Star suddenly pressed a hand against his neck, his fingers grazing the faint, sinister markings of the curse mark - an ever-present reminder that he was a puppet on a string, with his life hanging by a thread controlled by his master.
"The curse mark," Star muttered, his voice tight. "He can kill me anytime... anywhere... just by using it."
The others exchanged uneasy glances.
Kade stepped forward, his jaw tight. "Then we have to get rid of the curse mark. Isn't there some way to remove it?"
Star shook his head. "The only way..." He swallowed, his voice cracking. "The only way to remove it... is if the master dies."
Silence.
Jake cursed under his breath. "So what - we just fight him and hope for the best?"
"No," Star said quickly. "We can't. Ganging up on him won't work. He's too powerful, his magic is on another level."
Lila hugged herself, her face pale. "Then what do we do? We can't just let him take Aliana!"
Star's mind spun. Every instinct told him to run, to obey the master like always - but something else was pushing him forward.
Something new.
Something Aliana planted in him - the will to fight back.
"We have to outsmart him," Star said, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him. "I... I need all of you."
Eric furrowed his brow. "What's the plan?"
Star's thoughts raced. "The master only cares about control. He doesn't notice details - he never remembers faces, only counts the number of friends I have. That's why he didn't realize you were new."
Luna nodded slowly. "So... if we use that against him..."
"We can trick him," Star finished. "If we make him believe everything is normal, he won't kill me or hurt Aliana."
Henry frowned. "But how do we do that?"
Star took a shaky breath. "We have to act like nothing is wrong. He thinks you're all hypnotized... so we have to keep up the act."
May's voice wavered. "What about Aliana? He wants to take her."
A sharp pang twisted in Star's chest. The image of his master dragging Aliana away haunted him.
"We need a distraction," Star said.
"Something to draw his focus away... from Aliana long enough for me to convince him... I still have all my 'friends' under control."
Kade clenched his fists. "So while he's distracted, we grab Aliana and run?"
"No," Star said, his eyes darkening. "We don't run. If we run...he'll kill me... with the curse mark before we even make it to the edge of the forest."
"Then what do we do?" Jake asked, frustrated.
Star's gaze hardened. "We make him choose. If we can convince him that taking Aliana would ruin the image of me being a loyal puppet with my obedient friends, he might let her go."
Lila blinked. "So... we have to make him think that keeping Aliana with you benefits him more?"
Star nodded. "Exactly."
The group exchanged looks - the plan wasn't perfect, but it was all they had.
Nia's voice broke the silence. "But if it doesn't work... if he doesn't fall for it..."
Star didn't respond immediately. His hand brushed the curse mark again. If the master saw through their plan...
"I'll protect Aliana," Star said quietly. "Even if it means..."
He didn't finish - but everyone understood.
They were out of time.
"Let's go," Star said, his voice steady now. "We have to save Aliana."
With hearts pounding and minds racing, the group followed Star back outside - ready to face the master and play the most dangerous game of deception they'd ever attempted.
The air felt heavier as the group made their way back toward the clearing where the master stood with Aliana. Star's heart pounded, but his face remained blank - just as it had for years under the master's control.
The others followed suit, forcing themselves into emotionless expressions, mimicking the hypnotized state they had once been trapped in.
Aliana was standing stiffly next to the master, her face neutral but her eyes screaming for help. Star clenched his fists at his sides, but he didn't break character.
The master's cold, dark gaze swept over the group, slowly counting them under his breath.
"Hmm... one, two, three..." His voice was like a knife scraping against stone. "...nine."
He gave a satisfied nod.
"Good," the master said, though his fingers still idly played with a lock of Aliana's hair, making Star's blood boil. "I see you followed orders."
Star simply nodded, keeping his face devoid of emotion.
The master grinned. "And your little favorite here... still so special to you, isn't she?"
Again, Star nodded, though this time, his hand slightly twitched at his side.
The master's gaze sharpened.
"Hmm..." He stepped away from Aliana and circled the group, his long cloak trailing behind him like a shadow. His icy stare moved from Kade to Lila to Nia - and then back to Star.
"You know, Star..." the master drawled. "I'm curious about something."
Star's throat went dry, but he remained silent.
The master's lips curled into a sinister smirk. "You're... different today."
The words hit like a thunderclap, sending an icy chill down Star's spine.
The master's eyes narrowed, and his gaze slowly drifted to Star's hand - the faint redness still lingering from where the handcuffs had been locked the day before.
His smirk twisted into something crueler.
"You've been outside," the master said softly.
Star's heart stopped.
The group stiffened.
"You've been outside... during the day." The master's voice was dangerously calm, his dark magic swirling faintly at his fingertips. "I told you never to go outside when the Sun is up."
Star didn't move, his brain scrambling for a response.
The master tilted his head, his gaze like a predator sizing up its prey. "And yet... you don't seem blinded by the Sun anymore. You're not cowering in fear."
His smile vanished.
"You've... changed."
A deafening silence fell over the group.
Star felt the curse mark on his neck burn faintly - a subtle reminder of the control the master still held over him.
The others kept their emotionless acts, but Star could sense their panic beneath the surface.
The master took a slow step toward him.
"Tell me, Star..." His voice was a dangerous whisper. "Who made you... brave?"
Aliana's heart pounded - she knew the plan was on the verge of collapsing.
The master's fingers twitched, dark magic sparking faintly from his palm.
"Speak," the master ordered. "Who gave you the audacity to disobey me?"
Star's mind raced. One wrong move, and the master could kill him - or worse - kill Aliana.
He had to think fast.
_ _ _
The master's glare darkened, his shadowy aura swirling like a living storm around him.
The air itself seemed to constrict, growing heavier with each passing second. Star could feel the curse mark on his neck searing, a dull pain creeping through his veins - a cruel reminder of the master's power over his life.
But none of that compared to the fear he felt for Aliana.
The master's gaze locked onto her, his fingers twitching as if debating whether to strike.
"Not only did you step outside during the day," the master said, his voice now low and venomous, "but you... you dared to keep this girl by your side - with her emotions intact."
His hand shot out, grabbing Aliana by the wrist. She winced but didn't cry out.
"Explain," the master hissed, his other hand hovering dangerously close to the curse mark on Star's neck. "Why is she not like the others? Why does she still feel?"
Star's mind screamed in panic, but as his gaze met Aliana's - as he saw the silent plea in her eyes - something inside him snapped.
For the first time in years, Star wasn't afraid for himself. He was afraid for her.
And suddenly... fear wasn't enough to stop him.
His body moved before his mind could catch up. He grabbed the master's wrist - the one clutching Aliana - his grip surprisingly firm.
"Because I didn't want her to be like the others," Star said, his voice shaking but loud enough to echo through the silent forest.
The master's eyes widened - not in rage, but in shock.
"What did you just say?"
Star's breathing was ragged, but his grip didn't loosen. "I said I didn't want her to be mindless like the others. I chose to keep her emotions."
The air seemed to crackle with tension.
The others - Kade, Lila, Nia, Jake, Luna, Gem, Henry, May, and Eric - all froze, watching in stunned silence.
"You chose?" the master repeated slowly, his voice laced with disbelief. "You... chose?"
The curse mark on Star's neck burned hotter. He could feel his master's magic flaring - a threat hanging in the air like a guillotine blade, ready to drop.
"You don't get to choose," the master growled, his voice now thunderous. "You are mine. Your will is mine. Your life is mine."
Star clenched his jaw, his mind screaming at him to back down - but his heart refusing to obey.
"Not anymore," Star said softly.
The master's magic erupted - a wave of dark energy pulsing out, sending Star stumbling back.
He hit the ground hard, the curse mark flaring so violently that pain shot through his body like fire. His limbs trembled, but he forced himself back onto his knees, refusing to break eye contact with the master.
The master loomed over him, his face a mask of fury.
"Do you want to die, Star?" the master sneered. "Because that's what you're asking for."
Aliana tried to move, but the master's magic held her in place - a dark tendril of shadow wrapped around her wrist.
Star's vision blurred from the pain, but his voice remained steady.
"If dying means I protect her... then yes."
The words hung in the air, heavier than the master's magic.
Aliana's eyes widened, tears threatening to spill, but she bit her lip to stay silent.
For the first time in years, Star wasn't just a puppet. He wasn't just a mindless servant.
He was alive.
The others watched in horror - their plan was unraveling, and Star had just signed his own death warrant.
The master raised a hand - magic swirling, ready to strike Star down.
And then...
_ _ _
The master's hand hovered above Star, dark magic swirling at his fingertips - the curse mark on Star's neck pulsing so fiercely that it looked ready to burn right through his skin.
But before the master could strike, a voice broke the tense silence.
"Stop!"
Kade stepped forward, standing between Star and the master, his legs visibly shaking but his eyes fierce.
"He's not just your puppet," Kade said, his voice cracking slightly but growing stronger with every word. "He's our friend. Our brother."
The master's head tilted ever so slightly - like a predator curious about its prey's sudden defiance.
"Brother?" the master repeated, the word sounding foreign in his mouth. "This pathetic boy - a brother to you?"
Lila and Nia moved next, standing by Kade's side.
"Yes," Nia said softly but firmly. "He's not alone anymore."
Jake clenched his fists. "We're not going to let you hurt him."
Luna, the youngest of them, swallowed hard. "He gave me a gift... something that made me feel like I had an older brother." She clutched the small rock Star had given her, holding it like a precious treasure.
Gem, Henry, May, and Eric stepped forward too - none of them warriors, but none of them willing to back down.
"He's one of us now," Gem said. "And we protect our own."
The master's magic flared again - a deadly pulse of dark energy - but something else flickered in his expression.
Confusion.
These people - these strangers - were standing up for Star. Protecting him.
It didn't make sense.
Star was just a tool - a lifeless puppet - a means to an end. He wasn't worthy of loyalty or love.
And yet...
The master's grip on Aliana's wrist weakened - just for a second.
Aliana noticed.
She didn't hesitate.
With all the strength she had, she twisted free, shoving the master's arm aside and sprinting back toward Star - toward the others.
The master blinked, his magic faltering for the briefest moment.
"You-" he started, but Aliana was already beside Star, grabbing his arm and helping him to his feet.
Star's vision was still hazy from the pain, but as he saw his friends - his siblings - standing between him and the master, something inside him stirred.
"Why...?" Star whispered, his voice hoarse. "Why are you doing this... for me?"
Aliana's hand tightened around his. "Because you're not alone anymore."
The master's face darkened, his shock giving way to fury.
"You dare defy me?" he roared, his magic now spiraling out of control. "All of you - you will suffer for this!"
But this time... Star wasn't cowering.
He wasn't trembling.
He was standing tall - surrounded by the people who called him family.
The master's rage crackled like a storm, dark magic swirling violently around his hands as he faced Star and his friends. His eyes, cold and lifeless, scanned the group - but what he saw made his anger burn even hotter.
There was no fear in their eyes.
Not like he wanted.
Not the paralyzing terror he had grown so used to seeing from those under his control.
Kade's fists were clenched, Lila's lips were pressed into a tight line, and even Luna, the youngest, was standing her ground.
The master hated it. He needed fear. It was how he thrived - how he broke others down.
"You dare stand against me without trembling?" the master hissed, his voice a deadly whisper. "You think loyalty and friendship will save you?"
Without warning, his hand shot forward, and the curse mark on Star's neck flared - not just with pain but with a cruel kind of magic meant to tear him apart from the inside.
Star collapsed to his knees, clutching his neck as black tendrils of energy spiraled around him, constricting his chest, stealing his breath. His vision blurred, and his head felt like it was splitting open. It wasn't death - not yet - but something worse: a sample of death.
A cruel in-between.
A place where Star could feel himself slipping away - agonizingly slow - while still hearing everything around him.
The master sneered. "Your so-called friends can't save you now."
The others froze.
Kade's voice broke. "S-Star?"
Jake's bravado shattered, his hand trembling as he stepped back.
Luna clutched the rock Star had given her, but her legs wouldn't move.
None of them could process what they were seeing - Star, writhing in pain, his body consumed by dark magic - all while the master loomed over him like a vulture.
"Friends," the master mocked, his voice dripping with venom. "They are always there - until they're not. When I was betrayed by my closest allies... by the people I trusted most... I realized the truth."
His magic twisted deeper into Star, making him choke out a weak gasp.
"Emotions are worthless," the master said.
"Love, loyalty, friendship - all they bring is pain. That's why I create puppets. Slaves. They never betray me. They never leave me."
Star's vision was darkening, his body now barely able to move. The pain was unbearable, but somehow, the loneliness was worse.
His friends - his siblings - weren't coming to him.
Not because they didn't care.
But because they were paralyzed. Too afraid. Too lost in shock.
And in that horrible, dying moment... Star felt it creeping back in - the familiar, suffocating feeling of being alone.
Just like before.
Just like always.
Until-
A sudden warmth.
Arms wrapped tightly around him.
Aliana.
She didn't hesitate.
She dropped to her knees, pulling him into a fierce hug, her tears falling freely onto his shoulder.
"I'm not leaving you," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Even if you die - I'm staying right here."
Her grip didn't loosen.
Even though the dark magic scorched the air around him - even though the master's power was still tightening like a noose - Aliana didn't let go.
"Listen to me, Star," she said through her sobs. "You're not alone. Not now. Not ever again."
Star, still caught in the cruel grip of the curse mark, could barely lift his head - but that warmth... that promise...
It was giving him something to hold on to.
A flicker of will to live.
The master's smile faltered, his magic still tearing through Star - but now, something wasn't right.
Star should have been slipping into unconsciousness - into that half-dead state.
But he wasn't.
He was hanging on longer than he should have.
Because of her.
Because of them.