With the city destroyed the children have nothing more to do than end the feud with Xanadu. How will they defeat him, how will they survive the darkness, will everyone survive? The only way to find out is to read on...

Ulrich:

We looked around the decimated city. There were no buildings left standing just the broken and twisted remains of them scattered across the city. As far as we could see there was no life left either, except for a faint glow coming from where the school used to be. We all looked at it with varying emotions. What ever it was may be the last living things in France. We started running to it in a chaotic way, desperate to see who survived. We didn't know what we would find, and I wasn't sure if we wanted to, but in a blind sick passion we ran.

I felt sick inside, I knew we had been tricked. Everything had gone wrong, everything had gone to hell. If only we had avoided this, if only we had listened. But, it wasn't entirely our fault, even when we didn't try to fight the battle it still came to us. Now we were dead center in the battle and there was nothing any of us could do to change that. X.A.N.A., Xanadu, or what ever, would pay for doing this. We would get revenge! We would...

As we crossed into what had been the school grounds we saw what remained of the science building. Everything had been stripped down except for one room. It was being held up by a glowing green barrier, but the barrier was failing against the shadows that were attacking it. I knew, and I was sure that everyone else knew that it would break soon.

The walls disinterested and we were able to see the people in it. It was the school faculty and the students. They all seemed frightened; including one very tired looking Professor Giis. He was holding his arms out and the green light was emanating from it. I could see that he looked like he was about to collapse.

The traveler began running as soon as he saw the condition that the Professor was in. As he ran the sky above the very spot that the others were in began to glow a sick pail yellow. Suddenly a beam of light nearly fifty feet in diameter struck the barrier and I heard a sick noise which I would never be able to describe. It was all the traveler could do to shield us against it and even Sam and Sissi had to help with that.

When the light faded he ran to see if there were any survivors. We followed him and saw, to our horror that there were none except for Professor Giis and he was nearly gone as well. The traveler picked up his torn and incapacitated body and held up his head. The professor looked at him and said, "You idiot, you god damn idiot. Call everyone else, we need to end this now!" the professor stopped and coughed up blood... "If we don't... everything that you and the rest of us have worked so hard to achieve will be destroyed."

"Rest, Gwyosis, rest. We will take care of it."

Professor Giis, or rather Gwyosis, closed his eyes and the traveler placed his hand directly on the center of Gwyosis's chest. For a second I thought that the traveler was going to try healing him, but then I saw to my horror that was not the case. A blue-red light emanated from his and into Gwyosis's body and slowly Gwyosis began to mutate. His body turned into more of a liquid than a solid and was absorbed by the traveler.

"What the hell did you do?" I demanded.

"I just saved his life. He was created from me, and to save him that is where he had to return." He responded not moving. "Now we have to kill Xanadu."

He quickly stood up and stretched out his arms. Light began emanating around him and the strange outfit that we had met him in created itself around him. His symbol appeared on the ground glowing in the darkness brought on by Xanadu. Suddenly lights that looked like lightening began to form all around him and waves of light emanated off all around his body. I felt a surge of energy as the light; or rather his energy hit me. I felt power, strength, wisdom and understanding flowing through my body and I knew that the same was happening to the others.

Suddenly we began to change, growing into the adult forms that we had been within the changed Lyoko that we had first gone to. I felt all the knowledge of how to use the abilities that I naturally had, and more flow into my mind. Power, this was true power.

I looked around me and saw that the others were, like me, grown. They were each wearing some kind of elaborate robe, or something. In their eyes I saw the same thing that I now felt. The power to do nearly anything...

We looked back at the traveler and saw that he had barely moved. The energy flowing around him had grown but other than that there was little difference. Suddenly there was another surge of energy and I suddenly heard a voice speaking in many different languages. By my name, and by my deeds, I call upon all those that I have helped. For the third time, I ask for your assistance, for your aid in what I must do now. Please grant me the power that I seek, the power that I need...

There was a surge of light and energy, but for some reason I was still able to see through it at the traveler. He was changing, both physically and metaphysically. The energy was holding up his hair, cape and cloak. It looked almost like he was on fire... The symbol beneath him began to change, the outsides spreading out forming other parts of a larger circle. I could see text within them, words marking what universe they represented. I didn't know where that knowledge came from, but I suddenly understood exactly what he was doing.

The center symbol, GASAN, as he referred to it as, was changing, oblique lines were growing along the side of the 'S' forming an 'A'. As the letter finished there was another flash and surge and everything about him began to change. His hair dropped spreading along the rest of his body changing cloth to flesh and fur. His muscles bulged as the transformation passed by them, and his legs cracked backward. The four wings grew together forming two larger one's and his cape and cloak formed three tails. His face changed as his mouth stretched outward and became more dog like. His fingers grew as claws were formed. Once he had finished he had grown nearly twice the size and looked incredibly frightening. Ultimate form of power... he said. Absolute God Arisiticen.

He turned around to look at us. We had gone through a transformation as well, but we had stayed as humans. It was as if twenty to thirty years had passed in those few moments. We all felt stronger, older... I didn't know what was in store for us but I felt that, like this, we could handle it.

I looked down at my hands and barely focused at all, a small orb of light appeared. I moved my hand around it and gripped and the orb grew into a sword. The sward felt familiar, but this was not the one that I had used in Lyoko. This one was far stronger than a simple samurai sward. I could feel my energy pulsing through it, my self... It truly was an extension of my body; of my entire being.

I looked around at the others; they had each formed a weapon of their own. Our weapons were very similar to the ones that we used in Lyoko, but for Odd and the others that didn't use visible weapons I could see a small glowing orb floating above one or both hands.

Well, children, how do you like your adult forms. These are who you will become. This power will be yours forever some day, but for now you just have it so that we can finish what we started... Xanadu is waiting, he is all around us, but like all things, living or other wise, he has a weakness. We will find it and finish this once and for all. He said. But be careful Xanadu is using monsters that are as dark as the rest of the space around us. He has full control over everything around us except you and me... trust nothing.

"But, where should we go?" Odd asked. "To fight something that is everywhere..."

"Odd, don't you feel that?" Yumi asked.

"Feel what?"

"There is a pulsating in the ground and air..." Aelita said.

"It's not coming from all around us, but from one direction." Sam agreed.

"That way!" Sissi said pointing. "I can feel it coming from there."

We all looked where she was pointing. Most of us felt it, in some way or another. It felt like a heart beat or something similar. I couldn't explain it, but I knew that it was coming from something alive, something powerful. We started walking in the direction that we felt it from, and as we took a few steps Odd suddenly felt it as well.

Wait, just a moment. The traveler said. We have three guests that have not arrived yet.

"Who?" Jeremie asked.

"Who indeed." Said a female voice.

I looked over to where the traveler had been standing. He had walked out of the circle that he had created and a woman appeared. I suddenly recognized her as Ginda, but she looked so much younger. I didn't understand how...

She stepped out of the circle and another body appeared. This body wasn't human, and I realized that it was Gwiaris. He walked out of the circle and another body appeared. This I knew was Gwydevis. As he appeared and saw our surroundings he fell to his knees and placed his face in his hands. It almost looked like he was weeping.

"No, it can't have come to this... not again, not again!" he yelled.

Ginda walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. He stood up and walked over to the edge of the circle. Slowly the circle disappeared and the light from it faded. The only light remaining was emanating from the traveler himself. His form was giving off energy, heat and light as though it was really on fire.

"Ok, we are ready Gwydion." Ginda said and held up both of her hands.

The traveler and she put their hands together and suddenly Ginda disappeared into the traveler just as Gwyosis had. Gwydevis was next and he disappeared into the traveler. Then Gwiaris began to morph, he became another thing like the traveler and did the same as the other two. Once they had all been absorbed by the traveler he looked at us.

Now, let's go. He said.

We began walking towards the pulsating beat. As we moved it naturally got stronger, but we began to feel other pulses. The traveler, who was walking behind us, told us to ignore the others and follow the first one which we had felt. We did and slowly more and more pulses appeared. It became almost deafening, except it wasn't just sound...

Focus on the one and block out the rest. Just focus your self on the one. He said. When you no longer pay attention to the others they will disappear.

I focused all my senses on the original pulse and slowly the others did disappear. When we had all blocked them out we continued towards the original pulse. We didn't realize for a few minutes what the other pulses had actually been until suddenly…

"Ah!" Odd yelped as he fell to the ground. "Help."

We all stopped and looked over at him, but couldn't see what was attacking him. What ever it was it was simply a shadow within a shadow. We were helpless against something we couldn't see. Unfortunately for Odd, because he was the first to be attacked...

DON'T PANIC! The traveler yelled. If you panic then they will attack you as well. These are the evils of humanity, low level spirits that attack those who have committed them. If you panic and succumb to temptation then you will loose. The only way to get past them is to relax and forgive others sins and your own...

"So why is it attacking Odd?" I asked. "What did he do?"

I don't have all the answers. He said.

Fed up I ran over to Odd and swung my sword, it appeared to hit Odd but instead slashed through a shadow figure. I heard a howl and the shadow disappeared. Odd got up and looked around. He blinked a few times and said, "Uh, I think we are in trouble..."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Look, see with your mind not your eyes; you can 'see' them. Uh, it's hard to explain...

I closed my eyes and looked around us. Suddenly I felt the pulsations again, and focusing on the beats individually I was able to see the creatures. There were thousands of them and they were all standing around a border; not daring to pass through it. I looked back at the traveler and saw that they were in a radius around him; not daring to get near him.

Perhaps I was wrong... He said. They aren't acting as they should...

"They attacked Odd because he was to close to the border." Yumi said.

"Yeah, well, maybe this will get rid of them." Odd said and began firing into the mess of shadows.

Little points of light shot out of Odd's wrists and flew into the darkness. They passed through shadows and exploded. I heard screams as the shadows were killed, or destroyed or whatever... Odd kept firing around the circle and the shadows began to recede. Yumi threw the discus she had into the shadows and it flew around getting more of them. Soon it was an all out battle around me. Everyone that could attack from within the circle did killing as many of the shadows as they could.

"They are retreating!" Odd yelled.

Well, I would expect someone who plays video games to know what's coming next... the traveler said.

"A point bonus? An extra life?" Odd asked grinning.

"No, bigger monsters!" Sam yelled pointing.

I looked to where she was pointing and saw a much larger shadow looming just outside of the barrier. It was about our size, where as the others had been about the size of a ten year old. It was looking in at us, its eyes glowing... Really I shouldn't say that I saw it, more like sensed it. The only part of it that I could see was its glowing eyes.

Suddenly it raised a 'fist' and smashed it against the wall. There was a flash of light and a ripple where it hit but nothing more. It seemed that these monsters couldn't pass through the barrier either. More came up and began hitting the barrier trying to get to us.

Lost souls. The traveler said. Just ignore them.

As we began walking the lost souls continued to beat on the barrier. It was frightening at first but then I began to get used to it. Soon enough we were walking along ignoring it; the banging and flashes just nuisances in the back of our minds. I closed my eyes and allowed my other senses to guide me. It was so dark anyway that sight wasn't really much use. Besides, the enemy that we were fighting was shadow against darkness, impossible to see...

We slowly grew nearer to the pulsations. But as we grew nearer the lost souls grew thicker and thicker. Suddenly we heard a screaming roar and the ground shook. I 'looked' over to where the sound had come from and 'saw' a much larger shadow. This one was at least twice the size as the others. It rushed the barrier and smashed into it with all of its might. The barrier shook and I felt a wave of energy flood by me as an after shock. Then I noticed that there was shadow creeping into the barrier. It was coming from where the larger creature was. Another roar told us that there was more than one...

The children of Lyoko are surrounded now. The shadows can't exactly get to them, at least not entirely. The children freak out and attack the shadows destroying many of them. Seeing their opportunity they make a break for it and fill in the gaps that they clear. But what happens when you destroy a shadow is simply that it comes back, more powerful than before, as the children find out the hard way. Yumi will find a great power, and Ulrich will loose something very precious to him... The next chapter Shadow, Death, and Rebirth.