witch man with shaggy blond hair, white shirt, black sleeves, with red baggy pants and white sneakers.

"Is that your witch disguise, Ivy?" Vee asked him.

"Yeah, what do you think?" he asked her.

"That totally fits you," she replied as she and Star went to sit behind Lilith. "Which of you guys will ride? Me and Star will go with Lilith."

"I guess I'll go with Donna," Megan replied.

"Same for me," Ivy said as the two went to Donna.

Tres looked over to Cross and shrugged. "Meh," he said while sitting behind Cross.

"Alright, let's go home," Lilith said as the witches and the Basilisks set off from King's Island, flying through the steam clouds.

After they have left, silence fell over the island and the ruins of the tower… until Draco's arm popped out form the rubble.

After they made it back to the Isles, Cross and Donna went off on their own while Star, Lilith, and the disguised basilisks hung outside of a store.

"How's your arm?" Vee asked, handing Star some snacks.

"It doesn't hurt as much," Star replied, her arm now in a makeshift crutch. "Donna said I should keep this on for a while just in case. But what about you? How are you holding up?"

"Just fine," Vee replied with a sigh. "This date could have gone better though…"

Star looked over at Vee with a saddened look, knowing this didn't turn out how either of them expected. "Well, maybe on our next date, we could stick to Gravity Falls," Star suggested. "I mean, it has to be less chaotic than this…"

"Gravity Falls can still get pretty chaotic," Vee pointed out, but it did lift her spirits up a bit. "But yeah, I'd like a second date," she said with a smile.

"Then next time, it'll be good old Gravity Falls," Star said as the two interlocked their hands.

Lilith held up her scroll, texting to Eda. "Alright, I texted Eda about giving us the key-" She then got a notification. "Oh, she replied back." Lilith read her message and her eyes widened in worry. "What?!"

"What's wrong, Lilith?" Megan asked.

"Eda said that something happened to Luz," Lilith said as she summoned her staff. "Star, you watch over the others, I'll be back."

"Lilith, wait!" Star ran up, but Lilith was already flying away. She sighed and turned to the disguised Basilisks. "Alright, so… we'll just have to hang out for now…"

Meanwhile, Donna and Cross were walking together, Donna quiet as she processed everything that had just happened.

"How are you feeling right now, Donna?" Cross asked her.

"I'm… still processing things," Donna admitted, looking upset. "Like how, for example, I have an evil uncle who was responsible for killing my entire family… including my… brother."

Cross's eyes widened in shock. "Donna… I'm so sorry…"

"Thank you," Donna said while she started to tear up, stopping for a moment. Cross stopped as well. "Sorry, it's just…" She wiped away her own tears. "All the answers I've been looking for… but now I have some evil relative that wants to kill me… he killed his own brother." She was still shaken by the fact. "Their names were Ulysses and Astronema… my parents. And my brother… Andros…"

"Donna…" Cross said as Donna fell on her knees.

"They were here to start a new life, whatever that meant," Donna cried while Cross helped comfort her. She ended up hugging him as Cross held her. "I-I-I'm from somewhere else, Cross. Another part of the Demon Realm. I…"

"Hey, hey it's okay." Cross replied, trying to calm her down.

"How can it be okay?" Donna asked while crying on his shoulder. "I just… I finally found the answers about my family… but now I have so many more questions…"

Cross looked at Donna and in his eyes was… determination. "Then we'll just have to find those answers, won't we?" Donna sniffed and looked at Cross as he continued. "Donna, whatever it takes, I promise to help you find the answers you've been looking for."

"You… you will?" Donna asked him.

"Of course," Cross said as Donna looked at him. She then gave him another hug.

"Thank you, Cross," Donna responded. "You're really too good…"

"I just like to help others in need," Cross replied, patting Donna's back.

"Me too," Donna admitted with a light chuckle.

As the two had their moment, they didn't know that they were being watched. Sitting on the branch of a tree, watching them in the distance, was the Ninja Supreme…

Lilith was flying toward Eda's location. As she neared the zoo, she noticed someone laying on the ground below her.

"Why did you stop?" Vina asked.

"Because there's someone down there," Lilith pointed out as she flew down towards the person who was laying motionless on the ground. Once she landed, she got a good look at him. "He's passed out," she said while checking his body for injuries. When she turned him over and saw his face, Lilith's eyes widened in realization as she recognized him. "He's… one of Mel's former gang."

"Mel?" Vina questioned. "You mean that goddess that kidnapped your nephew?"

"Yeah, and he's their Hellhound," Lilith said while looking at him. "And he's been hurt a lot."

"Leave him be," Vina told her. "He's no one we should worry about. Especially considering what kind of thug he is..."

"I don't do that," Lilith responded while picking up the unconscious Blazer in her arms as she changed into her harpy form, "No matter what he is, he's still someone that needs help right now. Something that you apparently can't get your head around," she said as she continued her flight.

Meanwhile in the Nightmare Realm… on what was left of Mewni, the Butterfly Castle remained. The castle itself was mostly standing, but no one, not even the surviving Mewmans, went there. For they knew that the castle still had one inhabitant…

There was something that roamed the empty castle and haunted this place, which was the reason why no one dared enter, not even to look for supplies. This thing wandered the hallways, past the dust-covered and torn paintings, past the fallen suits of armor, past the bedrooms and the nursery that still contained an empty bed after all these years.

But usually the thing haunting the castle could be found in the throne room. This 'ghost' was actually the last Queen of Mewni in her full butterfly form… but something was different about her.

Her entire being was that of a shadow of her former self. Her chest now had a heart-shaped emblem with an x-mark. Her eyes glowed yellow while her flesh was just shadow.

Moon Butterfly was now the Heartless Queen of Mewni.

BuckJohnson here.

So you're probably wondering if Amity went back to the Isles along with Vee, where was she during the events of the previous chapter while Luz and Eda were helping out Nina? Why wasn't she there as well? That will be explained in the next chapter, which will show what's going down with the Blight family during all of this.

Me and JP actually originally planned this confrontation with Draco and Seth to happen earlier in the week, but then we decided it would be more interesting to have it take place at the same time as the confrontation with Lupe and Sonya so as to give everyone a rough Saturday. Cross also wasn't part of the original plan for this chapter, but we thought it would be fun to get him involved, especially as a chance for Donna to see him in his dragon form… and find it attractive.

And while things worked out mostly for the heroes since Seth is dead, Draco has been stopped for now, Vee reconciled with her siblings, and Donna and Cross have gotten closer. But it's still not perfect. Toffee has revealed himself, Donna believes that her brother is dead and she has to worry about what's going on with her keyblade, and both Donna and Cross are going to have to worry about the Ninja… yeah, there is going to be more hardship down the road.

Bet you're all surprised to see Silas, the former Beast-Keeping Top Student from Glandus, return? Well, since he is based on Tung Lashor, I thought it would be fun to bring him back as someone working under Draco and give him a gang based on the Snake Men from the Masters of the Universe franchise. Rattleton is based on Rattlor, Coils is based on Sssqueeze, Medusan is based on Snake Face, and Viperion is based on Kobra Khan. And oh yeah, Venoma was allied with Draco as well, though that shouldn't be too surprising. Neither should Draco getting his face melted off, considering who he is based on.

Regarding Star, this chapter allowed me and JP to finally go more into her backstory and her relationship with Toffee, as well as some hints at what her relationship with Moon was like. The final scene of the chapter also marks the first appearance of the Heartless in Luz Clawthorne. For those who don't know, the Heartless are the main enemies of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Yeah, you can definitely expect to see more of those guys in the future…

Just to be clear, Donna was still born in the Demon Realm. She just wasn't born on the Boiling Isles, with her family coming from another Titan corpse.

And if you're confused at all about why Lilith found Blazer away from the zoo, after he was rescued by the werecats Blazer tried to leave on his own but his injuries overcame him and he passed out. And just like how Lilith couldn't leave Hunter to die, she also couldn't leave Blazer to die.

Like I said, next chapter is going to show where Amity is during this. She has some unfinished business to take care of...