OMG! I finally finished this chapter after five whole rewrites of it. No joke! Five times I rewrote this! I got so frustrated! I just couldn't get it right. I couldn't find a balance of the plot and subplot and some times certain parts of the chapter just really annoyed me so I had to do it all over again. It made for a tone of work. But finally after three weeks the next chapter is here, even if it isn't one of my best pieces. In the end, I never did get the chapter right but out of all five rewrites, this was the best.

Anyways, today (technically fourteen days ago) we celebrate the 1st Year Anniversary of the Beyblade: Metal Heroes franchise and the One Year Anniversary specifically for Season 1: Darkness Transcends. We've come a long way from when the story was simply Beyblade Legends Academy, and then when the story became popular enough I began expanding the story to go beyond to a franchise! And to celebrate, I'm going to let you in on some of the details for Season 2: Dark Prophecy!

*SPOILERS AHEAD!*

Max Smith will return as the main protagonist of the series. In addition, he will get a new bey sometime during the season.

Other returning characters include: Kiara Summers, Blaze Markura, Simon Nikso, Ninel Lucia Velasquez Bychkov, Santina De Luca, Sierra Crystals and Mana Valkov. However, although the characters have been confirmed to return it does not mean that they will play a prominent role. At this stage, they could be a main character, a supporting one, in a minor role or may only make a few minor appearances or cameos.

Characters from the past Metal Fight Beyblade series will appear in the story either in cameo appearances or very minor ones.

Max will finally meet his own rival: Something missing in the first season was a proper rival for Max. In Metal Fusion, Metal Masters and Metal Fury, Gingka's rival was Kyoya. But Max never met his. Next season will introduce a new main character, which will become Max's rival!

Mr. Heckler, Mr. Fears and the mysterious Project G.E.N.E.S.I.S will play a significant role in the next season.

And the biggest leak of all: THERE WILL BE TWO (YET COMPLETELY DIFFERENT) THREATS IN SEASON 2 for Max to face! The title for next season: DARK PROPHECY foreshadows one of these threats.

We go a bit deeper into the "Inner Demons" theme as well, something we caught a glimpse of in the last chapter when Max attacked Aiya.

*SPOILERS END!*

Now for the review responses.

Kawaiino Tenshi Kiki: Yes, it was a long chapter. That's funny because I was originally worried when I began writing it that it'd be too short. But no such worries. I still can't believe 2014 is over. I'm trying to adjust to it all. It seems each year is moving faster and I still can't believe it's been a year since I started this story. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter. I myself laughed when I was writing Max's sleep blading scene, I had been preparing this for some time now but was waiting for a good time to put it in.

I'm a bit confused as to who you meant by "those mysterious guys hidden." Were you talking about those boys who were going to vandalize the teachers building? Because if you were, then they had nothing to do with the Dark Order.

The conversation between Max and Mana and when she kept calling him idiot was not in the original plan for the chapter. But when I had Mana call Max idiot once, I decided to expand it and make it a whole argument. Why not give them a love-hate relationship (although it's basically just a hate relationship). The Max is an "idiot" gag is going to stick. And Max telling Mana everything that happened in one long sentence was supposed to be funny. I don't know how it is for everyone, but it is actually kind of hard writing such a long sentence without full stops or comas. Mainly because you need to keep changing points without pausing.

Yep, I made Kiara nearly die in the last chapter. It was only when some of Max's powers revived her. And Max's out burst is the first sign of Max's own dark side. One of the themes for the franchise is facing your "inner demons" and this is the first little hint of this theme. Sorry you got a little angry because I left it on a cliffhanger, but then again I myself get annoyed when that happens too.

Bristleclaw: Yep, Aiya returned…as a chaos possessed maniac! I will write some more! Also, THANK YOU for reviewing because you haven't been doing so for a while now.

MarsTwilight: Firstly, the people who were possessed are still in comas and were saved from Frieda by Max. And the kids right now becoming chaos possessed are the ones who got attacked. So, the kids in comas can't really say anything and the kids that are still missing are all going to come back as chaos maniacs.

Happy to know I can keep surprising you with the plot! And this story is supposed to act like a TV show. Hypothetically at least. And I reckon it would be awesome and epic to watch on TV!

AKA99: Yep, Max has a dark side. I believe everyone does no matter how deep or concealed it may be. A theme for this story us facing your "inner demons" and that's why this little outburst from Max was shown. I'm also glad you were excited for this chapter.

Alpha Dragonis: You suggested that the outburst from Max is similar to what happened to Hermes in "Seeds of Destruction," as it involved emotional stress. That is interesting but not necessarily the reason. Hermes and Athena lost control of their crests because of inexperience and that it must be controlled through small doses. Max lost control of his emotions and his crest powers activated because he was greatly angered.

Gingercookiessnaps: Thanks for thinking of the previous chapter as awesome! Yeah, I liked writing Mana in this chapter mainly because of how she was and what she said. Also her interactions with Max were funny. Yes these last chapters will be exciting and I'm excited to write them! Thanks for understanding about the increasing length of chapters and I will keep up the good work!

AlchemistWarriorDiamondDust: Yeah, that's why Viper is called "Viper," because he has a Serpent bey. The names Professor Poison and Professor Snake didn't sound good and Professor Snape is too popular due to Harry Potter. Thanks for liking the chapter and I'm happy to know you're excited about this chapter.

Indestructible Black Rose: It was a cliffhanger. Why not put everyone on edge and then stop short of telling them who won? Well, you get to find out who won this chapter. Yeah, Kiara did nearly die but there's no way I was ACTUALLY going to let her die. The "death" theme in this story isn't happening for a while. That's a theme for a later season. Max is scary when he get's angry because he really cares about his friends and he thought Aiya had killed Kiara. It's the first hint at Max's dark side. Thanks for telling me I did good as well!

Okay, we finally get chapter 38. And what does every think of my new pen name: Infinity Wizard? Good move, bad move?

ALSO, THERE'S AN IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER EVERYONE MUST READ!

Now, you may also all be wondering why the name for this chapter is different. Well, this chapter ended up being over 15,000 WORDS LONG! YEP, 15,000! I decided to halve the chapter, and you're getting the first second part will be 'Into the Woods.' No battles in this one, but you you will get two next chapter!

Anyway, hope you all enjoy the chapter and PLEASE REVIEW/FAVORITE/FOLLOW!

Chapter 38: Heaven's Judgement

…And from the smoke emerged Solaria, barely spinning. It came to a stop near Kiara's hand while Arachne was busted and broken in a crater near the fallen Aiya.

Kiara had won and Aiya had lost.

The two large spiders created by Aiya shrieked in pain before slowly melting away and then vanishing. The web that had everyone was captured in also vanished and the captive bladers were released.

The group of boys who had been attempting to vandalize the teachers building slumped to the ground however, revealing chaos burn symbols on the back of their heads. Their souls had already been taken.

"It's no good," Kenny said as he checked each boy. "They're all in comas."

They then all immediately ran over to Kiara and checked to see if she was okay.

"She's not dead is she?" asked Blaze quietly.

Simon bent down to check her pulse. He didn't say anything for a moment before sighing with relief. "No," he stated. "She's alive."

Viper looked to Aiya. "I'm assuming she lost her soul since she lost."

"Yeah," replied Blaze.

Mana and Sierra meanwhile had treaded over to Max, who was still slumped against the pole he had been smashed into. Blood leaked from a wound in his head.

"Did you see how angry he got?" asked Mana as she tilted her head.

Sierra didn't reply straight away and folded her arms. "Yeah, it was so…unlike him. I don't think I've ever seen him actually get angry."

"It was strange when his eyes went completely red," noted Mana as she recalled when Max's crest had briefly changed to a darker tone and his eyes were being empowered by the crest's power.

Sierra didn't answer, and she and Mana continued to stare at the unconscious body of Max. Kenny broke the silence.

"I think we'd better get them all to the hospital wing," the bey mechanic called out as he carried the unconscious Aiya over his back. Next to him was Professor Viper, carrying Kiara. Blaze and Simon were each carrying one of the now soulless boys.

Mana walked over to another boy and picked him up while Sierra flung Max over her back and walked to the stairs with the others.

"We'll come back for the rest of the boys," suggested Viper as they left.

In the dark room sat Lord Zygor once again, sipping his wine and watching from a TV the battle that had just taken place.

Zygor grinned. "So the seed is starting to bring out the dark nature of Max's emotions. Good. And even though Aiya lost, the next chaos student will be much more powerful." He laughed. "It's going to be quite a party."

Simon, Blaze, Kenny and Kiara ran for their lives, rushing through the brick corridors with their weapons in hand, trying to get away.

"Is he still coming?" questioned Blaze from the front.

Kenny, who was at the back of the pack, briefly turned his head behind to see a dark figure looming not to far away.

"Yes!" he squealed in fear as he tried to pick up the pace.

"This way!" shouted Kiara as she lead Blaze and the others down a thin corridor towards an open wall. There stood a rickety old bridge that connected their building with one across the street.

"We can lose him on the other side!" declared Simon as the group rushed over the bridge.

Kenny then swung his dagger and severed the ropes to the poles, causing the bridge to fall with a crash.

The gang sighed with relief. That was when the dark figure that had been chasing them came to the open wall and looked down. He gave a growl as his eyes glowed red and he shot an energy blast towards Team Nova Flare.

"Hit the deck!" warned Kenny as the group fell to the ground, with the exception of Blaze, who didn't understand the meaning, to avoid the incoming attack.

"Duck!" cried Kiara as she grabbed Blaze's legs and pulled, causing the red head to fall to the ground, barely avoiding the energy blast as it streamed past and smashed into a wall.

"You could have said duck the first time!" complained Blaze as the gang stood back up.

"We need to run before he tries that attack again!" snapped Simon as the gang ran forward and turned a corner.

In the other building, the dark figure gave a roar of anger and amazingly leapt over to the opposite building and landed with extreme ease.

Meanwhile, Team Nova Flare was still running, searching for a way out of the new building.

"Do you even know where you're going?" asked Kiara to Blaze, who was once again leading the way.

"Sort of!" answered Blaze without any confidence. She then added, "No…not really."

"That was what Max would say when he didn't know," Simon said quietly.

"Max," added Kenny sadly.

That was when there was an explosion from the roof, and the ceiling caved in.

"Look out!" cried Kiara as the gang leapt to the sides of the room to avoid the falling roof. It fell with a crunch as dust and bricks scattered everywhere.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Simon.

"I think so," Kenny answered.

That was when the dark figure leapt into the room from above and faced the gang.

Kiara clenched the grip of her sword harder and charged forward with a battle cry.

The dark figure conjured a sword of red energy and used it to block the incoming attack. He then pushed Kiara back with a kick before plunging his blade into her stomach. She coughed for a few moments and blood leaked from her mouth and wound. Her killer then pulled the blade out of her while she fell down dead.

"NO!" roared Simon as he came in with his shield and used it to plow the dark figure into the wall. But he recovered quickly and leapt over Simon. Before he could react, the dark figure sent his blade through his back, killing him almost instantly.

"Simon!" cried Blaze in despair as the dark figure turned to her. She growled as she reached into her belt and pulled out five throwing stars. She threw them all at once and the dark figure created a red barrier that deflected them and sent them back. Blaze had no time to react and they pierced her shin, throat, groin, and chest. She left out some coughing of blood and cursing as she stumbled over to the dark figure with her fists raised and ready.

The dark figure simply pushed the throwing star still embed in Blaze's chest further in, piercing her heart and killing her.

Kenny was the only one left. The debris from the blown ceiling had blocked the doorways, and they were three stories up, two high to jump from a window.

"Please don't do this," pleaded Kenny as he backed away into a corner and curled up into a ball. "Please."

The dark figure laughed as he stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself as Max. He then held his sword up and brought it down on the screaming Simon while laughing crazily.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Max let out a gasp as he sat up in bed, breathing heavily and sweating. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and rested his face in his hands. He then looked up and saw he was in the hospital wing and had a bandage around his head.

He waited a moment for his eyesight to come back properly and saw that Team Nova Flare, Sierra, Mana, Ninel and Viper were standing around his bed.

"Are you okay?" Sierra questioned, having seen Max wake up from his nightmare.

Max rubbed the back of his head and laughed innocently, "It was just a bad dream," he lied. But in his mind, he was still panicking.

The gang looked a bit skeptical to believe this, as he had been thrashing in his sleep at the time. They decided not to say anything.

"What happened?" the Prince of Fire asked, changing the subject.

"You kind of 'Hulked' out an got super angry," explained Mana. "And when you attacked Aiya, she kind of kicked your but and knocked you out."

"That's right," said Max quietly as he lowered his head. "I lost control…I just felt this anger overcome me suddenly. I couldn't stop." He gritted his teeth and scrunched his fists up.

There was silence, and no one spoke until Max did again. He shifted to face Kiara, who had bandages on her arms and face from her previous battle.

"So I'm guessing you won then?" he stated. "Since you didn't lose your soul."

Kiara nodded. "Barely. In fact, I think you're powers saved me from dying."

Max's eyes widened. "Really?"

"It definitely looked that way," Viper answered with his arms crossed. "When you got knocked out some of your order energy transferred into Kiara and appeared to bring her back to life."

Max thought this over for a moment before questioning, "How long was I out?"

"Two days," responded Kenny. "You suffered a mild concussion. We weren't sure why you were out for so long."

Max nodded. "I see." He then pulled the covers off and stepped out of bed. He was still in his normal clothes, minus his jacket, which was folded on the bedside table. He picked it up and put it on.

"You sure you just want go?" asked Simon. "You were asleep for two whole days and it couldn't be explained."

Max shrugged. "I'm a tough nut," he answered. "I'll get through. It'd probably just had to do with my powers."

'But that's what I'm afraid of…' he thought to himself worryingly but didn't show it.

"If you say so," Blaze commented.

Viper checked his watch and interrupted. "We better get to the assembly," he advised.

The gang began to move out, with Max briefly looking at Aiya, who was back in her bed, lying there without a soul along with Frieda.

He shivered briefly before stepping outside. As the gang made their way down the halls, Max noticed it was empty.

"Where is everyone?" he asked.

"Oh that's right," responded Mana. "Two days ago, this mysterious club began to show up. They're called the Peace Keepers. They wear all white and claim their souls have been purified."

"They're kind of creepy," added Ninel. "The members lack emotion and dislike other people. They supposedly have a Queen, which acts as their leader. No one likes them, but for some reason the club just seems to be growing."

"It's more of a cult then a club," explained Kenny. "They have these mysterious meetings and also claim to have rituals."

Max narrowed his eyes. "That's weird."

"That's what the assembly is about," said Viper. "Their leader the Queen wishes to speak to the school about the negative publicity they're getting."

"And Mr. Jones is letting them?" asked Max.

"He deemed it as fair," stated Kiara with a shrug. "They're not really fazing him all that much."

They exited the building and came out into the sunlight. Max had to gasp, sitting in the assembly area was the kids. But half of them were wearing all white. The teachers sat on stage, with a podium at the front of it for the speaker.

The gang stopped and waited at the back.

"Half of the school joined the cult?" Max stuttered in disbelief.

"But only this morning a quarter of the school were apart of the Guardians of Peace," protested Mana in confusion.

"Something isn't right here," growled Max.

That was when the "Queen" entered the fray and stood up at the podium. She wore a long white dress and brown sandals. She had golden bracelets, a silver necklace with a purple gem and a white cape. She also wore a white hood, masking her identity.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen," she stated in a proud sweet voice. "I am the leader of the Peace Keepers, the Queen!"

The fellow members of the cult began to cheer and chant for their empress.

"She finally appears in person," noted Viper.

"I have slowly built up this society," the Queen declared. "I have brought a new peace to the academy. But now, you all must bow to me and bring on the true peace!"

There were mutters of confusion from the crowd who weren't already Peace Keepers.

"Don't worry," the Queen continued with a grin. "There are no requirements to be one of us. We take in all members. Fat, skinny, male, female, black or white! All shall become one of us! And by the chaos powers invested in me…"

"Chaos powers!" gasped Max. "She's working for Zygor and Nemesis' Heir!"

"…I shall make you all see the light!" the Queen finished as her purple necklace let out an explosion of purple energy that filled the whole area. The kids at the front who saw the energy suddenly transformed into Peace Keeper and their clothes changed to white.

"Holy cow!" cried Simon. "That light is turning kids automatically into members!"

"Look away!" warned Kenny as the others turned around. The kids sitting at the back of the assembly did the same, but Ninel wasn't as lucky. She caught the light out of the corner of her eye and was immediately transformed.

"Order must be restored!" she declared as she grabbed Sierra by the wrist and turned her around, exposing her to the light and transforming her into a Peace Keeper as well.

The kids who hadn't been affected by the light began to run away, with the Peace Keeper members chasing after them.

The Queen threw her arms into the air. "The chaos will spread through the land! Anyway who resist shall be judged by the heavens! Those who do not follow the rules shall be punished! And only my defeat will restore destruction to our world! Whoever dare to do so shall go…Into The Woods!"

She then vanished in a cloud of smoke while the riot began.

Sierra and Ninel both grabbed Mana as the possessing light faded, but she sent a quick kick to Sierra's stomach knocking her into a chair.

"Forgive me Ninel!" Mana apologized as she sent her fist ramming into the Alicorn blader's face, the attack knocking her out.

"Run!" cried Max as the gang fled towards the outskirts of the school. "We have to get to the woods and beat the Queen!"

"Too late!" shouted Blaze as a horde of Peace Keeper's ran towards them from the front and behind.

"We need to hide and make a plan!" suggested Simon as they turned right and ran towards the office building.

"You cannot escape us!" chanted the Peace Keeper members. "This island is ours now! So says the Witching Hour!"

"Witching Hour?" questioned Kiara.

That was when they all saw it, the sky suddenly went black, the sun moved behind the moon, creating an eclipse! Darkness had fallen upon the Beyblade Legends Academy.

Team Nova Flare, Viper and Mana watched the anomaly occur in horror. They couldn't believe something like this could have happened.

"There is no escape!" called out a voice as five members of the Peace Keepers emerged from the crowd. Their clothing was not like the normal average clothes for the cult. They wore silver trench coats with a gold trim and white pants. They also wore gold shirts, and gold shoes. Around their heads were golden bands.

"I am Vincent!" said the person from before. "I am the leader of the Queen's guards! We are the Guardians of Light!" He was tall and had long brown hair, a mullet and blue eyes.

"I am Tim!" declared the boy standing beside Vincent. "I am the second in command!" He was a bit shorter then his master and had short black hair and green eyes.

"I am Ellie!" stated the girl on the other side of Vincent. She had long brown hair tied up in a ponytail and brown eyes.

"I am Charles!" cried the forth member who stood next to Ellie. He was short and had spiky black hair and red eyes.

The last member, who stood next to Tim, said, "And I am Mia!" She had long black hair tied up in twin ponytails and pink eyes.

"Give yourselves up and no harm shall come to you!" Vincent shouted out.

"How dumb do you think we are?" retorted Max.

"Very well," returned Vincent. "Then we have no choice but to pass judgment on you! Seize them!" He pointed at the gang and the Peace Keepers began to swarm them.

"I think we should start running again?" suggested Viper and the gang complied. They bolted towards the buildings with the cult running after them.

As they came near the principal's office, a part of the ground came up like a trap door and a hand grabbed Max by the wrist, pulling him down into the darkness. Max instinctively grabbed on to the nearest thing, Mana.

"You idiot!" she shouted as she was forced into the hole along with Max.

"We have to go after them!" groaned Kiara as she and the rest leapt into the hole, with the panel closing up and hiding them.

The gang landed in heap on a hard stone floor with a figure standing not to far away holding a candle.

When Mana managed to adjust her eyes to the darkness, she smacked Max over the head.

"Hey!" he snapped as the gang stood up and brushed themselves off. "I didn't do it on purpose! And I thought I told you to stop calling me and idiot!"

"Alright," sighed Mana. "I won't call you an idiot anymore you idiot."

Max growled but was shushed by the man with the candle. He held the candle to his face so he could be seen.

"Mr. Jones?" questioned Viper.

"It's me," the principal replied quietly. "Yes. But we must keep quiet or they'll find us."

He walked over to a large candlestick in the center of the room and used his smaller candle to light the larger one. It illuminated the room and he blew the one he held out.

The gang could now see the room better. It was made of stone, with shelves of food, water, books and other supplies. It appeared to be a shelter of some sort.

"Where are we?" asked Blaze.

"This is a special shelter designed for safety purposes," Jones explained. "It was placed in the school in case of emergencies. There are ten placed all around the school but the teachers don't know about this one so we should be safe for now. Although I don't think this was designed for hiding from a cult."

"How come you didn't get possessed when you saw the light?" Simon questioned.

"I was wearing sunglasses at the time," replied Jones. "It appears that because my eyes weren't directly exposed to the light the magic cold not posses me. I came here for safety and pulled you in when I saw you were also not possessed."

"We need to plan an attack and quick," Max stated. He turned to Jones. "Do you have any maps of the school?"

Jones nodded. "Of course." He walked over to the shelves of books and pulled out a map. He unfolded it and laid it down on the ground.

The gang surrounded and examined it.

"As you can see," Jones explained. "The actual school grounds only take up the front quarter of the island."

"What are those grey lines on the map?" questioned Simon.

"They're secret passages that connect the other shelters," Jones answered. "With the exception of this one. The passages also run with the sewer lines."

"Maybe we can use the sewer lines to bypass the cult and get to the woods," observed Kenny, one comes up right near the fence. "That's the sewer entrance there." He was pointing at a large metal lid on the far wall.

"We just have to hope we can beat the Queen," added Blaze.

"I think we should hurry before it's too late," suggested Viper.

That was when there was a crash, and the trap doors burst open, and the Guardians of Light leapt down into the shelter.

"How did you find us so quick?" demanded Mana.

"You didn't notice your friends tagged you when you attacked them," Vincent snorted.

Mana gasped as she examined his elbow, a small white device had been stuck to it. She pulled it off and threw it to the ground.

"Get that passage open!" cried Max as Jones and Viper went over to the part of the wall that had a metal lid over it. They began to use spanners from a toolbox on the shelf to undo the bolts.

"Give it up!" snarled Tim.

"You have no idea who you're facing!" cried Max as he generated a ball of order energy and threw it at Vincent, but he easily dodged to the side to avoid it.

"Interesting," he grinned. "I've been wanting to test my powers on you."

"Huh?"

"We Guardians are not like the other members of the Peace Keepers," Vincent explained. "We gave our own life energy and a part of our souls so that we could become as powerful as we are. Others are doing it as well right at this moment."

"So what?" rebuffed Max. "I'm not afraid of you!"

"You should be!" snapped Vincent as he threw his arm out. From his palm shot a stream of pure white energy.

"Look out!" warned Jones as Max ducked out of the way. He stood up and generated a red disk of energy and threw it at Vincent like a frisbee.

"Childs play!" the lead Guardian laughed as he used his glowing white palm to strike the incoming disk, shattering it.

Max growled but continued to attack. He generated two swords of energy and charged at Vincent with them raised.

"I don't think so!" retorted Vincent as he generated a shield of light to block the swords. When the shield vanished it also blasted the swords away.

Vincent then created a lance of light and plunged it towards Max's chest, but he managed to lean out of the way punched it, the attack shattering the weapon.

Max moved in with a punch but Vincent ducked underneath it and sent a knife hand strike to Max's stomach, successfully winding him.

Max stumbled back in pain while Vincent stood back up again.

He declared, "Resistance is futile!"

"We got it open!" called out Jones as Simon and Viper went in through the sewer opening first. Max ran over and got in next. But that was when Vincent came forward and knocked Jones out of the way before he could get in.

"You're not getting away!" he declared as he went to step in.

"No way!" snapped Mana as she grabbed the metal lid for the wall and threw it at Vincent, the blow knocking him into a shelf.

Kenny grabbed a bottle of gasoline from a shelf and sprayed it on one of the support posts. He then lit a match and stated to the three inside the sewer, "We'll hold them off for as long as we can! We can't let them follow you!"

"Wait!" cried Simon, but it was too late. Vincent made a grab for Kenny to stop him, but he wasn't quick enough. Kenny threw the match onto the post and it immediately caught fire and crumbled. The roof supports caught fire as well and broke away, causing one side of the shelter to fall apart and subsequently block off the sewer lane.

"No!" cried Max as the opening was blocked off by rubble.

Viper placed a hand on the young blader's shoulder. "They knew the risks." He stated. "They've given us a chance to get away! We need to take it!"

Max sighed before they began to walk along the sewer lane. They had studied the map long enough to know which way to go. Viper pulled his iPhone out and used the 'Flashlight' app to illuminate their path.

"This is it," muttered Simon as Viper used his phone to shine light on a ladder leading up to the surface.

Max took a deep breath. "We need to power through as quick as possible."

"Indeed," added Viper. He went up the ladder first, followed by Max and then Simon. He pushed on the manhole cover and slid it away so he could pull himself out. Max and Simon followed him.

Viper put the manhole cover back while the boys looked around.

"We're at the back of the school," observed Simon. "The gate to the forest shouldn't be too far away."

Max, Viper and Simon sprinted along the fence line until they came to the edge of the school grounds were the door to the fence had been broken down. Roots had broken it down and had grown all along the fence line. In addition, some roots had come together to form the word 'Wonderland.'

"So, the Queen is most definitely in the woods," stated Viper, with a mix of fear and thrill.

"Guess we have no choice but to beat that bitch to a pulp until she restores the school to normal," growled Max as he clenched his fists.

Simon gazed over to the dark glare in Max's eyes and watched as his crest briefly illuminated. He decided not to comment on this.

"There's bound to be traps and stuff," Simon observed. "I suggest we tread on carefully."

Max nodded. "Good idea."

The trio each took a single step 'into the woods,' and five figures emerged from the shadows to confront them. Max gasped; it was Kenny, Kiara, Blaze, Mana and Sierra all under possession.

"This is sacred ground," scowled Mana with her arms folded.

"This is the Queen's holy place," added Sierra.

"Scum like you have no permission here," stated Kenny.

"Leave now," said Blaze.

"Or suffer the consequences," finished Kiara.

"They got them as well," Viper noted before frowning. "This is not good. We're running out of time to beat the Queen."

Max gritted his teeth in annoyance and examined his friends - now enemies.

"Looks like we have no choice to fight," Simon commented.

Max nodded in reply and as Simon stepped forward, he threw his arm out to block him.

Simon raised an eyebrow to his friend. "Max?"

"Go on and defeat the Queen Simon," Max beckoned as he looked at his teammate. "Me and Viper will hold them off. But you need to go and wipe the Queen out before it's too late."

"But-"

"No buts!" Max interrupted. "I believe in you!"

Simon paused for a moment before running to the side and off into the woods.

Max and Viper, the latter not that confidently, turned and starred down their possessed friends.

"Ready Professor?" asked Max as his crest lit up with red energy.

"Not really," answered Viper as he adjusted his glasses. "Maybe we can find a way to settle this in a non-violent way."

"You have already trespassed on sacred ground," snapped Kenny. "There is no non-violent way to settle this. We shall defeat you and subsequently purify your souls."

"You mean that stupid thing that makes us obedient slaves to the Queen?" Max growled in response.

"Say what you wish," barked Mana. "But you will come to your sense when we save you."

"Enough!" roared Max as he leapt forward and sucker-punched Kenny, the attack knocking him back into a tree.

Then Blaze and Kiara ran forward and spear tackled Max to the ground.

"Crap!" he cursed as his two teammates dug their nails into his skin. "I can't hit a girl! How am I supposed to fight back?"

"I see the flaw in this plan now," replied Viper, who was backing away from Sierra and Mana as they approached him. "It's against a man's morals to attack a female. Not to mention it's completely dishonorable."

"You cannot resist," snickered Blaze as she punched Max in the face, sending blood spurting from his lip.

"Give up now and surrender," added Kiara as she kicked Max in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"That's low on so many levels," huffed Max as he tried to recover from the attack.

"This is a bad development," conceded Viper who had climbed a tree to escape Mana and Sierra. But the two girls had begun climbing after him.

That was when a thought struck Max. "Maybe we don't have to hit them to beat them."

"How do you plan on doing that?" asked Viper from the tree.

Max focused and his crest it up. He then unleashed an explosion of crimson energy, which blasted Blaze and Kiara off of him.

He stood up and turned as Kenny, who had finally recovered from being sucker-punched, charged at him.

"Play ball!" shouted Max as he created a red energy ball the size of a baseball and threw it at Kenny. It exploded on impact, sending Kenny flying back into a tree with a crash.

"Sorry Kenny," he apologized. "Didn't have much of a choice."

"You got rid of them, good!" Viper called out, who had now climbed to the top of the tree. "Now how about lending your teacher a hand?"

"Coming!" retuned Max as he ran to the base of the tree and looked up to Mana and Sierra. "Okay girls, if you remember this please don't kill me."

He held his arms up and twin streams of red energy shot from his hands and smashed into the girls, knocking them out of the tree with a crash. The impact was enough to knock them unconscious.

"Thank you Max," complimented Viper as he climbed down the tree and brushed himself off. He thought for a moment before adding, "I guess we better catch up to Simon."

Max nodded. "That seemed too easy some how though?" He observed. "Was that really all the defense the Queen had?"

"Oh there's much more defense," laughed the voice of Vincent as he, along with the other Guardians of Light, emerged from the shadows to face Max and Viper.

Viper looked at Max angrily. "You had to say it didn't you."

Max groaned but ignored the question. He turned to the Guardians of Light and complained "No these guys again,"

Vincent narrowed his eyes at Max. "None shall pass. You may have defeated our lackeys, but you will not get the same outcome against us."

Viper took a step back. "I don't know if we can do this," he whispered to Max. "There's five of them and two of us, we're outgunned."

"That's exactly right," hissed Vincent as he threw his hand out and generated an energy ball of light. He threw it forward and it crashed into Viper before he could move, and he was sent flying back into a tree with a crash. He said some gibberish before slumping down unconscious.

"Professor!" cried Max in horror, but it was no use, Viper was out of the game. He turned to Vincent just as he sent another energy ball his way.

Max managed to jump out of the way and rolled before taking cover behind a tree.

"You can't hide Max!" taunted Vincent as he generated a machine gun composed of light and began firing at the tree Max hid behind.

The Prince of Fire ducked down as bullets sprayed through the woods and blasted the tree in front of him.

Vincent stopped firing and melded his gun into a bazooka. He took aim and fired it at Max's hiding spot, blowing the tree in half and causing it to fall in Max's direction.

"Shit!" panicked Max as he leapt out of the way of the falling and burning tree.

As he stood up, he saw the Guardians of Light coming towards him, and he took a fighting stance.

"Die Prince of Fire!" roared Vincent as he threw an energy pulse at Max.

"Uh oh!" screamed Max as he threw his arms up to cover his face. He then subconsciously created a red energy shield in front of him that deflected the incoming attack. The fire blader moved his arms away from his face when he realized he had created a shield and sighed with relief. "Phew."

Vincent grinned. "It appears," he loafed. "That we cannot settle this in such a way. We must bey battle to defeat you." He reached for his belt and pulled out his launcher and bey.

The rest of the Guardians silently followed.

"If it's a battle you want then it's a battle you've got!" challenged Max as he ripped his launcher from his belt and connected his bey. "Me and Flame Swordsman will burn you to ashes!"

"You can try!" spat Vincent as he connected his bey. "But justice will find its way to punish you!"

Max groaned and shook his head. "You're that brainwashed that you actually think you're doing good?" he asked in disbelief.

"We are not brainwashed!" retorted Vincent. "We have simply been purified and shown the sins of the world and how we can redeem it! By getting rid of scum like you!"

Max seemed disgraced by the last comment. "I'm the scum!" he cursed angrily.

Vincent smiled maliciously. "Prepare for your judgment!"

"Bring it weirdo!" Max returned.

"Three!" cried Vincent.

"Two!" added the remaining Guardians.

"One!" finished Max.

"Let It Rip!"

Next Time – Into The Woods

Darkness has settled over the Academy as the Queen takes over with her society known as the Keepers of Peace. Now Max must face her henchmen the Guardians of Light in a battle! Can Max defeat five beys all at once? And can Simon defeat the Queen along with her fairytale attacks and strategies! Or will the Queen be the only one to have a happy ending...?

IMPORTANT NOTE ALL MUST READ: Later today, I shall be leaving for my families yearly holiday. Some of you will probably remember that a similar thing happened last year at about the same time. I'll be gone for six days and I'm banned for taking my laptop! (NO! Not my precious laptop!) That means I won't be able to write, although I can still plan out the next chapter in my head. My Dad is bringing his laptop, so I will post the next and already completed second half of this chapter either next week or sooner if the demand for it is great enough. I can also see all of the reviews you guys will HOPEFULLY send me.

Sorry again that this took so long to write, but look on the bright side! It was so long that I had to split it into two, now you get two chapters!

I guess that's all I have to say and tell me what you thought of the chapter! PLEASE REVIEW/FAVORITE/FOLLOW!