Disclaimer: I am completely sure I do NOT own W.I.T.C.H. universe.

In all honesty, the temptation was great. To pay back for all humiliation he had to endure at their hands. To put these insolent girls at their place once and for all since he had power to do so. To reclaim what was rightfully his by birthright. With the combined power of Meridian and Zambala his kingdom would be his again in instant. And then…

But there was yet another obstacle – the oath the Keeper forced from him – to not keep this power to himself, but return it to his sweet sister and... He swore on the Heart of Kandrakar to do just that. Now that was an insult of a yet different sort. Prince Phobos Escanor was known to be many things: cruel, ruthless, power-hungry tyrant – he wore these conceptions like a badge of honor. But for them to think he could be led to a trap like that… That was even more insulting than being swatted away like a fly during his last encounter with Elyon! To think they had such a low opinion on his intelligence… Absolutely intolerable. Especially given the fact the Guardians knew nothing about true magic.

He loathed them. All of them – Guardians, Elyon, Neressa and her cronies – were bestowed with nearly unlimited power with no real drawback, while he had to fight tooth and nail for even tiniest speck of magic – resorting to draining the life force of the world and its denizens, or be forced to use his own without the Heart to rely on. He had a rightful claim on Heart of Meridian and its throne – only to be rebuked in favor of a toddler merely because of outdated tradition. It didn't matter he knew more about sorcery than his sister will ever learn (simply because she'd assume such pursuits 'evil'), it didn't matter it was he who held the kingdom while she was growing up – he was never given a chance to become a ruler adored by majority of his people. So yes, he smothered them, cowed into submission, forced the most rebellious to scatter underground… Until his sister and Guardians dethroned him…

Phobos… An apt name for him chosen by his dearest mother. Some whisper it was he who took her life. A misconception he had never bothered to correct, for he indeed had fully intended to be a kinslayer if that would give him what was his by right. And once again his birthright is about to be whisked from his grasp.

The temptation was great indeed. There were some cosmic laws that made some nuances for magical contracts and such. In his case, he technically could use the obtained powers for all he pleased. However, should he visit Kandrakar under such conditions… His powers would be instantly transferred to Elyon and this old Earth Guardian. Moreover…

Phobos could admit the girls did their utmost best in order to outsmart him. For all their limited knowledge, binding him to a contract was a smart move. He learned the Keeper picked that idea from being forced into a specific oath by Nerissa. Then again, she showed some cunning and a certain degree of willingness to play ruthlessly, so to speak. However, that required for him to act as they excepted.

"A NEW ERA BEGINS! ERA OF PHOBOS!"

Prince Phobos smiled, momentarily pleased by the wave of applause. The denizens of Earth were none the wiser about the magic, or the fact he had just defeated Nerissa. For them that was some kind of creative show. Well, he always had some penchant for drama. In moment of inspiration, he made his decision. Oh yes, the Guardians will not be excepting this from him. Neither will his servants, who suspiciously baited the Guardians in fight without his consent…

Perhaps he will part with the power of Heart yet again. Perhaps the throne was lost to him. However, he will make his (former) opponents squirm for that. After all, the deal was he would have a full pardon due to his actions. After all, his short stay on Earth gave him some… Interesting idea how to pass his time there...

A/N

Hello there! This is a bit short story, but I've toyed with that idea for a while :) Not sure whether to try to evolve that into more than oneshot. The reaction to Phobos trying to conquer the Earth with his sense of style should be hillarious though. I mean, Phobos could have become a great superstar, :D

Also, I'd like to make some AU story with 'Third Side' OC, set somewhere during Season one and later