THE TRUTH

Hate him... I don't hate Podestray. In fact, he is as precious as Carlos. Amanda sighed, "King of the Jambuds, Torpedo, we finally meet." 

Torpedo lowered his head, placing his hand over his chest. "Princess, so we are finally up against each other." He turned to Podestray and ran his hand over his claw.

"You are fighting me." Carlos walked ahead.

Hiroto joined him. "Prince, where is his army?"

Carlos looked around and shrugged. "Where are your men?" 

"I don't have any more men than the ones here." He looked up at Podestray, who stopped trembling. Podestray raised his claw to Torpedo. As the claw lowered, it started becoming smaller.

"NO, THEY WON'T LISTEN TO ME. THEY... won't listen to you, either..." Podestray became human-like and grabbed Torpedo's hand.

Patricka threw a necklace at Podestray. As soon as he wore it, his hair became normal. 

Ren pulled Amanda's hand. "That's your chance; talk things out..."

Amanda pressed her lips and looked at Podestray. She looked back at Ren. "I think I will listen to what you have to say..."

She turned to Hiroto. "Send these five back." 
Ren's eyes widened, and he tightened his grip on Amanda. "Promise me you will listen to him..."

Amanda gave him a faint smile. "Why do you want me to listen to him?"

"B-because he looked betrayed...." 

He lowered his head, remembering how his brother was killed by the man he loved, and when Sen killed Ren. 

"I know how...it's pitiful."

"You are kind...very different... I promise I will listen to him..." Amanda smiled and tightly hugged him.

Yuzuru's eye twitched, and he sat down wobbling.
"No fair..."

Carlos pulled Hiroto, shaking him, and pointed at them.
"HUHHHHHH?"

Podestray whacked his head against Torpedo's shoulder.
"I think I am too late....."

Hiroto walked to them and pulled Ren away. "Lucky you...She is never this affectionate...now off you all go." 

A portal opened below Yuzuru, Ren, and Jacksaw. The three of them fell in.
And one opened in front of Ayu and Vivian. They walked in, waving at the royals.

The portals closed, and Hiroto twirled his hair.
"With that, they are all back to Star Awesome."

Podestray took a deep breath. "No offense, Amanda, but they all are quite disappointing. Father surely wasted his precious time."

Amanda scoffed. "Excuse you, they aren't disappointing, and your father had plenty of time in the world."

"Did he?" Podestray looked at the moon and squinted his eyes. "Huh, I hate the moon."

Hiroto whispered to Amanda, "Earlier, you didn't deny the rumors of the late demon king helping your father."

"It doesn't matter..." She lowered her sword, its tip grazing the sand. "Torpedo and those two most likely have no idea what we are talking about."

Torpedo narrowed his eyes at her, then glanced at Podestray. But he noticed something dark approaching them from far away. The ground began shaking, and finally, the screeches of laughter were heard.

Amanda's eyes widened as fury took over her. She looked at Podestray, who was also glaring at her with the same fury.

"WHY CALL THE DEMONS?" 

Their words clashed as the realization finally struck them all. Amanda chuckled wearily and approached Torpedo. "Tell me, why did you start the war with us?"

"It was more defense than a war. Just a little time ago, I was informed about demonic activity near my tribe. With a few trustworthy friends, I left and made my cousin the acting ruler. We fought many demons, and upon questioning them, they told us that the Star Area joined alliances with the demons to allow proper manoid usage in the deserts."

"We didn't join alliances with demons..." Amanda darted her eyes at the approaching demons, tightening her sword.

"I believe you now...

Hiroto walked closer to Torpedo; his eyes widened with enthusiasm. "I can't believe it. How come I forgot..." He turned to Amanda; his hair tousled with the abrupt movement.   "Princess, amidst the war, we forgot one basic fact."

"And...what is that?" Amanda's voice quavered in frustration.

"Using powers in desert dunes has always been difficult, unless the user is a high-grade power user." He tilted his head back, looking at the shining moon. And with a smile, looked back at her. "But your Star members used their powers despite being low-grade power users."

"Y-you are right..." Amanda let out a nervous laugh. 

"So, judging by what you just told us...were we fighting your cousin the entire time?" Carlos sighed.

"Yes, we were too busy with the demons and covering the moon that I just lost my throne to my cousin..." His finger twitched, his face hardened with regret. "I am sure I should have stayed at the throne and tried talking...but if not me, then who was going to fight off the demons to protect my people?"

"You did what I would have done: taken action rather than sitting around." Amanda patted his shoulder.

"I think to get rid of the demons from the desert, we don't have to kill him." Carlos took a breath of relief and pointed at Podestray. "We can just undo whatever allowed the manoid usage."

"Why were they about to kill him?" Patricka hissed at Slime.

"If a place gets crowded with demons. To get rid of them all, a royal demon is supposed to be killed; that's a customary ritual." Slime glanced at Podestray. "Because it's usually their power that the lower demons are feeding on..."

They MEt tHe pRinCe

TheY foUNd ouT

ThE idIOTS aRE All HEre

The screeches loudened with the darkness finally reaching them. The demons began taking on human-like forms, laughing at the royals. The demons crept towards them.

"Torpedo... How do we undo the whatever to stop the manoid...?" Amanda yelled, charging at the demons.

Her sword went past the demon, and black dust dispersed in its place. She looked around as all the demons began dispersing into nothingness. "What's going on...?"

The darkness was completely gone. The moon shone as they all looked at each other. A crescent carved in the sand with the dispersal of light. A woman dressed in black emerged.

"What's going on? Dear, I reopened the gates of Power Taker land. That's what happened." The woman smirked.

"T-the great sorceress..." Hiroto snapped his fingers, trying to make a portal, but was unable to.