Poor Kion was still captured by his brainwashed family, and Inuwa, the demonic lion was laughing in triumph. "I finally have you, Kion of the Lion Guard." said Inuwa. "No one will dare oppose me now, and you are now mine!" Kion struggled to break free out of the tar-like cocoon he was trapped in, but to no avail. "I have heard a really great deal about you, snd your accomplishments, boy. Your father and mother told me every deed you have committed in the Pride Lands."
"Look, why are you doing this?" Kion calmly asked, "why are you so evil?"
"Well, I am sure your family has told you about me. I have a power in mr so great, I can have anything I want, when I want. I am the most powerful animal in all of existence. Alas, your grandfather and great-uncle have defeated me and crippled my spirit severely."
"They were saving the Pride Lands." Kion said. "They were stopping you and... i thought grandfather Mufasa and great-uncle Scar killed you when they defeated you."
Inuwa made a cruel chuckle when he replied: "they only destroyed my body. But my spirit is very alive , and I am at my full potential."
Still struggling to break free, Kion was squirming so much, but still didn't work.
"I am afraid that the cocoon you are in cannot be broken so easily. It would take the sharpness of a rhino's horn, or a hippo's teeth to cut it open."
"What did you do to my family?" Asked the cub while grunting.
"Rather simple, really." Inuwa looked bold. "I used my dark magic to brainwash them all by simply unlocking all the evils they had, and embrace the darkness in their hearts."
Kion sounded very unnerved by this, and a chill crept down his spine. He knew his whole family was suffering inside this dark magic. If only he could have broken out of the cocoon. If only he can defeat Inuwa to put an end to this scary madness. The only question in this was: "how?"
"Your parents told me a really good deal about you, Kion, and I think you can be a very useful boy in my army." Inuwa continued. "I can sense power inside of you, power greater than Scar when he was leader of the original Lion Guard. Something very powerful and godlike."
"What do you even want?" Kion asked
"What I have always wanted: domination. To become the ruler of the world under my paws, and have a new world under my paws. It is all I ever want, Kion. Power."
"Well, you'll never get away with this, Inuwa! If I can't stop you, someone will."
"Really?" Inuwa smirked in amusement. "Such as?"
"My friends. They will stop you. My best friends, Rafiki, they'll find a way."
Inuwa chuckled before said: "Rafiki is nothing but a joke. That old monkey used to be wise and powerful, but he is now a senile shell of his former self. He simply cannot stop me. But, what I always want, now that you think about it; is you, Kion."
"Huh? What do you want with me?"
"Join me." Said Inuwa. "With you by my side, we can rule the Pride Lands together as a new family. We can crush all who oppose us, snd squish themike puny insects."
The cub didn't exactly know what to say about this kind of "offer". Him ruling alongside possibly one of the most dangerous adversary he has ever face before? What kind of an imagination is that "join you?" Kion asked
"Yes. You can gain all the respect you want, and you could even be a king of these lands. A king so mighty ajd powerful, that you would be the most powerful lion in existence... next to me, of course. Just join me Kion, and you can have anything you want and more."
"Yes. Just embrace the evil," Vitani added. "Your problems will go away once you get to be a part of us."
"Go on." said Kovu. "You know you want the power and the respect you deserve."
"Guys," Kion said calmly, "I know that you are all really being tortured inside. Don't let him control or influence you like this. Dad, mom, you guys are better than this."
"No." Nala said. "We love this feeling. Being evil feels good." she gave an evil smile on her face.
"Yes, and do not be afraid of us, son." Simba added. Smiling evily himself, he said: "after all, we're family, right?"
The cub was silent for a moment and he looked down, looking conflicted. "You can rule with us." Zira reminded. "Just join us and rule with us."
"You really need to let go of your fear, and trust us."
"I... i always thought you rule, Kiara, everyone. Just not like this."
"You're talking like a weakling." Simba said. "The power in lord Inuwa is strong. He is the only way."
"Are... are you going to kill me?" Kion said
"Oh. Are you afraid?" asked Inuwa with amusement.
"What? No! No! Of course not. I am the leader of the Lion Guard. I never get scared."
Inuwa made a "ha!" Before saying: "you call yourself the Lion Guard? You and your friends are nothing but children playing dress-up in your great-uncle's legacy before falling to the dark side."
Those words struck Kion and he was feeling conflicted about this. "Anything i want?" Kion said. "But I don't want to have anything i want. No one does. What's the point of having everything you want?"
"Ah, you have been talking with your grandfather. I know you have."
"Look, I don't want any of this. Just let my family go. I don't want any of this."
"No." Inuwa flatly said. "Your family is a whole new pride of lions. Join me and you will achieve more power and fame than you can imagine."
"No! Kion snapped. "I'll never join you!"
"Well... then I guess you leave me no choice, but to do things the hard way." He gave a stern look.
"Are you going to kill me?" Kion asked
"No. Of course not. You, Kion, are too important to me."
The cub tried breaking free of this tar-like cocoon once again, but it still didn't work. He was trying harder and harder to break free, but this cocoon was pretty tough. "Come on. Come on!" He grunted while still struggling to get free.
"It's amusing how you have fighting spirit." Inuwa admitted. "You're full of fighting spirit, Kion. You may be a child, but you still have spirit."
"He is my little brother." Kiara said. "It runs in the family."
"I would say so, Kiara. Pretty soon, Kion, you will see things our way."
At last, Kion stopped trying to struggle, and he sighed. "Look, you want to become the king of the Pride Lands?"
"Of course. It is quite obvious that I do want to be king. This time, with all... almost all of your family under my dark influence, nothing will stand in my way." And he let out another evil chuckle. "You will be my new underling. One way or another."
It was just then Zazu flew in the cave of Pride Rock, and he said: "my lord, my lord! Adewale, the Emela-Ntouka is coming here with a couple of other Emela-Ntouka."
"So. Some friends of yours know about me, hmm? Well, i will deal with them. Simba, Nala, Kiara, Kovu, Vitani, and Zira," he addressed the lions flatly, "keep an eye on the boy. I will return."
"Yes my lord." They all said, minus Kion of course.
Inuwa left the cave to check out what was going on outside. Kion was scared, and he was slowly starting to lose hope. For all he knew, maybe all the animals in the Pride Lands could have been brainwashed by Inuwa's wicked magic. He didn't even know if he would make it out of this alive.
If not for this tarry cocoon, he would just run off with lightning speed and not stop until he was completely far away from this whole nightmare. Alas, this little cocoon was too strong. "Rafiki, where are you?" he thought to himself. "I need your help."
He even wish Mufasa and Sarabi were stil alive so they could help him out with this nightmare. "Kion," said Nala in a sing-song voice, "are you afraid?"
"What? Mom. I told you and dad: I am not afraid of anything. I am the leader of the Lion Guard. And come on, you guys need to fight this evil magic."
"Shhhhh, there is nothing to worry about, Kion." Simba said. "We all like this feeling that lord Inuwa gave us."
"So will you." Zira said.
"So there's no point in being a scaredy cat." Vitani sang teasingl with an evil grin.
"We will always be there for you, Kion." Kiara said, gently hugging him.
"I know you guys are stronger than this. You can fight it." Kion begged some more. "Just look inside yourselves."
It was quiet for twenty seconds, but Simba said: "it is... too late for that, my son."
Kion frowned, realizing that it might be too late for them to fight the darkness in their hearts. Perhaps if he could defeat and kill Inuwa, everything will go back to normal. But what could he do? Sure, there is Adewale and his herd of Emela-Ntouka out there to help him out they know about Inuwa already, of course there was Rafiki and the cub's ones acquaintances that were unaffected by the shade's dark magic, but... who else is unaffected by the evil magic? He honestly didn't know who else is unaffected. It could be the end of the world for all he knew.
