Star's days became a blur of relentless work. He was either helping people with his black magic abilities or running around town, applying for part-time jobs - something his friends never thought they'd see him do. The once-quiet, hesitant Star now seemed to be a storm of silent determination.
It didn't go unnoticed.
Late one evening, after a long day, Star collapsed onto his bed. His room was dimly lit by the soft glow of the moon peeking through the window. His friends, still gathered around, exchanged concerned glances.
Luna, sitting at the edge of his bed, finally spoke. "Star... why are you pushing yourself so hard?"
Eric crossed his arms. "She's right. You're doing more than ever - but it doesn't feel like you're just trying to help people. It's like you're running from something."
Star stared at the ceiling for a long moment before sighing. His voice, calm yet heavy, broke the silence.
"...It's Aliana," he admitted. "Her thoughts... they keep distracting me."
The room fell even quieter.
"I don't know why, but there's this... feeling," Star continued, his hand resting over his chest. "It's loud, and it won't stop. It's like a storm inside me. The more I think about her, the louder it gets."
Luna's face softened. "Star... that's not something you can just work away."
But Star shook his head. "I have to," he said firmly. "I told Aliana not to run away from her home. It was the right thing to do - the only choice she had. She needs to fix things with her parents, not escape from them."
His words were steady, but his voice wavered just enough for everyone to catch the struggle beneath.
Eric adjusted his glasses, choosing his words carefully. "So... even though your emotions are telling you to go after her, you're trying to silence them - because you think following your feelings would be wrong?"
Star nodded. "I've learned over the years that emotions... they can be powerful - too powerful." He closed his eyes, recalling the countless lessons from Nia and Lila about control, about balance. "I've learned how to recognize what I feel, and not let it take over. That's what I'm doing now. It's the only way."
But the sadness in his voice betrayed his logic.
Luna placed a hand on his arm. "Star... controlling your emotions doesn't mean ignoring them."
Kade, usually the jokester, was uncharacteristically serious. "Yeah. You're acting like it's wrong to feel things - like if you care too much, it's dangerous."
Star didn't respond.
May finally spoke up. "You told Aliana to stay - and that was the right thing to do. But that doesn't mean you have to pretend like this doesn't hurt."
Star's hand slowly tightened into a fist against his chest. "...I know."
The friends didn't push further. They just stayed with him - not trying to fix his pain, but making sure he wasn't alone in it.
Even if Star didn't know how to handle the storm inside him, they weren't going to let him face it by himself.
The days passed slowly, but Star kept pushing himself. His routine didn't change - helping others, picking up extra jobs, and burying himself in work.
But the more he tried to drown out his thoughts, the more Aliana's words echoed in his mind. Her blank stare, the forced coldness in her voice, the pain he caught in her eyes for just a second before the door slammed shut. It all kept replaying like a broken record.
His friends stayed close, worried but patient. They didn't press him - they knew Star wasn't the type to open up easily. He'd speak when he was ready.
One evening, as Star sat on his porch watching the sunset, Luna joined him, her guitar resting on her lap. She started strumming softly - a tune Star recognized. It was the song she had played the first night she stayed at his house years ago.
"Luna... why that song?" Star asked quietly.
She didn't stop playing. "Because you need to hear something familiar - something that reminds you you're not alone."
Star didn't respond, but his gaze softened.
Soon, Eric, May, and the others joined them outside. Kade kicked a small pebble back and forth absentmindedly, and Henry sketched the sky in his notebook. It was a quiet, peaceful moment - but the unspoken worry still lingered.
After a while, Eric finally broke the silence. "Star... you know we're not going anywhere, right?"
Star blinked, turning to face him. "I know."
"You don't have to carry all of this by yourself," May added gently.
Star's hands slowly curled into fists on his lap. "I'm not trying to carry it... I just don't know what else to do."
His words hung in the air for a moment before Luna spoke again. "You think if you work hard enough, the feelings will go away?"
Star closed his eyes. "...Maybe."
Kade huffed. "That's not how it works, man."
The group fell quiet again, but Star's mind kept racing. His heart ached in a way he didn't fully understand - this wasn't like the fear his master once instilled in him or the sadness he felt when Gem and Lila betrayed him. This was different - a raw, confusing kind of pain.
Finally, Star muttered nervously, "I just want to stop thinking about her... about the look in her eyes... about how she wanted to leave with us...but something inside me was... wanting to do it.. even if it wasn't the right thing..."
Eric adjusted his glasses. "But you know you did the right thing. It was your decision so be proud of it. No one in your place would have been as calm as you even after everything."
Star's jaw tightened. "It doesn't make it hurt less. I don't...know why but I am fighting with myself somehow over this feeling and the right thing I did."
May gave him a soft smile. "That's because you care about her."
Those words hit Star harder than he expected.
"I..." He hesitated, struggling to find the right words. "I just don't know..."
The friends exchanged a glance, realizing just how tangled Star's emotions were.
Henry leaned back, staring at the sky. "You know, Star... feelings aren't something you can solve like a puzzle. You don't just work them away or figure them out overnight."
Luna nodded. "Yeah. It's okay not to understand what you're feeling. It doesn't make it any less real."
Star lowered his head, his mind a storm of confusion - anger at Aliana's forced coldness, sadness for how much had changed, and a strange, painful longing he couldn't name.
_ _ _
Back in her family's grand home, Aliana sat silently in the living room, the evening light casting long shadows across the elegant decor. The atmosphere, once cold and suffocating, now felt slightly more bearable - but the weight of recent events still hung heavy in the air.
Her mother and father sat across from her, both uncharacteristically quiet. The incident with the spoiled boy - their once-promising business partner's son - had rattled them more than they wanted to admit. Seeing a gun pointed at their daughter, hearing his twisted words about using her for profit, and witnessing Star protect her with unwavering resolve had forced them to confront a painful truth: they had treated their daughter more like a bargaining chip than a person.
Her father, usually composed and stern, finally broke the silence. "Aliana... about the engagement..."
She flinched slightly at the word.
Her mother, softer this time, added, "We didn't know... we didn't realize how dangerous he was."
Aliana kept her gaze fixed on the floor. "You didn't care, either," she said quietly. "All that mattered was the business deal."
Her words struck harder than expected.
Her father's jaw tightened. "It wasn't like that-"
"It was like that," Aliana cut him off, her voice shaking. "You didn't listen to me for five years. Not when I told you about Star. Not when I told you I was unhappy. Not until someone nearly killed me in front of you."
Silence.
Her mother looked away, guilt flickering across her face.
Her father, for once, seemed lost for words. He wasn't used to being questioned - but the harsh reality of what had almost happened was impossible to deny.
After what felt like forever, he finally sighed. "We were wrong."
Aliana blinked. "What?"
Her mother nodded softly. "We were wrong, Aliana... about everything. About Star... about forcing you into that engagement... about controlling your life."
The words didn't feel entirely natural coming from them - like they were still learning how to express anything other than control and authority - but they were sincere.
Aliana's throat tightened. She had dreamed of hearing these words for years, but now that they had finally been spoken, the emptiness inside her didn't fade.
Her father rubbed his temples. "The engagement is off. I spoke with his father today - the deal is over."
Aliana let out a shaky breath, but there was no relief - just a hollow ache.
Her mother's voice was gentler than Aliana had ever heard. "We... we want to try to be better parents to you."
The words hung in the air.
Aliana didn't respond. She couldn't - there was too much to process. The walls they had built between them weren't going to crumble in a single night.
But at the very least, there were cracks now - small, fragile cracks where light could finally start to slip through.
And for the first time in years, Aliana saw a faint glimpse of hope - not for what her family once was, but for what it could possibly become.
Over the following days, Aliana's life felt like it had slowed down - but not in the comforting way she had hoped.
Her parents, though trying to be more attentive, were still awkward and distant. They didn't know how to show affection, so their attempts at "being better" felt clumsy - like strangers suddenly pretending to be close.
Her father would occasionally ask about her day - a rare gesture - but the conversations were short and stiff. Her mother tried to share meals with her, something they hadn't done in years, but the silence between bites was heavier than the food itself.
It wasn't hostility anymore - just a strange, uncomfortable emptiness.
Aliana appreciated their efforts - truly - but it didn't erase the years of control, the forced engagement, or the pain of being treated like a tool for their business. The scars were still there, and no amount of soft words could make them vanish overnight.
One evening, after an exhausting dinner where her father tried (and failed) to ask about her hobbies, Aliana retreated to her room. She sat by her window, the city lights glowing faintly in the distance, her thoughts drifting back to Star.
She couldn't stop thinking about him - about the way he had grown so much in five years. He wasn't the same scared, awkward boy she had once comforted. He was stronger now - more confident, more composed - yet still so kind.
And then she remembered the way he had looked at her after the spoiled boy's outburst, how his voice cracked ever so slightly when he told her to give her parents a second chance.
He had pushed her to stay - to try to fix things - even though a part of her had wanted to run away with him.
Why did he do that? Why did he seem so... restrained?
Her heart twisted painfully.
"Did he really think that was the best choice... or was he just hiding how he really felt?" she whispered to herself.
She clutched her blanket, feeling a strange ache rise in her chest.
The truth was, Star had always been honest with his emotions before - no matter how awkward or blunt. But this time, when it came to her, he had hidden something.
Aliana wasn't sure why that realization hurt so much.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Did he really want her to stay... or was he forcing himself to let her go?
The next morning, Aliana woke up with a new resolve - a fragile, shaky resolve, but one nonetheless.
She couldn't keep letting her thoughts about Star consume her. It hurt too much - the confusion, the unanswered questions, the way his words echoed in her mind. If she stayed stuck in those feelings, she feared she'd never move forward.
So she decided to pour her energy into something meaningful - something that could give her purpose outside of the expectations her parents placed on her.
After some thought, she settled on the idea of becoming a high school teacher.
Teaching felt... right. It wasn't about fame, money, or business deals - it was about guiding others, helping them grow, and maybe even giving students the kind of support she wished she had when she was younger.
That afternoon, she sat at her desk and researched what it would take.
Bachelor's Degree: She realized she'd need to complete a bachelor's degree in education or a subject she wanted to teach - about 4 years.
Teacher Training: After that, she'd have to undergo teacher preparation programs and student-teaching - adding another year.
Licensing Exams: There were tests she had to pass to earn her teaching license.
Job Applications: Once licensed, she'd have to apply for a school - a process that could take months.
In total, it could take her 5 to 6 years to officially become a full-time teacher.
Aliana leaned back in her chair, staring at the screen.
It was a long road - longer than she expected.
But the thought of helping students, of creating a safe space where young people could express themselves, gave her a flicker of hope.
Maybe this was what she needed - a way to move forward, build her own future, and find herself outside of the shadows of her family's expectations.
And... maybe along the way, it would help her make sense of the feelings swirling inside her - the ones she couldn't push away, no matter how hard she tried.
For now, this was her path.
Back in Star's town, things were starting to shift - and this time, in a way he never expected.
Due to his growing reputation for using magic to help people - whether it was finding lost items, calming restless spirits, or even assisting farmers with their crops - Star's popularity had spread. People were talking about the "mysterious magician" who wasn't like others - he didn't perform for money or fame but simply to lend a hand.
One day, a local news channel reached out to him with an offer:
They wanted Star to perform a live magic show for the entire town - something that would showcase his abilities not just as a helper, but as a magician in his own right.
At first, Star wasn't sure.
He wasn't used to being in the spotlight - the idea of standing before a crowd, with all eyes on him, stirred a familiar awkwardness in his chest. His friends noticed his hesitation, but Kade clapped him on the back with a grin.
"You've been helping people all this time, Star," Kade said. "This is just the same thing - but with more people watching."
Henry added, "And maybe this will open even more doors for you."
Even Luna encouraged him, saying it wasn't much different from her music performances.
With their support, Star agreed.
The day of the magic show arrived, and the town square was packed. People of all ages gathered, some curious, some excited, and others skeptical. Bright lights from the news cameras made the stage glow, and the host gave a grand introduction, hyping up Star's "legendary" abilities.
Then, Star stepped onto the stage.
For a moment, he felt that old, familiar tightness in his chest - the fear of being watched, of messing up, of not belonging.
But then, he saw his friends in the crowd - Luna giving a thumbs-up, Kade whistling, Eric nodding confidently, and the others smiling with encouragement.
He closed his eyes briefly - then opened them with calm determination.
The show began.
Light magic: He summoned shimmering orbs of light that danced in the air, forming patterns and glowing softly like stars.
Illusions: With a flick of his hand, he made objects appear and disappear - harmless tricks, but with a touch of his black magic's mystery.
Nature tricks: He made small vines sprout from pots on the stage, weaving into mesmerizing shapes, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Positive energy magic: In his final act, he released a wave of glowing energy, a symbol of his journey - dark magic now used for hope - filling the air with a warm, comforting sensation.
When the show ended, there was silence for a moment - then thunderous applause.
The crowd cheered, and the news host rushed to interview Star.
"Incredible! Star, how does it feel to have the whole town witness your amazing magic?"
Star, still catching his breath, simply said:
"I didn't do this for the cheers... I did it because magic should be used to help others - not to control them."
His words struck a chord with many.
The news segment was broadcasted across the town, and suddenly, Star wasn't just the quiet magician helping people in the background - he was now someone the whole town recognized and admired.
But even as the crowd cheered and his friends celebrated, a small part of Star's heart still felt a quiet ache - the part that wondered if Aliana would ever hear about this.
For now, though, he stood in the light of his own magic, surrounded by the people who still stood by him.