Steeling herself, Star gathered all her courage and began the decent into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Mina was incredibly grateful to see Tom.

"Quickly," she said, ushering him over to the bed. "He's unconscious." This time, Mina was alone in the room with Marco.

"What... happened?" Tom asked, feeling very nervous as he looked down at Marco. He lay still and peaceful, as though he had never transformed into a monster. The only difference was that the ropes which had binded him had been replaced with chains and thick metal shackles. An hour ago this would have upset Tom, but now... he couldn't help feeling thankful and relieved that Marco was restrained. He had killed two men, after all, consciously or not.

"We used the strongest painkiller we have, and a big dose of it, too. There is a small possibly that... 'Marco' will struggle to regain consciousness after this, even if we do get rid of the dark magic. The amount we used shouldn't be used on a human. I can only hope the dark magic in his system has made him more than human, so he can survive."

Tom's heart leapt to his throat.

"You mean... he might not ever wake up?"

"It was always a possibility," Mina said impatiently. "He's comatose now. Believe me, it was necessary."

A small part of Tom, which he was ashamed of, agreed wholeheartedly with Mina, and was grateful not to have Marco as a danger anymore. However, the rest of him was filled with fury and indignation that Mina would make such an extreme decision and take such a big risk. Surely she could have done something else to subdue him?

"Well, good look convincing Star and Mr and Mrs Diaz that," he said stonily, pushing the bag into her hands. "Here. Essence of Toffee."

Mina peered into the bag and pulled a face.

"Ew," she said. Then she crossed to the bedside table on which sat a bowl. "I've got a magically stimulating solution here," she said as she added the powder from the bag. "As soon as we've given him this, and we see any signs of recovery, we'll go ahead with the blood transplant. There we go," she murmured as she stirred it in. "Lovely." She looked up at Tom standing there awkwardly. "Come over here and help him drink it."

Tom nervously stepped closer. He shook himself and told himself there was nothing to be afraid of, and sat down opposite Mina. Then he looked down at Marco.

He was just lying there, calm and peaceful, his eyes softly closed and his breathing shallow. His skin was very dark now- almost ebony black, like aged wood or rich chocolate, and his lips, which were slack and parted in a tiny 'oh', were pale and thin.

His right arm, the Monster, looked as innocent as any normal limb. His left arm, which had been horribly snapped at the elbow, was healed. His chest, covered in raw cut, scarlet runes from the dark magic, was riding and falling in a very shallow way, and his stomach was still nastily hollow. His arms and legs were stick thin and didn't look as though they could do any damage even if Marco tried.

Seeing him laying here, Tom thought it looked unnecessary after all to have him chained down like a dangerous animal.

Scooting forward on his chair, Tom reached around the back of Marco's head. It was a little awkward due to the chain around his neck. Tom couldn't help but remember the last time he had reached round the back of Marco's head, it had been covered in blood. The last time he had held Marco in his arms, his life had been ebbing out of him.

All at once, sorrow and grief engulfed Tom and he let out a gut wrenching sob. Mina stared at him. Tom tried to wipe away the tears and carry on, but he just couldn't. Finally, he said, his voice hitching,

"I'm okay. Give me the solution. I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" Mina asked, looked very much like she wanted to get away from Tom, who was ugly-crying.

"Yes," Tom choked. "Please."

"...Alright," Mina said hesitantly. "If anything happens, I'll be just outside. Scream for me and I'll come running."

Tom nodded and sniffed.

Once Mina had gone, Tom looked down at Marco's tiny rag of a body and howled. He held the bowl in one hand and cupped Marco's head in the other, lifting it up off the measly pillow. Marco didn't respond. Tom sobbed harder than ever.

"Oh, Marco! What are we going to do? What am I going to do without you? You... you're my best friend! With Star, I understand, it's different for you two- but- you showed me how to act differently when I'm upset! You showed me compassion, intelligence... agh!" Tom's voice cracked. "I understand now! I understand what Star meant! It doesn't matter how much power you've got or how rich you are... it matters how you treat others!" Tom forced himself to take several calming breaths to steady himself and slowly began tipping the potion down Marco's throat. "You taught me how to treat others, Marco. I don't know what I'll do without you." Toms voice was quieter now, steadier, but he continued to let tears slide down his face. He didn't notice, but a couple splashed into the potion he was feeding Marco. "You know, when I went to my family gathering, I told them what was happening. I told them about you being stabbed and starved. They didn't care." Tom laughed in a very hollow way. "They didn't care because you're only a human. You have no powers. Ha, they should have seen you before, eh?" Tom tipped the last of the potion into Marco's mouth and then gently rubbed his neck, causing the swallow reflex. "But I know now. I know that that's not what matters. You're kind, you're smart, you're important. I don't want to lose you."

Tom laid down the empty bowl and then leaned across Marco, reaching behind his back and hugging him very gently.

"Please don't go," he whispered.