Ben and the others were back in no time in Anodyne and Ben was practically tackled by Max and the others.

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" Max said, tears streaming down his face.

"Easy grandpa," Ben said, gently hugging him.

"No Ben! You could've been killed! I almost lost you! That does it! We need to go back home right now," Max said.

"Grandpa…" Ben started.

"Don't you see?! All of this happened because of Verdona's decision! You almost got killed and our lives have been miserable ever since this happened!" Max growled.

"Grandpa, I can't just leave. I need to stay for a while. I need to learn how to survive here if I need to rule one day," Ben said.

"And just how long are you planning on staying to train?!" Max asked getting defensive.

"Ben will need to stay with me for ten of our lunar cycles," Spellbinder said, now cutting in and standing next to Ben.

"And how long is that exactly?" Max asked.

"In the humans' world, fifteen years," the large king smirked happily.

"WHAT?!" Max yelled out.

"Max please remain calm!" Verdona said.

"How can we remain calm?! Do you not care what we just went through?! Look, I'm glad you are safe Spellbinder! Truly I am! Please believe me! But I can't just let Ben stay here! He could die out here! He doesn't know the first thing about being an Anodite!" Max pleaded.

"Mr. Max…I came to Earth, fought an Ectonurite army, and almost obliterated myself to protect my son Ben. Do you really think that he is not protected?" Spellbinder asked, now getting agitated.

"It's not just that! He's a member of my family!"

"Just like he is my offspring and heir!"

"ENOUGH! PLEASE JUST STOP!" Ben bellowed out, making them stop. Ben turned to them with sad eyes and ran a hand over his head as he looked at them. "I have something to say."

"Yes?" Spellbinder asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes Ben," Max asked.

"I know you mean well grandpa, but I need to stay here and learn from Spellbinder. Like it or not, this is also my home," Ben said.

"But Ben…do you realize you would be staying here for most of the time," Max said sadly.

"Grandpa, I will still be able to visit you all. But I need to stay; this is also…my home." Ben said.

"So you're giving up everything that you were excited about?! College?! Traveling?! All of our plans?!" Max said, now sounding more hurt.

"Grandpa things have changed!" Ben said.

"No, you're choosing Spellbinder over us!" Max said, now turning and storming off. Everyone was so shocked! They had never seen Max act that way!

"Are you kidding?! We just barely escape a crazy alien and now grandpa is mad?! This is so ridiculous!" Ben said, throwing his hands up!

"Ben…" Gwen said, who was watching the whole thing.

"I mean doesn't he care that we were almost killed rather than worrying if I'm going back to Earth?!" Ben said, now angrily firing his power.

"My my…look at that emotion." Spellbinder smiled, crossing his arms.

"Spellbinder! This is no time to admire Ben's power! He's angry!" Verdona said.

"Oh desist your worrying Verdona. Ben has a right to be agitated. After all…humans' reasoning is so strange. It is obvious that I am the best choice to help him," Spellbinder said, now standing closer to Ben.

"YEAH! And grandpa is just…" Ben started.

"BEN! Will you let me talk?!" Gwen said, now shocking him with her power.

"OW! HEY!" Ben snarled.

"Nice shot Gwen. Perhaps we need to have some training a bit later," Spellbinder winked at her. Gwen blushed, but was just in time to see Ben get in her face with an agitated look.

"Now what was that for?!" he snapped. But Spellbinder quickly got him back by his shoulder and put him a foot away from Gwen.

"Now enough of that. Speak to her in a civil manner or you will be punished," Spellbinder said, now arching a challenging brow. Ben gulped a bit and then turned to Gwen.

"Fine, what?!" he said, now looking at her.

"Ben…grandpa is feeling like he let you down. He wants you to come back to Earth because he feels like he can protect you better there," Gwen said.

"What?" Ben asked, now calming down a lot.

"Yes. I overheard him talking to grandma." Gwen said. Verdona only nodded in agreement.

"He loves you and he is also feeling slightly jealous that Spellbinder has come into the scene. He feels like he…well…he…" Verdona paused.

"Does he feel like I replaced him?" Ben asked gently.

"Yes." Gwen said.

Ben looked thoughtful and then glanced to where his grandpa went. He had been so unfeeling and thinking only of himself and not how his grandpa would feel if he left Earth. Spellbinder turned to Ben and then noticed Ben's sadness.

"Go and speak with him." Spellbinder ordered gently. "As future king…you have to face each responsibility. And this responsibility is your grandfather."

Ben nodded to him and followed Max into the garden behind the castle.

"Grandpa…look, I'm sorry," Ben said.

"No Ben. I'm sorry," Max sighed out. "I shouldn't have flown off the handle like that. You do have a responsibility here."

"But grandpa…I will visit Earth often because I love you all too." Ben said. Max turned to him with a small smile.

"I know you do Ben. But Spellbinder's right. You are part of something much bigger than just our family now…you are a future ruler." Max said. "And if you ever need me…I will always be around."

"Grandpa…you know I will always need you. And you will never be replaced. Never," Ben said strongly, now gently patting Max's back. Max felt his eyes welling up with tears and he pulled Ben to him in a hug.

"Just promise me that you will always be careful Ben. You're a young man now, but it is dangerous in space. I won't always be able to protect you out here," Max said, now sounding worried again.

"Grandpa…I know you won't be far and I promise I'll be ok. If anything goes wrong, I will move back to Earth," Ben promised.

"Then that is good enough for me. But you must also promise to keep in contact consistently." Ben nodded and hugged his grandpa again. How he loved his grandpa and mentor; there was no one else like him.

As they were hugging, Gwen, Alan, and Spellbinder walked over to them. "Humans can be so emotional; I assume this trait is common?" the Anodite king asked the two teens.

"Yes, love is common your highness," Gwen smiled at him. Spellbinder only nodded and then cleared his throat, causing Max and Ben to part.

"I am pleased you have, as humans say, "made up." But I do need Ben to come with me and see to the wreckage on Anur Transyl." Spellbinder said gently.

"Ok, but make sure he doesn't get himself hurt or worse," Max said, giving a small smile.

"You have my word Mr. Max." Spellbinder chuckled, now letting Ben come and join he and the other two teens in the magic bubble. With a glow of his eyes, Spellbinder recited his teleportation spell and they were off!

Once they teleported to the wrecked castle on Anur Transyl, Ben and the others immediately began searching through the broken items.

"This place is a mess. And to think this is where the terrible Vladats once lived," Ben said, getting shivers down his spine.

"I hear they sucked energy and tried to kill everyone in sight!" Alan said.

"Yeah! Spellbinder told me that they and Ectonurites should always be avoided at any costs," Gwen added. But what they did not know was that they were being watched from the shadows.

"Do not make any sudden movements; they will hear you," a deep voice whispered to the other.

"They seem quite young for terrible enemies; are you sure they are dangerous?" one asked the deeper voice.

"Of course I am sure. Although that one that is half Pyronite seems interesting." The deeper voice crooned.

As Alan was picking up a stone, he felt a claw gently poke his side! It made him jump to the ceiling!

"GAAAAAAAH!" Alan shouted, now alerting Ben and Gwen. They ran over to him and saw him power up in pure fear!

"What happened?!" Gwen asked.

"There's something in here with us!" Alan said. Ben immediately used his power as a light to search the room, but nothing appeared. The beings were still watching from the darkness, curious, but well hidden.

"This place is haunted," Ben said lowly.

"L-Let's search the other rooms and get out of here," Gwen shivered. Ben nodded and they left to search the lab, leaving the two figures in the darkness.

"Well…this should be interesting." One voice said.

"Of course. Who knew that the Anodite king would have an heir this soon," the deeper voice chuckled. "Do not make an appearance. When it is time, we will. "

"Agreed," the other voice replied.

Meanwhile on Earth…

Zs'Skayr was weakly grabbing aliens and hybrids and draining their energy like mad! He was out of control!

"I need more power! How can I bring back an entire race without more alien power?!" he snapped at Mr. White.

"These were all the aliens we could find. You have drained the energy of most of them already," Mr. White growled back.

"I will need more than this…I…" Zs'Skayr paused as he saw his scythe began to glow and his eye widened in shock and horror.

"What's wrong? What's going on?" Mr. White asked.

"My scythe has only done that when three of my allies were alive. I have not seen that in centuries." Zs'Skayr whispered under his breath.

"What do you mean?" Mr. White asked, clearly confused.

"There are some Vladats alive out there." The evil Ectonurite said in barely a whisper. "I don't know how, but somehow that blast must have alerted or awakened some of my Vladat allies!"

"Are you sure they are Vladats?" Mr. White asked, now skeptical. "I thought you said they were all dead."

"Most were. But if this is glowing, that means some may be alive somewhere!" He said, his eye now widening. "I have to contact them! We will keep the base here for now and I will have their help to renew the master plan!"

"WHAT?! You're not bringing those bloodsucking tyrants here!" Mr. White roared. "I'm trying to rid the Earth of aliens, not bring more!"

"SILENCE! If my plan works, we will all leave your miserable planet! But if you don't help me, I will make sure you and your entire planet die before the moon rises TONIGHT!" He snapped, now holding his side.

"Your threats don't bother me. You are in no condition to give orders," Mr. White snapped, but he managed to flip out of the way as Zs'Skayr slashed at him with his broken scythe.

"Say something like that again and I will personally tear out your tongue," the Econurite growled. Mr. White only squared his shoulders and walked forward.

"I am a protector of Earth, Mr. Esotero…if you want my help, threatening me isn't going to help." Mr. White said, adjusting his suit.

"Help? You are the one who needs my help to rid the Earth of alien kind. Now enough of this chatter….we need to contact whoever is out there. Come!" Zs'Skayr said, now flying fast to the communication room.

Meanwhile…

Gwen was going through some old bottles when she felt a cold draft out of nowhere. She knew that the castle was drafty and old, but it felt even colder than before!

"Good grief it's cold," she said, now turning. As she did, she got a glance of a white tail disappearing behind a cabinet. Now shrieking in shock, she sent an energy ball that knocked that cabinet over! She then saw an Ectonurite come out and hold his hands out!

"Please relax! I am not here to harm you!" the alien said.

"You're an Ectonurite! STAY AWAY FROM ME! BEN HELP!" She screamed, now throwing powerballs to keep him at bay. She then yelled as another one wrapped around her from behind.

"Shhh, shhh…calm down. It is alright," Nuro said, now holding her in his tentacles. "Ghostfreak what happened here?!"

"She spotted me when I was grabbing a few files from that cabinet. I didn't know they were coming back here!" Ghostfreak said, approaching her.

"I did not know they were coming either, but we need to calm her down. This can change things because they will see us," Nuro said, now still holding the squirming girl. He then leaned towards her ear. "Now take it easy there. We are not here to harm you."

"Let go of me!" she growled.

"Not until you calm down little one. We are good Ectonurites; we are on your side," Nuro tried to explain. But the moment he said those words, he turned sharply as Spellbinder, Ben, and Alan flew in and powered up! Nuro then turned and covered Gwen's mouth. She squirmed, but he didn't budge.

"Let her go! Now!" Ben shouted.

"Let's get em'!" Alan snapped. Spellbinder only walked forward and let his hands glow dangerously.

"Choose wisely Ectonurite. Releasing her and being safe or not releasing her and I burn you from the inside out," Spellbinder whispered dangerously.

Nuro arched his eyebrow and gently tickled Gwen's waist, making her giggle and removing his tentacle from her mouth. Soon she was giggling and laughing as the Ectonurite kept tickling her.

"If I meant to harm her, would I do this?" Nuro smiled.

"We truly mean no harm," Ghostfreak smiled as well.

Spellbinder stood shocked as he watched them and Ben and Alan did the same.

"Is an evil alien tickling my cousin?" Ben asked Alan.

"I think so," Alan said in disbelief. Spellbinder arched an eyebrow and looked at the Ectonurites in the eye.

"I don't know what form of trickery this is, but stop it," he said, now concerned.

"Relax your highness. This is simply a way to show we mean no harm," Ghostfreak smiled, now seeing Nuro release her. Gwen slowly stepped away and looked at them in confusion.

"Now allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Nuro and this is my right hand Ghostfreak. We are simply seeing to the wreckage of what happened here." Nuro said. He wanted to keep their real identities secret for now.

"And we are not in connection with Zs'Skayr. He is a traitor and menace to our race," Ghostfreak growled.

"So you all are not part of his clan? How do we know you're telling the truth," Ben asked.

"We don't. Ben, Gwen, Alan…come. These Ectonurites are still not to be trusted," Spellbinder growled lowly, letting his eyes glow.

"We understand you do not trust us after what Zs'Skayr did. But we do know he survived," Nuro explained. Spellbinder's eyes widened slightly. "Yes your highness. He is still alive and we don't know what his next plot is."

"How do I know you are telling me the truth? This could just be a trap to lure me away from my planet," Spellbinder said.

Nuro then flew to him where they were eye to eye and Nuro's eye narrowed. "I cannot tell you much about me or who I am working with. But I am being truthful. If you don't trust me, I will allow you to cut off my tentacle to prove it."

Everyone's eyes widened and Ghostfreak flew in front of him! "Are you insane Nuro?! That is very painful to an Ectonurite!"

Nuro said nothing and gently moved the other Ectonurite aside as he unsheathed a striped tentacle and held it out for Spellbinder. "You may proceed."

Spellbinder then made a large laser knife appear in his hand. Gwen turned away and Alan looked like he would hurl and Ben looked very concerned. But as Spellbinder raised it, he paused. He looked at Nuro, who didn't flinch a muscle, and then he made his knife disappear as quickly as it appeared.

"You are being truthful." Spellbinder deduced, now looking at the two Ectonurites. "You may say what you need to say."

"Thank you your highness," Nuro said with a small bow. "As I was saying, Zs'Skayr is alive and he is somewhere near planet Earth. We are trying to keep an eye on him as much as possible."

"And we know that he will not give up on his plan. If his plan is to resurrect the entire Vladat race, then this is only the beginning," Nuro said.

Spellbinder was thoughtful and then he looked concerned. "For him to succeed, he will need more energy from others on planet Earth."

"That means that they must be using that secret base!" Ben said.

"You mean the one we were trapped in?" Gwen asked.

"The same one," Ben said. "We need to go and destroy that base too!"

"Don't be so hasty young one," Spellbinder said, turning to Ben. "If Zs'Skayr is still on Earth then he will be even more malicious to keep us from destroying his base."

"But he is injured from the blast so he will be out of commission for a while." Ghostfreak said.

"Good. That gives us time to make a plan of action. Now come you three; let's return back to Anodyne," Spellbinder ordered gently. He then turned to the Ectonurites. "We appreciate your information."

Nuro nodded and then turned to Ben. "You are quite brave young one. We will indeed meet again."

Ben smirked and then headed out with the others. But as they walked out, Alan turned to them.

"Hey! Why did you guys poke me earlier?" Alan asked. Both Ectonurites looked at each other in confusion and then looked at Alan.

"Young Pyronite. We did not touch you or 'poke' you as you say," Nuro said.

"Yes…we only had interaction with Gwen because she accidentally saw me," Ghostfreak said.

Alan gulped in concern. Something had touched him earlier and if it wasn't them…then who was it? As Alan turned and joined the others, Nuro's eye widened and he heard a faint chuckle from upstairs. The chuckling was faint, but deep and strong.

"Ghostfreak," he said softly.

"Yes?" Ghostfreak replied.

"Something else is in this castle." Nuro said lowly. "Something touched Alan…and whatever it was is still here. Retreat now."

Ghostfreak nodded and the two of them flew out of the castle, knowing that something was still in that castle and it was apparently alive!


guestsurprise: Hope you all are enjoying this! The final chapter is next!