Episode:
22: The Great Monsoon, Part 4

As Adam tries to achieve Inner Harmony, he is interrupted by an unforeseen threat. And just as he was getting used to the status quo, too.

Truth be told, Moon did not know how she continued on like this. The Great Monsoon seemed like the war that would end them all. She weighed out her options every day, in hopes something else would become apparent. For once in her life, she felt stumped. She kept on a professional front as much as possible, but her River could see easily through the cracks in her façade.

Dominoes. One by one, they fell.

The Mace Kingdom was unprepared, and had it not been for Moon's timely extraction, the Mace Family bloodline would certainly have been extinguished. Now they hid away on Galafamor, in an ancient temple far beyond the current reach of the Butterfly Empire. Not that Moon expected them to remain safe for long. Sooner or later, they would be found and executed. Put down like dogs.

Next came the Spiderbite Kingdom. Moon had been far too focussed on the defence of her own kingdom to even attempt to save them. She wished more than anything that she could have helped them, but she couldn't leave her own kingdom vulnerable. The Empire's magical bombardments rarely ceased. She could still picture the fire and brimstone coming down upon the Spiderbite Kingdom, and the thick plume of smoke rising ominously in the distance. Corn only knows whether the Spiderbite Family had survived the assault.

With the loss of those two kingdoms, they didn't think things could get worse. Then the Cloud Kingdom fell, too. Not literally. Queen Star didn't want her new playset to be blackened with ash, so she allowed the Cloud Kingdom to remain fixed in the sky. Now, though, it was a stronghold for the Empire. Just like damn near everywhere else on Mewni.

Unless they figured out some way out of this endless stalemate, they were all doomed. Everyone would die. Just like Adam. Afraid, in pain, and alone.

A loud noise slamming against the table broke her from her thoughts.

'She's done it again!'

Moon blinked. Hekapoo had been the one to say it. Her fellow Magic High Commission members stood around the war table in the main hall of the Butterfly Castle. Moon glanced down at the table. Hekapoo was holding a newspaper, Demons Daily, against the table. She frowned as her eyes followed the front-page article.

MASSACRE AT BONESBOROUGH!

GREAT MONSOON CONTINUES

TREMBLEDAY, 32ND SCABUARY

BY EBERNATHY PERICULUM

Early yesterday morning, at approximately 5:00 am, the much-loathed "Empire" attempted a second invasion of the Boiling Isles and its associated archipelagos. However, they were stopped, through what can only be described as an utterly destructive display of bloodshed.

The Empire had previously been thwarted by the efforts of the "Marc-nificent Seven", led by Adam Butterfly (see pg.28 for his known biographical information).

However, in this second occurrence the sorcerer was nowhere to be seen; rumours circulate amongst citizens of his death, but nothing has been substantiated. The current whereabouts of the so-called hero of the Great Monsoon are unknown, due to insufficient communication with the dimension of Mewni.

The Empire's second invasion is believed to have begun in Gedocia, where sightings of a sizeable intermultiversal portal were reported. The invaders marched up to Bonesborough in a few short hours, ravaging multiple villages in their path. Fatality numbers have not yet been reported, but current mediwitches at Restoration Resort are overwhelmed with injured patients.

Although attempts were made to fend off the Empire's knights, none were successful. Legions of Emperor's Coven scouts were driven to the point of retreat, and multiple Coven Heads appeared to have difficulty with them. It is believed that the knights possessed some kind of enchantment that was able to nullify forms of magic. (See pg.34 for scholar Flora D'splora's professional opinion on the nature of this magic.)

It was only when the Empire arrived at Bonesborough were they finally thwarted. Although Adam Butterfly failed to appear, a mysterious woman did in his steed.

Clad in Deadwardian attire, featuring a large black sunhat and a rotten apple blood-coloured dress, this woman wielded the most bizarre of palismen: hooked on one end and possessing fabric which could extend to shield oneself from the outside world. The exact nature of this palisman is unclear, but eyewitness accounts refer to a"dark display"of foul magicks, describing the witch's magic as "purple tendrils [that] speared the enemy with ruthless precision."

This lone woman, whose name remains unknown, stood against the forces of the Empire. Whilst citizens initially rejoiced, their dreams soon turned to nightmares as the witch ruthlessly slaughtered the knights without concern for collateral damage. At one point, a group of Empire-controlled creatures known as Packabeasts were sent careening into the Covention Center by a powerful magical blast from the witch. At the time, the annual covention was being held. Estimated damages caused by the blast are still uncalculated, but thanks to the intervention of the Golden Guard, who was present in the building at the time, there were no fatalities.

Blood ran through the streets of Bonesborough that morning; clean-up crews are still removing organs and severed limbs from the sewers, and Construction coven teams are still repairing the damage done to the buildings. Bonesborough Library was struck with an unknown gravity spell, and Emperor's Coven scouts led by First-Class Senior Operative Lilith Clawthorne are still currently returning the building before it escapes the planet's orbit.

The battle ended at around 12:30 pm yesterday afternoon. Bodies lined the streets of Bonesborough, piled up all the way down to Tooghoul Street. At the conclusion of the battle, dozens of citizens stood around a crater. In the centre of the crater stood the mysterious woman, covered in blood and viscera. It is known that she spoke before disappearing through a portal, but the exact details vary, from "You're welcome" to "You're next".

Regardless of the exact nature of her words, it is clear the woman was entirely dismissive of the damage she caused and showed no concern for the consequences of her outlet of apoplexy.

All palismen travel routes have been restricted or closed off to deal with the collateral damage. Readers please note that Dead Man's Curve is closed due to the debris from Behemoth Cathedral, which was bisected by a wraith (see pg.18 for details on the Empire's forces).

Immediately prior to her venture to return the Library, Ms. Clawthorne, when asked by a reporter about the nature of the culprit, told Demons Daily, "I don't know who this woman was, but she is no hero. Our people are injured, or dead, because of her. And she is nowhere to be seen."

A full timeline of events can be found at the latter half of this issue, and further editions will list the known missing persons and fatalities. Emperor Belos issued a statement early this morning saying that… ➤ PAGE 21

Moon sighed to herself, unable to meet the fiery eyes of Hekapoo. Her fingers twitched.

'She's grieving, Hekapoo.'

'Grieving?!'she scoffed, instantly burning the paper to ash.

'She is out of control!' exclaimed Rhombulus.

Hekapoo rolled her eyes. 'Not even I go on a killing spree when I'm grieving someone's death, Moon! Not only did she cause unimaginable destruction, but she's hurt our reputation!'

'Nobody knew who she was,' River pointed out. 'They don't know it was Eclipsa.'

'Yet,' said Omnitraxus. 'She had cheek marks. That newspaper mentions Adam later on. And they go on and on about his cheek marks. It's only a matter of time before the people over there notice she had them too and make the connection.'

The queen folded her arms. 'And what do you expect me to do about this? The collateral damage is condemnable in every sense of the word, but if Eclipsa had not been there, the Empire would certainly have succeeded. I can't very well order her not to stop the Empire.'

'You can't order her around, period!' Hekapoo yelled, slamming her fist on the table again. 'You're too scared to even talk to her! Because you know, more than anyone, that an all-powerful sorcerer having a temper tantrum is a dangerous thing. How many more people is she going to hurt before she finds a better way to deal with her rage?'

'If you feel so strongly about it, why have you not intervened?' she replied, looking her deeply in the eye. She smirked slightly, ire burning in her irises. 'Because you're scared of her, too. So scared, that you want me to stop Eclipsa for you.' She tutted. 'If you're going to throw stones at me, Hekapoo, be sure you aren't living in a glass house first.'

A tremor shook through the main hall. Moon glanced at her fellow Commission members and hurried to the nearby balcony. She looked up at the protective ward around the entire kingdom, which they had set up following Adam's…passing.

'Bombardment!' Rhombulus bellowed.

Floating crystal structures hovered in the sky outside the barrier, as usual, and shot bright magical beams from their cannons. Shockwaves of magical energy crashed against the exterior of the barrier. Each blast shook the entire kingdom.

The bombardment commenced early, noted Moon to herself. This was undesirable, of course. The cannons bombarded the barrier incessantly, but it failed to leave much of a mark. It boomed loudly in her ears.

After twenty or so minutes, the bombardment concluded. Moon tightened her grip on the balcony as the rest of the MHC stood behind her.

'We accomplish nothing by arguing amongst ourselves,' Omnitraxus said. 'The Empire's stratospheric bombardments continue, and we are forced into a stalemate. Star is still trying to get the Underworld involved and our Alliance is practically dissolved. We need to devise strategies.'

'Omnitraxus is right,' agreed River, 'and if we do nothing but argue we will find ourselves in a worse position. We will not be able to fend off the Empire's attacks forever. I suggest a counter-offensive.'

Moon frowned and spun around. 'A counter-offensive?!How? Our forces are waning, stripped down to the vanguards and regiments. We can't afford a counter-offensive, River.'

'History has proven our magic is worth a thousand regiments.'

'What are you suggesting, River?'

River stepped forward and exhaled pensively through his nostrils. 'Eclipsa.' Moon opened her mouth to protest, but River spoke first. 'If her anger, her grief, can be…focussed, controlled, and redirected, then we may not need an army.'

'A wildcard such as her cannot be herded!' Rhombulus said. 'History has long since proven what she is willing to do to defend herself. We only barely contained her last time!'

'We are not "containing" her!' Moon yelled. 'Whether you may like it or not…Eclipsa is my friend. Perhaps…her aid is what we need.'

'She has refused to cooperate since Adam's death,' the snake-man argued. 'All she does now is take her anger out on Empire invasions.'

'Which could be precisely what we need,' River pointed out. 'Her anger is…wild, and unrestrained, but if we could focus that rage, get her to reign it in, she could prove to be a vital ally.'

'And if she cannot be controlled?' questioned Hekapoo, folding her arms.

River thinned his lips. 'Are you suggesting our great ruler is incapable of dealing with an out-of-control sorcerer?'

'Have you been paying attention to this conversation?' she retorted. 'Or were you too busy snacking on Goblin Dogs?'

River shook his head in exasperation and turned back to Moon. 'Eclipsa will be more than willing to aid in our efforts, I am sure of it. She may have anger, but she only exercised it during the Empire's invasions. It is not as though she is destroying random settlements.'

Omnitraxus stepped forward, explaining, 'The Empire re-commences its bombardments as soon as its cannons have finished recharging.' Moon's ears perked up slightly. 'Usually that takes an hour. That leaves a persistent schedule. If we could turn their attacks back on them, we could overturn the stalemate.'

'This is beyond risky,' warned Hekapoo. 'But…I suppose…it is a more effective outlet to focus on specific battles, and keep Eclipsa in line, then it would avoid…recent catastrophes.'

Moon grinded her teeth together. She spared a glance to Adam's grave, visible in the graveyard far down below. Ultimately, she lowered her hands from the railing and turned to look at Omnitraxus.

'Where is she?'

'Her mystion signature indicates she is close by. In her tower, no doubt.'

Queen Moon made her way past them, scratching off the ends of her fingernails. As she did, River's hand reached out to take hold of her wrist. Moon stopped to gaze into his eyes.

'Moonpie, dear,' he spoke up, 'take a break. Rest. I will speak to Eclipsa.'

'I'm sorry, River, but no. Now is not the time for rest. So much as a tiny lapse in concentration will mean our deaths.'

'A lapse is far more likely to occur if you are exhausted and without a sound mind,' he persuaded, tentatively stroking the side of her hand. 'Please. I beg you, dear. You have seldom had more than a couple hours of sleep a night since it happened.'

'I know, dear. I know.' She bit her lip. 'I will speak to Eclipsa, and when I am done, I will rest. That is a promise.'

River nodded reluctantly and let go of her wrist. Moon walked away with a hasty gait, her heels making a loud clack against the tiled stone floor. Hekapoo, Omnitraxus and Rhombulus walked back instead, with mixed feelings amongst them. River remained still, lost in his own thoughts.

He wasn't sure he knew Adam well enough to know what he would have done in this situation, but he knew he would have wanted to go on without a single break, just like his Moonpie. She picked up more traits of his than she realised. It would never bode well to let sleeping dogs lie. Not when the figurative dogs would wake up eventually.

And so, he looked up at the vast forcefield encompassing the entire Butterfly Kingdom. Their last bastion of protection. The proverbial finger in the dike. It was astonishing that they had lasted even this long.

They were dying in here. Slowly. On the verge of collapse into endless darkness. The constant question, how long will they last, was always on his mind. And he had the scary perception he might just find out.

Very soon.

As the iguanas chirped in the streets, and the busybodies went about their daily activities, the artificial sunlight shone neatly on the Royal Hospital of Apophis. A shadow was cast on the window to a dimly lit room with a waterbed and cluttered chest of drawers. In the centre of the room, hovering just an inch above the carpet, cross-legged, was Adam.

His eyes were shut tight. His thoughts were null, empty, devoid of emotion and populated only by complete and total harmony.

Filthy commoner.

Or at least, that's what he wanted it to be. He took a sharp intake of breath. Without a millhorse, Adam had to pursue other ways to recentre his magic when it had become delocalised. That was his working theory.

B̵̨͖͈͇͔͓̭̆͌ͅr̴̡͗͗͂̃̈́ě̴̛͈̯̖͊̓̄̓͘ą̴̩͔̰̽k̴͈̜̻̋̈̍̄͝ ̴̛̛̟̗̓̍̔̿̎̔͜͠͝t̴̞̪͛̉͑͆̑ḧ̷̲̝̙̜̳̐̉͆͑̽̀̾̎͝e̷͓͊ ̷̡̻̮̠̝̻͈̲̠̯͊̀̒͆͌b̵͉̐̄̿̊̍͛̓͘̚o̴̤̣̰̥̻͛̿̂̋̈́̓n̵̢̰̤̝̞̳̺̣̥̼̅̋̋̀́̂̎̏̚̕d̷̛̮̟̲̯͍̤̉̒̈́̎̌̆̒͘s̴̻͇͙͙̪̯͙̞̍͜,̸̨̡̡͙͉͇͒̐̂͌̊͜ ̶̡̢̲̭͕̘͖͎͊͘t̶̡̳̫͙̙͖̮̓̑̀̿̋͂̇ę̶̨̻͕̻̙̦͔̄̓̓̈́̓̅ͅä̶́̋̊͌́ͅṛ̶̛̙̝̗̮̯͚̖̞̓̉̃͜ ̸̨̢̮̤̳̏͆̉̑̇̀̎̓͝ť̸̡̪̯̬̜͎̳̳ḩ̴͖͈̜̫̺̈́̓̋̕͝͝ë̸̦̞́͆͛͗̐̈́ ̶̨̻̰̭͐̍̆̆ͅf̴̦͔̗͙͉̱͚̉̑̃̾̅͝͝a̸̝̬̹͗̅̚b̵̧̨͓̻͓̼̮͛̆̈́̇̆̚͝ͅr̵̢̮̣̘̻͈͊͂̎̿̋͝ǐ̵̭̤͓͙̜̌͌͠c̸̢͉̖͕̯̗̫̠̗̲̉̇͂̊̓̾͒͛,̴̗̮̱̖̰̯̰̎̄͛̉̽̆̃͘ͅ ̷̠̙͚̪̍̓̊̕͠c̷̡̲̳̥̼͎̑ḽ̵̢̯̯̻͉̘͕̹̋̄e̸̡̧͍̳̪͇͓̦̪̔̽͌̒͋͘̚͜͠a̶̧̢̪͈̪̰̖̯͎̐̍̐̈̀̌͘̕v̵̖̻̗̱̦̟̭͆͋̉́̄̑̂͘͜ḛ̷̔̈ ̷̧̻̙͂͊̐̑͑͛̏t̴̡̡̤͔̺̲̲̜̺̐ͅḧ̸͔͚͈̋͛̊̓͌̽́̈́ȩ̸͖̗͐́̓̌̑͒͘ ̸̼̦̣͚̳̻̩̹͌͐̏̀͂̎̈̎̅͜͠ş̵̛̲̲̫̠̥̑̏̇͛̿t̷͈͌́̄́̒̆̈́ͅǫ̵̀̇̆̑̈́͝n̶̲͇̉̊͗̆̊̇e̷̮̙̔͌̏͗s̴̜̉͌̑͊,̷̡̡̛͉̼͚̳͉̭̭̫̀̽̂̄͋͐̌̀̽ ̶̤̬̠́̈̿̀͝s̸̨̧̰̺̫͉̲̠̫̐̄̊͒ͅt̴̢̪͖͓̭͙͉̿̅̇͆̒ͅò̸̧̩̰̖̖͔̤p̴͓͖̌̈́̊̃̂̾͘ ̴̟̠̙̓̇̔ͅt̶̢̺̪̉̂̾̚h̶̠̲̤̔̿̆͊͌͘ě̶̡̥̼͓͙̯̋̎̊͐̈́ ̸̲̒̆͒̀̀͗̽̔̆̐m̵̥̻̦̓̌͊̀̽̒̌̔͝a̴̬̠̻̹͉̝͈͕̙͐̒̈͌́͊͑̚̕ġ̵̝͑ĩ̸̯̯̻̥̦̉́c̷͈͎̙̲̜̓̈̀.̸̧͎̘̘͍̩̘̀̇̌̚͜

He clenched a fist and perished the memory.

The arcane tomes in the Old Quarter Library mentioned the idea of "chi paths" – a concept describing how life-force was channelled. It stated that magic, as the lifeblood of the soul as well as the multiverse itself, ran through currents of soul energy and was concentrated within hubs called chakras.

This was stuff that Adam had never seen before, not on the rest of Mewni or other dimensions that he had visited. The books spoke of achieving "Inner Harmony" within oneself to unblock your chi paths, to "become closer with the Source of Magic". How exactly one could achieve Inner Harmony was poorly defined. It required a calmness of mind, devoid of troubles, and perfect clarity towards one's own purpose and existence.

'ADAM!'

His breathing hitched. Focus, Adam. Stay focused.

He began to raise just a little higher in the air.

Then the image of Dark Star Butterfly flashed in his mind. That one last evil smirk on her face, as she dumped him into the lake below. His body smashing into the side of the rock, creating a huge shockwave of water as his flesh broke the surface tension of the water with one vociferous slam.

G̷̬͈̝̾͠r̷̨͕̮̤̯̱͚̰̍̉̽̃͐͊̑͘̕ͅḙ̴̡̞̦̻͖͕͓̍̑̄̇y̴̘̱͖͈̟̝̼͍͑̇̾̑̇̾̀͜ͅn̴̨̦̫͍̬̮̬͕̙̋̿͜ẽ̵̡̢̡̛̟̤͓̞̝̐̄̈́̏̾͗̏s̸̥̘̪̄s̴̳̰̒̓,̵̣̬̣̮̣̥͎͂͘ ̵̨̫͎͈̠̭̅͐́̉͒͜d̵̫͎̪̱͍̟̳̫̠͋̆́͋̋͛̍̀͘a̷̛̜͕̫͉͓̺̱̰͎̍̐r̶̩̰̰̞̙̃̽̍̐͆͑͝ͅk̵̨͚̩̍̎̒̐̅n̸̯̹̰̘̝̫͓͒̃ͅë̵̝̣̱́̈́̄ͅs̴̡̼͓͙̣̍̽͗͐͆̆̈́̚ͅs̵̗̺̺̹̖͋͐̎,̶̺̈́̈̒̓͑̽̈̇̚ ̷̹̏̅̉́͘ṉ̵̛̼͎̣̝̤͖͒̔̒͛͝͝ọ̷̡̢̖͔̭̺͚̄̈́̇̓̊̓̎ͅt̸̡̢̘̹̫̗͕̉̃͒̇̃h̵̭̹͝í̸̧̮̟͍̲͑̓̈́͛̓n̶̨̞̞̱̂g̶͔̤̩̰͚̮͖̦̓n̸̛̬̽͌́̅͐͆̎̕͘e̸̢͖̮̓ś̸̞͓̺͔͉̓̊s̸̛̛͍̼͆̒̋́̇̆͠…̵̡̙͙͌i̸͕̘̲̮͒̊͛̊͘̕̚t̸̫̗͈̀ ̵̱̱̟̦̖̇̄͝ȧ̸̦̭̟͈l̷̨̗͉̮͕̯̪̠̟̞͗̍̾͗͂l̵͚̳̀̄̒̇̎̒̍͝ ̵͎̤͓̯͋̈́c̸̻̤̦̭̿̏̈́a̴̫͕̫͊̓m̶̧̨͍̙̙̹̼͕̪̲̒͝ȩ̶͖̦̫̈́̉̌̿̌̃͘ ̸͔͓͎̏̌̒͒͊͝ẗ̸̨̩͈͕͍̩̹̤́̆̍͐͠o̸͙͙̖̲̯̟͊̆͗̈͆̈́ ̸̜̥̩̖̼̔ņ̵̧̺̰͔͂̿ŏ̶͔̱̮̀̑̈͠͝ẗ̴̛̟̤͉̟͖͈̟̽͌̇͆h̵̨̘̭̙̞̬̉̾̃̋̓̚͘͜͠i̵̡̪͎̺̭͖̇̐͑͛͌͘͝ñ̴̢̲̗̝̟g̸̨̨̻̭͖̐̑̈̽ͅ.̸̭͉̬̓̍̓̄͒̊ ̵̢̨̤͎̱͚̞̝͐̀̌̓̑̈́͊̄̑̇N̴̼̜̠͔̹͇̔̅͊̓̎̅͂̇͝ơ̶͖͈̈̅͂̑͝ţ̶̳͓̣̻́̓̎͌͗̈̾h̴̨͉̖̬͖͚̲̮͛̒̌̓́i̷̮̽͒n̵̮̥̭͔̫͙͖̻̻̤̋̇́͠ģ̸͇̘͇̱͉̲͈̟̑̓̅̚ͅ ̷̧̧̛̛̺͎͉̥͕̂̋́̌͗͠m̷̹͇͈̓̕o̸̢̪̳̘̜̒̈́̉̔̒́̀r̵̡͉̳̝͎̘̫̱̗̙͂͒͌e̵̡̮̔̍̑̏̀̉̀ ̶̢̠̤̘͇̼̩̩̱͕̆̿̈́̃͗̈́̇͌͗͋t̸͉͍̘̱̙͙͈̻͈̊́̑̿̽̆̄̽͘͜ǫ̷̧͍̺̪͗̀̋͆͆̋̕̚̕ ̸̢̫͛s̶̱͕̜̪͍̍̇̍̈́́̋a̶͈͇̹̗̓̿̓̃̂̚y̵̛̫͖̖̝͉̭̺̐͛̈͂̓̿̇.̶̪͕̹̲͎̏̄͌̀̆̈́͌ ̴̝̒͂̓̏́͆̑͝͝Ṅ̷̯̲̯o̴̡͍̤̪̮̝̩͔͊̒́͘t̵̫̎͌̌͑̂̋̈́h̵̢͔̖̺̘͇̗̦͇̀̔̌͆͒̆͑͗̕ͅî̴̦̪̭̍͋̑͛̑̅̽̀ń̴̰̥̘̠̥̲̟̀̑̆g̵̬̳̼̠͖͖̺̓̀̔̇̾ ̴͙̲̦̠̝̰̼̣̃̔͜m̸̺̺͎̺̿̊̆̐̉̉̓͝ơ̷̛͖̪̲̼̋̽͗̅͜͝͠r̶͎̥̃̆̇̾̒͌̾͋͒ḙ̵̫͕̬̜̋̊͛̇̈́́ ̵͙͎̻̳̇͆̄̂́͋̚ť̴̡̡̧̲̙͙̏͊͆͠ő̵̡͕̮̪̗͚̪͉͎̑̉͂ ̸̨̫̺͔͖̅̔͌̔̈̒̔ͅb̴̜̫̣̰̓͊̑̿̂̒ẹ̴̞̪͌̅͊͌̿̑.̵͎̝͉̩͕̌̈̆

Pinpoint purple eyes staring into his. Blood red cheek marks glowing with ominous intensity. That face ruled the Butterfly Empire with total unrestricted control. She could be out there right now, murdering any one of his friends and family. And he had no information on the havoc she had been causing.

'Anyway, time to die.'

Adam's eyes shot open. Instantly, he tumbled plummeted to the ground and hit the floor with a thud.

He groaned loudly in pain, clutching his leg.

So much for Inner Harmony and total clarity of one's purpose. He'd been at this for two weeks now, and there was still no progress. Adam sighed and tried to get to his feet.

His leg flared up again, ripping a painful cry out of his throat. He limped over to his walking stick.

A simple psychological evaluation revealed that his limp was, in fact, psychosomatic. The therapist didn't need to spell out to him why it was there. Recent trauma, combined with the constant feeling of worthlessness, plus the actual physical trauma that his leg had originally sustained were probably the cause. Sometimes, when the adrenaline got pumping, he could regain semi-mobility in his leg, but for the most part, he still needed the walking stick.

Adam limped his way over to the sink and ripped open the medicine cabinet. He nearly knocked over the bottle of Antioctarine, but he managed to shove two pills into his mouth and swallow it down with water.

The residual effects of the Whispering Spell were starting to clear up. The spell wasn't gone, though. It probably never would be. The black stub was painful to the touch and trying to move what remained was still painful, but not as much as it had been a few weeks beforehand.

Once he started feeling the Antioctarine starting to kick in, he hobbled his way over to the door.

As Adam made his way through the streets, he bore a grimace at the pain humming in his leg persisted. The way to the care home wasn't far, but he always hated making the trek. He didn't have the money for a hovercab, or for any kind of transportation for that matter. Adam supposed that he could ask the Primajora about some kind of bursary fund, but he was frankly too nervous about the fragile arrangements with them.

Not to mention the fact that he had no real intention of staying any longer than he had to. Admittedly, he'd been growing to enjoy his time at the care home, in the weeks since his forced employment. But that didn't mean he could just up and abandon his friends. They still thought he was dead for god's sake!

And they could be dead too. With his magic almost gone completely, his connection to Star had long since been severed. He couldn't feel her presence anymore. It was all gone now.

Except for one, tiny bit of magic left kicking around in the recesses of his soul. It was all he had left. If only he could find a way to cling onto it.

'War is not the answer! Cast out the Mewman! War is not the answer! Cast out the Mewman!'

Adam looked up. It was a group of insurrectionist rioters on strike, carrying signs baring the same message they were chanting. He groaned. This was the part of the walk he really hated. Adam tried to shuffle his way past them, but they blocked the pavement. He felt a hand stop him in his path.

'Where do you think you're going, Mewman?' one of them accosted. 'Look what we got here, fellas! Adam Butterfly himself!'

He sighed. 'Look, I'm just trying to get on my way to work. Why can't you just let me go?'

'Why can't you just go home?!' one of them yelled.

'Yeah! You're just gonna drag the rest of us into your stupid little war!' cried another.

'Great Monsoon, my ass!'

More people knew about what was going on topside than he had expected. He supposed it hadn't been confidential information.

'I'm not trying to drag your people into anything,' he insisted. 'I'm just trying to survive, okay? I mean, look at me! Do I look like a threat to you?'

Their response was to kick his walking stick to the side and shove him over. The ringleader of the group, the person who addressed him first, grabbed him by the collar.

'You don't belong here!' he yelled in his face. 'You and your stupid family started this war, and now you think you can just hide away from it? You even being here invites war!'

He kicked him in stomach, hard. Adam groaned in pain. A sudden punch to the face yielded blood from his lips.

'Get him!'

Adam managed to create a forcefield around him to block the ensuing barrage of blows. Alas, the cracks formed immediately after the first punch. It took only a second before his forcefield shattered.

Agony pulsed through his body at every turn. Vomit exploded out of his mouth, prompting them to only hit him harder. He could barely concentrate, no possibility of defending himself and without the means to do it anyway.

'Hey! Leave him alone!'

Adam was certain he heard that, but his eyes were swollen shut. He heard arguing, and people muttering amongst themselves, before the sound of metal clasps tightening. By the time he came to, the face of Apophian Police officer was staring back at him.

'You ought to be more careful, son,' he said, helping him to his feet. 'And you really need to start thinking about defending yourself.' Adam groaned in pain. He glanced around the street. The hecklers had been put into cuffs, but he didn't know how long that was going to last.

'Not like there's much I can do anyway. I'm missing an arm, and my leg is in constant pain.'

The APD officer gave him a wry look.

'Just because you're infirm doesn't mean you're useless. Are you really going to let them walk all over you?'

Adam never answered the question. He looked away for a moment, contemplating one, but he never quite formed the words. Instead, he sighed and gave his earnest thanks to the police officer for saving him, before heading back on his way to the Royal Residential Children's home.

Doesn't mean you're useless. Hm. Okay.

Adam arrived at the Royal Residential Care Home as fast as possible, given his psychosomatic limp. And his injuries. Fortunately, it was only a few scratches, apart from a bruised abdomen and an equally bruised ego. As he hurried inside the children's home, thirty minutes late, he was soon met by a friendly face.

'Adam! You're l…' Michael paused the second he saw all the plasters and stitches covering the cuts and bruises on his face. 'Oh dear…what happened?'

'Rioters on the street…' he muttered. 'Sorry about being late. Had to see a nurse on the way.'

'Oh, blimey. Are you alright?'

Adam sighed and hobbled over to the cloakroom to put his grey coat on the hangar.

'I'm fine. Sorry about being late.'

'It's quite alright,' dismissed Mike. 'I'd much rather you be in good health than here on time.' He nods over to the living room. 'Lily's been asking for you.'

Adam smiled and made his way into the living room. Lily was always waiting for him in the living room every morning. Sylvia thought that the interest Lily had taken in him was rather cute. Jason was worried it showed signs of the same obsessiveness that her step-father had. Jason always had to be the buzzkill – or "realist", as he called it.

'Adam!'

A strawberry blonde bullet slammed into his leg. He looked down. Lily was hugging his leg. Adam kneeled down and gently pried the girl of him. He beamed at her.

'Hello, Lily! Having a good morning?'

'Very! Mrs Sylvia made me some amazing bacon! I saved some for you! Would you like some?'

Adam smiled and nodded. Lily took him by the hand and led him to the dining table. She helpfully took out his chair for him. Adam gave her a bright thank you and sat down, with Sylvia placing a plate of bacon at his seat. Adam thanked her as well, excited to tuck into his meal.

Once he was finished eating, Lily looked up at him expectantly. He smiled down at her.

'Adam...could you tell me a story? I want a hear a story.'

'Now, now, Lily. What's the magic word?'

Lily looked at the ground sheepishly. 'Please? Please can I hear a story?'

'Of course, you can,' he replied, smiling. Lily jumped onto the couch. Adam went over to the nearby bookshelf. He began to inspect the books. 'Hmm…'

'Not one of those ones!' protested Lily. 'Come up with one!'

Adam flashed his eyebrows in surprise. He trilled his lips at the thought. After a moment, he limped over to the couch and sank onto it. He set down his walking stick by the coffee table.

'Well…I do know one story.' He smiled. 'One of Crankulus, the Last Hero of the Crimson Overdraft.'

Lily sat up at once. Her eyes seemed to light up at the concept. She shuffled a little closer.

'Oo! I wanna hear it!'

Adam smiled, sitting up as he tried to recall it from memory.

'Once upon a time, when the Purge seemed to be at its end…one man stood up against a whole army. His name was…Crankulus. The Last Hero. Crankulus lived on a square-shaped planet called the Crimson Overdraft, in a cosy little world on the outer edges of creation. Everything was peaceful…until the Empire came. The Empire wanted them to go to work on Sifo-Vestes, but Crankulus and his people wanted to be left in peace.'

'So, what happened?' she asked, fully invested in the story now. 'Did Crankulus fight back?'

'You bet he did! He started a rebellion. Fought long and hard to drive the Empire away from the Crimson Overdraft. The Empire's strength proved too great; Crankulus's rebellion was losing. One day, someone asked him why he continued to fight, rather than give in to prevent more tragedy. Crankulus said, "Giving up my freedom is the real tragedy."

'Crankulus continued to fight until he was the last one left. The Empire was closing in on him. They surrounded. But Crankulus? He stood before a whole army and refused to back down. He said, "I will not be made into a coward." Because, as the Empire discovered, it takes the will of a single man, to never give up, to inspire a whole rebellion.'

'That's amazing!' Lily exclaimed excitably. 'So, what happened next? Did he win?'

'That's where the story ends, Lily. Some say he's still fighting to this day. Nobody knows.'

'Aww, no fair…I hate cliff-hangers…and surprises…'

'Oh, I don't know…' Adam smiled as he showed her his flat open a palm. His grey eyes pulsed white for just a second. Steadily, a small dandelion bloomed from the centre of his hands. '…Some surprises are good.'

Lily's eyes gleamed with absolute excitement, awestruck. She plucked the flower from his hand and squealed with delight.

'So…cool!'

Adam smiled at her. He hadn't seen her smile that brightly since she was rescued. Admittedly, though, she had still been in high spirits ever since –

'Ack!'

Adam coughed hard. A sudden pain stabbed through his head, and he nearly keeled over. Lily frowned.

'Are…are you okay, Adam?'

Adam stood up and turned away from her. He shook a hand dismissively. 'I'm…I'm quite alright, Lily. Don't worry about me.'

Out of her sight, he wiped away the blood from his nose. He stared at the red liquid staining his fingers and whispered a curse to himself. Sylvia watched with concern by the kitchen, just as more children began filing into the room.

'Adam…?' she called. He turned around. She nodded towards the influx of children now at the table.

'Oh, yes, right!' he replied, making his way over to help. Sylvia immediately noticed that he wasn't using his cane, and his limp had disappeared for a second, but she opted not to say anything about it.

Unbeknownst to all of them, they were being watched from afar. The abandoned building across the street housed people in it, who watched him through binoculars.

'Looks like the Mewman has fallen on hard times, Ajax.'

The man beside the binoculars-baring Lacetan smiled. 'Good. That should make him a non-issue.'

Towards the end of the day, Adam returned home with some of the kids after picking them up from their primary school. He opened the door with his one good arm and held it open to usher them inside, despite the lack of balance he had in his leg.

'Come on in, kids! Make sure you scrape your shoes on the shoe rug!'

'Yes, Mister Butterfly…' the children chorused, as they obliged by his request. He even did it too to show that he wasn't an exception to his own rule.

'There you go…there's a chocolate cookie in the kitchen for the person who cleans up fastest!'

Instantly, the children raced to get their shoes and coats off and head towards the kitchen. Adam smiled at their enthusiasm. Michael opened the door to his office and walked over to him.

'I'm impressed, Adam,' he said. 'When you first came here, well, I didn't think you'd take such a shine to this. Given that it wasn't your choice to be here.'

'Well…' He glanced over at the children fighting over the cookies and smiled. '…I guess I realised that if I'm stuck in this city, then I might as well make the most of it. Besides…as civil service goes…this isn't all that bad.'

Michael smiled. 'I'm glad you're enjoying it.'

'I guess listening to what children have to say really puts things into perspective.'

They were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Adam spared a shrug of confusion with Michael before Adam went to answer the door. He pulled it open with his single arm and let them inside. A Lacetan stepped inside.

Adam's eyes widened.

'Argynos?' he exclaimed, stepping aside to let him in. 'What…are you doing? You here to check on me or something?'

'Quite the opposite, I'm here to notify you,' replied the man. 'Ophis wants to see you.'

'Ophis? The King Head? Why would he want to see me? I thought…it was pretty cut and dry after the last time.'

'I don't know what it is, Adam, but he seemed to imply it was urgent.'

'Well, I've got a job to do,' said Adam, annoyed, 'so we can organise one for tomorrow.'

'I said urgently, Adam,' Argynos insisted. 'Ophis is not a man you want to leave waiting. You'll have to put your job on hold. The Prime Court awaits.'

Adam groaned and looked over at Michael. He bit his lip.

'Sorry, Michael. Looks like I'm being spirited away.'

'Don't worry about it,' he said, waving a hand dismissively. 'If King Head Ophis wants to see you, it must be serious.'

Adam nodded gratefully. 'Thanks.'

He followed Argynos out the door.

Argynos led him all the way to the Prime Court without saying a word. Whatever this was that Ophis wanted from him, it had to be pretty serious. Adam couldn't quite figure out if Argynos keeping quiet was because he knew, and it was so serious he couldn't tell him, or if he didn't, and it was serious that Ophis couldn't even tell him. Either way, Adam could feel his fingers trembling as they made their way to King Head Ophis's office.

As the two stood outside the office, Adam stared at Argynos. A glower hung on his face, though it didn't seem directed towards him. Argynos knocked on the door and stepped back as the door opened.

Adam was about to go in, when he saw Argynos standing there. He frowned at him.

'You…you're not coming with me?'

Argynos merely stared at him, not even answering the question. Adam blinked. He reluctantly followed the secretary into the office, giving one last look at Argynos before going inside.

Adam pursed his lips as he took in his surroundings. Ophis's office was wide and extravagant, though not as gawdy as Meriff Draper's office had been. It was furnished with stone and marble, including a stone desk in the centre of the room, and small little statues of mythical creatures wrapped with wax vines. The desk was clean but full, reasonably managed but lacking in free space.

'Ah, Adam!' said Ophis. He was standing behind his desk, with his back to him. He turned around and gestured towards an empty chair. 'Take a seat.'

Adam nodded warily and hobbled over to the chair. He let out a groan as he set down his cane against the stone desk. Ophis nodded to the secretary at the back of the room, and they left the two to their meeting.

'Is…is there something wrong?' Adam asked, scratching his arm stump. 'I'm not in trouble, am I?'

'Oh, no, nothing like that.' Ophis's smile slowly faded. 'I called you here for a different reason. How much do you know about the Butterfly Empire's operations?'

Adam blinked.

'What? Uh…enough, I suppose? Why?'

Ophis sat down and clasped his hands together. 'The council and I have decided to get involved in the Great Monsoon.'

'You have?' he squeaked. 'What made you change your mind?'

'The Empire's dealings in the Positive Multiverse have grown too great to be ignored,' Ophis replied, pressing his lips together. 'From what little information we have received from the outside world, it isn't looking good for the Butterfly Kingdom. Personally, I believe it is only the matter of time before the Empire discovers Apophis and mounts an invasion.'

Adam nodded in understanding. 'So you think we should strike whilst we have the element of surprise.'

'Well, Apophis isn't exactly a fortress. If we do enter the war, our involvement would have to be in secret.' He leaned forward. 'Now, Adam, I know about you. I know about your accomplishments in Multiversal magic during your time as the Royal Magic Ambassador. Moon keeps her circle of trust informed. You are the key to turning the tide in this conflict.'

'Even if that were true, I'm not the RMA anymore,' Adam argued, trying and failing to fold his one arm. 'And I don't have all my magic. I'm not much use in that area if I can't cast Multiversal spells anymore.'

'Regardless, you understand the theory. You know the magic behind the spells the Empire is using. You invented them. Not only that…but you know the Empire better than almost anyone. You know their tactics, their weakness, their protocols…you know how they think, you can anticipate their actions.'

'I told Moon everything I know about the Empire already. What do I know that she doesn't?'

'You might have told her, but she can't think like you do,' he insisted, folding his arms. 'You keep trying to insist that you aren't useful, Adam, but you are. I saw how you fought in the War Games. You have a cunning and tactical mind. If we could put it to use behind the scenes, where you could formulate and strategise in peace, we may just be able to help Butterfly Kingdom where it matters most.'

Adam shook his head slightly. He rubbed his warm forehead. Where had Ophis gotten this impression that he was so valuable? If he was such an expert strategist, then he wouldn't have gotten himself killed! How useful was he, really, if he couldn't even think beyond his own hatred?

'Adam.'

He looked up. Ophis was staring at him, a pensive look on his face.

'If this works out, there is every possibility that we could get you home. I implore you to at least try.'

Adam sighed. Home. A tempting offer. How bad could this really go? Keeping things quiet helped avoid putting Apophis in any danger.

'Fine,' he acquiesced. 'What do you want from me?'

'I intend to slip the Butterfly Kingdom information that they can use against the Empire,' explained Ophis. 'I can't let them know it's from you, lest the Empire intercepts it, so you can't let them know you're alive.' Adam nodded reluctantly. He expected as much. 'From what I understand, the Butterfly Kingdom has been mostly on the defensive since the Mace Kingdom was taken. Moon knows everything about her Mewni top-to-bottom, but not your Mewni. Negative Mewni, I believe you called it?'

Adam nodded. Ophis went over to his desk and pulled out a large roll of parchment. He moved everything off his desk and rolled out the entire parchment in front of Adam.

'To start, I'm going to need a map of Negative Mewni. Knowing its layout could be helpful for identifying outposts, supply lines, bunkers and bases.'

'You want me to draw a map,' he replied, prompting a cut nod from the King Head. Adam bit his lip, taking a pencil and starting to draw. He wasn't an expert artist, but he had seen and studied maps of Negative Mewni hundreds of times. He drew the northernmost continent, as that one seemed the most relevant one.

Starting with the western coastline, Adam drew the Cliffs of Avarice, which stood in front of the Forest of Unlikely Spiderbites. The Cloud Kingdom, the only remaining kingdom besides the Capitol City, was drawn in full size. He didn't go as far as the Sawdust Semidesert or the Silver Forest. Next was south, down to Butterfly Bay, where the ruins of the Waterfolk Kingdom, and Garbage Beach, could be found. There was also the Wildlands, an island in the nearby ocean. Further along the coastline, there were numerous archipelagos and small satellite islands separated by a lake, which circled the ruins of the Pigeon Kingdom. Below the Pigeon Kingdom was the Forest of Probable Itchiness, which was separated from the adjacent Forest of Redoubt by a long, thin, channel of water. South from there were several caves and glacial formations, like the Musty Mountain Caves.

East of the Forest of Redoubt were the ruins of the town of Salem, and Adam made sure it was drawn clearly. Salem was in a small basin, surrounded by the Forest of Redoubt, and north of that was the Imento Glacial Trough. Beyond the lake, further north, were the ruins of the Johansen Kingdom, with the Johansen Settlement just next to it. Northerly to the Johansen Ruins was the Forest of Certain Death which stretched several miles to the east, with the Mace Kingdom ruins, long forgotten, on the plateau of rock stretching out from the cliffside. The Majoris basin was just next to it, dried up and empty.

Filthy commoner.

'̷̨͓͖̗͚̘̝̬͍͋̉͋̒̽͐́́̑̒̋̔̃̓͑͋́͠͝A̸̡̛͖͍̰͎̟̖̞̣̗̤̱̗͓̳̼͕̜͈̓̈́́̍̓̉́̐͆̌̆D̵̢̛͔͚̹͍̮̬͖̥̰̋̍̈́̾́͋̄̈́͗͑͆͑͊͛̅̂͘͝͝Ä̵̡͕̬͉̯͓̬͆̎͋̋́̉̿̉͠M̷̥̹͙̻̌͌͌̑̆͗̑̆͠!̶̡̞̙͔̼̉̓̌̋̃̽̀́́̾̏̈́̋̂̕'̴͙͈̥̹̂

His pencil split. He sighed, inspecting the edge of his broken pencil tip. He reached for another one.

Adam drew the ruins of Castle Avarius in the Farlands, the barren terrain next to the Jaggy Mountains and the Forest of Incalculable Doom. It was more like a large crater than anything else, but Adam could still picture when he found that magic wand shard. The Groundlands was the name usually given for this area of Mewni. The Farlands was next to the Groundlands, and this was one of the more habitable regions, where Lake Polaris could be found. And next to that were the flaming ruins of Polaria. Originally, the Great Solarian Storm still threatened it, but after it altered its patterns, it became much safer to live in.

He'd been putting off the last part. Adam knew he had to draw it. The Capitol City. The Capitol City was built around the original Butterfly Kingdom. The castle and its surrounding villages were in the centre, now known as the uppercity, surrounded by a moat. Adam drew the main districts surrounding it, showing miles and miles of buildings and road networks. Finally, he drew and labelled the garrison that was five miles out from the Capitol itself.

Adam stepped back to examine his handiwork. He wasn't sure how long he had been there, drawing the map, but it had to have been a couple hours. Ophis had been standing in the corner, totally silent and patient. It was only when he was done that he spoke up.

'Impressive,' Ophis remarked, whistling in content. He pointed at a small archipelago in the far north-eastern section of the map. It was surrounded by fog and clouds. 'What's this part? You didn't label it.'

'Oh!' Adam quickly scribbled across it. 'That's the Valley of Secrets, where the Gates of Elysium can be found. Could be useful, actually – it houses an interdimensional gateway, plus it has a space-time barrier that prevents Negative Omnitraxus from accessing or viewing it.'

'Hmm…very well done, Adam,' he murmured, rubbing his chin as he looked over the map. Adam had also drawn the revised circulation patterns for the Great Solarian Storm, along with the precise months in which they pass over that region. 'This "Great Solarian Storm" seems to provide perfect cover, if you time it right. What would make good locations for outposts?'

'The Valley of Secrets is an obvious one,' replied Adam. 'But there's also the ruins of Mace Castle, and the former Dímios Headquarters, and maybe even my own bunker.'

'If we're going to ensure steady communication between the outposts and the Butterfly Kingdom, then we would need to transfer information across multiverses. We can't risk too much time spent in transit.'

'Moon and Eclipsa know the Multiversal spells,' he told him. 'I taught them before I…died. If they really could set up these outposts, then intercepting the Empire's communications, supply lines and military network could be possible. But…it would have to be a very small group. Marco's "Marc-nificent Seven" might be the only option. They helped me liberate the Boiling Isles several weeks back.'

Ophis smiled and leant back in his chair. 'This is possible, Adam. Trust me, this intel is valuable.'

'We're ignoring the lapisnake in the room, here,' Adam argued, sitting back in his chair. 'You haven't explained how exactly we're gonna get this to the Butterfly Kingdom. Apophis is still in lockdown. There is ZERO communication between us and the Butterfly Kingdom.'

'Multiversal spells seem to be the easiest way. Open a portal to Negative Mewni, then back to Positive Mewni.'

'I told you already. I can't cast Multiversal spells anymore.'

'You also told me that you lost your magic,' Ophis pointed out, folding his arms. 'Then, two weeks ago, you apprehended a man using magic.'

Adam rolled his eyes, but he didn't deny the statement. 'To even get close to opening a portal, I'd need a weak point in space-time just to give me a boost. Not to mention I'd have to avoid Negative Omnitraxus's attention! There's just…too many variables. I can't help you.'

'So you're going to give up?' he criticised, frowning. 'You regained your magic –'

'A small bit of it.'

'You still regained it, despite being adamant you lost it. Who's to say that you won't improve, and that you will be able to use your Multiversal magic again?'

'I still need a weak point!'

'The Butterfly Empire and the Butterfly Kingdom seem to be managing just fine on that front.'

'You don't get it,' Adam groaned. 'I accidentally made a load of weak points on both Mewnis when I dissolved the space-time fracture. There're lots of different points they can use…but here? There aren't any.'

'Well, there must be some way to travel between the two multiverses without them,' he reasoned.

'Multiversal magic is a complex and intricate field of magic, Ophis. I should know, I invented it. In order to truly master it, you have to…be in tune with the strings of reality itself. You have to be one with space-time. Nobody, and I mean nobody, has mastered that. Certainly not myself. Not even Dark Star, and she's one of three people on the whole planet who can cast these spells. If there was a way to do it without those weak points, I haven't found it yet.'

'But you've been spending a lot of time in the library, haven't you?' Ophis reminded him. 'I hear you've been reading about achieving Inner Harmony and unlocking your chakras, yes?'

Adam nodded but frowned. 'What's your point?'

'Magic doesn't have as many rules as you think it does. After all, that library contains knowledge that Mewmans have never had access to before. The Inner Harmony of the Self is only achieved once one accepts total purpose and being. That means letting go of your doubts. It allows you to access an infinite well of magic, limited only by your own imagination. Perhaps…the answer to your problems lies in achieving Inner Harmony.'

'Maybe,' muttered Adam, rising out of his seat. 'But…I'd have to unlock my chakras for that. My chi paths are "blocked", or something. I'm still working on it.'

'I'm certain you will eventually succeed,' he assured, gesturing towards the door at the back of the room. Adam nodded and made his way out.

'It's going to be a while before I can truly help,' he admitted, grimacing. 'I'm not sure how long the Butterfly Kingdom can hold on…'

Ophis looked down, slightly conflicted. He said nothing as Adam left the room. Adam walked through the Prime Court, and was halfway down, when Ophis suddenly left his office.

'Adam!'

Adam frowned and looked back. Ophis was holding his cane.

'Your cane.'

Adam smiled reluctantly. Instantly, his limp returned, and he had to hobble back for it. He took the walking stick.

'Thanks,' he said, biting his lip. Ophis nodded and stepped back into his office as Adam limped away towards Argynos, who was standing by the exit.

As he left, though, he failed to notice someone in the shadows. They hid around the corner, watching Adam as he walked away from the Prime Court building with Argynos. The individual reached for their radio receiver and spoke calmly into it.

'Primajora is on the move.'

Another day broke over the city of Apophis, indicated by the artificial sun affixed to the hyper-glass biodome. The hospital stood tall above the elderly buildings, Of course, at this early hour in the morning, there was only one thing Adam would be doing in his room at the hospital.

Meditating.

Adam was floating an inch above the ground. His body produced a dull blue glow, as his head jerked erratically. Every movement had a slight over-correction, as though he were accounting for the involuntary spasms his own magic was giving him. Laid out in front of him was a heavy hardback tome, crusted with dust and old hairs.

The chi paths within him had become blocked. The books in the library had said that extreme distress, involving both physical and emotional trauma, could cause one's connection to the Source of Magic to be disrupted. This would then result in the mystion channels being disengaged, causing the chi paths to the soul becoming clogged. What they were clogged with, exactly, Adam didn't quite understand. It was all very spiritual – a form of magic that was scarcely apparent on the rest of Mewni.

The only way to unblock his chi paths, was to unlock his chakras. These hubs of energy were the only way to fully restore his connection to his magic. Doing so would "achieve Inner Harmony". Few had ever been known to accomplish this, and none of them were currently alive.

Adam was on his own. Which, then again, was something he was accustomed to throughout his life.

He felt a power coursing through him. It was almost electric to his fingertips, but he could feel it come to a dead stop somewhere inside him. It was like…it ran in a circuit, but that circuit wasn't properly connected.

Adam moved his hands into a half lotus position. He held out his hands before him. Sparks began to fly out his palms, before they focussed into one spherical mass of embers.

A bright red ball of Crimson Comet hovered in his hands. Blood began to seep from his nose, slowly oozing out, as he steadily opened his eyes.

His hands were shaking. He could feel warm blood trickling onto his lips and vitreous fluid leaking from his eyes. Adam clenched his jaw down, glowering at the pain that wracked his body. He groaned and grunted, as if trying to hold back a dam of blood and agony.

The Crimson Comet began to flicker. It shifted in his hands, filling Adam with alarm. He could not react in time to prevent himself losing control.

The ball of fire shot out of his hands and hit him squarely in the chest. Adam was knocked out of the air, slamming in the nearby wall. He moaned in pain as his skin and clothes sizzled with heat. A wide burn mark marred his chest.

Adam leaned back for a moment, taking deep, painful breaths. Eventually, he garnered the strength to crawl over to the large book open on the ground.

In a scream of blind rage, he picked up the book and hurled it across the room. It struck the wall and hit the ground with a thud. Adam fell on his back, staring up at the ceiling and panting for breath.

How many times was he going to try this? How many more failures? Was there even any merit to this "Inner Harmony" stuff? There was no point. He wasn't getting better. He'd lucked out in casting Spectral Aim to catch Abel. After all, he couldn't cast more than two spells without feeling nauseous enough to pass out.

'You're really outdoing yourself now, man.'

Adam blinked. He knew that voice. He looked down and sat up.

Beru was standing in front of him, looking just as rugged yet hopeful as he had been the day that he died. Adam nearly choked on the air in his throat, momentarily forgetting about the burn in his chest.

'B-Beru?' he sputtered, sitting up and resting his back against the wall. The boy smiled.

'Hey, Adam.'

Adam let go of the breath he was subconsciously holding. He blinked. 'You're…you're not really here.'

Beru looked away, crestfallen.

'No.' He sat down beside Adam and put a hand on his shoulder. 'But you are. You're still alive. Don't you think that means something?'

'It means I got lucky.'

'You always say that,' he lamented. 'But surviving this many life-or-death situations doesn't just happen. It's clear. You're meant for something. You're not meant to just give up and throw in the towel.'

'What else am I supposed to do?!' snapped Adam, shaking his head. 'Nothing I've tried has worked. I failed. Just like I failed to defeat Dark Star. Just like I failed to see past my own stupid obsession for revenge.' He looked down. 'Just like I failed you.'

'So that's the deal, huh? You're just gonna give up? The Adam I know is better than that.'

'I'm not the Adam you knew, Beru,' he confessed. 'I'm…something less than that. Just a shadow.'

'No, you're not. You're still you. You can't just give up.'

'Why not?'

'Because this is about more than just you,' reasoned Beru. 'And you know that. Star, Marco, Eclipsa…Janna. Are you just going to let them die?'

'They very well may already be dead. I already condemned them because of my own mistakes!'

'You remember that one thing you'd always say? "I'd much rather try to fix your mistakes than mull over them."' Beru adjusted his red hat. 'Adam…do you remember what I said, in that cave we reunited in, just after the Purge? Never give up. Never give in. Never let it be in vain.'

Adam shook his head. 'I know, Beru, but…how much more do I have to endure? I…I don't know if I can keep going on like this. I dedicated my whole life to selfish revenge. Now…now I see it was just an obsession. I-I can't…can't even think. I don't know what to do with myself.'

'So, you find a new purpose,' Beru said, smiling softly at him. 'Yeah…this mission, it was all you had. It consumed your whole life. But it doesn't have to, anymore. You can commit yourself to something greater. Helping people, like you've always wanted.'

'I've lost…too much. I can't put anyone else in danger,' Adam replied, hugging his knees. 'But you're right. They're up there fighting, and here I am, ready to give up on them. But what can I do? I can barely walk, Beru.'

'I know you're worried about your friends. I know you want to get back to them. You still can. The only way is to achieve Inner Harmony. To do that, you need to accept your failings as teachings. You have to be at peace with yourself. It won't happen instantly, and it won't be easy…but it's not impossible.'

Adam sniffed away some tears. After a while, he nodded. He glanced down at the burns on his chest. He was going to need some cream for that later.

'Okay…Beru. I'll try things your way,' he muttered, pursing his lips.

When he heard no response, he looked to his side. Beru had disappeared. Well, he had never really been there in the first place, but it felt crushingly real. Alone once again, but reinvigorated, Adam looked down at the ground.

'Thank you, Beru.'

Gently, Adam stood to his feet. He let out a loud groan of pain as he stumbled over to the mirror. He reached for the burn cream and smeared it across his burnt chest. A flash of pain flickered through his body, but eventually, it died down. Adam reached for his cane.

As Adam hobbled his way out, he looked around the hospital ward. He didn't see as many people as he expected.

'Hello?' Adam called, edging forward on his walking stick. 'It can't be that early, can it?'

There wasn't much in way of noise around the hospital. Adam had lived in this place for weeks, and usually it was bustling. Even as he went down the stairs, and arrived in the reception area, there didn't seem to be anyone around. Nobody in the waiting room, even the hospital staff appeared to have absconded.

'Hello?! Is anyone…around?'

This definitely wasn't normal. A cold shiver ran down his back as he exited the hospital through the big glass doors.

As soon as he walked down the stone steps and onto the street, a loud explosion wracked his ears. He felt the vibrations echoing throughout his entire body, rattling his bones.

Adam stumbled back, just as two APD police officers ran by him with their guns equipped.

'What the hell's going on?!' he cried at them, as they came to a brief stop.

'Didn't you hear the evacuation alert?' one of the yelled back.

'The exterior hull on the east side has been breached!' exclaimed the other one, rushing to their hover-cycles and speeding off.

'The east side…' Adam muttered to himself, frowning in thought. 'The east side…' The realisation dawned upon him. 'The care home!'

Adam took off, bolting in the direction of the children's home. The pain in his leg flared up exponentially, like a thousand knives stabbing into him all at once. He scarcely held back a howl of pain ripped straight from his throat, as adrenaline pumped through his veins.

Tears of agony streamed from his eyes. Despite the rush, his psychosomatic limp persisted, making it nearly impossible for him to keep up this pace on the way to the children's home. Nearly.

His pace might have been inconsistent, but it was speedy enough to make it toward the children's home with haste. He crossed the two miles on foot, running past the numerous soldiers heading the same way. He witnessed people being escorted from their homes, and it seemed as though the air traffic had been entirely grounded. That left only ground transportation. Adam took a mental note of that once he figured out what the hell was going on.

They said the hull of the dome on the east side had been "breached". From the ground level, he couldn't see the supposed area that had been affected, but he heard distant explosions.

As he ran down the alley towards the children's home, he spotted something on the next street. An APD officer pushed back a tall soldier clad in bulky metal armour. The knight carried an energized magical sword, and a thick shield.

There was a butterfly insignia on their chest plate.

Adam's breathing hitched. His jaw almost dropped. A Butterfly Empire Knight. He clenched his fist around his walking stick as he hurried down the alleyway. He peered around the corner.

The APD officer fought with her stun baton, locking blade with the knight. The Empire Knight shoved her back and unleashed a flurry of attacks, which the officer barely managed to block. She did, however, manage to knock the helmet off their head, sending it tumbling to the cobblestone pavement. The Knight glared at them, striking their stun baton with their sword with enough strength to knock it out of their hands.

Adam's eyes widened with alarm. This wasn't looking good.

The APD officer rushed for their stun baton, but the knight got there first. They kicked them in the stomach. She lay on the ground, clutching her stomach in pain. The knight sneered, a sadistic expression on their face, as they held a sword flush against her throat.

'Fool. The Empire is feared for a reason! We –'

THWACK!

A blunt wooden object struck them over the head, and they slumped to the ground. The APD officer looked up in surprise. Adam was standing over her, a second away from falling over before he lowered his walking stick.

'You, uh, alright?' he asked nervously. 'I'd help you up, but, uh…' He nodded at his missing arm.

She groaned in pain and slowly got to her feet.

'I'm fine…' she muttered, clambering over to her stun baton. She picked it up and glanced back at him. 'You're…you're Adam Butterfly, right? The Butterfly Kingdom's RMA?'

'Yep. That's…that's me!'

'I could use your help,' she said, clutching the side of her forehead. 'That magic of yours could come in handy.'

Adam almost wanted to laugh at the suggestion. Help her? How was he supposed to help her with one arm and a painful limp?

'I can't. I need to make sure the children are safe.' He wiped his brow, trying to avoid hyperventilating. He pointed shakily at the knight. 'Do…do you know what's going on? That…that's an Empire Knight! How are the Empire here? Did they find us?!'

'I'm not entirely sure,' she admitted. 'Transmissions from General Sloane said that the Empire breached the hull in the early hours of the morning. There're more knights up ahead, this one' – she lightly kicked the unconscious knight at their feet – 'has been the only one to get through. I gotta take him to the detention facility.'

'Good luck with that,' bid Adam, nodding. 'I would help if I could, but I have to make sure the children are safe. They're the most important thing to me right now.'

'I understand,' she assured, waving a hand dismissively. 'But if you do get the chance…head to the Barracks on Abbernew Way. You're pretty much the only one here who has experience with fighting the Empire.'

'I will!' he yelled, as he hurried off towards the children's home.

As he arrived at the care home, he noticed that the lights were off. Yet it was definitely early enough for everybody to be there. It was not a good sign. He hurried over to the door and shuffled through his pocket for the door key. He shoved it into the lock and twisted it, proving it that it was indeed locked.

Adam opened the door and peered inside warily.

'Hello…?' he uttered, gingerly stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. A hue of blue light sheened over the whole room, like somebody had sapped out all the warmth and redness. 'Is anyone –'

'AAAAH!'

Adam moved around in time to dodge a bat to the face. He ducked, eliciting a groan of pain from his psychosomatic leg. He looked up. Sylvia was standing over him, brandishing the bat, with Jason standing behind her with a weapon of his own. She frowned.

'Adam?' she uttered, lowering the bat. 'What are you doing here? It's your day off!'

'I just heard the alert,' he replied, as Sylvia helped him up. 'I had to get here. Make sure the children are safe.'

'The whole city's under attack, you're injured and on pills, and…your first thought is of them?' Jason remarked. Adam nodded warily. 'Wow…that's…that's pretty admirable.'

'Thanks, I guess.'

'Do you know what's going on, Adam?' asked Sylvia. 'I mean…there was a city-wide alert, but…no information. And all the telecom and holonet lines are dead.'

'The Empire. They're here,' he said, gritting his teeth. 'They're attacking on the east side. There's…not enough time to evacuate, so…we need to hide the children. Where are they?'

'They're in the living room with Michael,' replied Jason, nodding over to the sliding door. The three of them all went over to the door, and Sylvia reached forward to slide it open.

Sure enough, all the children sat huddled around the couch, with Michael sitting with them. He patted them on the backs and smiled cautiously. He looked up as Sylvia opened the door and his eyes widened in surprise.

'A–'

'ADAM!'

A little strawberry-blonde-haired girl shot up from behind the couch and leapt into his arms. Adam smiled and caught her in a hug.

'Hey, Lily,' he greeted happily. 'You okay?'

'I'm scared,' she murmured. 'What's going on? What's happening?'

'It's going to be okay, Lily,' he promised, stroking her hair comfortingly. 'Just stay calm. We're going to put you all somewhere safe.' After a while, he let go of her. He looked over at Michael. 'Mike, do you know anywhere we can hide the kids? We can't risk the Empire finding them.'

Michael stood up in alarm. 'The Empire?! They're here?'

'Yes, and we need to find somewhere to hide them!' Adam snapped, groaning. 'We're on the clock here!'

'Y-Yes, sorry,' he apologised, shaking his head abashedly. 'There's…a crawlspace, in the basement, which leads to a disused room. Should be large enough to fit everyone.'

'Then what are waiting for?' He gestured urgently for the children to get up. 'Go, go, go!'

Instantly, all the children in the room stood up and raced towards the door. Michael got in front of the crowd and beckoned for them to follow them. Sylvia and Jason formed chaperones for the younger kids, encouraging them to follow on "a little adventure". Adam stood for a few moments, watching as everybody left.

He felt someone tugging on his sleeve. Adam looked down. Lily was below him, her big blue eyes staring up at him.

'Are…are you coming?' she asked. Adam bit his lip.

'Yes, of course,' he replied, putting an arm around her. 'Come on. We need to get you all somewhere safe.'

Lily nodded and took his hand, following him as they walked down the stairs to the basement. Adam made sure to keep her from slipping or misplacing her foot on the stone steps. Once they made it to the bottom, he ushered her forward. All the children followed Michael as he arrived at an old, dusty door latch.

'In here,' he said, releasing the door latch and sliding it open. Indeed, there was a sizeable crawlspace built into the wall, which led to a small room on the other side, providing them enough to space to fit at least all the children. 'Now come on, kids, form a line!' They did exactly as he said. 'Come on, all of you, inside!'

The queue of children gradually got shorter as they all made their way through the crawlspace and into the other room. Adam pushed Lily forward, and she reluctantly crawled her way through and came out the other end.

'Sylvia, you go next,' said Adam. She nodded unquestioningly and followed after the children into the other room. Adam gestured towards Jason, and he went into the disused old room on the other end.

'It's getting really cramped in here,' Jason warned. 'We can only fit one more person. One of you is going to have to stay behind.'

Adam didn't need to think twice. 'I will.'

'No!' yelled Lily. 'I-I'll go! I can stay behind!'

'No, Lily,' Adam insisted, looking down the crawlspace and into her eyes. 'I am responsible for you, and I will not let you get hurt because of me. Stay there and do NOT move.' His stern voice lowered her head.

'Yes Da-um, Adam.' Her words almost broke his heart, but he knew this was for the best. Michael put a hand on his shoulder.

'You're keeping her safe. It's the right thing to do.'

'I know,' he murmured, sighing. 'It's just…I saw them. The Empire. They're here. I…I don't know if it's because of me or not. If they knew I were here, Dark Star would be here. Doesn't look like it. If she were here, she'd make sure we all knew it.' He clutched his hair in frustration. 'Either way…the Empire being here is bad news. If we're lucky, they'll only try to take over. Else…' He spared a nervous glance to the children at the end of the crawlspace. '…it could be much worse. It puts everyone in danger. The children are in danger.'

'I will keep them safe until my last breath,' replied Michael, putting a hand on his shoulder. 'We all will. You need to go help where you can. You're the only one in the whole city who really knows anything about the Empire.'

'Help? I'm missing an arm and I've got a limp. What can I do?'

'There's always a way you can help,' he responded, smiling. 'I know you want to, no matter how much those injuries have been affecting you. You might have been…downtrodden, with everything that's happened, but you can't change your nature. I knew, from the moment I met you…you would stop at nothing to protect all that you care about. I'd be asking too much of you, and you would be asking too much of yourself, to tell you to ignore that instinct. We are who are we, no? You need to embrace both your flaws and your strengths.'

Adam exhaled pensively through his nostrils. He looked down at the ground, then briefly at Lily, who was holding back tears. After a while, he nodded.

'I will. Thanks, Michael. For everything.'

Michael patted him on the back. 'Good luck.'

Adam went on his way, hobbling up the stairs on his limp at the fastest speed he could muster. Michael stared at his wake, on the verge of climbing into the crawlspace.

'He better come back in one piece.'

Another one down! Thank you for reading the latest chapter of 'Star vs the Forces of the Negative Multiverse'! It's really ramping up now.

From Moon's perspective at the start, to River's plan to use Eclipsa to push back the Empire, to Adam steadily working towards Inner Harmony and hallucinating Beru, to the Empire attacking Apophis in the early hours of the morning! What a rollercoaster, eh? I really enjoyed writing the newspaper article regarding Eclipsa's fight against the Empire briefly mentioned a few chapters ago. I love references, I suppose, and I wanted to clarify that the Great Monsoon has affected the Boiling Isles, too. And to give a more vivid image of the absolute carnage that Eclipsa wreaked on the Empire, and how badly her mental state is in that she showed little regard for collateral damage.

River's plan to push back the Empire won't be the way they achieve victory, of course. In fact, you can glean that the events shown in that passage was actually a flashback (the Bonesborough massacre is mentioned in the previous episode, which took place two weeks prior to this chapter). So really this is meant to show what Moon and her kingdom are doing to stay in the game, and more importantly, how they're able to keep the Empire off their backs later on. It was also meant to show how Moon is dealing with Adam's death, as well as Eclipsa. Moon is the kind to heavily compartmentalise and hyperfocus on the mission to distract herself from her burgeoning grief.

So, Adam's trying to achieve Inner Harmony. Spiritual magic is the name for this brand of magic, it's a secondary classification like Alteration or Transmutation, but it's almost entirely specific to Apophian magic. It's seldom studied in the Butterfly Kingdom, for a number of reasons. It's highly complex, and Apophis's generally isolationist nature has prevented much of this information from being shared. Moon, however, is aware of Spiritual magic. Though she does not practice it. If it isn't obvious enough already, this whole shit about chakras and chi paths being blocked is meant to be an allegory for Adam's insecurities and self-doubt. I don't think I needed to spell that out, but just to make sure there was no confusion. Even after achieving Inner Harmony, this does not make one's insecurities or flaws simply disappear, it only allows them to make peace with them. That's the point. It's not about simply flushing them all down the drain and becoming divine perfection. It's also worth noting that the Whispering Spell will have lingering effects on Adam probably for the rest of his life, and he may not even reach his full potential because of it. So it's not like achieving Inner Harmony will simply erase the consequences of his death in Chapter 51. I would never want to do that.

He also spoke with imaginary Beru for a bit. Keep in mind Beru's words to him in that scene, and also in the flashback scene shown a few chapters prior. I didn't throw these in for backstory and inspiration, I placed them there to preface and advance the whole "Adam gaining his magic back" plotline. At least Adam managed to stay useful by drawing up a map of Negative Mewni. Yeah, it's obvious that the lengthy description is simply to give a vivid understanding of the geography of the main continent (as it had never been made that clear up until now), but I hope it wasn't boring to read.

And now, the Empire strikes back! (Couldn't resist the reference, sorry.)

But how did they find Apophis? What happened? Clearly they don't know Adam's alive yet, because otherwise Dark Star would be there, so something else must've happened. As I mentioned, Adam's presence in Apophis is public knowledge (to Apophians), but his relationship with Dark Star is not. You can probably get an idea about what happened, but it will all be explained soon.

I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot. Probably because of the Owl House references at the beginning. I love the Owl House, and I love SVTFOE, so I love making references.

I don't know if you readers actually noticed, but there have been multiple references to the Demon Realm and the Boiling Isles already. The Boiling Isles was mentioned by name in Chapter 52, of course, but the Demon Realm was mentioned in Chapter 47 ("Vanguard of Elysium"), and the Boiling Isles was alluded to in Chapter 43 ("The Web of Creation"), in which a "large island" that was "borne from the vast remains of a giant's skeleton" was seen in the titular Web. Amphibia was also mentioned, referred to as a "strange swampy marshland populated by frog-people". Eagled-eyed viewers certainly would have spotted this, but I felt like mentioning it anyway.

Anyways, I've rambled on for long enough. Thank you very much all for your support, and (for some of you) taking the time to read through these lengthy author's notes! I'll see you all in the next chapter, which is titled "An Octarine Twilight"!