People stopped dead in their tracks as Macy and Clay rode through the capital. They stopped outside the castle, jumping out the see Macy parents, the King and Queen coming out to greet them.

"Macy, Clay," King Halbert said. "What a pleasant surprise. Where is everyone else?"

"Back at the Fortrex," Clay told them, hoping it was true.

"We came to ask you if Clay could stay here," Macy told them. "Merlock wants him to, um."

"Guard the Book we have," Clay said.

"I don't know, sweetie," King Halbert said.

"Please, your highness," Clay cut in. "I will be here to protect not only it but the rest of the Capital."

"And if trouble arises here, we won't be too far behind," Macy added.

"Come on, dear," Queen Halbert said. "This is the most protected place in Knighton. We really should help."

"Alright," King Halbert agreed. "Just realize, as soon as they attack, you will not be able to stay for long."

"Thanks, dad," Macy smiled.

She ran up and hugged her dad tightly.

"Your welcome sweetie," King Halbert replied, patting Macy's head. "Now, you better be off. Clay, come inside with us. We'll make sure you get settled and find somewhere safe for the Book in the castle."

Clay nodded. He turned to Macy, who smiled at him.

"Stay safe," she whispered in his ear.

"I'll do my best," Clay said with a chuckle.

He watched Macy leave, then followed the King and Queen inside. Clay felt relaxed. After being in the Book of Monsters clutches for so long, pretty much anything would be better than where he was. He followed the King and Queen upstairs, stopping outside of a room.

"You can stay in here, Clay," Queen Halbert said. "Come on in."

Clay nodded, walking in. He looked around, seeing a lot of blue and white.

"Who's room is this?" Clay asked Queen Halbert.

"At one point, it was Merlock's," she replied. "We just never rearranged it. Is there something wrong with it?"

"No, everything is fine," Clay nodded. "Thank you."

Clay set the book of revenge on a table, ignoring the power radiating off it. He looked around the room, then his eyes laid on the queen in his doorway.

"Can I help you, your highness?" Clay asked, slightly taken back by her presence.

She glanced up and down the hall before walking into the room with Clay. The door closed with a click, Clay's eyes watching her every move in case this was all a trick.

"It's alright," she said. "I just wish to speak with you."

"About what?" Clay asked.

She took Clay's arm and rolled up his sleeve. The bracelet sat wrapped around his wrist with the charm sitting on it.

"How do you know?" Clay gasped.

"Merlock told me," she said. "It's the King who can never know. The reason being that he will never let you leave this castle. He will keep you locked away for what he thinks is your own protection."

Clay looked down. He knew something bad would happen. Only now, there were two things. He could end up either in Monstrux grasp with the Book or locked away in the castle.

"Please, you can't let him know," Clay pleaded.

"I will tell you this," she said. "He knows of the charm. He will start searching for it as the books disappear. I cannot assure you that he will not find out, but if he does, it won't be from me."

"Thank you, your highness," Clay smiled.

"If you need anything, let me know and I will see what I can do," she smiled.

Clay nodded, smiling. The Queen turned and left him in his room. He looked around, relaxed.

"What to do?" Clay asked himself.

Maybe there is a hidden compartment in here, Clay thought to himself. This was Merlock's room. He's sure to have something. Clay began moving things around in the room, hoping to find something. He eventually found a key hidden within the dresser. It was small, but Clay noticed it after feeling around. He looked around the room, thinking it had to do something. Anything. After a couple more minutes, he found a small passage in the closet near the ground. He grabbed the book and attempted to open it with the key. He fiddled with it, then heard a faint click. The small door opened and Clay saw what seemed like a safe.

"Clever, Merlock," Clay smirked.

He sat the book inside it, then closed it. He made sure it locked shut and not visible before he got up. He slipped out of the closet and then wondered where to put the key. He opened the palm of his hand, seeing the small golden key sitting there. His sleeve fell loose, revealing the bracelet yet again. The charm and the bracelet were about the same size, he realized. He carefully attached the light weight key to his bracelet. He made sure it was covered by his sleeve before walking towards the door. The book was hidden, protected under lock and key, as well as Clay's watch. It wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He only wished he could say the same about him.

Aaron, Lance and Axl fended off the monsters that were surrounding them. Aaron flew in the skies on his hover shield, shooting the monsters to help the two knights on the ground. Axl and Lance were doing the best they could to stop the monsters from chasing after Macy and Clay.

"Merlock," Lance said through his helmet. "We're getting over run."

"Yeah, there's only three of us," Axl agreed. "Normally there's five, or at least four."

"What they're trying to say is we need a Nexo power," Aaron summed up. "Stat."

Inside the Fortrex, Ava ran to Merlock, holding her tablet.

"Get ready for Nexo Scan," Merlock told them.

Ava nodded, holding up the tablet to scan the power. Outside, Aaron landed with the group as Jestro and the Book of Monsters came into view.

"Get the book!" the Book of Monsters shouted.

"Merlock!" Aaron cried. "Nexo Knight!"

The shields downloaded the powers and in a matter of minutes, they monsters were retreating. They turned watching the dust disappear over the hill. Aaron landed beside the other knights.

"We kicked butt," he smiled.

"We also got ours kicked," Lance said. "Man, if we didn't get the nexo powers when we did, we would have been toast."

"Hey you guys," Ava called from inside. "Come on. We've got to move."

"Why?" Aaron asked, walking over to the Fortrex with the others.

"Macy's on her way back, and we've got to meet up with her soon," Ava told them.

"Is Clay safe then?" Lance asked.

"For the time being," Merlock told them.

Everyone relaxed, knowing Clay made it to safety with Macy.

"Will we be able to communicate with him still?" Axl asked.

"Of course," Merlock said. "But it is late. Until Macy has returned, you must be on guard. In fact, you must be on guard at all times. Being down a knight with Clay staying in the capital, you must be prepared for action. When and if the day comes when the Book of Monsters has most of the books, Clay will return and join you in the fighting yet again. Until then, you must prepare yourself for a battle. Not only with the monsters, but amongst yourselves. It will be hard to work as a team without a leader. Until a new leader arises, you must cooperate with each other and work as equals. For the sake of Knightonia. For the sake of everyone."