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thdorkmagnet · 4 years

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Light of the Sun and Star Chapter 38: Children of the Night

Summary: His whole life Marco Diaz has been raised by monsters, living under the cruel rule of their leader, Toffee. But one day Marco escapes into Mewni where he meets a magical princess and Mewman like himself, who begins teaching him all about her world. Together they will learn about life, love, and the lights within each of them, as they change their world forever.

Chapter Synopsis: Janna has chosen to stay with the Impures but struggles to break the news to her naïve friend, Marco. How will he take the news?

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Index

Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. All rights go to them.

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All was peaceful in the Ordonia household, for now at least. Night had passed by in a flash, the celebratory dinner soon leading to a party which led to late hours of fun- if not creepy- activities which led to not a single member of the household getting a good night's sleep. Luckily though, sleeping in was never opposed by the Impures, who were used to staying up into the late hours of the night, they were the Children of the Night, after all. Marco, however, was not used to sleeping in for so long. Normally he left the window in his room open so that the sunlight could trickle in and wake him from his slumber peacefully. That or he was much more rudely awakened by the small forms of Daisy and Violet jumping on him and demanding he get up and play with them. But this morning Marco had the luxury of neither, meaning he had to rely on his sleepy, exhausted mind to wake him.

It was still pitch black in the Ordonia's guest room, one that Jade had kindly let Marco stay in, and his mind seemed to have been fooled by the lack of lighting into thinking it was still nighttime despite the fact that he was beyond well-rested at this point and should get up. But he was still stuck in a deep slumber that seemed intent on keeping him there for an indefinite amount of time still. Or at least it would have stayed that way, if it hadn't been for the sudden hissing noise that invaded his senses and more importantly, his dreams.

Suddenly, his peaceful picnic with Mackie Hand, dream Star, and cartoon sheep was cut short as the boy found himself moving in for a kiss with Star only to see that her head had been replaced with that of a snake. Marco screamed and quickly turned to see the rest of his guests were the same, all staring at him with beady eyes and forked tongues and the boy let out another loud scream of terror.

The hooded teen awoke from his dream with a start, sitting up in his bed and panting heavily. He blinked a few times, the dark room startling his senses as his eyes struggled to adjust, trying to remember where exactly he was and why it was so dark. But he soon remembered the previous day's events and he allowed his tense muscles to relax, letting out a deep sigh of relief. But this was short-lived as he felt something slither along his back and he froze, turning around ever so slowly to see what it was that was in his bed with him. Marco's heart nearly stopped right there as he spotted the intruder, a small snake, its blue and purple scaled body sparkling like it was made of crystal and its beady eyes locked with his own.

There was a beat of silence, before Marco screamed, his voice practically rattling the walls of his room as he scrambled to the end of the bed, putting as much distance between himself and the snake as he could. The snake seemed to stare at him in confusion, its tongue flickering out once before it began slithering closer, easily flowing over Marco's tangled bedsheets. "Ahh, no stay back!" the boy screamed, trying desperately to get away from the serpent as he jumped off the bed. But the snake was not far behind as its coiled body smoothly flowed off the bed, now slithering across the floor toward Marco. The boy squeaked before jumping up onto the nearest piece of furniture he could find which was a dusty desk, knocking his backpack off and scattering the contents across the floor. The snake easily maneuvered around the objects in its way, moving closer and closer to its target, all the while Marco continued to scream. "Ahh, someone help me! It's gonna eat me!"

The door to the room was flung open to reveal Janna, looking tired and half-asleep but a smug smile rose on her lips as she spotted Marco's ridiculous pose on top of the desk, he looked like a startled cat, his face paler than the girl thought she had ever seen, even his cheek marks switching to exclamation marks. Janna resisted the urge to laugh, as she just said to him sarcastically, "Uhh, is this some new morning exercise routine I should know about?"

Marco, however, was unable to answer due to his chattering teeth and he just began pointing down at the ground, only managing to stutter out, "Sn-Sn-Sn-"

"Ssnnack?" Janna guessed, giving the boy a concerned but clearly amused look.

"Snake!" the boy screamed, just as the reptile's body looped around his arm, the boy not even noticing it slithering up him until now. Marco yelled again, waving his arm around in an attempt to get the thing off while covering his eyes with his other hand. Janna, however, only gasped, her eyes widening as she screamed out, "Oh my gosh, Edith!"

"Edith? Who's Edith?" the hooded teen asked in confusion, before watching his friend race over and unwrap the snake from the boy's arm, allowing it to slither around her own arm instead, her grin wide and her eyes shimmering with joy. The half-Monster girl began scratching the serpent under the chin, as she replied, "Duh, it's this little lady here. Good job, Marco, you found my old pet snake."

"You had a pet snake?" Marco said in surprise, though he really shouldn't be. That made a little too much sense actually. He kept a wary eye on the serpent and leaning purposely away from it, just in case.

"Sure did, though I figured she died a long time ago, can't believe she's still alive after all this time," Janna said thoughtfully, still scratching her pet under the chin as it hissed in pleasure.

"But don't snakes eat rats? Isn't having her a little risky?" Marco asked, thinking of all the poor vermin that Nox had said were allowed to freely come and go in this place. He hoped none of them had ended up in Edith's belly.

"Normal snakes maybe but Edith here is a Gem Feeder, she only eats gemstones," Janna explained. She paused before adding, "Or rocks if we got nothing else."

Marco's eyebrow raised, staring over at Edith curiously. A snake that eats rocks, that had to be one of the more bizarre things he had come across in his time on Mewni. He took a step forward, bending down so he could study the serpent closer, asking hesitantly, "I-Is it okay, if I pet her?"

"Sure, go ahead," Janna said, holding her arm out, allowing Marco to pet her easier. The boy took in a deep breath, before raising a shaky hand toward the hissing snake, trying to swallow down the fear he felt bubbling up in his chest. The half-Monster noticed this, telling him, "Relax, Marco, it's not like she's gonna bite you."

The hooded teen swallowed, nodding slowly. He cringed before reaching out a hand again, gingerly touching the top of Edith's head. The snake's reaction was instant as she suddenly turned and hissed at him, barring her almost metal looking fangs, and Marco screamed, stumbling back in fear. He pressed himself flat against the wall, staring at the vicious serpent with a pale face and wide eyes. Janna, however, just smiled and told her friend, "That just means she likes you."

Marco had his doubts about that.

Suddenly, though the peace in the house was shattered as a loud shout from downstairs echoed its way up to the small guest room, starling the two teens within. Janna and Marco shared looks of concern, both clearly recognizing the voice as none other than Jade Ordonia. And she sounded angry. Very angry.

Marco and Janna tip-toed down the crooked staircase, keeping quiet so they wouldn't alert anyone to their presence just yet. But the two stopped about halfway down as they spotted Lord Nox standing in the middle of the living room, his tall form imposing and violent as he stared down Janna's mother, who held his glare with one of her own. Janna, instantly dropping into a crouch to avoid being spotted, Marco doing the same next to her, the two watching in nervous silence as the confrontation between the two Impure adults continued.

"I don't think you quite understand the seriousness of your actions, Jade," Nox spat, his voice vile and filled with so much hatred that it caused Marco to shudder. This was the most livid he thought he had ever seen the Impure leader, his bursts of anger nothing compared to this. He looked like he was about ready to rip Janna's mother to shreds. "What your ignorance nearly cost us. What it nearly cost her!" Nox's voice cracked at the last word, sadness creeping into his features for just a second. Marco gave Janna a quick look, making sure she was okay, but the girl had on an impassive mask, staring straight ahead while completely ignoring her friend's gaze.

"Of course I understand," Jade replied, her tone harsh but Marco and Janna couldn't tell if that was toward Nox or herself. "Don't you think I'm well aware of that fact! I've had to live with that guilt now for years."

"Don't try and play the victim on me, Jade!" Nox shouted, his tone practically rattling the walls, his fangs bared and his eyes gleaming a dark, evil green. "You knew very well what you were doing that day. You made your choice and it nearly cost Janna her life. And then you tried to cover it up. You lied to us, allowed us to believe she was dead."

"Until yesterday I thought she was!"

"That isn't an excuse!" Nox screamed and both teens cringed at the Impure's tone.

There was a short pause, but to Janna and Marco it felt like it lasted an eternity. Finally, Nox let out a breath, before saying in a much calmer voice, "Do not think that you will be let off easily after what you've done. I held my tongue yesterday, because Eclipsa knows that girl doesn't need to see any more suffering but this is far from over, Jade. Janna may have forgiven you, but as far as I'm concerned, you are a criminal and a traitor to your kind. There will be punishment for your actions, that I assure you. And after everything you put Janna through, I can guarantee it will be too light for my liking."

"I accept the fact that I made a mistake, that I wronged her and everyone else. Which is why I'm trying to make up for it," Jade said in desperation, her voice shaking as she struggled to keep her emotions at bay.

"Good, then you can face your punishment with the little amount of decency you have left," Nox replied.

Jade's eyes narrowed, her previous sadness draining from her all at once. "I know I did wrong, but don't you think that's a bit harsh?!" Jade shouted, clearly offended by the comment.

"No," Nox snapped, banging his staff against the ground once, instantly silencing any further outbursts from the woman and causing both teens to jump. He moved closer till their faces were now only inches apart, the look in his eyes deadly and grim as he spoke in a low, hostile tone, "I don't think you quite understand. If I had it my way you would be dead where you stand. And the only reason you are still breathing right now is out of respect for Janna, not out of sympathy for you."

Marco shifted uncomfortably from his position on the stairs, feeling more and more awkward with every passing second. He felt bad for listening in on what was clearly a private conversation, one he was certain he wasn't allowed to hear, and he found himself debating on whether or not he should stay and risking being discovered eavesdropping or quietly head back to his room and try to get his mind off the tense situation taking place downstairs (which seemed unlikely). The hooded teen bit his lip, feeling torn between these two decisions, turning to Janna in hopes she would know what to do.

The second he did, though, Marco couldn't help but stare sadly over at his friend, Janna's eyes flashing with emotions she was clearly trying to suppress, her body tense and her knuckles white from the death grip she was holding the railing with, Marco surprised it hadn't broken under her massive strength. He was about to put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to comfort her in some way, when the girl suddenly stood out of nowhere, Marco staring up at her in confusion.

Janna's face filled with determination as she sucked in a deep breath, all the pain and negativity vanishing from her form, concealed behind an indifferent mask. The girl's eyes opened, plastering on a bright smile as she did, one that even Marco (who had watched the whole transformation completely transfixed) couldn't recognize as being fake or forced and he could only gap in shock at how believable it looked. Then to his greater surprise, Janna started walking down the stairs, without a care in the world, shouting over to the two Impures in greeting, "Morning mom!"

Nox and Jade immediately whipped their heads around to Janna, clearly surprised to see her there, their eyes wide with worry at being seen or possible overheard. A dark look flashed between the two adults, silently promising a longer discussion in the future before they directed their attention entirely on the two teens. They plastered on their own fake smiles, as Jade said cheerfully, if not a bit forced, "Hello dear, we didn't hear you get up." As she said this she raised a hand to touch her daughter's face, only to think better of it letting it drop to her side instead.

"Yeah well, I can be pretty sneaky when I want to be," Janna replied with a casual shrug, trying to ignore her mother's hesitancy.

"And where is, young Marco," Nox asked, curiously. "Don't tell me he's still sleeping?"

"I'm right here!" Marco called out, his voice cracking against his will, as he quickly shot to his feet, trying to give them a bright smile, much like Janna had done but it felt forced coming from his lips, looking more like he was cringing than smiling. He noticed the suspicious looks from the two Impure adults and stuttered out an explanation for his odd behavior as he descended the last of the steps, "I was just... uh, tying my shoe."

Jade and Nox quickly looked down to said boy's feet, observing his completely laceless, slip-on tennis shoes without a word, Nox instead saying pleasantly, "Well it's nice to see you again, Marco Diaz. I trust you slept well."

"Oh yeah, I slept great!" Marco replied, in his typical cheerful tone as the uncomfortable atmosphere seemed to finally dissolve thanks to the Impure leader's efforts. "Uhhh, but I hope we weren't interrupting anything important," he added, sheepishly looking between the two.

Nox and Jade shared a quick look, before the leader said in a strained tone, "Nothing you should concern yourselves over."

"Hope we didn't wake you two," Jade added with a wide smile.

"Nah, I was already up," Janna replied with a shrug before she began scratching Edith's chin, whose small body was now half-way wrapped around her neck. "And old Edith here did the waking up for Marco."

"Oh Edith, you little rascal," Jade commented, stepping over to pet Edith herself, Janna instinctively flinching at her mother's sudden movement. "So that's where you've been hiding," the woman added in a scolding tone, shooting the snake a glare. But it switched to an apologetic smile as she turned over to the hooded teen, "I hope she didn't give you too much of a start, Marco."

"Oh no, she was fine," Marco lied, giving Jade an awkward, halfhearted grin.

"Really Marco? Cause you were screaming like crazy and climbing up onto furniture when I came in," Janna reminded him with a teasing look and the boy blushed bright red on the unnecessary reminder.

"Oh is that what we heard," Nox commented, giving the boy a thoughtful expression. "We just assumed it was a Shrill Bug."

Marco looked shyly over to Janna, asking in a whisper, "Is my scream really that high-pitched?"

Janna put an arm around the boy, telling him in an encouraging tone, "Yeah, but look at it this way. If you're in trouble, we'll be able to hear you pretty much anywhere and come to help."

"That's not really that reassuring," Marco commented, before flinching and pulling away from his friend's grip as Edith hissed at him again.

Nox chuckled lightly at the boy, before saying, "You should be grateful to have people looking out for you, Marco. Not everyone has that."

Marco thought that over for a second, before replying brightly, "Yeah, that's true."

"Hey mom, you didn't tell me Edith was still around," Janna spoke up.

"'Around' being a loose term," Jade commented sarcastically. "She's only here long enough to eat most of the time and then disappears for days on end." She paused, giving Edith another pat. "But yes, I'm just as surprised as you she's still breathing. Every time I think she's gone for good she just pops up somewhere again."

"Are you sure it's the same snake?" Marco supplied and the Impure woman immediately nodded.

"Oh yes, I'm quite certain. I'd know those beady, little eyes anywhere," Jade replied.

"Yep, Edith is one of a kind," Janna added.

"If you say so," Marco said politely, deciding to take the Ordonia's word on it since he knew close to nothing about snakes. He watched as mother and daughter continued petting and cooing over the serpent, who seemed quite fond of the affection, and couldn't help but smile at the sight of his friend being able to enjoy a moment with her mom. Nox, as well, had gone silent, though his eyes held more judgment in them, struggling to keep this moment at bay as the moment stretched on.

Finally, Marco let out a little laugh, saying cheerfully over to his friend, "Maybe we should take Edith with us when we go back, Janna. I bet Violet would freak out if she saw you had a pet snake."

Jade and Janna immediately froze, the latter staring at the boy blankly, fighting to keep her emotions at bay. Marco saw this and tensed up himself, giving his friend a confused look, his eyes swirling with worry that he had said something wrong. Jade didn't meet the boy's eye, instead staring intensely down at her daughter, waiting to hear what she would say, while Nox's keen eyes jumped back and forth between the two teens. He didn't quite understand what was going on, but he could tell by Janna's reactions that it wasn't pleasant.

"Yeah, we might," Janna finally replied, giving the boy the most genuine smile she could manage, ignoring the judging stares of her mom and leader, keeping her focus entirely on her sensitive friend. But this seemed to be enough to satisfy the hooded teen as he just grinned again, his eyes shimmering with naïve innocence once more.

Nox, sensing the need to change the subject, quickly said, "Marco, I was planning on preparing breakfast for these two as a sort of welcome home present. Would you be interested in helping me out? Maybe you can even show me some of your Mewman-style cooking if you'd like?"

"Oh sure, I'd love to!" Marco shouted, before enthusiastically running into the kitchen, already searching through cupboards and things for ingredients. A few seconds later there was a small scream, followed by shattering glass as Marco seemingly dropped a dish.

"Marco, everything okay?" Jade asked.

"Uhh, yeah, just... didn't expect a giant eyeball to be behind your cups," Marco replied, hesitantly and the thee Impures smiled at the sheepish tone.

"Well, duh where else was she gonna put it," Janna playful shouted over to the boy.

Marco's head poked out from behind the door, saying, "Ummm, literally anywhere else."

"I'll admit, I'm curious about your reasoning, as well," Nox spoke up and Jade turned to him with a stony stare.

"It was made of glass so I figured it would only make sense to keep it with the glasses," Jade explained sharply.

Nox didn't reply to that, seemingly ignoring Jade as he just walked into the kitchen saying, "Come, Marco, I'll help you clean up the glass, and then we can get started."

The moment the leader was out of the room, Jade turned to her daughter and asked worriedly, "Why didn't you tell him?" She paused, before adding hesitantly, "Are you reconsidering going back?"

Janna shook her head, keeping her focus on petting Edith and not her mom, as she replied softly, "No, it's not that. I just need more time to get him used to the idea first. He's... kinda sensitive and I don't want to just throw all this on him out of nowhere."

Jade nodded, as an uncomfortable silence began to build between them, neither able to quite face the other. After a moment, Jade simply said, "Well don't take too long or you might end up making it worse for him."

Janna's eyes filled with pain for a moment as she listened to her friend happily chatting with Nox in the next room, without a care in the world. She swallowed down the lump in her throat, sadly muttering out, "Yeah, I know."

…

Despite the slow and delayed beginning, the rest of the day in the Impure village was packed full of activities and events, so many that Marco and Janna began to lose count as every half-Monster seemed intent of dragging the teens around the village to show them something extraordinary. Marco seemed to especially be enjoying himself loving getting to learn about the Impure's intriguing, albeit creepy, culture. He learned from the young children how to play games like poison tag or making bone necklaces or even showing him how to make white outlines of what the kids said were "sleeping Mewmans" with chalk. Two young girls especially seemed to like being near Marco, talking to him in slow, breathy tones, or batting their eyelids at him, which Marco didn't think was too healthy or good for their eyes, and giving him piles of bone necklaces to wear. But oddest of all was how they would weirdly giggle and look away for some reason every time he said something to them, even if it wasn't funny. Maybe he just didn't understand Impure girls.

A few of the adults even answered some of Marco's questions about how they functioned in the light-less environment of the caves, teaching him a few tricks along the way such as how they washed their clothes in the underground stream, which plants growing on the cave walls were edible... how to fight off large beasts that regularly tried to sneak into their village. One group of Impures showing him how to make their famous skin flakes and garlic spider chow, which Marco reluctantly ate, doing his best not to spit it out despite it's terrible and bland taste. The older Impures answered questions about the past and their legacy, Marco particularly interested in stories relating to Eclipsa though very few of them knew more about her than what Nox had originally said.

Then of course, there were the festivities, many of the Impures showing off for their visitor, decorating their homes in long swats of purple cloth with bright gems on them that seemed to glow like stars despite no natural lighting being able to creep into the cave. Little statues of Eclipsa seemed to be on every corner of the quaint town, Marco unable to go two feet without seeing one. And he was even treated to a wonderful puppet show, along with a group of Impure children, about how Eclipsa used her dark magic to banish every last giant spider from the cave and send them into the woods outside where they belonged.

Marco was left in pure fascination over all of this, his natural curiosity and love for knowledge leaving him in a state of bliss as he was privileged enough to be taught things about the secret and well-hidden culture of the Impures.

Janna, meanwhile, seemed off to Marco, hanging back from all the fun and games mostly just watching it from a distance or if she did participate barely spoke a word, only making a sarcastic quip here or there. And the more this went on, the more convinced Marco became that something was wrong with his friend. With every hour that passed, she seemed more and more reserved and quiet, until finally, the answer clicked in Marco's brain. She was worried about leaving the village.

That had to be it. Of course she would be upset over that, after all, this was her old home, she probably didn't want to leave it so soon but Marco had already told Star that they would be back within a day or two. So, Marco decided that the best option would be to talk to her whenever he got the chance and let her know that they were going to come back and visit the village real soon. But with everything going on he didn't get a chance for quite some time as hours upon hours flew by in a haze of creepy, lighthearted activities.

Eventually, day drew to a close for the Impure village, the only indication of which being the many clocks scattered about the town (which even then didn't seem to match up with each other) and word of mouth by Nox, who seemed to know exactly when it was at all times, Marco wondering if maybe this was one of his powers or something. Things began to gradually slow until only a few Impures wandered the streets, and the three took advantage of the dimming activity to head back to their home, but not before Marco and Janna received cheerful goodbyes from the Impures, who all wished them safe travels. Nox even blessed Marco with what he called "The watchful eye of Eclipsa" which the hooded teen found both sweet and slightly creepy.

Finally, though Marco and the two Ordonia woman sluggishly shuffled back into their home, all letting out relieved sighs after such a long, draining day. "Ahh, it's good to be back," Jade commented, walking over to the couch and plopping down onto it, her legs sprawled out across it.

"Hey, make some room, you're not the only one tired, y'know," Janna commented playfully and her mother obeyed, sitting up straight and allowing her daughter to take a seat by her side.

"My, what a fun day, wasn't it? I can't think of the last time everyone was so upbeat and energetic over... well anything," Jade said with a bright smile.

Marco nodded and took a seat in a chair across from them, "Yeah, everyone was great! We should totally do that again, sometime."

Janna and Jade shared a quick look, the older woman giving a subtle nod over in Marco's direction, trying to encourage her daughter to say something. The beanie-wearing girl took in a quick breath, before saying, "Well actually Marco-"

But just then the phone in Marco's pocket went off, the familiar cheery ring-tone of "Space Unicorn" blaring out of it as the hooded teen smiled, saying excitedly, "Oh, hang on Star's calling!" The smile on his face was incapable of growing any wider as he hit the answer button, speaking brightly into the speaker, "Hey Star!"

The boy's cheek marks spun in a dizzying circle as the muffled voice of Star could be heard from the other line, though it was too quiet for Janna or Jade to make out. "Oh yeah, we're having a great time! Everyone here is super nice!"

More talking from Star's end, the boy seeming to hang on to her every word as she spoke and Janna couldn't help but smile at the sight. Even apart, those two couldn't get enough of each other, it was pretty adorable to watch, honestly. And definitely something she was going to miss when-

The girl frowned, as her thoughts now hung heavy on her mind, the old incessant reminder nagging at the back of her mind. She still had to tell Marco she was staying. She knew she couldn't keep putting this off, she needed to just get it over with, like ripping off a bandage, but Janna was fairly certain this would be one of the hardest things she would ever have to do. But at the same time-

Her gaze jumped over to her mom, as a tidal wave of emotions washed over her, trying to ignore the twist in her gut or the now rapid beating of her heart. No, she needed to see this through till the end.

A quick laugh from Marco, after Star said something apparently funny, brought Janna crashing back to reality. "Haha, yeah! So how are the twins? Are they doing okay?"

Another twist to Janna's gut. Oh man, how had she forgotten about the twins? Vi would be crushed when she heard she wasn't coming back for a while. Janna would have to find some way to make it up to her later.

"Aww!" Marco cooed in response to whatever it was Star said. "That is so sweet! I didn't even know you knew how to tell bedtime stories, Star!" Janna was able to pick up the subtle flirty tone of Star, before Marco added bashfully, "No, not surprised! I don't think there's anything you can't do."

The muffled coo that followed was unmistakable and Marco's smile somehow grew even wider, his suns glowing bright white for a brief second, before returning to their normal hue. Star seemed to ask something and Marco nodded, saying, "Mm-hmm, we were just getting ready to leave, actually. We should be home within a couple of hours, tops!"

Then, without a word to either Jade or Janna, Marco stood and began walking up the stairs to his guest room, presumably to pack, saying in an excited cheer, "Oh man Star, I can't wait to tell you everything that happened! So apparently Janna has a pet snake named Edith who only eats rocks, and her mom likes to hide all these creepy eyeballs all over the place and-"

Marco's voice slowly faded into the background as the boy disappeared into his room, the door closing shut a moment later. Once he was gone, an awkward silence filled the living room, Janna and Jade staring off into their own corners, not meeting each other's eye. The steady ticking of a clock was the only sound heard and with every measured beat the worse the silence grew. Until eventually, it was Jade who broke it, stating precisely what both of them had been thinking, "You have to go tell him."

"I know," Janna muttered, sounding more annoyed than she had intended.

"You can't put it off any longer, Janna," her mother pointed out and Janna internally groaned. "I mean, I think you've waited about as long as you possibly can-"

"Yeah, I know that too," the girl replied sharply, massaging her eyes with the palms of her hand's for a minute. "I'm just... not looking forward to this part," she admitted, giving a lost look over to the closed door.

"Well, it's best to get it over with," Jade said, giving her daughter's hand a quick pat before standing and heading toward the kitchen. "You'll feel better once you tell him," she added once over her shoulder.

The moment her mother was out of sight, Janna crossed her arms and mumbled under her breath, "Easy for you to say." The half-Monster girl felt a slithering around her neck and turned to see Edith resting happily on her shoulder and she asked her pet sarcastically, "Any chance you'd be willing to talk to Marco for me."

Edith's forked tongue flickered twice before she slithered down Janna's back and down the couch, heading to her little pile of gemstones in the corner. The beanie-wearing girl sighed, saying in a disheartened tone, "Yeah, didn't think so." She gave one last uncomfortable glance toward the door before forcing herself to her feet and headed up the creaky staircase. She had put this off for too long already, she had to tell Marco the truth... even if it killed her.

Janna could hear humming when she got to the door and she inwardly groaned at the happy, cheerful tone. Geez, Marco, why do you have to keep making this so much harder? She quickly opened the door, staring inside as Marco was busy stuffing his remaining supplies into his large backpack, his phone laying on the bed beside him, now clearly off. The hooded teen smiled as Janna entered, saying in his typical naive greeting, "Hey Janna!"

"Hey," the girl replied, leaning against the door frame as she tucked her hands into her pockets. It was now or never. "Listen, can we talk?"

Marco froze, his right hand halfway stuffed into his backpack as he just stared at her in shock. After a few seconds, the boy nodded numbly, pushing his backpack aside as he said, "Uh, sure, what did you want to talk about?"

Janna sucked in a deep breath, before saying hesitantly, "It's about... going back, uhh, I don't know how to tell you this but-"

"It's okay, I already know what you're going to say," Marco interrupted, shooting her with another of his bright smiles.

"You do?" Janna said in surprise, an eyebrow raising in response. Had he seriously figured it out, already?

Marco nodded. "Yep and I totally understand," the hooded boy said, rising up off the bed and approaching the girl. Once he was standing in front of her, he put a hand on her shoulder while giving her a long, sympathetic look as he added, "I know it's hard for you, to leave your family like this after you just got them back..." Huh, maybe Janna hadn't given her friend enough credit before. "...but I promise we'll come by and visit again real soon."

"What?" Janna muttered, her eyes widening in surprise and her body tensing up. Or maybe he was still as naive as ever.

"So soon, in fact, it'll be like you never even left," the boy continued, not picking up on his friend's change in demeanor.

Janna paused, sucking in a deep breath, before gently moving the arm off her shoulder. "Marco, that's not what this is about," she said softly.

"Huh?" Marco replied, his eyebrows pinching together in confusion as he seemed to be trying to decipher this new piece of information. "Then what is this about, if it's not because we're leaving?"

Janna said nothing, staring long and hard into Marco's eyes, her eyes full of regret and guilt as she tried to convey the words her mouth couldn't quite spit out. Slowly, realization dawned on the boy, as his confused expression turned to one of understanding and then to sadness, his eyes flashing with so much pain that it made Janna ache to see it. "Oh," he said quietly, his gaze slowly lowering to the floor. "It's because, you aren't going back... are you?" His brown orbs slowly raised to meet hers again and Janna felt a lump form in her throat.

The half-Monster girl shook her head, replying sadly, "No, I'm not. Mom asked me to stay for a while and... I said yes."

The boy's face seemed to fall even more as he whispered awkwardly, "Well, how long have you... known?"

"Since last night," Janna replied honestly.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Marco asked, his eyebrows scrunched together and his eyes misty with unshed tears, clearly trying to hide his true emotions from the girl.

Janna shrugged, before answering, "I was waiting for the right moment."

Marco sniffed, wiping a few tears from his eyes as he pointed out numbly, "Not sure this counts as the right moment."

"Well, turns out there isn't one a right time for this, but it had to be done," Janna replied flatly, it was everything she could do to keep herself together, seeing her friend crying and to know she was the cause of it crushed her. She was never good at this stuff, anyway, though. This was more Jackie's territory, she wasn't sure how to handle a crying Marco.

And more than anything she definitely wasn't ready for his next question. "So does that mean... this is goodbye?" The girl's startled stare met the teary eyes of Marco's as she found any response she might have fading from her mind, all her thoughts consumed by the hurt look on her friend's face.

Finally, she was able to get out in what she hoped was an uplifting tone, "Well not forever. Just for right now."

Marco's eyes drooped with despair as he pointed out sadly, "Didn't you promise Violet to make her your apprentice?"

"I'll still teach her someday, but for now she'll just have to learn some stuff on her own," Janna said with a halfhearted shrug, though she clearly sounded torn up over the statement.

"Okay, but what about Tom?"

Janna flinched at the mention of her crush's name, unable to think of a good response for that. Instead, she merely stated, "Look, Marco, it's not like I'm never coming back, I just need to figure some stuff out here first."

"Like what?" the boy asked curiously, rubbing a hand up and down his arm.

Janna froze. She hadn't really been planning on talking to him about this (or anyone really), but the words had just slipped out of her mouth without her realizing it and now she had no choice but to confess. Sure she could try and dodge the question, but it felt wrong to deceive Marco, especially now of all situations. Finally, she let out a quick breath and said, "This is a great opportunity for me, Marco. And I'm not just talking about mom, I have a second chance to be a part of my people again, to figure out who I am and what I want to do with my life." She paused on the last one, before adding, "You and the others already know what you want. You've got your whole commission going and your always off working to make the world a better place, which is great for you guys... but I don't fit in there anymore."

"Since when have you cared about that," Marco said in confusion. "I thought you liked being unique and didn't care about having dreams or goals or whatever."

"I didn't," Janna replied. "Until I realized that you were all moving on without me."

Marco gave his friend a shocked, sympathetic look, he couldn't believe she felt that way but hadn't said anything before. "Oh Janna, we didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," Janna cut in before the boy could go into a long-winded apology. "I get it. I don't blame you guys. Being in Butterfly Castle has been a blast for me and I wouldn't take away any of that... but it's time for me to move on, start the next part of my life."

Marco nodded, giving her a wain smile as he muttered out in a shaky tone, "I understand." Then recalling Nox's words from the other day, added, "You should do whatever makes you happy."

Janna let out a long, deep sigh before saying tearfully, "Thanks for that."

Then, out of nowhere, Marco pulled her into a tight hug, squeezing her small frame as if his life depended on it and if it were anyone else they would probably be suffocating at this point. But since Janna had her enhanced strength and stamina, it only managed to slightly knock the wind out of her. She recovered quickly though, gently squeezing him back, burying her head in his shoulder as she allowed her walls to come down for a brief moment. "I'm gonna miss you so much," Marco whispered, his voice cracking and Janna felt her heart jump into her throat at the sound.

"Same here," she replied, allowing a single tear to slip from her eye, falling to the carpet below.

The two stayed like that for another minute or so, neither wanting to let go or allow the moment to end, the teens trying not to think that this might very be the last hug they would ever share. Until finally, Janna pulled away taking a step back as she watched Marco wiping the remaining tears from his eyes, sniffing softly. She just stood there awkwardly for a minute not sure what else to say or do, afraid any action would cause her friend to break down into tears again. But the boy remained remarkably calm as he gave Janna a wain smile, saying, "Well, I better finish packing. Star and the others are still expecting me back, y'know."

"Speaking of," Janna said, giving him what could almost pass for a sheepish grin. "Think you'd be willing to tell the others about all this for me." Her voice grew softer as she added, "I'm just not sure I can face them right now."

Marco nodded numbly, saying, "Yeah, no problem." From there, the boy walked back over to the bed and began shoving in item after item into his backpack at an excruciatingly slow pace. His face was set in a sad frown, but he did his best to hide the deep sorrow he was feeling as he felt Janna's stare on him. He wanted to show her that he understood and respected her choice (even if it hurt) and crying was only going to make her feel bad. "Sooo, what am I supposed to say to everyone else when I come back from the 'camping trip' alone?" Marco asked in an attempt to break the unbearable silence that had formed in the room. "Can't exactly tell them the truth."

Janna shrugged, saying in her typical creepy monotone, "Just say I was eaten by a bear or something."

Marco, despite his sorrow, gave her a wide, frightened look, "What? No way! I can't tell everyone that!"

"Why not? No one would suspect anything," Janna pointed out.

"Uhh, until you show back up at Butterfly Castle one day," Marco argued.

"Eh, I'm sure I could think up some sort of explanation," Janna replied casually.

Marco smiled, shaking his head softly. He was gonna miss his friend's Jannigans so much, what would life in Butterfly Castle even be like without her? But before he could break down into tears again, he forcefully pushed the thoughts out, before standing up and slinging the backpack over one shoulder. "Well, I guess I should be going," the boy said softly.

Janna nodded numbly, giving him the most upbeat smile she could, which only ended up looking more pathetic than anything else, saying in a near whisper, "Yeah. Well see you around, Marco."

"See you around, Jan," Marco replied, his voice equally as crest-fallen. And with that the boy walked out of the room and Janna's life, momentarily pausing in the doorway, his whole body tense as if he was fighting off some unknown force. Janna half-expected the hooded teen to suddenly turn around and beg her to come with, but instead he just took another reluctant step forward. Janna listened as the boy's footsteps echoed down the hall and then the staircase, shuffling his way through the living room before she heard the tell-tale sound of the door being pulled open. She held her breath as she waited for the door to be slung closed, the boy once more seemingly pausing in the doorway.

Until finally, the door slammed shut and, just like that, Marco was gone. For a few miserable moments Janna just stood alone in the tiny and now empty guest room for a few moments, thinking. Until, all at once she found her legs threatening to give out on her, Janna collapsing onto the bed with a loud sigh. The half-Monster, pressed her palms tightly against her eyes, not allowing any tears to leak out, trying her best to hide them from the world and from herself. But she quickly lost that battle as there, in the safety of the empty room... Janna wept.

…

Lord Nox strolled through the dark streets of his beloved village with purpose, his heavy cane banging against the ground with every other step. The Impure leader loved his nightly patrols and had made a habit of making multiple rounds through the town, despite how unnecessary it was. The village was completely hidden and safe from outside forces, no one would ever try and break in unless they wanted to ensure the wrath of hundreds of Impures. Still, Nox found it better to double-check just to be safe, hoping it would help ease his mind some and keep his children feeling at peace. Many Impures had graciously offered to do the patrols for him over the years, saying he shouldn't feel obligated to perform his pointless patrols when any of the cave scouts would fit the role just as well. "You have enough on your plate already, Lord Nox," they would always reason. "Why add yet another burden to bear?" But Nox would always brush these comments aside, stating that he preferred to perform this task himself and didn't wish to simply bestow it to someone else. He took his job as 'Father' of the village very seriously after all, and he wanted everyone in the village to know this. Besides, he found the quiet soothing, a pleasant break from the long days he spent caring for his children.

Despite this, Nox found his mind elsewhere tonight, distracting him from his task as protector. His green eyes lazily drifted about the village as he struggled to keep the pestering thoughts at bay. Thoughts about Janna and her return that may or not be short-lived judging from her reaction earlier, thoughts of young Marco and his naïve outlook on the world that had thrown Nox's into disarray, thoughts of Jade and her traitorous actions. The last thought, more than any of the others, were his main point of intrigue and worry though. He had trusted her, given her the benefit of the doubt when she had returned empty-handed to the village that day looking so defeated and brokenhearted his heart had ached for her. And yet she had betrayed his trust, lying to him and the others just to save her own skin, all in an attempt to cover up her crime and it made Nox sick just to think about it.

Which brought him back to the punishment. Despite what he said to Jade, he didn't know how to proceed as of yet, not without upsetting Janna. Though he hadn't been lying when he said whatever he decided would be far too lenient for the woman. He supposed removing her from any missions outside of the village would be a good start, but would that really change anything? Could Jade ever even be trusted again? And what else could she have been keeping secret from him all these years? Well, whatever he decided, Nox would have to be extra sure to keep a close eye on Jade Ordonia in the future.

Suddenly, Nox was pulled out of his troubling thoughts as a creeping uneasiness ran up his spine, instantly putting him on edge. The leader stopped dead in his tracks, his dark green eyes surveying the area around him cautiously. He sensed something wasn't right, a feeling radiating deep in his gut telling him danger was near, while his cheek marks burned with warning. Although Nox had inherited the Mark of the Impure, his own Trait hadn't faded with time much like many of the others did. Instead, his ability had only grown stronger with time and with years of practice it almost never proved wrong.

Calling on this power now, he focused on the world around him, allowing his power of 'awareness' to take over, waiting with held breath for something to shift in the shadows and expose themselves. It was subtle at first (it always was), a creak of wood on the rooftops above, a heavy footstep where there wasn't supposed to be one, the unknown scent of what could only be an intruder, an accurate picture beginning to form in the dark lord's mind. Three, no four, men. All waiting just out of sight, one above on the rooftops, two hiding in the alley to his left, and the last... Where was the last?

Nox, realizing his mistake, felt a presence behind him, and quickly turned, managing to block the swing from his unknown opponent, countering by slamming the end of his cane into their chest, a burst of green magic sent coursing through their body for a second as they cried out in agony. The intruder was thrown back, falling hard to the ground with a noisy thump.

Nox's eyes narrowed into daggers as he took in the form before him, growling under his breath, "You."

Nox's Trait flared up again in warning as he felt the remaining three intruders converging on him all at once. The Impure leader growled, his cheeks glowing a sinister green, as well as his cane, as he prepared himself to do battle... only for a burning white light to engulf his form as he cried out in pain and surprise, his voice echoing through the village he had now failed to protect.

…

Marco sighed, keeping his hands tucked into his pockets as he sadly made his way through the Impure village. Not a soul seemed to be out at the moment, the dark streets empty and lifeless, Marco figuring everyone had probably turned in for the night, which meant the hooded teen was left alone to try and fight off his dreary, depressing thoughts. He felt lost and strangely empty, like a piece of himself had just been taken and ripped away and every attempt to alleviate this pain only proved pointless. He tried to keep his mind off of Janna, which ultimately proved futile as his conversation with her had left his stomach in deep, twisted knots. He tried reasoning with himself over and over again that it was her choice and that he should be happy for her and let her live her own life, but still the feeling persisted, leaving his eyes misty with tears. Nothing worked.

Finally, the boy pulled his hands out of his pockets, rubbing his eyes with his palms failing to make sense of the deep aching he felt. It wasn't like Janna was gone forever, she was just living in a different place. She would still come by to visit or he could even visit her whenever he wanted, sure it wouldn't be the same but it wasn't like he would never see her again. So why did he still feel so miserable?

Marco reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone and for a few seconds just stared at the blank screen. Should he call Star? She would know what to say to make him feel better and he honestly really needed to unload all this on someone. The boy paused, tossing the idea around in his head for a few minutes before deciding against it, shaking his head and tucking the device back inside his hood pocket. This wasn't something he could just blurt out over the phone, it would have to be in person, which meant he would have to bear this burden alone a bit longer.

Marco looked around, seeing the same, empty town that provided him no answers or relief and he wondered aloud, "What am I still doing here?" Why didn't he just go home already? He told Star he would be back by now but part of him just couldn't bring himself to leave. It was like some small part of him was hoping Janna would come running around the corner any minute and tell him she changed her mind and wanted to come back with him.

The teen shook his head clear of these thoughts. No, what was wrong with him?! He shouldn't be thinking these things! He had to be supportive of his friend, Janna wanted to stay and that was that!

The boy let out a deep breath, pulling out the pair of dimensional scissors he had borrowed from Star from his backpack. He stared down at them with determination, his hand squeezing them tighter and tighter until his knuckles turned white, the scissors shaking in his grip.

With a heavy heart the boy raised a hand to cut open a portal, trying to clear his head of any thoughts about Janna, when the echo of a scream reached his ears. Marco turned in the direction of the yell in surprise, his heart rate increasing as he could hear the amount of pain the voice seemed to be in, and he muttered in fear, "Nox?"

"Well, well, well, what a surprise," a dark tone said behind him and Marco swerved only to stumble back in surprise by the large form that now towered over him. "If it isn't Buff Frog's little brat."

"Meatfork," Marco whispered, taking another step back, hoping to put as much distance between himself and the deadly Monster before him. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

The warthog smiled, a cruel, viscous smile that sent cool waves of fear coursing through Marco's bloodstream. "Just doing a little bit of what you might call, a hostile takeover and lucky me, I just found the jackpot." The Warthog's teeth were all crooked and full of vile promises as he stared down the boy, like a cat staring at a mouse, causing Marco to swallow hard.

"You're not allowed to be here," was all Marco could think to say and Meatfork just laughed at the boy's ignorance.

"Last time I checked, neither were you," the Monster replied. "But don't worry, I'm sure Ludo will be happy to see you, once I bring you to him, that is."

"I'm not going anywhere," Marco said with more determination than he felt, moving so he was in a defensive stance like Higgs had taught him.

"Oh that's funny," Meatfork said with a cruel chuckle. "Thinking I was giving you a choice!" With that, the Monster threw a punch Marco's way, the boy jumping back to try and dodge it, while quickly pulling the strap of his backpack off his left shoulder. With his other hand, the boy grabbed onto the other strap before swinging his backpack around with all his might, slamming it hard into Meatfork's face. The boy tried not to cringe at the loud crack sound he heard on impact but watched as the Monster fell to the ground with a dazed look. His backpack hit the ground a second later, the contents quickly scattering out across the empty street but Marco was too distracted to even notice nor care.

The warthog rose to his knees, rubbing a claw against his head, flexing his jaw to try and see if there was any permanent damage before he finally flashed the boy a cold look. "That was a lucky hit, brat, but you won't be getting another," the Monster stated, rising back to his feet with a grunt.

Marco braced himself for another attack, his eyes jumping from his left to his right, hoping to find some sort of escape from the unwinnable fight. He felt his back press against something hard and he cringed as he realized he had backed himself into a corner, literally, his form leaning against a misshapen wood wall of some random house. The boy tried to keep his calm as he struggled to form a plan, he definitely couldn't beat Meatfork one-on-one, so his best chance right now was to try and outsmart the Monster and hopefully stay alive long enough to escape.

The Monster smiled wickedly before charging at him again with a loud yell, his namesake raised and ready to puncture his enemy straight through. Marco, thinking fast, jumped out of the way at the last second, landing hard on his back but watched as Meatfork's metal appendage stabbed into the wooden surface instead.

The warthog Monster stood frozen in shock for about a second before he growled and turned to Marco in fury, the boy shuffling away as best he could with his elbows. Meatfork went to try and stab at the boy again, only to realize his fork claw wasn't budging, wedged deep into the wall which seemed intent on holding him in place. The Monster tugged on the wall but his hand didn't budge. He tugged again and then again, and again. Every time filled with more and more anger until eventually, he was pulling on it with all his might, his feet now against the wall to try and give himself better leverage as he groaned against his straining muscles. Marco seizing this opportunity jumped to his feet and started to run away, hoping to try and warn the Impures of the invasion. But he didn't get very far as Meatfork finally managed to rip his metal claw free, tearing off a piece of the wall with him and causing him to fall to the ground again. But he was up and after the boy in less than a second, Marco just about to step out of the small path and into a more crowded street when Meatfork managed to grab ahold of Marco's hood and promptly flung poor Marco back into the enclosed street. The boy let out a cry as his body hit the uneven stone ground, sliding a few inches before bringing him to a painful stop. The hooded teen coughed a few times, the breath was momentarily knocked out of his body as he slowly rose to his knees.

Marco looked up to see Meatfork drawing closer again, the smug look of victory on his face sending chills down Marco's spine but he refused to let his fear show as he glared up at him with the most defiant look he could muster. "Well, looks like you lose, brat!" The Monster stopped, now standing over the boy, his namesake raised as he prepared to go in for the kill. "You're all alone and no one is coming to your rescue this time."

As soon as the words left Meatfork's mouth, a low hiss resonating through the small area, right before the two blushing Impure girls from before latched onto the Monster's back, hissing loudly. Meatfork screamed and stumbled around mindlessly as the two began clawing at his back, one shouting, "Leave our boyfriend alone!" while the other yelled over to the boy, "Marco, run!"

Meatfork finally regained his senses enough to fight back, managing to grab onto one of their wrists and throw them off his shoulder. The other clung on for dear life, as she kicked and scratched with all her might, trying to bring the stubborn Monster down, even biting into him with her sharp pointed fangs, which caused Meatfork to scream in agony. Marco ran over to help the fallen girl up, while her friend was slammed into the wall by an enraged Meatfork, finally managing to make her lose her grip and fall off of him, landing hard at his feet.

Meatfork panted a few times, a hand pressed into the wound on his shoulder as he glared daggers at Marco and the first Impure girl, the boy holding her in a protective embrace. While behind him, the other girl groaned as she sluggishly rose to her feet. "That's it, now you brats asked for it! We could have done this easy way but no you just had to make this the hard way, didn't you!"

"You tried to kill me!" Marco argued, his voice cracking on the last word.

"You would have lived from that, probably," Meatfork commented with an uncaring shrug. Suddenly, though Marco noticed the Monster's hand reaching behind his back and the boy gave him a baffled stare. What was he doing?

That was before he saw the metal, cylindrical device in his claws and Marco gasped, instantly recognizing the object and what it was for. Meatfork held the flashlight out toward the unsuspecting Impure girl behind him and Marco, reacting on instincts, began running toward the Monster, intent of keeping the light as far away from the girl as he could. Once he was close enough, his leg shot up, kicking the Monster's arm and causing the flashlight to tumble through the air before hitting the ground with a sentencing crack.

Meatfork let out a cry, gritting his teeth as he clutched his throbbing arm to his chest. At least, as best as he could with his forked claw. He sent another deadly glare at Marco but the boy was quick to move away from the incoming swipe, dodging around the Monster and taking a few weary steps back. He risked a glance over at the girls, who were both standing side by side again, watching the boy completely wide-eyed which was quite baffling to Marco since he didn't do anything all that impressive. But the hooded teen quickly returned his attention to Meatfork, hoping to keep the attention on him and off of the still-recovering girls.

"Is that all you got?" Marco taunted, praying he sounded as confident as he hoped.

But to Marco's confusion, Meatfork just chuckled under his breath, before saying, "Oh no, boy, there is a lot more where that came from." With that the Monster brought two fingers to his mouth and let out a shrill whistle, while Marco could only stare in puzzlement.

That was before a bright light suddenly filled the small space, an overhead beam that Marco hadn't even seen attached to the roof before being operated by a grinning Monster... who had the spotlight aimed right at the Impure girls. The two shrieked in pain, cowering into each other to try and escape from the oppressive burn. "No! Stop, you're hurting them!" Marco screamed, but the Monsters didn't seem to care. And so, with his heartbeat pounding in his ears, he quickly raced over to the two, standing in front of them and spreading his arms wide to try and shield them from the light as best he could.

The girls gratefully clung to him, letting out relieved sighs as they were freed from the horrible heat, while Marco glared up at the Monster with defiance. "Leave them alone!" he shouted. But then, out of nowhere, a thick rope fell around their frames before being pulled tight, Marco and the two Impures squished together as their arms were pinned to their sides. The hooded teen grunted as he tried to pull free of the binding rope, the two girls doing the same, but it wouldn't budge, the more he struggled the tighter it seemed to get.

Meatfork watched in satisfaction as his prisoners slowly wore themselves out trying to break free, giving a quick look over to the short alligator Monster who had managed to lasso them when they weren't looking. Perfect, all according to plan. Pain shot through Meatforks' shoulder and he cringed, putting a claw over it once again. Almost.

He gave a subtle nod over to his other ally, who quickly shut off the spotlight, as he sauntered superiorly over to the three trapped kids. "Don't bother struggling, Impures," the Monster hissed, fixing them with a toothy grin. "That rope is infused with magic, there's no way for you to break it."

Marco stared up at the Monster with horror, a deep dread beginning to fill him. They had clearly thought this all through and the thing that worried Marco the most was that he knew that the Impures were no match for Ludo's crazy scheme, using the Impure's greatest weakness against them. How had they known about the Impure's being hurt by light? Who else was a target? How many more had they taken? Was Janna safe? Was Nox? How long had Ludo been planning this invasion? These thoughts and a million more circled through Marco's head making him feel sick, but all he could manage to choke out was, "Why are you doing this?"

Meatfork chuckled, before saying eerily, "You'll find out soon enough, Marco Diaz."

Then the Monster turned to his ally, saying, "Take them to the others."

Marco felt panic run through him again, as the alligator Monster began tugging on the rope, forcefully dragging him and the girls away. Marco and the two screamed and shouted for help but no one could hear them, the rest of the Impures already captured and being transported against their will just like them. And just before Marco was dragged into the unknown darkness, the boy let out one last scream of desperation, calling for the one person who could possibly hear him and save him from his plight. "Janna!"

…

"Those idiots!"

Janna froze, standing outside the door to her mom's room with a puzzled expression on her face. She had finally recovered enough from her breakdown earlier to go see her mom but the worried and annoyed tone she heard in her mother's voice made her pause. Janna put an ear up against the door, waiting to see if she could learn more about what was going on before going in, a frown on her face and her eyebrows furrowed in concentration and confusion as she waited and listened.

The girl could hear shuffling from the other side of the door as if her mother was frantically messing with some sort of cloth material. Her mother groaned in annoyance, before saying in a voice just dripping with venom, "This wasn't supposed to go this way, he was supposed to wait for my signal. Ugh, what is he thinking?!"

Janna felt a deep knot form in the pit of her stomach, unable to quite suffocate her rising suspicions. She had a very bad feeling about all this. Needing more direct answers, Janna decided to face her mom in person, slamming the door open and revealing herself to her startled mother.

Jade froze in place, staring over at her daughter with a look of surprise etched onto her features, a suitcase overflowing with clothes and things laying open in front of her. There were even more clothes scattered across the bed and at her feet, all unfolded and wrinkly as if her mother was in some sort of rush, throwing them haphazardly into the suitcase with no rhyme or reason.

Janna's keen eye picked up all of this, before pausing on her mother's face, who looked sick with guilt and the feeling in Janna's stomach only increased. The beanie-wearing girl gave her mother a cynical scowl, asking her accusingly, "So what's going on in here?"

"Janna, I can explain," Jade began in her normally calm, reserved tone, but there was a noticeable shake there now that Janna easily picked up on.

"Really? What you just decided to go on vacation or something and didn't tell me," Janna replied, gesturing over to the suitcase. Jade followed her gaze before giving her daughter a pleading look. "This isn't what it looks like."

"No, I imagine this is actually much worse than anything I could think up," Janna said, leaning against the door frame, waiting for her mother to explain herself. "So then tell me, mom. What is this about? Cause I'm all ears."

Jade sighed, staring off into the distance as she muttered out a quiet, "You weren't supposed to find out this way... I was hoping to ease you into the idea first but then-"

"Mom, what's going on?" Janna asked firmly, her voice leaving no room for arguing or evading the question.

Jade sighed deeply, before muttering softly under her breath, "I told Ludo I needed a few more days."

"Wait, Ludo!" Janna exclaimed, moving away from the door and stepping further into the room. "What does he have to do with this?"

"You know him?" Jade asked in surprise.

Janna scoffed, putting a hand to her hip as she glared up at her mother. "Uh yeah, I fought him after he tried to kill me and Marco!" she snapped. "He's kinda hard to forget."

"I see," Jade muttered weakly.

"But I think what we're missing is the real question here," Janna said, deep hatred and suspicion growing in her voice. "Which is, how do you know him?"

"I-I snuck him into the village," Jade admitted hoarsely.

Janna's eyes widened and her mouth gaped open, before shouting, "What?! Why would you do that? Ludo is crazy! Ugh, no wonder the Monsters couldn't find him before, because you were hiding him this whole time! What possible reason could you have for-" Suddenly, Janna froze mid-sentence, a terrible thought crossing her mind. "Mom, where is Ludo right now?"

Jade paused, looking nervously down at the floor, but this only seemed to confirm Janna's suspicions as a vile glare spread across her features.

"Mom, what did you do?" It was less of a question and more of an accusation and Jade flinched at the low, dangerous tone. As well as her daughter's eyes, which flashed with hatred.

However when she spoke, her voice was level and even. "I gave him the tools necessary to conquer our race, he should be rounding them all up as we speak."

The girl paused for a moment, letting that information sink in, before exclaiming at the top of her lungs, "Are you completely insane! What in Eclipsa's name made you think this was a good idea?! Marco is still out there mom! He could be in Ludo's hands right now! Did you even think of that?"

"An unfortunate sacrifice," was all Jade replied with.

Janna gave her an incredulous look, before blurting out, "And let me guess you were just gonna run away and leave everyone in the hands of some crazy maniac!" The girl paused, taking short, shallow breaths as anger burned through her.

"I did what I had to do, for our people," The older Impure replied with conviction.

"Oh and how does that work exactly!" Janna snapped bitterly. "Because from my perspective you just betrayed everyone we've ever known!"

Jade sighed. She knew her daughter wouldn't on board this at first, but maybe once she explained everything she would see why all this was necessary. "The prophecy states that-"

Janna chuckled dryly, cutting off her mom's excuse, putting her hand over her eyes as she shook her head. "Oh-ho-ho here we go," the Impure girl said sarcastically, lowering her hands so her mom could see her rolling her eyes. "That made up prophecy you're always babbling about and using to make excused for yourself."

"Janna," Jade reprimanded. "The prophecy is true. Eclipsa will rise again."

"Right, which gives you every right to betray our people!" Janna shouted.

"I am not trying to betray them," Jade countered. "I'm trying to save them."

"By handing them over to Ludo!"

"Yes! You're just too young to understand this now, Janna, but I'm doing the right thing."

Janna huffed. "No, your not, your just telling yourself that so you don't have to face the consequences," Janna muttered.

A hurt look flashed across Jade's face but she quickly buried it, stating, "Sometimes we have to make difficult choices for the greater good."

"Is that what you told yourself after you abandoned me?" Janna asked bitterly.

Her mother froze, unsure how to answer that, pain and guilt flashing in her glowing vision, but Janna no longer cared. "That's not what I-"

"Let me ask you something, mom," Janna said, her tone empty and her eyes numb and devoid of life. "Did that box you left me for have something to do with Eclipsa?"

Jade's eyes widened, before she stared guiltily at the floor, unable to answer.

Janna sighed slowly, burying her emotions behind an emotionless mask, she would have to deal with those later, right now she had more important things to do. So she merely turned on her heels and started for the door, Jade calling out to her in a panic, "Janna, wait! Where are you going?"

"To go save my real family and clean up your mess," Janna responded bitterly.

"They'll be okay, Janna," Jade shouted desperately, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "I made Ludo promise not to hurt anyone. It'll all be okay, trust me."

Janna stopped, slowly turning around to face her again, locking eyes with her mother for the last time, her green eyes full of hatred and sorrow as she spat out, "You know something, mom. You were right about one thing. Trust is something you earn, but it's also something you can lose. And you lost any trust I had in you when you put Marco in danger."

"Janna, please," Jade begged, tears flowing from her vision, a broken look of desperation and pain all over her face as she spoke. "Please, please, don't leave me. I can't lose you again."

"Sorry mom," Janna said impassively, her eyes showing no hint of remorse as she added softly, "You already did."

Without another word, Janna turned her back to her mother once again, storming out of the room and never looking back. A few seconds later the front door slammed shut and Jade collapsed to her knees, tears pouring from her vision as she mourned for all she had just lost for the 'greater good'.

…

The Impures had all been rounded up and brought to the temporary prison of Ludo's devising, a spot just on the outskirts of the rustic village, the entire town huddled together against a rocky wall. Spotlights were set up all around the area, propped against tall stacked piles of rocks, shining down at the Impures feet, creating a ring of lights successfully trapping the half-Monster creatures inside. Many still had the tight, unbreakable restraints tied around them to discourage any escape attempts, not that there was much they could do without having to brave the unbearable light.

Despite the hopeless situation, the Impures stayed strong, shooting vile and defiant looks at their captor, Lord Nox standing directly in front of his children, doing his best to shield them from harm despite the ropes while keeping his head held high to show Ludo and the Impures he felt no fear.

Ludo, watched the whole thing with boredom, sitting on a pile of pillows as he just stared blankly at the group, a claw tapping impatiently against his arm as he waited. Finally, he let out an annoyed sigh, exclaiming, "This is taking forever! Where is Meatfork? He should be back by now!"

As if on cue, Meatfork approached, saying, "Right here, boss. Just had to pick up a few stragglers on my way here." He inclined his head to Marco and the two girls, who all stared in horror at the make-shift cell holding the half-Monster race captive. The girls were freed from their ropes only long enough to be shoved in with the rest of their people, one of the spotlights moving to allow them through without harm before immediately being put back into place. The girl's mothers ran to their respective child, scooping them up into protective arms as they shot death glares at Meatfork, who ignored them, his interest on the boy he held tightly by the hood.

"And look who I found, boss?" the warthog Monster said proudly, before giving the boy a shove, making him fall hard to his knees with a loud grunt, unable to catch himself with his limbs trapped in the confining ropes.

Ludo looked down at Marco for a second before asking, "Am I supposed to know who this is?"

Meatfork resisted the urge to face-palm as he explained in exasperation, "It's Buff Frog's kid."

"Ah, right. I knew that," Ludo said quickly to try and cover his obvious slip-up. He slid off the pillows, coming face to face with Marco as he said menacingly, "So, Buff Frog sent you to spy on us, huh, Mango?"

"Um, it's Marco actually," the boy corrected, his voice holding a slight quiver but otherwise showing no fear. "And I wasn't sent here to spy, I didn't even know you were here at all. We all thought you disappeared or something."

"A likely story!" Ludo shouted angrily, his eyes narrowing some on the teen. "Then, tell me, if you aren't spying on me, what exactly are you doing here?" he added suspiciously.

Marco, seeing his opportunity, asked, "Well what are you doing here? And what do you want with the Impures?"

At that, the small bird Monster turned to the half-Monsters with a knowing smirk twisted onto his beak. "Well, I'm glad you asked. I'm here to raise an army." He leaned an elbow against the boy's chest (who gave him a confused stare at the action) saying triumphantly, "I mean, just imagine how powerful I'll be with a bunch of Impures following my commands, I'll be unstoppable and then the other Monsters will have to make me their leader."

"We will never follow you," Nox spoke up, easily overhearing the Monster and Mewman's conversation.

Ludo growled, sitting up from Marco and storming over to the leader. "Shut up! You will do as I say or else!"

"We do not fear the threats of small-minded creatures, least of all yourself," Nox spat venomously, his fangs gleaming in the light.

Ludo stumbled back in fright, but quickly recovered, shouting, "Oh yeah, well we'll see about that! I'm in charge here and you can't do anything about it!"

"We did not fall to your ancestors, Ludo Avarius, and we will not now, our wills are stronger than yours," Nox said in a chilling tone, the look in his eyes enough to kill Ludo right there.

Marco's mouth dropped open at that. So Ludo's family were the ones from the story Nox had told him. The hooded teen was so shocked by this that, without thinking, he blurted out, "Wow, Ludo, your family sure does lose a lot."

Ludo's eyebrow twitched once, before he began stomping the ground in anger, throwing a childish tantrum as he screamed, "Shut up, shut up, shut up! The only reason my family lost was because everyone kept cheating! But this time I'm going to win! No matter what! And no one can stop me! Not you!" He pointed to Marco. "Not you!" His finger quickly jabbed in the direction of Nox. "And certainly not Buff Frog!"

Once the Monster's tantrum finally seemed to have ended, he adjusted his skull crown a little better on his head, panting heavily, his claws clenched into fists at his side. For a moment, everyone seemed to just stare at Ludo in shock, everyone speechless by his childish actions, until finally, Vigo spoke up from behind Nox, "You're insane!"

Ludo growled again, before flashing a hated glare at the Impure. He turned to Meatfork and shouted, "Move the light in!"

The Monster minions obeyed their orders, the light slowly moving toward the Impures, who all shuffled back in desperation, their window of space evaporating at an agonizingly slow pace. Nox pushed his children back as best he could, but they were running out of room fast.

Marco seeing this, felt panic rush through his system, crying, "Please, Ludo, you don't have to do this!"

The tiny Monster turned to him in surprise, before the look hardened into an evil grin as he said, "Oh but I do."

"This is wrong, can't you see that? Can't you see what you're doing to these poor people? Are you really going to hurt them just so you can get your way?" Marco pleaded, hoping desperately to appeal to Ludo's heart. But the Monster just wasn't interested.

"Why not?" Ludo replied, with an uncaring shrug. "It's not like I didn't give them a choice. They did this to themselves, really. If they want it to stop all they have to do is surrender."

Marco glared at the Monster, about to bite out an angry remark, when he felt something sharp at his wrists, a pair of teeth clearly nibbling at the ropes. The hooded teen waited until Ludo turned away to watch the progress on the Impure's demise, before looking over his shoulder and nearly crying in relief. A pair of rats, one with an eye-patch, were chewing at the ropes, their sharp teeth making quick work of the powerful strings. He gave them both a thankful smile, before facing forward again so as to not draw suspicions. He did his best to ignore the Impure's worsening situation, trying to think up some sort of rescue plan in the limited time frame he had. He did a quick count of Ludo's Monsters counting at least ten and there were probably more in the shadows that he couldn't see. How were they going to get out of this? Even if he did get untied, what should he do? He couldn't beat Ludo and all his minions by himself? Marco swallowed, completely overwhelmed with decision. He needed help. There was no way he could do this on his own.

As if on cue, one of Ludo's minions suddenly asked, "Do you guys hear flapping?"

"Flapping?" Meatfork said skeptically, only to freeze the sound reached his own ears. Everyone paused, even the lights ceasing their track toward the helpless Impures, listening in silence as the gentle echo slowly grow steadily louder and more apparent, the sound bouncing noisily off the walls. Ludo, let out a groan, covering his ears with his claws and shouting, "Where is that noise coming from?!"

Just then a purple bat dropped down from above, moving at an incredible speed, its small wings flapping at a reckless and nearly unbelievable pace and heading right for Ludo. A smile lit up Marco's face as he recognized the familiar creature as his creepy friend. The small Monster, however, just stared at Bat-Jan in surprise and disbelief, that was until she shifted back into her Monster form, using Ludo's face to spring off of so she could do a full flip in the air and land gracefully on her feet with a dramatic flourish.

Ludo, however, wasn't so lucky as his small body was sent crashing backwards into his pile of pillows, the other Monsters quickly shouting out, "Boss!" several rushing over to help him up.

Marco was overjoyed to see his friend there, screaming in a choked tone, "Janna!" Relief flooding his system now that he knew he was no longer alone in dealing with this deadly situation. Janna would help him get through it, as long as she was there then everything would be okay. "You came!"

"Course I did, I heard your scream and came running, just like I said I would. Couldn't leave my friend hanging, after all," Janna said, shooting the boy a smile, though for some reason, it seemed halfhearted and the boy even thought he could see tear stains on her cheeks. But before he got a chance to ask what was wrong, a loud screech drew their attention as Ludo suddenly bolted upright from the pile of pillows with an annoyed yell. His crown was nowhere to be seen but the large bruise on his face was as clear as day, as well as the look of hatred he was shooting the beanie-wearing girl. "How dare you attack me, you pesky brat! You'll pay for that!"

"Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed, today," Janna commented in her typical sarcastic wit. "What's the matter, Ludo. You cranky cause you didn't get your nap?"

Ludo was fuming with anger now, clearly provoked by the girl's taunts, his face turning a dark shade of red from his anger, and Marco was surprised he didn't see smoke coming out of his ears. "Who do you think you are?! I'm in charge so you have to do what I say, or else!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm soo scared," Janna said in a mocking tone, rolling her eyes. "What are you gonna do, shine a flashlight at me?"

An evil grin crossed Ludo's face, a malicious glee in his eyes as he commented darkly, "Thanks for the idea." He then turned to the nearest Monster operating a spotlight and shouted, "Get her with that light!"

The Monster minion immediately nodded, swerving the light around so it was now headed toward Janna, who simply smirked, showing no fear as she slightly turned her head in the direction of the incoming beam. "Huh, so that's how it's gonna be," she said with an uncaring shrug. Her body once more shifted into bat form, quickly dodging out of the way of the bright light. "Well your gonna have to catch me first." Ludo ducked to avoid getting smacked in the face by her again. He growled in annoyance, before shouting to his minion, "Follow that bat!"

From there Ludo as well as the rest of his Monsters were completely engrossed in capturing and defeating their irritating opponent, the bird Monster pointing at the batgirl wherever she went, while screaming confusing directions at his lackeys in a shrill screech. Meanwhile, the rest of the Monsters did their best to fulfill their bosses orders, trying fruitlessly to try and snatch her up out of the air but found themselves only either grabbing air or sometimes even receiving a kick to the face as she turned back into her Monster form for half a second. All while the bright spotlight tracked her endlessly, always just inches away from touching her before she darted out of the way.

With his friend providing a perfect distraction, this gave Marco ample time to escape, the rats on his back gnawing through the last remaining rope, freeing the hooded teen from his tight bindings. The boy rubbed at his sore wrists, trying to get blood flow back into his numb hands before noticing the two rats staring up at him. "Thanks for the help, little guys," Marco said with a grateful smile. But it quickly turned into a serious expression as he added, "Do you think you can go free Nox and the other Impures."

The two nodded and squeaked their approval, saluting the boy before scampering away. Marco, satisfied that his small friends had that problem taken care of, focused his attention on the greatest threat to the captive Impures at the moment: the spotlights. The boy immediately began running toward the nearest one, no plan or strategy yet in his mind for what he was going to do, he just knew that he needed to do something and fast before Ludo came to his senses and carried through on his threat. He did, however, notice that each of the high-powered beams were all sat upon an uneven pile of rocks, which seemed to be ready to collapse at any moment if the unsteady and nervous faces of their Monster operators were anything to go by. Which just happened to give Marco an idea.

Once he was close enough, the hooded teen let out a loud yell and kicked the pile of rocks with all his might just like Higgs had shown him. A second later, the rocks crumbled and sent the unsuspecting Monster and the heavy spotlight crashing onto the ground, shattering the fragile glass on impact. Marco smiled, in complete disbelief he had actually pulled that off, all his prior kicks far from accurate or good according to Higgs.

But there was no time to pat himself on the back, the danger to him and his friends still very real, and he immediately started toward the next pile, hoping he would be able to pull off this same technique again, needing to destroy every last source of light he could find.

Meanwhile, thanks to Marco and Janna's efforts, a pathway for the Impures escape was opened, two of the dreaded beams either destroyed or occupied. The Impures were all about to rush out, but Nox quickly halted them with a simple shake of the head, saying softly to his children, "No not yet, we must wait for the proper moment, otherwise our friends' efforts will be pointless."

"What must we do then, Lord Nox?" Vigo asked, keeping his voice respectful despite the obvious impatience he was feeling. "Those kids can't hold them off forever. And we are in no position to fight like this," he added, holding up his bound wrists.

The leader paused, thinking carefully about their next move, casting worried glances over to the two teens. Janna was quickly becoming surrounded by Monsters and Marco was bravely running to the next spotlight, determination and resolve in his every step. And seeing this, Nox couldn't help but feel uselessness in this situation. Here he was letting mere children fight for him and his people, watching them risk their lives, while he did nothing to help. He felt a fire begin to rise in the pit of his stomach, spurred on by Marco and Janna's selflessness and bravery, a protective instinct to help these two and aid them in the struggle. The only question was how.

That was when he heard the squeaking below him and upon looking down he saw two rats trying to eagerly gain his attention. "What are you doing over here, little ones? This is no safe place for you," Nox stated simply and the rats quickly squeaked out their answer.

The Impure leader's eyebrow slowly raised at the rapid explanation from the two rats, both of which he could understand flawlessly, before turning to the young teen with a smile. "Clever boy," he whispered under his breath, before lowering down and offering his bound wrists to the rats. "Very well then, please hurry and free me, friends."

The rats quickly went to work nibbling on the confining ropes, while Nox cast a serious look up to Vigo, commanding, "Find my staff and bring it here. We might have a fighting chance in this, after all."

"Yes sir, Lord Nox," Vigo said, before passing the order to another Impure, who had hidden the leader's staff in the large crowd the moment they had been dragged there, desperate to keep the sacred device out of Ludo's grasp. As Vigo turned back, though, he became captivated at the sight of the two teens, fearlessly facing Ludo and his army, fighting to help free his people. Perhaps he had misjudged the intruders, after all. "I had no idea those kids were so brave."

"Yes, let's just hope you get a chance to thank them later for that bravery," Nox replied grimly, his stomach churning with worry for the courageous teens.

Marco was just inches away from the next rock pillar when he felt something grab onto his arm, the tight grip making him hiss in pain as he was yanked to a sudden and violent halt. He looked over his shoulder, only to see the angry and towering presence of Meatfork, who glared daggers down at the boy. "Oh no you don't, kid," he spat out, somehow tightening his grip even more, making Marco worry his arm would bruise. "You're not ruining our plans this time."

Marco squirmed, trying to break free of the iron grasp, moving a leg back in preparations to kick, when he heard a loud hissing coming from inside his hoodie. The boy looked down, a cold, creeping feeling overcoming him, as he watched a familiar head poke out from the front of his hoodie, its forked tongue lazily flashing in and out. "Edith!" Marco screamed in surprise. "Have you been in there the whole time?" the hooded teen added with a squeak, his face paling at the thought.

But if Marco looked freaked out, Meatfork looked downright terrified, his eyes growing impossibly wide as he stared into the beady eyes of the crystal-coated snake, Marco feeling the grip on his arm loosening as the Monster's claw shook with fright. "I-Is that a-a sn-snake?" Before Marco could even think to answer, Edith suddenly slithered out from his hood and wrapped around Meatfork's arm letting out a low hiss as it did. Meatfork immediately released his grip from Marco and began screaming and trying to violently shake the creature off.

Marco could only watch dumbfounded for a moment at the sight of the strong, aggressive Monster reduced to a panicked mess by nothing but a little cave snake. But the boy snapped out of his stupor quickly, taking advantage of the Monster's distraction to attack the rock pillar with another kick, this time more precise and intentional then his last, he needed to hit it just right to make this work.

There was a loud rumbling as the rock tower began to shudder and crumble in on itself, falling at a steep angle, sending the Monster on top and the spotlight free-falling to the ground. Meatfork had just managed to pry Edith off his arm, throwing it away from himself in disgust, when a shadow fell over him and he looked up to see a cascade of crushing rocks headed for him. He barely had time to scream and hold up his claws in a feeble defense, before he was buried under the small avalanche.

Marco, meanwhile, dove out of the way of the rocks just barely managing to catch Edith before she hit the ground. The hooded teen sighed in relief that Janna's prized pet wasn't hurt, while the snake merely let out an oblivious hiss, her beady eyes blinking mindlessly. Marco looked over to observe the damage he had caused, he could barely see Meatfork's unconscious body poking out from beneath the pile of rocks, only an ear and his metal hand completely untouched by rocks, while Ludo's other lackey lay groaning and dazed on the floor, the shattered spotlight next to him.

Marco rose to his feet, panting slightly from the ordeal, before smiling down at the snake. "Nice work, Edith. We did it!" The Gem Feeder merely gazed lazily over at him, completely unaware of the part it had played. But the boy didn't notice, setting the small creature down on his shoulder, saying, "Now come on, we got more spotlights to take out!" And as the boy ran off, it didn't take long for the snake to once again slither its way inside his hood, Marco shuddering but saying nothing, his focus entirely on his next objective.

Ludo smirked, having finally backed the annoying Impure teen into a corner, Monsters surrounding her on all sides, the light aimed above her so she couldn't fly away with her dumb bat trick. The girl simply gazed around at his minions warily, her eyes not betraying the obvious fear she had to be feeling at this point, but Ludo knew better. She had lost. Of course she would be afraid, as would all who crossed him from now on. He smirked triumphantly down at her from his perch on one of his taller minion's shoulders, taunting her cruelly, "Well, looks like I win! There's nowhere for you to run now, is there?"

"No, you got me," the beanie-wearing wearing brat said in defeat, slowly lowering her gaze from him.

Ludo let out a victorious laugh, shouting, "Yes, I win! Just like I always do!" He turned to his minion holding the light device, who had moved during all the chaos so he was now in front of the group. "Now hit her with that light! Teach her a lesson about crossing the all-powerful Ludo!"

"Yes, Lord Ludo," the Monster quickly lowered the light so that the blinding beam now completely engulfed the half-Monster. Ludo grinned wildly, waiting for her screams of pain to reach his ears, this would show them that he wasn't weak or pathetic. He would become the new Monster king, once he proved to these worthless half-blood freaks who was in charge. But, to his surprise no scream came instead the girl just stared blankly and uncaringly ahead, her hands in her pockets as she slouched against the rock wall behind her. "What?" Ludo screamed in disbelief.

"Oh did I forget to mention that I'm not actually affected by light," the girl said with a mischievous smirk.

"But how?! That's impossible!" Ludo shouted, unable to comprehend what this Impure was saying was true.

But Janna just shrugged, saying calmly, "Nah, just highly unlikely. What can I say, guess I'm just unique."

Ludo growled under his breath in fury.

"You're about to be dead is what you're going to be," the Monster Ludo was perched on said with an angry frown. "You're still surrounded and there's more of us than there are of you!"

"Oh, I'm so afraid," Janna replied with a roll of her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "But y'know before that happens, I should probably remind you all of something."

"Oh yeah and what's that, Impure?" Ludo asked bitterly.

"I may not be affected by light," Janna said, with a cryptic grin. "But I know for a fact that you guys are." And with that, the girl uncrossed her arms, revealing the small rock she had in her palm, which she threw with all her might, smacking into the spotlight and flipping it over so that the light hit the Monsters instead, their sensitive eyes burning in the bright light, all letting out cries of pain as they shielded their eyes from the beam. "Ahh it burns!" Ludo screeched.

At that exact same time, Nox (now freed from his bindings) was handed his staff, his eyes flashing purple for an instance, his cheek marks doing the same. He raised his cane high over his head, before slamming it down with all his might, smacking the ground and sending out a blast of dark green energy, which seemed to radiate from the ground, creating large glowing cracks wherever it touched as it spread out a rapid rate.

Marco stopped, watching in awe at the display of magic, the air around him became thick with some dark force he couldn't place, the feeling nearly unbearable, making his hair stand on end and goosebumps jump up his arms. He had never seen anything like this before, this was different from even Star's magic, her's was beautiful and wild and amazing, but this felt... dark, wrong, but still mesmerizing somehow as he found himself unable to look away.

A dark green energy burst from the staff, shaking the walls around them, instantly shattering the bulbs on the remaining spotlights, so that the only source of light left in the cave was the magic spewing from the staff and the dark glow of the Impure leader's eyes. Ludo and the others, slowly began to regain their sight back, all gaping numbly at the power and raw energy flowing off of the Impure. None moreso than Ludo, who looked both deathly frightened but beyond curious at the pure magic on display before him.

"You fools have made a grave mistake entering into my domain! You have dared to invade my home, frighten my children, and threaten harm upon them!" Nox shouted, his voice growing deeper and deeper with every word until it was nothing but a violent and sinister roar. He stormed closer to the Monsters, every footstep leaving behind a glowing green imprint in the hard stone. "You are lower than scum! You are unworthy of your miserable lives and the only reason you still breathe is because I have yet to decide a punishment befitting your treachery! So if you value your life you will leave my realm now!"

"Um hey boss, maybe we should do as he says," a Monster lackey suggested shakily down to Ludo.

"Nonsense," Ludo shouted stubbornly. "We aren't leaving until I get my Impure army!"

Nox raised his staff again, shooting off a burst of magic, which the Monster ducked under, the strike shattering and melting a rock, leaving behind only burning green goo. Ludo and the others all stared at it in shock for a second before Ludo screeched out in panic, "Retreat!"

Every Monster scrambled to escape the cave, all screaming and shouting in terror, pushing each other out of the way in their haste to escape, many cutting open portals to flee through, while others simply ran for the exit. Nox, simply watched them go, the look of anger in his eyes never wavering, his staff still glowing in warning.

In the middle of all the chaos, Meatfork finally pulled himself free of the pile of rocks, groaning in pain, a claw pressed tightly to the wound on his shoulder which had been agitated by the rockslide. Ludo ran up to him out of nowhere, shouting, "Meatfork, get me out of here, right now!"

"Right, sure thing, boss," the warthog stated, still looking dazed and out of it. He pulled out a pair of dimensional scissors, quickly cutting open a portal which Ludo quickly ran through without hesitation. Meatfork gave one last glare in the direction of his vile enemies, a particularly nasty one sent in Marco's direction, rubbing his shoulder once more, before he too exited through the portal, the vortex sealing back a second later.

Marco watched in disbelief as the Monsters finished fleeing the cave, soon not a single one of Ludo's lackeys anywhere in sight and a cheer rang out through the cave as the Impures celebrated their victory. After a moment, Nox's power seemed to diminish the power around his staff vanishing as he turned to the others, spreading his arms wide, "My children we are safe once more!" Another cheer came from the crowd of half-Monsters, their leader giving a small nod toward some of his men, who quickly ran into the tunnels clearly intent on capturing the escaping Monsters that were left.

Marco let out a breath of relief before he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Janna, smiling at him as she asked softly, "Hey, you good?"

"Yeah, thanks to you," the boy replied, shooting her a grin. "You were awesome out there. The way you punched Ludo and then tricked them into chasing you!"

Janna shrugged, before saying in a boastful tone, "Yeah, I know." She paused though and added, "But don't think I didn't notice you taking out those lights, you were pretty clever yourself." She gave him a light jab with her elbow to emphasize her point.

"Huh, yeah, guess I was," Marco said thoughtfully.

"You both acted quite bravely," Nox suddenly spoke up as he approached them, Vigo at his side who was staring blankly ahead. The two Impures stopped so they were now standing before the two, the leader with a look of pride on his face. "You two are clearly the heroes of the day. We owe you our lives." Nox turned to his subordinate and asked, "Wouldn't you agree, Vigo?"

The Impure gave the two a passing glance, before staring off into the distance, saying, "I suppose."

"Come now, Vigo, enough of your pride," Nox said in a nearly scolding tone. "Isn't there something you'd like to say to our saviors?"

Vigo let out a tired sigh before giving Marco and Janna a long look, finally stating, "Very well, I suppose what you did was quite commendable and you have my thanks... even if you are outsiders."

"Uhh thanks," Marco replied awkwardly, not sure what else to say. He hadn't expected any sort of compliment from Vigo of all people, the shock of it all sending his brain for a loop.

Janna however, seemed unaffected by the Impure's odd behavior, saying with a smug smirk, "We'll send you the bill."

Marco elbowed his friend, hissing in warning, "Janna."

Nox simply chuckled, giving the two knowing smiles."You have both proven yourselves worthy in my eyes today," he said. "You have my eternal gratitude." The dark lord bowed low to the two, the other Impures quickly joining in until the entire village were bent over in thanks in front of the two teens.

Marco flushed shyly, waving his arms in front of himself as he said, "Oh no, no, you don't have to do that. We were just happy to help."

"Eh, I could get used to it," Janna said with a shrug.

Once the Impures had risen to full height again, Marco's face returned to its normal hue and he was able to breathe normally again. He still didn't like being the center of attention, even if it did feel nice to be praised by others.

The hooded teen noticed Nox staring off in the direction the Monsters had escaped, the dark look in his eyes making the boy shiver and he asked softly, "Um, Lord Nox, aren't you worried about Ludo and the others coming back?"

Nox paused for a second in deep contemplation, before saying grimly, "That is a possibility, yes. But we will be on guard for the next time, they won't be able to catch us by surprise again."

"Well, why didn't you just capture them earlier when you had the chance, instead of letting them escape?" Janna asked, burying her hands into her jacket pockets.

"Yeah, I was kinda wondering the same thing," Marco added, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, couldn't you have just used your magic to capture them."

Nox stared blankly down at the two, before letting out a deep sigh, saying, "I'm afraid it wasn't that simple." The Impure leader held the staff tightly in his hands, staring down at it in almost reverence. "The magic in my staff is very powerful, yes. But, as with all dark magic, there is a limit to how much I can use at a time, otherwise, it might end up corrupting me or even begin drawing on my life force to feed. And I'm afraid I was quickly reaching my limit."

"So then that whole menacing act back there was just a bluff?" Janna asked, an eyebrow slowly raising.

Nox gave the two a playful smirk, as he said proudly, "Quite an effective one, wouldn't you agree?"

The two teens nodded, Janna gazing at him in admiration.

"Lord Nox, there is still the matter of how Ludo and his minions were able to get in here in the first place," Vigo spoke up, giving his leader a grave look. "If they did it once, they can surely do it again."

Nox's face seemed to grow darker at that, as he said sharply, "Yes, that is a concern. There is no way any of them could have gotten in here on their own accord. They must have had help."

Marco was listening in to this exchange with curious interest but he froze as he noticed Janna's body tense out of the corner of his eye and he turned to her with a worried expression. He saw some sort of pain hidden in her brown orbs and the boy felt his heart beating a little faster in his chest. He was just about to question her when the beanie-wearing girl suddenly blurted out of nowhere, "Yeah, about that."

All three turned their attention onto Janna, who seemed intent with staring down at the ground, her face slightly contorted as she seemed to be fighting back her rising emotions, her arms hugging tightly around her chest, her body shaking slightly.

"Janna?" Marco said fearfully.

Finally, the girl seemed to push through the storm of negativity that seemed to have consumed her as she stated, "I know who let them in." She paused, sucking in a deep breath and closing her eyes tight, before admitting in a cracked tone, "It was my mom. She betrayed us."

…

Jade slowly walked through the thick vegetation of Mewni's wilds, the moon casting shadows onto the world around her, bathing her in inky blackness, while all around her the forest seemed alive with creatures of the night, just like her. She kept her eyes on the ground, doing her best to ignore the tightness in her chest, the feeling practically unbearable as she forced out any and all thoughts of her daughter. She blinked the stray tears away, knowing they would do her no good. They wouldn't bring Janna back. Not now, not ever.

She kept her back to the caves, her every step carrying her farther and farther away from her old life, from the place she had once called home, full of people she had once called family. Only now, she was an enemy to it. Now, she had truly lost everything.

And yet, she regretted nothing.

Sacrifices were in order to breed results, she knew this better than anyone. She wouldn't doubt her choices, she wouldn't fear her decisions, for all of them were made for the greater good. Janna would see that someday. She was too young now to understand that all this pain was necessary, that without suffering, nothing could ever be achieved. And once she realized this, she would return to her... she hoped. She knew it was a fragile wish but it was one she clung onto tightly. She wasn't ready to accept that Janna was truly gone yet. She would rather for once live in ignorance.

The Impure woman stopped as she came across three figures blocking her path. They all wore dark robes that seemed to blend in with the night itself, their faces hidden behind white masks, all of which bore the symbol of a spade on their cheeks. But Jade showed no reaction to the three strange people before her, instead, she simply bowed her head, waiting to be addressed. "Did you perform your task, dear sister?" the one in the lead asked.

"Yes, I did," she said simply.

"And you can ensure that things will go the way we want it?" the leader asked again.

"Yes," Jade responded."Ludo's invasion will fail, but the seed has been planted in his mind. He will be unable to resist its call."

"Good. You did well, sister." The leader suddenly turned, his gaze rising to the moon, the others following his example. "The path of fate has been set. There will be no altering its course now."

…

Meatfork let out a few deep breaths, trying to regain some composure after the humiliating defeat, becoming startling aware of every ache and pain on his bruised and tired form. The wound on his shoulder burned like fire and his limbs felt sluggish and heavy, even his head felt like it had been brutally squeezed by a vice, not a single part of his body wasn't sore right now and that pain was almost as strong as his anger. Almost.

In a moment of rage, Meatfork pounded a fist into the ground, growling under his breath as he placed every curse he could think of on that stupid brat and his terrifying snake, only to let out a hiss as his hand throbbed in agony, probably fractured from being crushed under so many rocks. Yet another injury to add to the list. The Monster gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe he had been outwitted by such a pathetic tactic. When he got his hand on the Diaz brat he was going to make him pay.

Meatfork took a moment to gaze around at rest of the Monsters and none of them seemed to be faring any better than him. Most were uninjured, but the look in their eyes showed their disappointment in yet another failed tactic. Some still seemed scared out of their minds, shaking and muttering under their breath, their eyes wide and alive with terror. One was even curled up in a ball in the corner, sucking its thumb as it rocked back and forth, in a feeble attempt to comfort himself.

The warthog Monster had missed the majority of the fight against the Impures but judging from the way the others were acting, it seemed like the half-Monsters were far more dangerous than they had given them credit for. Whatever their leader had done, it had really done a number on everyone and Meatfork was almost glad he had been unconscious for that part.

The Monster's gaze suddenly switched to his leader, Ludo sitting with his back turned to him, staring off into the distance it seemed. His boss had been oddly quiet since they had returned and Meatfork was both confused and worried about this fact, knowing that a silent Ludo was practically unheard of and that could only mean one thing...

Meatfork, cleared his throat before saying to his boss, "Master Ludo, what do we do now?"

Then, out of nowhere, Ludo started laughing. Long and hard and crazy, his body practically doubling over as he cackled evilly, and Meatfork cringed in concern. Had it finally happened? Had Ludo actually lost his mind? All of the Monsters had feared this would happen someday but none of them had ever prepared for what to do if that ever actually happened. If his boss had finally cracked though, Meatfork was positive it would only spell disaster for him and the rest of the Monsters. "Um, boss?"

"Oh Meatfork, isn't it obvious what we need to do?" Ludo asked, finally turning around to face him, a bright smile on his beak, his eyes practically shining with joy. Yep, it was official. Ludo had cracked.

"Not really, since we kinda just lost," Meatfork pointed out softly.

"Meatfork! Did you not see the power that came from that guy's staff?" Ludo exclaimed giddily.

"Uhhhh..." the Monster began, not wanting to admit to his boss that he was unconscious for the whole thing.

But Ludo didn't seem to care about his lack of response, continuing as if his lackey wasn't even there. "Forget an Impure army! If I can get my hands on that staff thing, I'd be unstoppable! I could take down Buff Frog all on my own! And then, nothing could stand in my way of becoming the Monster King!"

Meatfork and the other Monsters could only watch in silence as Ludo broke down into laughter once again, his cackles unending now that he had a full-proof plan to take back what was rightfully his, already gloating to himself over his assured victory. The others all shared concerned looks, but no one made any move to stop Ludo, they had no choice but to go along with their bosses plan, the promise of revenge and a secure future at the top of Monster hierarchy stronger than their growing doubts and suspicions about their small leader's sanity.

…

Janna sat on the steps of the temple, watching numbly as Impures ran to and fro around her, everyone full of life it seemed but her. The entire town of half-Monsters had been this way since getting back, their victory leaving everyone both jittery and energized, and the Impures seemed insistent on celebrating into the late hours of the night. All except for Lord Nox and Vigo, who Janna could see quietly discussing something away from the crowd, no doubt trying to decide the best course of action for Ludo's possible return. They needed to be ready, after all, in case the little guy tried something again. The search party had been a bust, to which Janna had been informed by Nox just a few minutes ago, there was no sign of any of Ludo's minions... or her mother.

Janna felt her stomach lurch at that thought, the grip on her legs tightening some as she fought to keep the emotion at bay. Of course her mom had escaped, she had known she would, but some small part of her had been hoping that maybe, just maybe, her mom would stay behind for once. And yet that fragile hope had been crushed the moment Janna entered her empty house and found her mom's room completely picked clean, not a shred of evidence left behind, not even a note telling her she was sorry. She had felt suddenly suffocated in the house (she could no longer bring herself to call it "home") the desperate need to leave more powerful than reason and she had left without so much as a glance back, there was nothing left for her there.

Now here she sat, tired and beyond exhausted from the physically and emotionally draining day and yet she couldn't bring herself to rest. Her mind was much too full for that, a million thoughts and feelings swirling around her, making it nearly impossible to decipher anything from the crowded mess. The only one that stuck out in her mind at all, was simply the question: How could I have let this happen?

Suddenly, a shadow fell over her form, disturbing her thoughts, and Janna looked up to see Marco standing over her with a soft, soothing gaze. "Hey, how you holding up?" he asked, taking the seat next to her, his eyes never straying from her own sad orbs.

Janna shrugged. "Okay, I guess," she muttered, her voice probably doing nothing to convince her friend in the slightest.

She hadn't been sure how Marco would react when he heard the news about her mom's betrayal. Nox, Vigo, and the other Impures had reacted exactly how she expected: with anger. They had all been outraged at Jade's traitorous actions, turning on her in an instant and declaring her a criminal of their kind. Again no surprise there, Janna had known this would be the result of her mom's dumb decision. And on top of that, everyone seemed to be either extra sympathetic toward her now or in reverence for her heroic actions. She couldn't go two seconds without feeling some pitying stare or look of awe observing her closely. Geez, was this how Star felt all the time?

Marco, however, hadn't said a word since her confession, the most she had gotten from him was a quick look of shock which soon turned to empathy. But he had seemed to know she needed her space, leaving her alone to sulk for a while until he felt it was the best time to come forward and try and talk to her. Now his eyes were full of understanding like he was sharing in her hurt somehow, and it was oddly comforting to see. It sure beat all the empty looks of pity the others were giving her now.

"I'm sorry about your mom," Marco finally said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Nah, it's fine," Janna said, letting out a deep breath and leaning back so she could stare at the dark cave ceiling. "I always kinda knew this was how it was going to end." Marco gave her a quizzical look and she quickly added, "Okay well maybe not this exactly but... deep down I think I knew she hadn't really changed."

"Wait, if you knew then, why'd you want to stay with her?" Marco asked with a look of such naïve innocence that Janna just had to shake her head in disbelief.

The beanie-wearing girl shrugged, before admitting, "I don't know, I guess I just thought if I pretended everything was okay, then it would be somehow." The girl groaned in disgust before burying her head in her hands, muttering, "Stupid, right? I must sound like a complete idiot. Here you were talking about doing what makes me happy or whatever and yet I was about to choose to make myself miserable for no reason! On some dumb chance that I might be wrong." The girl threw herself back on the stone steps in annoyance, glaring as she added, "And look how well that turned out."

Marco stared at Janna's dejected form for a second before shaking his head, telling her firmly, "You're not stupid, Janna."

The girl looked up at him with surprise, saying with forced sarcasm, "Oh yeah, and how do you figure that?"

"Because I know you," Marco replied instantly. "And I know how badly you wanted your mom back, believe me I get it, but that's not because you're stupid, it was because you were desperate. I'm just glad you came to your senses when you did."

Janna didn't reply at first, just letting her friend's words sink in. "Yeah, I guess that's what it was," she said softly. "Still, I can't believe I actually wanted her back after what she did."

Marco shrugged. "She was your mom, of course you'd still care, even if what she did hurt you. And I know it didn't work out but I'm proud of you for at least giving her a second chance."

"Guess she didn't want it though," Janna snapped bitterly.

Marco paused at that, giving his friend a long look as he tried to think of the right response for that, finally telling her, "Y'know Buff Frog told me once that everyone has the ability to change but not everyone's going to. And she clearly didn't."

Janna let out a snort, before replying, "That's putting it lightly."

"But look at it this way," the hooded teen continued, giving his friend an encouraging smile. "At least you found out who she really was before it was too late."

Janna's eyes met Marco's then, brown and green observing the other closely, seeming to convey a million emotions in this single exchange. And for the first time since sitting down Janna smiled. It was small and halfhearted but it was a smile nonetheless and Marco would take anything he could get. That meant he was making progress on helping heal his hurt friend. "Yeah, you're right," Janna said and the slight warmth and confidence in her tone made Marco's entire body feel light with relief.

Wanting to cheer his friend up even more, he instantly added, "And now you have a chance to be happy for real." He gestured to all the Impures. "I know it's not the same as your mom, but these guys could be your family instead."

Janna stared at Marco in complete disbelief. Here was her emotionally distraught friend, clearly torn up over her leaving and yet so eager to make her happy that he was willing to lose her forever if it meant making her happy. He was doing everything in his power to respect her wishes and Janna could tell from the barest ounce of sadness hidden on his face that he wanted nothing more than to beg her to go back with him. And yet, he didn't. Because he cared about her. Because he was a true friend, who would do anything for her, something her own mother would never even do. And Janna couldn't help but smile in endearment as she listened to her friend continue, at that moment making her decision. "I mean, they already care about you a lot and after what happened tonight, they'll probably treat you like some kind of idol or hero or-"

"No thanks," Janna interrupted, her tone light and friendly once more and Marco turned to her in surprise.

"Huh?" he asked, his eyebrows pinching together in that cute way they always did when he was baffled by something.

"I changed my mind," the girl explained, keeping her eyes straight ahead, not giving anything away just yet, but her playful smirk had returned. "Sure I could stay here and be just another Impure in a sea of thousands but y'know I think I'd prefer being the weird, creepy, one-of-a-kind girl with you guys."

"So wait are you saying, you want to come back?" Marco asked hesitantly, clearly trying not to raise his hopes too high, though this it didn't keep his cheek marks from spinning in an excited circle.

Janna nodded, finally meeting Marco's eyes again, giving him a warm smile. "Yeah, I think I'd rather stick with my real family."

"Oh wow, Janna that's awesome!" Marco exclaimed throwing his fists into the air in elation. But he quickly froze as he asked worriedly, "But wait what about figuring out how you are and all that stuff?"

Janna shrugged, her smile never wavering as she said, "I guess I realized that being you and Star and Jackie's friend is enough for now. I don't need to know anything else but that."

"Aww Janna!" Marco squealed, before wrapping his arms around his friend in a hug, the second one that night. But this won couldn't be more different than the last. This time it was Janna who clung tightly to her friend, squeezing her friend just tight enough she didn't hurt him but still was obviously pouring her soul into the hug. And unlike before this one didn't feel them with sadness or grief but rather relieved them from it, as the warmth the two shared slowly began to melt the tight aching in their stomachs, leaving only joy in its place. And with each passing second Marco could swear he felt his friendship with Janna grow just a little bit stronger, rather than seeming to tear the two apart like before.

But the touching moment was interrupted as the two heard a hiss and the hooded teen felt something moving around inside his hoodie. The two quickly parted as a blue head popped out from Marco's collar, Edith staring up at her owner lazily. "Huh, so that's where she's been this whole time," Janna commented, scratching her pet snake under the chin.

"Yeah, she's been in there for a while, she even helped me take down Meatfork, you should have seen his face when he spotted Edith," Marco replied, laughing at the memory. "Honestly, how could anyone be so afraid of this sweet thing." The boy began stroking Edith's head, cooing softly, while the snake leaned its head back clearly enjoying the attention.

Janna raised an eyebrow before saying, "Uh, was it anything like your face this morning?"

Marco flushed at the memory but admitted, "Yeah, probably. But Edith's not so bad once you get used to her." He paused before adding, "But I don't really want her living in my hood sooo..."

"Fair enough," Janna said, picking up on her friend's silent plea, grabbing the snake's thin body and lifting her out of the hood, laying Edith down in her own lap. "Besides I think I already know who she's going to go to when we get back home."

Marco smiled at Janna referring to the castle as 'home', before asking, "Who?"

"Daisy and Violet, duh," Janna replied. "That seems like a pretty good gift to bring back from our camping trip, don't you think?"

Marco laughed, staring down at the snake thoughtfully before saying, "Oh yeah, they'll love her." He paused before adding, "Well okay maybe Daisy won't at first, but she'll get used to the idea, I'm sure."

"That's about what I figured," Janna replied. The two just stared at Edith for a minute in silence, before Marco risked a glance up, saying softly, "Hey Janna." The girl raised her head and met his eyes. "I'm glad you're coming back."

"Me too," Janna said softly, giving her friend a grateful smile. Then in full Janna style, she playfully elbowed her friend, adding in her smug tone, "Besides, you guys clearly need me around. You wander off for two seconds and get yourself kidnapped by Monsters." She let out a fake sigh of exasperation. "Honestly, I can't leave you guys alone for a second."

Marco laughed at his friend's antics so glad he didn't have to go without those in his life. He never realized just how much he enjoyed his creepy friend's Jannaigans until he had almost lost them forever.

Suddenly, Janna sprung to her feet, saying, "Speaking of, we should probably head out, I'm sure Star's going ballistic wondering where you are right now."

"Good idea," Marco replied, standing too, the two now side by side.

"Janna," a voice suddenly said and the two turned in surprise. Lord Nox was observing them closely a short distance away. "I see you have chosen your path."

Janna nodded, before saying confidently, "Yeah, I have. My friends need me and this place just isn't where I belong."

"She's chosen her own happiness," Marco spoke up.

Nox stared at the girl for a long time, before he nodded slowly, saying, "Well, we will miss you greatly but I do understand. Your loyalty to your friends is commendable." His gaze slowly drifted to Marco before adding, "Besides, I believe Marco will need all the help he can get if he's going to keep his promise to me."

Janna gave Marco a confused look, but the hooded teen just smiled at the Impure leader saying, "I will keep my promise, Lord Nox. I swear."

The man smiled. "I know you will, Marco Diaz." His gaze returned to Janna as he added, "And just so you know, whenever you wish to return, you will always be welcome, my child. No matter where you go, you will always be one of us."

Janna nodded but said nothing to that, not sure how to respond. She waited patiently, as Marco pulled out his pair of dimensional scissors and slowly cut open a portal. Once he had, he gave a quick wave over to Lord Nox, shouting out a goodbye before stepping through.

Janna, however, paused for just a second, slowly turning her attention back to the dark village and its inhabitants, letting everything sink into her subconscious in hopes of remembering this moment. Then, she suddenly turned away, allowing her body to shift from her Monster form back to her regular old Mewman one. She let out a relieved sigh, glad to be back to what she considered her true form, before taking the short few steps back through the portal, leaving behind her old world once again. Only this time, it was her choice to go.

And as dark gray walls shifted into dark green forests and star-filled skies, Janna couldn't help but suck in a deep breath of clean air, excited and ready to be home with her family once again.

#Star vs #Star vs AU #My Writing #Light of the Sun and Stars #Starco #Janna Ordonia

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