What the Heart Wants.

Sorrowful Sinners.

Author's Note. I thought about censoring some of the content in this chapter but decided against doing so. I think the themes might be heavy for some people, but I have always believed in the intelligence and fortitude of my readers, so I have left it unaltered from how I first wrote it.

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Marco tiredly limped behind Tom as the two made their way outside of the palace. Tom was a few feet in front of him, but he felt a slight burst of energy when he saw the chariot sitting there.

"Well, here we are Marco," Tom said and turned to look back towards his companion for the night.

"Are you sure you can handle this... I really think that you need medical attention, Marco..." Tom reiterated again. The pleasant side of him that was Marco's friend kept trying to maintain control over the greedy nefarious side of his demonic personality.

"I can make it, Tom... I need to do this now... Then I can worry about my injury." Marco said in return.

Tom just nodded, he wasn't very convinced, as Marco was acting very sluggish and lethargic compared to his usual self. It was more noticeable than even his drastic personality shift as of late.

"Well, if you're sure Marco, but if all this turns out to be a farce then I'm dropping you off at a hospital on Earth when I take you home." Tom tried to sound as if he were obligated to do it rather than that he cared to.

"Fine... Yeah... You can do whatever you want." Marco said while limping past his friend.

"All aboard." The ghoulish driver stated. "We are going to descend the Land of Sorrows."

Marco used all the strength he had to pull himself up into the back of the ride, and he plopped himself on the cushy seat the minute he was inside. He started to rub his face, feeling the exhaustion take over him. He wasn't sure how much longer he could go on like this, but he was forcing through it with everything that he had.

Tom quietly nodded to the driver and entered the back, shutting the door as he did so. Once the two were settled in their seats; the carriage began to descend just as it had so many times before.

The rumbling dissent caused the two to bounce, and as it went downward, there was an awkward silence between the once good friends. Tom thought this whole thing was foolish and stupid, but he was just humoring Marco so that he could get what he desired.

Marco sat there and looked at Star's phone that he held in both of his hands. He was a complete mess, but he couldn't help but feel bad for the things that he had done. He looked up at Tom and reached his hands out, offering the phone to him.

"Hey... Please, uhm... Return this to Star when this is all over with." He said.

Tom took the phone and after looking at it for a second, and placed it onto the seat for later. He recognized this as an almost tacit admission from Marco that he would probably find nothing.

"I... I will, Marco," Tom said in a low voice.

The silence resumed, and the further the two descended, the less fiery hot it became. The once orange and dark flames of the underworld were traded for a cooling mist that made Marco feel a little more than uneasy.