Hi everyone, thanks for your patience. Here we are with a very special chapter as things really get juicy here. This is also where we see some divergence from the cannon series a bit, mostly to better fit with the direction I'm taking the characters in. You'll see as the story progresses. So, with all that being said, let's get started.

A Challenge of Leadership

Using an electric drill, Caleb was easily able to break the lock to the granary of Phobos' castle where he, Aldarn, and two other rebels entered as quietly as possible. Once inside, they could see barrels upon barrels and bags upon bags of grain hand-grown by Meridian's people.

"Our grain…" Aldarn looked with anger in his eyes. "When I think how hard our people worked to grow this…"

"Come on." Caleb urged. "Getting caught in here is good for a lifetime in Phobos' dungeons."

"Nuh-uh!" The group turned around in surprise to see the captain of the guard, along with several other guards enter the granary. "That's only if you're lucky."

Realizing they were cornered, Caleb drew his katana while his fellow rebels pulled out their respective weapons as the guards charged forward, beginning a clash of blades and flurries of punches and kicks. Despite being out-numbered, Caleb's group was able to put up a good enough fight, but they would soon be overwhelmed.

Caleb found himself cornered near several bags of grain with the lamp in one hand, and katana in the other. Getting an idea, Caleb smashed the lamp against the wall before letting the oil drip over his sword. He then clashed his blade against the axe of one guard, creating a spark which ignited Caleb's katana, startling he guard and allowing Caleb to cut down the guard's weapon.

"Get back!" He swung his flaming katana around to keep the other guards at bay.

At the same time, Aldarn directly challenged the captain as he brought out a staff to block the sword strike. The captain kicked Aldarn back against the wall before slicing his sword at him. Fortunately, Aldarn ducked underneath the slice, unfortunately this cut the rope that kept a large crate of grain suspended in the air, causing it to open up and pour gallons of grain all over Aldarn and the captain, drawing Caleb's attention.

"Aldarn!" Caleb was about to help his friend, but soon looked to see the other two rebels pinned to the ground and being subdued while the rest of the guards made a move to surround Caleb, the flames in his katana already dying down.

"Go! Caleb! Run!" Aldarn told him.

Realizing he had no choice, Caleb turned around and ran out of the granary as fast as he could.

Earth – Taranee's house

Most of the girls were gathered in the kitchen with a large assortment of eggs, milk, sugar, powder, chocolate chips, dough, and other baking goods were gathered over the kitchen counter as the girls worked on the preparation.

"Hey, thanks again for helping me out with the art club, bake sale." Cornelia thanked the girls.

"No problem. What are best friends for?" Alchemy smiled.

"It'll be fun!" Hay Lin beamed. "We only need to make twelve sheet cakes, twenty pies, two hundred brownies, and four hundred cookies."

"Really? Is that all?" Jade joked.

"Why so much?" Irma asked with a slight laugh herself.

"If we have to do it anyway for school, we might as well make a little extra and give it to the rebels." Will suggested.

"I get to lick the spoon!" Hay Lin exclaimed, causing all the girls to look at her questionably. "I'm a very light slobberer."

Taranee then walked in and appeared to be over the phone with her parents. "…No Mom, I'll be fine. The girls are sleeping over. Bye." She hung up, only for a door under the sink to open and reveal Blunk hanging out in the garbage bin, but she looked unimpressed as she closed the door before turning back to her friends. "My parents' conference is being held over another day, they won't be back tonight."

That caused all the girls to smile at each other knowingly and excitedly. "You know what that means." Irma said.

"You bet." Will took out the Heart of Kandrakar.

"Ah yeah." Jade smirked.

Uncle's Rare Finds

Jackie and Tohru both looked over a world map that was laid out on the front desk of the shop, with seven red x's at certain locations across the world. "So, the first mask was in Hong Kong, the second in Tokyo, and the third was here in Heatherfield…"

"But the Oni were defeated thousands of years ago, so it's safe to say that most of these masks never remained in the same location during that time." Tohru replied.

"Which would explain why the seventh one was located at an auction." Jackie deduced. "I am just glad that nobody has worn these masks until now."

"Why are you dilly-dallying?!" Uncle called out to them as he and Yan Lin at a table with the Hanafuda cards. "Help Uncle and Yan Lin find remaining masks!"

"But that is what we are trying to do, Uncle." Jackie told him as Uncle walked over to cast a glance at the map they were working with.

"If we can establish a pattern based on the locations of the other Oni masks we've found, perhaps we can find the last two before… OW!" Tohru felt his forehead where Uncle delivered his titular dope slap.

"Masks can only be found by Hanafuda cards!" Uncle chastised them both before speaking to his apprentice directly. "You are Japanese expert, Tohru! The Hanafuda cards were your idea!"

"Yes, sensei." Tohru nodded.

"You two have a good idea." Yan Lin told them. "But as Tohru suggested, several of these masks were moved from their original hiding spots over the years for a number of reasons. So, I highly doubt there is a pattern that can help us locate the next two."

"Which means the Hanafuda cards really are our only option." Jackie said. However, their conversation came to a halt as the front door suddenly opened and Caleb stumbled into the store, his breath was ragged, which indicated he ran a considerable distance to get here.

"Caleb?" Jackie was the first to move over to him with Uncle, Tohru, and Yan Lin following.

"I need your help…."

Meridian – Phobos' Castle

The prince sat on a stone bench in his courtyard, a rose in his hand as the captain of the guard and an escort party brought in the recently captured Aldarn and two other rebels.

"Here are the thieves we caught in the granary." The captain reported before looking nervous. "I'm afraid… their leader… escaped…" He was already sweating, expecting a brutal tongue-lashing, followed by a severe punishment. But surprisingly, neither came as Phobos appeared to take the news quite well.

"Oh well… I suppose it couldn't have been helped."

"Do your worst!" Aldarn exclaimed defiantly to the dark prince. "We're not afraid! That grain belongs to the people!"

"The princess, Elyon, will hear your complaints." Phobos stood up from his seat. "I leave them in your care, my dear sister." He stepped aside to reveal Elyon, with the Dark Chi Enforcers standing as her bodyguards.

"It's a trick, keep your guard up." Aldarn told his fellow rebels as Phobos walked away and Elyon approached them.

"Oooh, looks like somebody got busted." Ratso teased.

"Guys, please let me handle this." Elyon told the trio.

"Sure thing, Little E." Finn said as he, Ratso, and Chow backed away slightly, but still maintained a close eye on Elyon in case the rebels were to try anything.

"Now what's wrong with this picture?" Elyon asked. "You guys look way too nice to be thieves."

"We're no thieves." Aldarn stated.

"Well, you were caught stealing." Elyon replied. "That grain is being stored for everyone. It's not fair for your small group to…"

"We are no 'small group'!" Aldarn interrupted. "We represent all Meridianites, suffering under the tyrant Phobos!"

"Ugh, here we go again." Elyon looked more than a little annoyed. "I keep hearing the same thing about my brother being some kind of evil emperor, like he's Darth Sidious or something!"

"Yeah, Wong's more like Sidious." Chow commented. "I mean, they're both old and wrinkly."

"Yeah, I think Phobos kinda looks more like a Dracula." Ratso said, discussing with his friends. "I mean, his castle looks the part."

Finn chuckled. "But Dracula ain't a kid… I think he's more like a Loki-kinda-deal."

"Guys, guys, please. I'm trying to work here." Elyon told the trio, who winced apologetically.

"Sorry kiddo, do your thing." Chow apologized.

"Yeah, just pretend we're not even here." Ratso added.

"Thanks." Elyon said before turning back to Aldarn's group. "Tell, why is it everyone in your little 'rebellion' thinks my brother is a tyrant?"

"Because he has enslaved all of Meridian for more than a decade!" Aldarn exclaimed. "He even went so far as to murder his own parents! Your parents!"

"Oh yeah? Where's your proof!?" Elyon argued, catching Aldarn off-guard.

"Proof?"

"I'm not one-hundred percent sure how the justice system works here in Meridian, but where I'm from, it's usually innocent till proven guilty." Elyon explained with a glare. "You say my brother murdered our parents, well what evidence do you have to prove this? Did any of you see what happened? Any witnesses? Do you know how he did it? When exactly he did it? Where's the evidence?"

"Evidence…?" Aldarn and his friends looked to each other in confusion.

"That's what I thought." Elyon shook her head. "Someone else killed my parents and tried to set my brother up for it. I get how Meridian is supposed to be ruled by queens, but I was only a baby, and someone had already took me to Earth when all that stuff went down. Phobos was the only member of the royal family left, so somebody had to take charge and keep Meridian from falling into chaos! Well all you've people heard are rumors and lies told by someone else, but apparently it was enough to start a freaking war! Do you have any idea how much damage that war has caused this kingdom?!"

"We're not the ones trying to destroy Meridian! We're trying to save it!" Aldarn argued. "Even if Phobos is innocent in his parents' murder, that doesn't excuse what he's been doing…"

"Please, just hear me out!" Elyon protested. "We don't have to keep fighting anymore. My powers are not only growing, I've also got more control over them. And Phobos is getting everything ready for my coronation, to make me a proper queen, isn't that what you want?" As Elyon spoke however, a strong and invisible magic aura manifested around her and the rebels; though it did not affect the Dark Chi Enforcers, they noticed something off with Elyon. "I can use my power to help rebuild the damage, we can end this war right here and now, and make Meridian into a new and peaceful place. Together, we can make Meridian a land of plenty."

"That would be wonderful…" Aldarn said in a dazed tone of voice before his senses came to him. "But Phobos will never allow it."

Elyon sighed before speaking in a more aggressive tone, the aura around her still present. "Someone won't allow it, but it's not my brother. There is somebody out there, maybe someone in the rebellion pulling the strings: the one who really killed my parents. The same one who brainwashed my friends, giving them powers but making them into their own personal puppets. That person in the shadows is the real reason this war still goes on, and why I've been forced to fight my own friends! Well, I've had enough. Let's end this madness, now."

This seemed enough to convince Aldarn and the other two rebels to bow down to her. "We're so lucky Phobos found you, princess." Aldarn said.

"Let me show you something I've learned how to do. Hold out your hand." Elyon said. Aldarn did as instructed as Elyon placed some grain into his palm before casting a wave of magic that caused the grain to grow into fresh barley, much to Aldarn's amazement. "You're a good soul, I can see that. I'm sure there are plenty of good people in the rebellion too, they've just been fed lies. So how about this? I'll talk to my brother about singing a peace treaty between the rebels and the throne; we'll not only end this war, but maybe even catch the one who really killed my parents and see to it their brought to justice."

As she continued to talk with them, the Dark Chi Enforcers huddled together to speak amongst themselves.

"Hey, is it just me, or is something really weird going on with Elyon?" Ratso asked.

"It's not just you… this weird presence around her…" Chow found it hard to describe. "It's almost like she pulled a Jedi mind trick on them."

"I don't think she even knows what she's doing." Finn added. "Just what kind of lessons are the big guys teaching her anyway?"

"Hey guys." Elyon got their attention. "Find a cart and some horses, or whatever people in Meridian use to pull them."

"Sure, but why?" Chow asked.

"So, they can go back to the granary and help themselves to as much as they can carry." Elyon said with a smile.

Meanwhile, inside the castle, Phobos overlooked the Castletown below his fortress as Cedric and Daolon Wong approached from behind.

"My prince, do you know what your sister is doing right this minute?" Cedric asked.

"Yes, proposing a peace treaty with the rebellion." Phobos answered, keeping his back turned to them.

"And what plan do you have for that?" Daolon Wong asked as well.

"What makes you think there's a plan?" Phobos responded, causing the two to look in confusion.

"I'm afraid I do not quite understand, my lord." Wong said. "Surely you will not allow this."

"Why not?"

"You… are you actually considering signing a treaty?!" Cedric questioned.

"Yes, I am." Phobos confirmed, much to their shock as he kept his gaze on his kingdom

"What?! Why would you allow something like that?!" Wong also questioned. "I cannot see a reason for allowing something as worthless as a peace treaty!"

"Oh, no?!" Phobos turned to them with a hardened glare. "What about the war that has been raging non-stop for more than a decade?! We've been locked in a stalemate with the rebellion since their inception with no end in sight! And ever since the Guardians and that meddlesome Jackie Chan have joined the fight, we've suffered loss after loss!"

"The Oni masks can easily tip the scales in our favor!" Wong tried to protest.

"And how many of those masks do we currently have?" Phobos replied. "None! And even when someone from our side does acquire a mask, it is removed swiftly enough before we can even use it properly! Even with only two masks still in play, this hunt for them has more than exhausted our resources, which has only further pushed the rebellion into attacking more!"

"So, you would instead forsake all we've accomplished?" Cedric glared. "Once you've harnessed your sister's power, you can easily crush the rebellion!"

"And what's to stop our enemies from taking Elyon and turn her against us?" Phobos questioned. "We've tried to corrupt their allies in the past, but it's never worked. Nothing we've done has ever proven to be a success!" He appeared to calm down for a moment. "Tell me, do either of you know what the definition of insanity is? It is to do the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result each time, and that is precisely what we've been doing. Look at the results, it's been one defeat after another. Well I will not allow myself to be dragged down kicking and screaming, nor will I allow this prolonged war to destroy Meridian; I would very much prefer to rule over a living realm, not whatever's left of a battlefield."

Wong practically growled. "Forgive my prince, but it would seem that your time spent around your sister has made you soft."

Phobos narrowed his eyes dangerously at the dark wizard. "Be careful, Daolon Wong. If you recall what you told me shortly after Raythor's false betrayal, you said 'I can never really trust anyone'. Don't give me a reason I can't take that toward you, or I will see to it you suffer the same fate." Phobos' warning caused Wong to glare further as the prince turned toward the shapeshifter. "Same to you as well, Cedric. I do not have to like it, but if it means finally ending this conflict, which has been nothing more than a perpetual waste of time, then so be it."

"But my prince…" Cedric tried.

"That is final!" Phobos exclaimed. "I will hear no further word of this! Leave me!"

"As you wish." Cedric hissed with a glare as he and Wong left the balcony, while Phobos resumed his gaze toward the kingdom.

Both the dark wizard and shapeshifter scowled as they traversed the empty hallways of the palace. "I thought he was a fool before… but he's letting his attachment to his sister blind him." Cedric commented.

"Hey may very well just concede the throne to her instead of taking her powers like he originally planned." Wong also stated. "Throwing away everything I've… everything we've done. You would think that with his kingdom locked in war, becoming a pariah to his people, all that would darken his heart. But it seems he's still soft on the inside."

A small half-smirk fell on Cedric's face. "This may be the first time that we've ever agreed on something. You are right, even before he had something of a soft spot for that fool Raythor. When he was cast into the Abyss, I would have assumed that last of his morality would have been cast aside as well. But it seems not."

"Then perhaps we should do something about that, wouldn't you agree?" A third voice spoke up as a familiar face materialized from the wall next to them before the King of the Shadowkhan revealed himself.

"Tarakudo!" Wong exclaimed as he and Cedric readied themselves for a possible fight.

"Calm down, I'm not here to fight." Tarakudo said. "To the contrary, I wish to help you."

"Help us?" Cedric questioned skeptically. "I find that difficult to believe since you seem to be in the favor of that fool of a prince."

"Phobos is young and naïve, but he also has great potential for darkness." Tarakudo explained. "But as you said, his soft spot for his younger sister is preventing him from reaching said potential. Obviously, we can't simply get rid of her, and both of them are intent on letting this peace treaty continue, but that's not to say we can't turn it to our advantage."

"And how can we trust that you are not attempting to deceive us?" Wong questioned.

"As the Lord of all Oni and proud agent for the Forces of Darkness, peace treaties aren't really my thing." Tarakudo replied. "So obviously I'm against it. But also, do you know how it is I was able to command my Oni generals? It was because we had a mutual respect with one another. Obviously, if they got out of line, I would put them back in their place; but we worked together and saw that our forces were strongest by fighting as one. It's the very same reason Mr. Chan and those young ladies continue to succeed, because they are able to work as a team. So, wouldn't it make sense for us to follow their example? You two have great potential on your own, yes. But together? Daolon Wong's vast knowledge of magic, Cedric's raw strength and power, and my cunning… we could be unstoppable. But in order for that to work, we must put our differences aside. And seeing how we have common ground now with this peace treaty, I'd say that's a good place to start."

Cedric and Wong cast a glance at one another, both seeing the logic in the Oni king's reasoning.

"He does make a good point." Cedric admitted. "Perhaps there is more we can accomplish together, than apart."

"So first, let us see how we can turn this treaty to our advantage." Wong said with a small smirk before looking toward the floating demon head. "I trust you have a plan in mind, Lord Tarakudo?"

"Indeed." Tarakudo smirked evilly as he leaned closer to his cohorts and began to whisper the details of his agenda.

Earth – Taranee's Residence

All the girls, minus Alchemy of course, were in their respective Guardian forms as they have used their magic to prepare more than half the baked goods already. As they worked, Blunk helped himself to the stuff that fell on the floor.

"Add four cups water…" Will read the recipe aloud.

"No problem." Irma pointed her fingers downward to pour into the bowl the necessary amount of water.

"Mix in large container…" Will continued to read.

"Sugar and wheat are earth products, so I don't think we need the container." Cornelia lifted the baking substance from the bowl and used her control over the earthly ingredients to properly mix it together in the form of cookie dough.

"And stir until well mixed." Will instructed, prompting Hay Lin to use her control over the air to not only mix it, but also add a bit of extra fluff to the dough.

"Now for some cool shapes." Jade produced a dual set of knives in her hands made of shadow magic before slicing at the dough ninja-style. By the time it was done, at least two dozen cookies were on a baking sheet and in the shapes of five-pointed stars, crescent moons, and even shurikens.

"Nice." Alchemy commented. "You'd guys make a killer baking show."

Will chuckled before reading the final part of the recipe. "Bake at three hundred and fifty degrees for thirty minutes."

"How about seven thousand degrees for one minute?" Taranee joked as she briefly produced a flame in her hand. "Just kidding." This still resulted in everyone else laughing until there was a knock on the backdoor that led into the kitchen.

"Girls I am sorry to bug you but…" Jackie began but was surprised to see them all in their Guardian forms.

"We're only baking Jackie." Jade quickly said, thinking they were in trouble. "Not causing any mischief, just making cookies and stuff."

Jackie briefly sighed before getting back to the situation at hand. "That's fine, but we have a problem." He stepped aside as Tohru helped Caleb enter the kitchen with Uncle and Yan Lin right behind them.

"Caleb!" Cornelia exclaimed upon seeing the exhausted and distraught look on his face.

"What happened?" Alchemy asked.

"A raid that went wrong." Caleb gave a brief explanation. "We broke into the castle for some grain. Aldarn and two others were captured."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go kick some evil butt!" Jade stated.

"But… we still got half the stuff to bake." Taranee pointed out to several of their unfinished recipes. "All of this is gonna be ruined."

Hay Lin spotted Blunk liking a spoon that fell on the floor. "Blunk, you ever cook anything?"

"Yes. Yes." Blunk nodded. "Blunk clever."

"You're gonna leave the walking stomach in charge of food?" Cornelia questioned.

"I'll stay behind and help finish all of this." Tohru offered. "I have plenty of experience with baking."

"It's true. Tohru bakes some mean brownies." Jade confirmed as she nudged his side, causing him to blush.

"I may as well stay and help out too." Yan Lin offered.

"Thanks guys." Will smiled.

"What are we waiting for?!" Uncle exclaimed. "We must get to Meridian now! Go! Go! Go!" Uncle began to push the entire group outside.

"Okay, okay, we're going!" Irma exclaimed as they were pushed out the door. But Irma stuck her head back inside. "Make sure Blunk doesn't eat any of the recipes! Or the book!" She was pulled back outside by the ear by Uncle. "Ow! Ow!"

Caleb began leading the group toward the portal he used to cross between the realms, though he kept some distance away from everyone. Cornelia, however, picked up her pace to get closer and talk to him.

"What's up, rebel boy?" Cornelia asked with concern. "You're brooding even more than usual."

"It's all my fault." Caleb replied. "I not only led them into a potential ambush, I left them behind! What kind of leader am I?!"

"Caleb, look maybe it didn't go exactly the way you planed, but when do things ever go according to plan for us?" Cornelia told him before putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "Hey, listen to me. Speaking as someone who's made more than her fair share of mistakes, mopping around isn't gonna fix things. Focus on what you can do right now, instead of how you messed up. Oh, and for the record, you're a wonderful leader. You don't know how wonderful you are."

Caleb stopped walking for a moment and turned around to take Cornelia's hand. He didn't say a thank you or anything to show that he appreciated her advice, but he didn't have to. She knew he did. However, their moment was interrupted by a dope-slap to both of their heads.

"Ow!"

"Ow!"

"No time to flirt! We must get to Meridian now! You wish to save rebels? Yes? Then we go to Meridian and you do not waste time!" Uncle chastised, much to their annoyance.

"Thanks a lot, Uncle Wet Blanket." Cornelia muttered as Caleb continued to lead the group.

Soon, Caleb had led the group to what appeared to be an abandoned refinery near an old well. Jackie only then noticed the large bags that Hay Lin, Irma, and Alchemy were carrying.

"Girls, what is that?" Jackie asked.

"Extra cookies and stuff for the rebels." Hay Lin answered.

"Yeah, figure the guys could use something sweet." Alchemy added, causing Jackie to smile.

"Well, that is very thoughtful of you." He nodded with approval.

"So, where's the portal?" Taranee asked.

"Right down there." Caleb pointed to the old well. The group looked down and saw all the moldy wells, spider-webs, and other stuff that they didn't even want to know what it was.

"Nope." Jade backed away instantly. "Besides, Will can just open up a portal since the Heart absorbed the Seal of Phobos."

"True, but we should still close this portal just in case." Jackie said.

"On it." Will held the Heart of Kandrakar over the well and used its power to seal the portal down below before pointing the Heart away from the well and opened up a new portal for them to use. They wasted no time in jumping in and crossing the Veil.

Infinite City

After crossing into Meridian, and closing the portal behind them, the group of heroes made their way to the rebellion's underground base as they began to plan their move.

"Okay, we're going to need some back up and weapons…" Caleb began. However, once they rounded the corner, they were surprised to see none other than Aldarn waiting for them. "Aldarn!"

"Wow, that was quick." Jade commented.

"Coming from you, that says something." Irma said.

Caleb instantly ran toward his friend and placed his hands on his shoulders. "You got away?! How!?"

"The princess freed us!" Aldarn revealed, catching the group off guard.

"Elyon?" Cornelia uttered as she and Alchemy exchanged surprised glances.

Caleb noticed the large supply of grain behind Aldarn. "What's all this?"

"The guards just gave it to us! Can you believe it?!" He replied as Caleb went to inspect it.

"Uncle, could this be a trap?" Jackie asked his uncle, who already took out his blowfish and used it to 'scan' the grain for any signs of magical tampering.

"I do not sense any dark magic, or any magic." The elderly chi-wizard revealed as he picked up a single grain to observe more closely. "The grain is not enchanted, nor do I believe to be poisoned."

"It's a new beginning for Meridian!" Aldarn continued. "The princess will be on the throne soon. We have no more reason to fear her brother."

"Have you lost your senses?!" Caleb exclaimed, not buying this for a second. "You don't see this as a trick?!"

"We met with her!" Aldarn argued. "You have her and Phobos all wrong, Caleb! Everyone has been saying that he murdered his parents, but we've never actually had proof of that! We don't have evidence to confirm it!"

"Look, even if Phobos didn't kill his parents, that doesn't excuse all the crimes we know he's done!" Caleb stated.

"Totally!" Cornelia agreed. "What about all people that have been enslaved or starving!? Or the literal monsters that he's used to attack us and you!?"

"Heck, the guy's BFFs with a dark wizard, an evil shapeshifter, and freaking floating demon head!" Jade put in.

"Phobos has crossed many lines and I am also doubtful that he would suddenly be willing give up his power." Jackie said.

"He won't stop until all of Meridian is under his heel!" Will added.

However, Aldarn didn't seem convinced. "Look, all of you have done so much for not only the rebellion, but the people who aren't even fighting." He spoke to Jackie, the Guardians, as well as Uncle and Alchemy. "But you have no idea how exhausting this all has been! Caleb, this war has been going on since we've been children! Don't you want it to end?!"

"Of course, I want it to end!" Caleb exclaimed. "But only when I know that we have a possible victory in our reach! Phobos has been ruling and enslaving our home for years now he just suddenly wants to give up?! How can you not be suspicious?!"

"The princess is back! It's what we've always wanted! We can't ask our people to suffer indefinitely!" Aldarn continued. However, as he spoke, Uncle began to look toward him with a curious expression, as if he was sensing something amiss with him. "We're signing a peace treaty today!"

"You don't have the authority to do that!" Caleb told him as the two friends narrowed their eyes at each other, but Aldarn refused to back down.

"The signing ceremony is at midday at the Hoogoon nesting grounds." Aldarn said. "All of us will be there. If you have a problem with me signing it and finally putting an end to the war, then I challenge you for leadership of the rebellion!" He declared, catching everyone, especially Caleb off guard. All except Uncle, who continued to observe Aldarn with a serious expression.

Aldarn didn't even give the heroes a chance to argue as he stormed away. With nothing else to do, the group decided to scout the area where the supposed signing of the peace treaty was being held: the Hoogoon nesting grounds.

"Does he honestly believe Phobos would just give up his plans because of some peace treaty?!" Caleb exclaimed.

"Aldarn's brainwashed dude." Irma told him. "Tarakudo or Wong probably got to him."

"No." Uncle shook his head. "Aldarn has been influenced by Elyon."

"How do you know?" Cornelia questioned.

"I could sense magic from Aldarn." Uncle revealed. "But it was not dark magic."

"And the only one with Phobos who doesn't possess dark magic…" Jackie began.

"Is Elyon." Alchemy finished as she looked down with worry.

"We might not know what all her powers are, but it does sound like she was the one who hypnotized him." Taranee seemed to understand.

"She probably doesn't even know what she did." Cornelia quickly said in Elyon's defense.

Caleb sighed. "I hate to admit it, but the Hoogoon nesting grounds are a perfect place for a treaty signing." He said as they saw a pair of Hoogoons crossing the valley.

"So, these are Hoogoons, huh?" Irma asked.

"Kinda look like alien ostriches." Jade commented.

"They're the peace-bird of Meridian. Grandma told me." Hay Lin said. "Aren't they cute?" She asked, causing Jade and Irma to lower their eyelids at her.

"Their nesting grounds have a clear view in all directions, nowhere to hide and ambush us." Caleb explained. "Just a lot of big blue eggs."

"Well, maybe then it's legit." Alchemy suggested. "I mean, we did learn that Phobos does care about Elyon in a way, maybe she changed his mind."

"Even if it were true, and Phobos decided to step down, I am doubtful that everyone on his side would be so quick to agree." Jackie said.

"We know that Daolon Wong is planning to stab him in the back, and I don't think the words 'peace treaty' are in Tarakudo's vocabulary." Will said.

"So, either Phobos has got the whole thing rigged, or one of the other bad guys is setting up a trap." Jade said. "Yeah, I can definitely see a trap."

"It doesn't matter, I have to battle my best friend over leadership of the rebellion." Caleb stated with regret, not looking forward to fighting his friend.

"How exactly does this challenge work?" Taranee asked.

"Well, it starts as foot race…" Caleb began. "We both have to cross rough terrain, scale cliffs, get through beast-filled swamps, and it ends with hand-to-hand combat."

"Yesh, Hunger Games, much?" Jade winced. "Can't the challenge just be Rock-Paper-Scissors or something?"

"Challenge not important." Uncle stated. "Peace treaty signing, is. Either Phobos, Tarakudo, or Daolon Wong have undoubtedly placed a trap. We must discover the nature of trap before signing of treaty."

Earth

"Now add milk and sugar and stir until thoroughly mixed." Tohru instructed as Blunk stirred the bowl. The oven timer went off and Yan Lin pulled out a batch of cookies. "Alright, this is looking good so far."

Blunk then decided to taste-test a cookie. "Boring. Make Blunk recipe."

"Blunk, humans don't digest everything a Passling can." Yan Lin said. "But you're not wrong. This is a good spread, but I think it could use a little more oomph to it."

"Hmm." Tohru began to think. "My mommy did teach me how to make special kinds of Japanese deserts; like mochi and even taiyaki."

"Oh really?" Yan Lin smirked. "I know my way around dragon's beard candy. So, what do you say we give this spread a little more 'culture'?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Tohru agreed as even Blunk laughed with excitement.

Meridian

The girls, Jackie, Uncle, and various members of the Rebellion, including Vathek and Julian, all gathered just outside a forest as the challenge between Caleb and Aldarn was about to begin.

"Good luck, Caleb." Julian told his son.

"I'll be fine, Dad."

"The first one back to the arena turns over the hourglass." Vathek explained the challenge to Caleb and Aldarn. "If the second man arrives before the sand runs out, you battle." This caused everyone to look nervous, especially Cornelia. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Vathek asked the two, but it seemed neither were willing to back down, though Caleb held a great deal of reluctance. "Very well. Begin!"

With that, both Caleb and Aldarn began their race through the forest.

"He'll be okay, right?" Cornelia asked.

Jade gave her titular scoff. "The guy's got this, don't worry." She said in assurance.

"No sense in waiting here, worrying." Will said. "Let's get back to the treaty sight."

"Agreed." Jackie nodded. "We need to find out just what kind of trap has been laid."

Phobos Castle

Cedric and Daolon Wong both met in secret in the dungeons of the castle, in a secluded spot where no guards could hear them.

"Are you certain we are alone?" Cedric asked.

"I have used my magic to scry the area, no one will bother us here." Wong confirmed.

"Good." Cedric nodded. "You can come out now, Tarakudo."

The Oni King manifested himself from the walls to appear before the group. "So, I trust everything has been arranged?"

"Indeed." Wong replied. "Phobos and Elyon believe the ceremony will take place in the castle grounds. However, we've seen to it the rebellion believes the signing will take place in a different location."

"When the rebels don't arrive, both the prince and princess will think they've gone back on their word." Cedric added. "Which will only push Phobos to carry out his initial plan."

"If our cards are played right, we may even rid ourselves of the rebellion, or at least a large majority of those fools. Thus, removing a rather annoying thorn from our side." Wong finished.

"How devious. How clever." Tarakudo smiled evilly. "See? This is what happens when we all play nice and work together. You can actually get something done. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to keep an eye on the ceremony, just in case any interlopers try anything." He then vanished into thin air, leaving the two backstabbers alone.

"He does bare a good point." Cedric commented. "Perhaps working together, we can do much more than we could ever do apart."

"Maybe we can." Daolon Wong seemed to agree. "Then let us shake upon it." He offered his hand. "To our alliance."

"To our alliance." Cedric accepted as they shook hands and looked at each other with forced smiles.

'He is nothing but a conniving snake, quite literally. He can't truly be trusted.' Wong thought to himself.

'Look at that senile old fool. His over-reliance on magic has made him nothing more than a toothpick for me to snap.' Cedric thought to himself in a similar manner.

'Once the coronation is complete, and the power of the Heart of Meridian flows through my veins…' Wong thought.

'…He will be the first to meet his end by my newfound strength.' Cedric finished his own train of thought.

However, they only both just noticed that they continued to shake the other's hand for quite some time, causing them to chuckle awkwardly.

Jackie, Uncle, and the girls all arrived at the signing ceremony, which appeared to be in the form of a large tent over a fancy table, in the middle of an empty field filled with Hoogoon eggs.

"I don't see any traps." Hay Lin looked around.

"Do not be fooled." Uncle said. "Not everything is what it seems."

"Well unless they got any invisibility powers or something, they can't catch us by surprise." Taranee pointed out. "We'd see them coming for miles."

"Tarakudo literally pops up wherever he wants." Jade said.

"But he knows he can't take on the entire rebellion by himself, especially since we all know his weakness." Will said. "And nobody has an Oni mask, so now Shadowkhan ambush either."

"There has to be something here that we simply cannot see." Jackie said. "Look all around, call out if you find anything suspicious."

Meanwhile, the race between Caleb and Aldarn was well underway. They've already cleared most of the rough terrain and had now begun to scale up the cliffs of the gorge with only their bare hands. The climb was nothing short of arduous; the cliff was steep, the rocks were hard and were already causing their hands to blister and bleed, and the wind made it difficult to maintain a solid grip. Fortunately, neither of them fell as Caleb appeared to be in the lead.

"We don't have to do this!" Caleb tried to plea. "I was hoping the exercise would clear your head! I don't want to battle you! You're my best friend!"

"This is for the good of all Meridian!" Aldarn exclaimed, still under the effects of Elyon's spell, as he continued to climb.

Seeing he had no choice but to push forward, Caleb continued to climb. Soon, he made it to the top, but he didn't have time to rest as he got on his feet and ran into the swamps. Aldarn soon got to the top as well and ran into the swamp after him.

Caleb soon ran toward a large tree and stopped for a brief moment to catch his breath before running toward the right side of the tree. A few seconds later, and Aldarn had ran clear past the tree, taking a different path.

The young rebel leader continued to run through the swamps, ankle-deep in water, before finding his path suddenly bared by large carnivorous plants. Though he stopped first, he was faced with the choice of either taking a detour or pushing through. Knowing the former was likely going to take too long, he decided to brace himself as he pushed through the snarling and man-eating plants.

Back at the site of the ceremony, despite the heroes' search, they didn't appear to find anything out of the ordinary, which only seemed to frustrate them even more. They knew a trap had been set, but no idea how or what it was.

"Man, what are we missing? If the trap isn't hidden then, what?" Will questioned.

"Perhaps it is hidden." Jackie suggested. "Hidden in plain sight. Something right in front of us."

"The only thing right in front of us are all these eggs." Jade stated, causing her to look as if she had an epiphany as her eyes widened with realization. "The eggs!" She quickly ran to the closest egg and felt her hand along it.

"The eggs? What about the eggs?" Alchemy asked as Jade felt something wet on the egg's surface.

"Hey Uncle, are Hoogoon eggs normally wet?" Jade asked.

"No." Uncle shook his head as everyone walked closer to Jade. "Hoogoons are birds, bird eggs are not wet."

"Yeah, they're like chicken eggs. The shells are dry on the surface." Taranee added.

"Hold on a moment." Jackie walked toward his niece and the egg she was near before running his hand on the surface, feeling the wet substance in his hand. "This is not a natural liquid… its paint."

"Paint? Like an easter egg?" Hay Lin asked as Irma had a serious expression before pointing her finger forward and spraying water over the nearest egg, wiping away the blue paint to reveal the eggs were a pale gray color.

"These are not Hoogoon eggs." Will stated as the group looked with serious expressions, which turned into shock as they saw several of the eggs beginning to crack.

"Well, something's hatching from them." Cornelia said as the group got ready for a fight. This proved to be the best choice as the eggs all hatched to reveal several dozen large centipede-like insects that bore a resemblance to one they defeated in the past.

"Aiya! Larvek hatchlings!" Uncle exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Caleb had made it to the next portion of the race, to use long stilts to cross a chasm filled with large creatures that seemed like a mix between turtles, sloths, and komodo dragons. By the time he made it, he noticed a pair of stilts on the other side, indicating that a certain someone had already beaten him here.

"Well at least Aldarn made it over safely." Caleb said with relief, now he just had to get across himself. With the stilts tied around his legs, he began to cross the chasm. So far so good. However, the creatures quickly took notice of him and grabbed onto the stilts and began to scale it to devour their next prey.

The group circled up as the dozens of Larvek hatchlings emerged from their shells. "This is the trap!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Duh!" Jade pointed out. "But these things are way tinnier than the last one we squashed. No biggie." Suddenly, she felt a shiver down her spine, causing her confidence to vanish. "But we got bigger problems."

"Got that right." Tarakudo's face emerged from a broken eggshell before hovering in front of the group.

"Tarakudo!" Will exclaimed.

"Yep. While this was a trap set up for the rebellion, taking you all out of the picture should still be quite satisfying." He commented.

"Oni King talk too much." Uncle stated.

"Got that right. We've kicked your non-existent butt before; we can do it again." Irma said.

"Oh, I'm the least of your worries." Tarakudo said. "Pop quiz. What's the first thing a mother Larvek does when her babies hatch?" As he spoke, a large web began to emerge from the ground around the ceremony site and the babies, with the heroes in the center. "Answer: she spins a web to keep all the gathered food trapped inside for her hungry babies to dig in." As he finished, the webbing had formed into a dome that had the heroes completely trapped inside. "Well kiddos, time to dig in." He told the baby Larveks as he simply hung back and 'enjoy the show'.

"Bad day." Jackie muttered as everyone else looked more than a little intimidated.

"Uh Will… the web is shrinking! Time to Guardian up!" Taranee urged.

Not needing to be told twice, Will took out the Heart of Kandrakar and said the magic words. "Guardians Unite!" One flashy transformation later; Jade, Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin had donned their respective Guardian forms of J-WITCH, standing alongside Uncle, Jackie and Alchemy as the chi-wizard drew a blowfish to fire a series of stun spells at the Larvek hatchlings and keep them back.

Will took up Alchemy as she and the other Guardians flew higher up to get as far as they could from the Larveks, which wasn't very far as the web dome continued to shrink. Jackie kicked a flagpole down and grabbed it before spinning it around and lunged it at the Larveks that got too close and Uncle missed with his stun spells.

"Back! Back!" Jackie stated as he tried to beat back as many Larveks as he could.

"Uh guys…!" Alchemy gulped the web dome continued to shrink.

"Taranee…" Will tried to instruct.

"Larvek web doesn't burn, remember?"

"Hay Lin?" Will looked toward her instead, prompting Hay Lin to try and blow the web away, but the wind only passed through.

"Air just goes through it!"

"We're losing ground!" Jackie exclaimed as the girls were forced back down toward him and Uncle, quickly losing any room to escape and would be unable to escape period.

"Guys, get close, I got an idea!" Jade told everyone as she held out her hands, which were already generating large plums of shadow magic.

Back with Caleb, he continued to push forward as quickly as he could with the creatures scaling up the stilts, closer to him. But he couldn't push too hard or risk losing balance and falling into the chasm, from which there would be no escaping dinner.

One of the creatures got close enough to try and slash at his feet but ended up slashing the rope that kept Caleb's ankle tied to one of the stilts, causing the stilt to tip over along with the creature. Good news, he was safe from that one creature; bad news, he was losing balance with only one stilt on his left leg. Deciding to use this to advantage, he pushed himself forward, upon seeing he was close enough to the cliff's edge, causing him to tip over and make it to the other side.

No time to rest, he quickly untied his left leg and ran as fast as he could to try and catch up with Aldarn.

Phobos' Castle.

Elyon was sitting at her desk, in front of the mirror, making herself look presentable for the approaching ceremony. The Dark Chi Enforcers were also present, as was Phobos.

"I know how I said I wanted a peace treaty, and I do, but… now that its coming… kinda nervous." Elyon began to confess.

"What are you nervous about?" Finn asked. "It's just signing a piece of paper. What you got terrible handwriting?" He joked.

"Oh yeah. My handwriting is just the worst." Elyon joked back before getting serious. "But… since this will end the war, what do you think the real bad guys are gonna do? The ones who killed our parents…" She turned toward Phobos.

"If you believe they may try to sabotage this event, I do not think they will. It seems too blunt of an approach." Phobos explained. "They were through enough to cover their tracks at our parents' murder all those years ago, up to the point that even after all these years, no one has a clue as to his or her identity. So, to try and sabotage an event like this would be the equivalent of announcing their presence."

"That… actually does make sense." Chow agreed.

"Yeah, that be a real stupid thing to do. Kinda like us." Ratso said, resulting in Finn and Chow elbowing him slightly.

"Well, what if they try and convince my friends to attack it?" Elyon asked. "I mean, they attacked the castle before…"

"Which is why I've taken the necessary precautions to ensure that even if the Guardians were to attack the ceremony, they would be effectively captured and subdued." Phobos assured. "And once that is done, we will take the Heart of Kandrakar and finally have the means to free them."

Elyon sighed in relief upon hearing that. "Good. I know they've caused you a lot of trouble, but it's not their fault. Now we might be able to help them. I can't wait to have my friends back."

"You'll get them back soon, I promise." Phobos said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mother and Father would be proud of you." She couldn't help but smile emotionally toward him as she put her own hand on his.

"Thank you…"

Seeing that smile, caused Phobos to wince on the inside. Though his initial plan was to take her power, wipe her memories and return her to Earth to live a normal life; he believed that if he wielded the same kind of power his mother had, he might have the means to truly bring order to Meridian. But, even after bringing Elyon here, everything just seemed to evolve into one big mess as he continued to suffer loss after loss. He had also hoped that having the full power of the Oni masks and the Shadowkhan, it would end this fighting. However, he has been unable to obtain even a single mask, which has only created more chaos and conflict in his kingdom. But if this ceremony really did take place, and the rebellion signed it, it would also mean the exposure of Phobos' lie. But… maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. He knew she would most likely hate him for all of that, but it would also lead to her being put back on the throne. And if she were on the throne, perhaps the war really could end, and peace and order would be restored to Meridian. So maybe… maybe that would be the best course of action, he'd probably have to leave Meridian, but if that meant finally bringing order to this world, so be it.

Infinite City

The entire rebellion had gathered in the arena that had been built within the underground city. Around the arena were the seats where all the cheering rebels sat; while the arena itself consisted of a four-way stone bridge that stretched from each end with a massive hourglass in the center. Below the bridge appeared to be a bottomless pit.

Aldarn was the first to arrive to the arena where Vathek waited by the hourglass. Aldarn made his way toward the hourglass and began to turn it, indicating Caleb didn't have much time to get to the arena and defend his position as leader of the rebellion.

Back at the fake ceremony, the web dome had completely collapsed in on itself, with the Larveks seemingly taking their prey underground to be devoured, with the Oni king watching from above.

"Hmm, not as flashy as I had hoped." Tarakudo commented. "A rather anti-climactic ending for Mr. Chan and the Guardians."

However, his attention was caught by the ground underneath him suddenly exploding outward as a large sphere of shadow magic shot into the air, which quickly dissipated to reveal all the heroes, alive and well. Jade using her shadow-magic to create a shield to protect herself as well as her friends and family from the Larveks, and Cornelia using her earth-powers to tunnel underground and escape the trap.

"Then how about we make your beat down, more climatic!" Jade exclaimed as she, Cornelia, Hay Lin, Taranee, and Irma readied their respective elemental powers; even Will had already chanted the anti-Oni chi-spell, causing her hands to glow green like before, while taking a kung-fu stance along with Jackie, and Uncle pointing a blowfish forward, keeping Alchemy behind him.

"Hmm, that was actually kinda clever." Tarakudo observed. "But I think I'll pass." He then vanished into thin air.

"Chicken!" Irma called out.

"No time to dilly-dally!" Uncle stated. "Peace treaty was trap!"

"Agreed. We have to tell the rebellion! Let's go!" Jackie said as the group left.

Infinite City

The sand was just about to run out, with only a few seconds left. However, right before it did, Caleb had arrived just in the nick of time with only a second to spare. He sighed, half in relief, and half in frustration, knowing what was about to happen next. He heard his fellow rebels cheering his name, as well as Aldarn's as he made his way toward the center where Aldarn and Vathek were waiting for him.

"Do either of you wish to concede?" Vathek asked the two, giving them one last chance to back out. Neither of them said anything, showing there was only one option left for them. With a heavy sigh, he handed Aldarn a staff before giving another to Caleb.

He stepped aside, allowing the two friends to make eye-contact with each other before Aldarn made the first move, rushing Caleb and bringing his staff down toward him. But Caleb quickly leapt over him, right before Aldarn turned around and delivered a strike, which Caleb blocked and parried with his staff.

Throughout the entire fight, Caleb simply blocked and parried while Aldarn attacked; not that Aldarn didn't give him any openings, Caleb had already spotted several that he could have exploited; he knew how his friend fought, he fought with him for years. But he couldn't bring himself to fight back. Aldarn was still his best friend. But that didn't stop Aldarn from attacking, so deciding to disarm him, he brought his foot down to stomp on the thrust of Aldarn's staff before trying to smack the staff out of his hands, but the force of the strike accidentally caused Aldarn to slip and fall off the bridge. Fortunately, Caleb was able to catch him by the wrist.

"Aldarn! You have to snap out of it now!" Caleb pleaded. "You're my best friend! My brother! Come on!"

Whether it was the words finally reaching him, or the magic wearing off, Aldarn's eyes returned to normal as the effects of Elyon's spell faded from his head. Seeing the reluctant expression on his face told Caleb that his friend had come back to his senses, prompting him to pull him back up.

However, all the rebels gasped in surprise as they saw the Guardians, Jackie, Uncle, and Alchemy suddenly arrive in the arena.

"Everybody, the signing ceremony is a trap!" Will exclaimed.

"Hoogoon eggs were switched with Larvek eggs! You would have been eaten by the hatchlings!" Jackie also exclaimed as Uncle presented the shells of one of the Larvek eggs as proof.

Realizing he had been tricked and would have led his friends to their deaths, Aldarn couldn't help but hang his head down in shame.

"She lied to us…"

"No, she didn't!" Cornelia quickly said. "Elyon probably didn't even know! This was all Phobos and Tarakudo's fault!"

Despite that, Aldarn still felt shame as he looked toward his leader and friend. "Caleb… I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Caleb assured as he put an assuring hand on his brother-in-arms' shoulder. "So, what's our next step?" He looked toward the Guardians and Chan Clan.

"Tarakudo was there." Uncle said. "He will likely tell Phobos that we have evaded death."

"And they may end up lying to Elyon, saying that we backed out of the treaty signing." Jade added.

"Which means, the bad guys will probably crack down on the rebellion even harder." Will also said.

"For the moment, I believe it may be best for the rebellion to lay low in the Infinite City. At least until we can come up with a plan." Jackie said.

"Yeah… alright." Caleb understood. "But there are still Oni masks out there on Earth, right?"

"Yep, only two left." Will confirmed.

"Well then, I at least want in when you find them." Caleb stated.

Phobos' Castle

Elyon had been sitting at the ceremony alongside her brother, with the Dark Chi Enforcers, Cedric, and Daolon Wong present as well. But they had been there for over an hour, and it was rather obvious to Elyon what had happened.

"They're not coming… are they?" She asked dejectedly.

"I was afraid of this." Wong said. "They simply cannot be trusted."

"I thought they wanted peace…" Elyon said, not bothering to hide her frustration.

"As did I." Phobos said in a similar tone.

"Aw, don't look so sad kiddo. You were just trying to be nice." Ratso tried to console Elyon.

"Princess, perhaps it may be best you do not leave the castle for the time being." Cedric told her. "Your coronation approaches, so it is possible the rebellion may attack the castle before that happens to seize control of your power."

"Let them come." Elyon stated, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Uh… you okay, little E?" Finn asked as he and his friends didn't like the tone in Elyon's voice.

"You're sounding kinda… ominous." Chow added.

"My powers are growing, and I have much better control over them now." Elyon said as she opened her palm to generate a small but powerful white flame. "If they want to come to my home looking for a fight, I'll give them one they won't forget!"

Phobos couldn't help but look concerned at his sister's more aggressive mood, while Wong and Cedric shared knowing grins with each other.

After returning Elyon to her room, Phobos sat alone in his throne room with a tired sigh as he rubbed his hand down his face. Maybe he would have to abide by his original plan of taking Elyon's power and returning her to Earth after erasing her memories. It was his original plan, but now it didn't sound as appealing as before.

"Someone's looking rather tired." A familiar voice commented as the Oni King emerged from the stained-glass window next to him.

"What do you want, Tarakudo?" Phobos asked, not in the mood for game.

"To tell you that you have been betrayed." Tarakudo revealed, catching Phobos attention. "You arranged for the ceremony to take place here at the castle, but the rebels believed it would take place at the Hoogoon nesting grounds, where Hoogoon eggs were switched with Larvek eggs. The rebels would have been eaten alive."

Phobos was surprised by this, but he was also more surprised by Tarakudo's wording. "'Would have been'?"

"Mr. Chan and the Guardians went to scout it, which triggered the trap early." Tarakudo answered. "But they were able to escape, sadly."

Phobos didn't bother to hide his growl. "So… there is indeed a traitor in my midst."

"Two traitors, actually. Daolon Wong and Cedric." Tarakudo reveled.

"What?!" Phobos exclaimed, standing up from his throne.

"They're working together, conspiring against you to take Elyon's power for themselves." Tarakudo explained. "I heard them myself. Though it's also likely they'll try to back-stab each other so they don't have to share."

The dark prince roared as he sent a wave of magic to shatter many of the windows in his throne room. "I shall cast them into the Abyss of Shadows for these transgressions!" He was more than ready to storm out of the chamber and perform the act himself, but Tarakudo blocked his way.

"As entertaining as that would be, they may have more value to us alive."

"Oh?! For what reason would I keep two traitors alive and in my ranks, when I can simply execute and be done with them?!" Phobos exclaimed.

"Because there are two more masks yet to be found." Tarakudo replied. "Two masks, two traitors. And said traitors think that the power of these masks will grant them control over the remaining Shadowkhan tribes. But you and I both know the truth: their bodies will act as mere vessels to be possessed and taken over by the spirits of my Oni generals. While executing Cedric and Wong would be an effective way to be done with them, we can also use their power to our advantage, by transforming them into more obedient servants. Trust me, my generals are nothing short of loyal, they won't betray me, nor you."

This calmed Phobos slightly, but not entirely. "Normally, I would agree with your plan. But there is one issue you seem to overlook. The very real possibility of Chan and the Guardians taking the masks! They've already retrieved most of them, how can we be certain it won't happen for those remaining?!"

"Oh, that actually works out better for us." Tarakudo said, causing Phobos to look in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

In response, Tarakudo leaned in closely to whisper something only Phobos could hear. Once he heard it, the dark prince's eyes widened so much, they were almost circular, he honestly couldn't believe it.

"So, what do you think?" Tarakudo asked. "Rather devious, don't you think?"

"Whether we get the remaining two masks, or our enemies do, it doesn't matter…" Phobos really did see the brilliance in this plan. It was so simple, and yet so grand.

"They or us, either way, we win." Tarakudo smirked.

Phobos then narrowed his eyes at the Oni King. "You win. Those are your generals, the Shadowkhan are your forces; not mine. I already have my right and left hands turning against me, how can I trust you won't do the same."

"You're right to sound skeptical." Tarakudo began. "But think about it for a minute. Cedric and Wong conspire against you because they want your sister's power. But I don't. Little Elyon's power is rather impressive, but my full power honestly eclipses hers; both figuratively, and literally. Once all of Meridian is engulfed in eternal darkness, all other forms of magic fade into nothingness, even magic as significant as hers will fade away… unless you were to take it, as you originally planned. Stand with me, Phobos, and your newfound power will remain unchanged. That is why my generals are loyal; I don't rule them through fear, but rather a mutual form of respect, respect that you are worthy of. Everything you've done, no matter how cruel has not been out of the sake of cruelty itself, but out of necessity. You don't discard or throw away unless you feel you have to, taking advantage of what you can, even something that should have given your enemies an advantage and turning it to your favor. You have so much potential in you Phobos, and I'd rather not see it wasted. Once it is all done, my veil of darkness engulfed all of Meridian, and you wield the power of your sister, nothing will stand in our way. The alliance of King Tarakudo and King Phobos. So, what do you say? Doesn't sound too bad, does it?"

Phobos had let all those words sink in. The entire time he knew Tarakudo, he knew he was right. The Oni king treated him with respect as any partner would, and he was right, ruling through fear only causes resistance, but having your subordinates respect you does not. It may indeed be cruel, but the combined power of himself once he has Elyon's, as well as that of Tarakudo's by his side; there wouldn't be a force in the universe that could stand against them.

"No, it doesn't sound bad at all." Phobos chuckled as Tarakudo's evil smile only grew.

The Next Day - Earth – Sheffield Institute

Jackie, Tohru, Uncle, and Yan Lin helped the girls set up the sweets for the bake sale. Needless to say, the girls were more than a little impressed.

"I have to admit, this is rather impressive." Jackie commented.

"Wow Grandma, you and Tohru really went all out with this stuff." Hay Lin said as she and the others saw all the different kinds of deserts; in addition to all the cookies and stuff the girls had previously baked, there was also the vast different kinds of Japanese and Chinese deserts as well.

"Yeah, thought we'd mix some things up a bit." Yan Lin commented as Will took a bite of some mochi.

"Oh my god… Tohru you are a cooking master!" Will smiled toward the sumo, who blushed with a humble smile.

"Oh, it's nothing special… I'm just glad I could help." Tohru replied. "Blunk even helped too." Cornelia was about to say something. "And yes, we made sure he didn't put anything inedible in this."

"Good." Cornelia nodded.

"So where is the walking garbage disposal anyway?" Jade asked.

"Helping himself to leftovers." Yan Lin gestured to a tent where Irma, Taranee, and Alchemy looked inside to see Blunk with a full stomach, laying on top of pile of boxes with chocolate over his mouth, the passling giving a satisfied burp.

"Oh, Mrs. Knickerbocker." Cornelia noticed the principle approaching to inspect the assortment of deserts herself.

"Oh, look at this spread, I'm so impressed." She tasted some dragon beard candy. "Marvelous. You girls put a lot of work into this."

"Well, it wasn't just us, we had some help too." Jade said, refering to Tohru and Yan Lin, the later smiling proudly while the former continued to blush.

Done.

I thought this chapter turned out well. Tarakudo's quite the chess player, wouldn't you say? He was able to convince Wong and Cedric into working together to stab Phobos in the back, only for him to reveal to Phobos of their intent, exposing them both as traitors. But rather than have Phobos execute them, they are both planning to use Wong and Cedric for their own purposes as Tarakudo seems genuine about working with Phobos. Believe it or not, that is something totally in-character for him. In the cannon, Tarakudo is always respectful to his allies and subordinates, and it's also the more logical thing to do. He knows Wong and Cedric are back-stabbers and will try to usurp even him when he gets the chance, so he's working with Phobos (as a mentor-like partner), teaching him his ways so they can rule properly together.

Up next, we finally return to the Oni mask quest as our heroes locate mask number eight; and that is a chapter I have been wanting to write in forever. I've got more than a few surprises in store for our heroes and even villains. Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there. Love you guys.