The Skylanders at the Academy had already forgotten about the Golden Queen, and instead focused on the terrifying undead duo that was Hex and Malefor. They couldn't defeat Hex in battle, yet the only way to get rid of Malefor is by breaking their immortal bond. No one was sure how to do that besides Spyro, who was still hesitant to tell the others that they had to kill the witch in order to succeed.

"Why don't we try to just get rid of Hex' powers?" Tidepool was part of the group suggesting ideas on how to stop the foes. "If we can't defeat her or break the bond, why not just get rid of what created it in the first place?"

"That's not going to work." Cynder decided to join the discussion, mostly to make sure that the plan didn't involve too much harm. "When Hex, Zook and I confronted the Weather Wizard to obtain a fragment of the Mask of Power, Kaos' Undead Energy Extractor was overloaded by her amount of power and exploded. It was able to absorb the undead energy of an entire town previously, so you can guess how much it will take for Hex."

The Skylanders were at a loss for ideas. After some silent moments of thinking, the Skylanders heard a fluttering noise approach the Academy. When they looked up, a fairy was diving towards them until she stopped right in front of Spyro's snout. "Skylanders! Please, you have to help me!"

"Calliope!? What's going on?" Spyro recognized the fairy who was once being used by Malefor and nearly caused the Skylanders' downfall.

"It's terrible! Malefor's returned! He's attacking my village, everyone's in danger! Please Spyro, you have to help me!" The desperate and horrified look in her eyes was enough to tell the dragon that it was urgent.

Before answering, Spyro looked over to Cynder. She was as suspicious as him about the fairy's sudden appearance. They were tricked by Calliope before, but there was no reason for her to be a decoy now. Malefor teamed up with Hex, what would they need a simple fairy for? "I'm sorry Calliope, but there's nothing we can do right now."

"What?" Calliope's expression became even more hopeless. "But my people, my family!"

"I know, but we can't get rid of Malefor that easily. There's no point in fighting him." Spyro hated to stand by and let a villain like Malefor cause so much pain and destruction. He had to find a way to stop him. When the Skylander looked at Calliope again, he remembered something that could be the solution to this problem. "Wait, you took our powers! Hex' powers! How did you do that?"

Calliope was starting to calm down when she realized that the only way to help her village was to help the Skylanders. "You mean when I used the energy crystal?"

"The what?" Cynder stood next to Spyro and became curious.

"The energy crystal." Calliope explained. "We fairies know all about magical powers and energy. We have ways to strengthen and improve such abilities, but we can also remove them." The rest of the Skylanders all got closer to the fairy while listening. "There are countless energy crystals all across Skylands, it would be impossible to obtain all of them. The closest one is located in the far northern regions covered with ice and snow."

"Are you talking about the Ice Kingdom?" Spyro quickly recognized the description.

"And how are we supposed to get that crystal?" Tidepool questioned the group. "We have never been to the Ice Kingdom and who knows what obstacles await us there."

Cynder peeked through one of the windows of the room. The shimmering silver armor of a Skylander caught the dragon's attention and she knew exactly what to do. "I know just the Skylander who can help!"


Many islands away was an air balloon travelling through grey clouds.

"You know it's funny." Knight Light was standing inside the balloon next to Enigma. "I've been going on so many missions and I can't name anyone I've been teamed up with more than you. What is it, the 8th, 10th time this month?"

"13th." Enigma responded dry while he kept looking straight ahead. "There's a reason for that. You are skilled in close combat and your wings grant you with you high agility, while I have my ranged attacks and the ability to remain undetected. That makes us suitable for almost any mission." Enigma remained calm when the air balloon flew right inside a cloud while Knight Light smiled to feel the refreshing breeze. "We're a perfect team."

Knight Light looked over to the sorcerer who has been facing forward throughout the entire flight. Even though he was always very closed off and barely laughed, the angel enjoyed his company. "I guess we are."

The Trap Masters soon arrived at a small collection of islands connected by bridges. When they got out of their aircraft, Knight Light was surprised to see how empty the small village was. "This place is like a ghost town."

"We were told that this used to be Hex' home before she turned into an undead and was cast out." Enigma was an expert at remembering important details about missions and strictly following the objective. Knight Light on the other hand preferred to follow his gut. "It's safe to assume that she's been here and took her anger out on the inhabitants."

The Skylanders slowly strolled across the pavement leading to the center where a dried-out fountain was positioned. It seemed like a cozy town, only the haunting emptiness and the cold wind coming through gave it a ghostly atmosphere. "And what exactly are we supposed to do here?" The knight kept looking for any sign of life, but to no avail.

"If we find a possessed citizen, then there's a spell that might be able to reverse the effects of the curse." Enigma went to the other side of the town in hopes of finding someone. "There's no guarantee since Hex' magic is far superior to mine, but it's worth a try."

While Enigma was busy peeking through the dusty windows, Knight Light didn't hesitate to open the doors and get inside. The Light Skylander was standing inside a house where spiderwebs and creaking floors were the most interesting discoveries. When he exited, he spotted his companion sighing after finding another empty building. "Hey Enigma!" Knight Light caught the Magic Skylander's attention with his call. "Before you became a Skylander, did you live in a town like this one?"

Enigma flinched his head in irritation. "How is that relevant to the mission?"

"It's not, I'm just asking." Knight Light was slowly turning his head as he observed the rest of the town. "We're allowed to talk you know."

"That's not the point, Knight Light." Enigma had to endure several questions from the knight on their many excursions, but all he wanted was to complete the mission. "Please just focus."

Knight Light was disappointed to receive another rejection, but he's gotten used to it by now and followed the order to keep on looking.


Cynder hurried across the bridge connecting the library to the rest of the Academy. On the fountain near the entrance sat Chill in her blizzard armor. She was lost in thoughts whilst looking at the greyish sky.

"Chill!" Cynder approached the ice warrior. "Do you have a moment?"

"Sure." The Water Skylander responded with her Russian accent, making her sound harsher than she intended. "What is it?"

Cynder then realized that the following question might be more difficult than she thought considering everything that's happened in Chill's past. "Well, you know about the whole thing with Hex and Malefor." She started lightly, she didn't want to assault Chill with anything too personal. "We might have a way to defeat them, but it requires a certain energy crystal."

"How can I help?" Chill didn't know what exactly Cynder needed her for, but she would do whatever she had to stop the villains.

Cynder inhaled as she thought of the right words for her question. After moments of awkward silence and a confused look from Chill, the Undead Skylander finally got to the point. "That crystal can be found in the Ice Kingdom. None of us have been there besides you. Do you know anything about it?"

Chill didn't know what to say at first. "A crystal?" She gripped a part of the fountain, and as she did, the water behind her slowly began to freeze. "There was one, yes. Only… the queen and I knew of it." As the warrior was thinking back, Cynder couldn't ignore the ice climbing up the fountain. "But…"

"It's okay." Cynder put her claw onto Chill's shoulder. "I know what happened, Roller Brawl told me." She could see the shock and embarrassment that Chill expressed, but Cynder wanted to assure her that she had nothing to be ashamed of. "I didn't expect it to be there anyway. We're running out of options, I just wanted to make sure."

Chill sighed. "It's my fault." While the Skylander lamented, the frozen fountain water thawed. "It's my fault the castle is destroyed and the crystal is gone."

"Don't say that." Cynder noticed Chill's distant behavior before her talk with Roller Brawl, she knew how affected she was by that trip. "I wasn't there, I don't know the whole story, but you did the right thing. The Snow Queen was a villain, you only-"

"She wasn't a villain!" The ice warrior shouted out of nowhere which startled Cynder. Chill's eyes suddenly teared up before the Skylander's head sunk into her hands. "She did bad things, but she's still my queen. And I…"

"Still love her." Cynder finished the sentence and Chill looked up at the dragoness.

Seeing Cynder's calm face made Chill feel even worse. "I promised Roller Brawl that I'd get over it! She's done so much for me, I can't drag her down again." Chill turned her head, she couldn't look Cynder in the eyes. "I'm terrible, aren't I?"

"No, you're not." Cynder decided to give the Water Skylander some space and talk to her from a distance. "Our feelings are complicated. Sometimes we care about someone even if they've done bad things. They may not even deserve our love." Cynder knew too well what that was like. "You need to know when to get away from someone, but you don't have to reject all your feelings right away. You can take as much time as you need to process them."

Chill was holding her arms in a protective manner when she looked over to Cynder who said just what she needed to hear. "It's okay that I still love her?"

"As long as it doesn't endanger you or others, yes." Cynder has grown a lot during her time as a Skylander. She feels guilty for many things, but she's learned that she doesn't have to feel guilty for the way she feels.

"Thank you, Cynder." Chill was able to give the fellow Skylander a gentle smile as she thought about the Snow Queen and how she truly felt about her.

"No problem." Cynder returned a smile before heading back to Spyro and the others to find another option to stop Hex and Malefor.

While she was walking, the Undead Skylander glanced over to a window of the library. The same window she once broke on accident. The same glass. The same eyes. Cynder froze. They're back. The glowing eyes that were haunting her a year ago were back in the same window Cynder once saw them in. The dragon blinked and they were gone again. It may have been her mind playing tricks on her, or it may have been a sign. Whatever it was, Cynder had to get back to the others. She knew with certainty that Malefor was the one behind it. They had to stop him.


Thick grey clouds blocked the sunlight above the village Enigma and Knight Light were in. After an hour of unsuccessful searching for Hex' victims, the Trap Masters decided to move along.

"There's no one here, we'll need to look somewhere else." Enigma told Knight Light who just left the last empty house.

The magician headed towards the air balloon at the edge of the island. As soon as he got inside the basket, Knight Light noticed that his staff glowed shortly. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Enigma was once again facing straight forward and didn't even look at his ally while he was talking.

"Your staff glowed." The knight was now more curious than ever to find out one of Enigma's secrets. "Did you just cast a spell?"

"No. Now get inside the balloon we have to get going." Enigma remained stubborn.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what that was." Enigma may be persistent, but so is Knight Light. The Light Skylander crossed his arms and patiently waited in front of the balloon.

"Ugh, fine!" Enigma made his staff glow once more and suddenly moved his head again. "Whenever I get onto a balloon, and sometimes even an airship, I create an illusion in my mind which makes me believe that the aircraft is right above the ground at all times. I have to keep looking straight ahead otherwise it doesn't work."

Knight Light had to listen carefully to understand what the sorcerer was trying to say. "Why would you do that?"

Enigma was hesitant to answer. He eventually sighed and realized that it's best to just get it over with. "Because… I'm afraid of heights."

Knight Light didn't expect to hear that. "You're joking, right?

Enigma turning his cloaked head towards the angel was enough to tell him that he was being serious.

A Skylander who's afraid of heights. Knight Light wanted to laugh at first, but that would have driven the Magic Skylander even further away, so he restrained himself. "Afraid of heights? But you live in a world with floating islands!"

"May I remind you that I used to live in another realm." Enigma never told anyone that before. He hated feeling so vulnerable. "I tried to overcome it but it never fully goes away, so I came up with that spell."

Knight Light couldn't help but feel bad for the Trap Master now. He was glad that he finally shared a secret, but he didn't want Enigma to feel like he's making fun of him. "Hey, don't worry about it. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. In fact, I've always been afraid of water. Mostly because my wings are a disaster when they get wet, but I'm also not the best swimmer."

While the angel was continuing to share some information about him, Enigma spotted two figures appearing in the middle of the town. "Uh, Knight Light."

The Light Skylander stopped talking and turned around just to be startled by two zombie-like creatures getting closer. What the Skylanders didn't know was that those two were Raven and Zion, Hex' former friends and her first victims.

The elven sorceress and the spell punk stared at the heroes with their empty black eyes before summoning projectiles to toss at them. Enigma jumped out of the balloon while Knight Light rose into the air. "Looks like we were successful after all!"

"Don't speak too soon, we still have to subdue them so I can try the spell." Enigma held his staff in front of him and aimed a magical laser at Raven who got hit before immediately getting back up again. "That might be harder than I thought."

As the Skylanders got into an intense battle with the corrupted magic casters, a pillar of light pierced the clouds and hit the ground behind the two Skylanders. From the heavens descended Angelica, an elite member of the Guardians who always keep watch over the Skylands. As usual, she was staring at her halo in the form of a screen, completely unaware of the fight happening right in front of her. When a fire ball passed her head a little too closely, the woman finally looked up. "Now what's going on here?"

Knight Light recognized the familiar voice and swiftly turned around just to sigh with annoyance. "It's kind of a bad time Angelica."

"It always is." Angelica scoffed at what she considered yet another failure on the Skylander's end. "I assume those are the zombies that your fellow Skylander created?" The Guardians have heard all about Hex' betrayal and her actions. They were just waiting to interfere.

"If you want to protect the Skylands like you always say, then why don't you help us take them down?" Knight Light dodged an incoming orb from spell punk Zion and used his light powers to blind the enemy for a short moment.

"I don't have time for this nonsense." Angelica moved her hand to multiply her halo and place the glowing rings around each limb of the possessed sorcerers, making them unable to move from the spot. She then turned her sights back to Knight Light. "I am here to inform you that your wings rightfully belong to us."

"What!?" Knight Light was furious. He has been going on missions restlessly to prove that he was worthy of his wings. This didn't make any sense. "I'm going on daily missions! I haven't had a good night's sleep in months! I-"

"My superiors do not consider you worthy of them. It's not for me to decide." Even though it sounded like it wasn't anything personal, Angelica couldn't hide a quick smirk.

Knight Light was completely beside himself. This couldn't be happening. He desperately looked over to Enigma who was holding his Traptanium sigil tightly as he approached the subdued Raven. "You know how much effort I've put into this! Tell her! Tell her that I deserve my wings!"

"Not now Knight Light! This might be our only chance to try the spell!" Ignoring the deeply shocked and hurt angel, Enigma moved his staff closer to Raven who tried to break free from the halos with all her strength. He recited some gibberish sentences and the staff emitted a magical light which engulfed the sorceress before she dropped to the ground and lied there motionlessly. The trio eagerly waited for some reaction. Suddenly the sorceress pushed herself up and created an explosion, sending the Skylanders and Angelica flying. While they were on the ground, the still possessed Raven used the opportunity to free Zion and flee from the island.

"It didn't work!" Enigma hissed as he got back on his feet. "Hex' magic is too powerful, there's nothing we can do against it."

"Why am I not surprised?" Angelica stood in front of the two Skylanders with crossed arms before she once again summoned her halo as a screen. "I will inform my superiors about this. That witch seems to be a bigger threat than we thought, we will have to take matters into our own hands."
The Guardian finished typing onto her screen and placed the halo back above her head. She then looked at Knight Light. "You have 24 hours to come to the Highlands where your wings will be removed. If you're late, we'll have to take them by force." And with that, another light pillar appeared around Angelica and the woman ascended into the clouds before the sky darkened again.


The sound of thunder shook the area. Single drops of rain fell from the sky and hit the ground before the grey clouds began pouring down water. "We have to go." Enigma turned around and headed towards the air balloon as the rain was dripping from his hood and shoulder pads.

"I thought we were friends." Knight Light stood there looking down onto the wet ground. "You don't even care what happens to me."

Enigma held in. There was a moment of silence where only the showering rain could be heard. "I do care, but there's nothing I can do. I don't even know those Guardians!" He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you like this!?" Knight Light raised his voice and once again stopped Enigma from walking away. He looked at the sorcerer with clenched teeth while water was running down his mask and the feathers of his wings. "We've been going on missions for months! Whenever I feel like you open up in the slightest bit you turn around and close yourself off again!"

"I go on missions to do my job, not to open up!" Enigma turned around to face the angered Light Skylander. "Why are you so obsessed with befriending me?"

"Because I want to!" Another awkward moment of silence occurred. Knight Light shook his head in anger before grabbing his hawk mask and throwing it to the ground, revealing his golden blonde hair and blue eyes which appeared more sad than angry now. "I want to get to know you, Enigma."

Enigma had nothing to say, he just stared at the Trap Master as his short messy hair became wetter with each passing moment. There were many things the sorcerer could have said, but after giving it some thought, he settled for the easy way out. "Enough of this, Knight Light. We have to go."

Knight Light's saddened look then shifted to become even more furious than before. "Of course, use the mission as an excuse again! Is that all you can do? Come up with excuses!?" The Skylanders were standing in the pouring rain, one fueled by rage and the other eager to leave, yet neither of them moved an inch. "That's what your hood is too, isn't it? Just another excuse so you won't have to confront anyone!"

Suddenly a lightning strike enlightened the sky and for a split second, part of Enigma's blue skinned face was visible. However, Knight Light could only see his mouth. The magician wasn't happy, he could tell. The angel gave the cloaked Skylander another glaring look before clenching his fist and exhaling. "Go to the Academy, I have to take care of something." A much calmer tone of voice.

He didn't want to admit it, but Enigma felt terrible. The last thing he wanted to do is to leave Knight Light like that. Yet instead of saying anything he simply turned around, entered the balloon and left. Knight Light stayed in the rain. The Light Skylander grabbed his mask off the ground and turned his head towards the sky. He clenched his fists after putting his mask back on and ran across the wet pavement before spreading his wings to fly straight up.


Back at the Academy the Skylanders were still looking for a way to protect themselves against Hex and Malefor. Cynder told Spyro that the energy crystal from the Ice Kingdom was no more, which forced them to reconsider their options. After many discussions and ideas, Spyro finally came up with the perfect solution.

The purple dragon ran off and entered a building nearby. "Spyro, where are you going?" Cynder followed her friend, as did Calliope.

"I have it Cynder, I know how we will protect ourselves!" Spyro ran further down the dark corridor until they reached a circular room with a book on a pedestal in the middle of it. "We need a shield around the Academy, but making one would trap us inside and make it impossible to react to anything outside. Unless it didn't."

"Spyro please explain what this is all about." Cynder watched as the dragon skimmed through the pages of the giant book with a hopeful smile. Calliope curiously peeked over the leader's shoulder.

"The Book of Skylanders! We can use it to alter the shield so we can move freely and have a place where we're protected!" Spyro was proud of his idea and eagerly waited for the response of his ally.

"You mean you want to magically connect the book to the shield so that it allows all Skylanders to pass through it?" Cynder rephrased what Spyro said in a way that was more understandable for her.

"That sounds brilliant!" Calliope was impressed. "That way your enemies can't reach you, but you can always reach them!"

"Exactly!" Spyro was glad to hear the fairy's enthusiasm before seeing the more skeptical Cynder. "It will work, I know it will."

Cynder looked at the book and then back at Spyro. Something was telling her that it wouldn't work, but what other option did they have? "Fine, let's do it!"

The Skylanders followed through with Spyro's plan. By combining the technology of the shielding system and the magic of the book, they were able to create a barrier which would keep anyone but the Skylanders in and out. The heroes could get out in the case of an emergency and back to the Academy to retreat. The plan seemed perfect.

Before the shield was activated, Calliope said her goodbyes and left. She watched as the light blue hexagon patterns appeared around the Academy. Her friendly smile then shifted into a frown as the fairy flew further away. On a small island nearby, yet out of the Skylander's sight, were Hex and Malefor. They were waiting for her.

As soon as the fairy arrived in front of the two intimidating villains, Malefor opened his dangerously sharp mouth. "What are they planning? Speak, fairy!"

Hex raised her hand to silence the dragon while keeping her eyes on Calliope. "Tell us everything they told you. And don't even think about lying to me."

Calliope hesitated. She gulped before licking her lips and revealing the Skylanders' plan. "They have a shield which will only let the Skylanders through, everyone else is locked out."

Hex kept her neutral expression while Malefor squinted his eyes. Calliope carefully tried to look behind the witch and giant dragon to see if there was anything there. The fairy put a forced smile on to appeal to the undeads. "And… where are…"

"They're right here." Malefor moved his wing aside to reveal Calliope's family. Her mother, father and three sisters.

Normally Calliope would be happy to see them, but instead she had a look of horror on her face. Her entire family had haunting black eyes and they were slowly moving towards the fairy in an unsettling manner. "Mom… dad… sisters? It's me, Calliope! I saved-"

Before she could speak another word, the fairy family unleashed ear-piercing screams and threw itself onto its youngest member. Calliope screamed as her family violently attacked her.

Hex watched without a hint of emotions while Malefor's mouth curved into a sick smile. When Calliope's screaming ceased, the remaining family members all reverted to their normal state and were horrified to see the fairy's dead body in front of them with her blood on their hands.

Through the crying and sobbing of the fairy family, Malefor conversed with Hex. "The Skylanders still believe they have the upper hand. What utter fools." The dragon scoffed.

Hex looked into the distance where the Academy was being protected by the new shield. The place she once considered her home was now nothing more than a fortress filled with ignorant creatures that deserved to suffer. "Their time has run out."

The witch stretched out her arms which created a light purple fog around the island she was floating on. The cloud grew and spread across the entire sky until it finally reached the Academy. The Skylanders were worried and confused to see the strange fog appear out of nowhere and stick to the shield. Whatever it was, they were prepared to face the worst.