It had been a difficult night for the Lion Guard. The entire team had argued about what to do. But now everyone was quiet. Their arguments had resulted in nothing. No plans, no idea, no hope. Everyone now slept, waiting for the next day. For everything to end.

Kion remained unconscious in the corner of the cave, away from most of the others. Fuli rested not far away, alone and displaced; just how she liked it. Ono and Beshte lay together, the sharp-eyed egret nested upon his heavy hippo friend. Bunga snuggled up in a pile of leaves near the entrance of the cave, letting a gaseous hue envelop the exit to the cave.

The light of day flickered into the cave, causing Kion's eyes to slowly open. His body slowly regained its strength, shuddering back into function from the cold depths of the void.

"Kion?" The half-awoken tones of a certain cheetah swept by the young lion's ears, grumbling with the weight of a troubled night's sleep. A shallow silence seeped through the cave, only broken by a series of varying pitches and tones.

"Kion!" Fuli chirped ecstatically as she raced to the young lion. As the young cheetah approached Beshte, Ono and Bunga awoke too, slowly making their way to their leader's side as he awoke fully. The lion guard leader couldn't even get a word in as his fellow team members took the time to nuzzle and snuggle their fierce leader. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I…I don't know!" The young lion struggled to gain his footing as the guard backed off, watching worryingly as he shuddered up. "I was roaring and then just… nothing…" As Kion blinked to regain his full vision, a mumbling, high pitched hum rumbled from deeper within the cave. Inhaling sharply, he quickly darted through the guard, his body fuelled with shock and fear as he brushed past Fuli's startled fur.

He held his ground, ready for anything to emerge from the shadows, ready to defend his friends with his dying breath. The mumbling became clearer as a small, giggling cub tumbled from the shadows, smiling up at the young male as she recovered.

"Amani?" Kion halted as the young lioness cub glanced up at him. Her sweet, hazel eyes glimmered in the beckoning sunlight, fading ever so slightly as she approached him. Before he could react, she started to nuzzle her small, fluffy body against his front legs, humming gently as a familiar series of coos rumbled behind him.

"Aunt Kuwinda went to get food." The young cub sat before the lion guard, her body shaking ever so slightly in the presence of such a powerful, fierce team. Between her words, her belly rumbled, echoing through the cave as Kion exhaled softly, letting the final specks of aggressiveness wash out of his fur.

"Okay…" His words stretched as he turned away from the cub, back to his team, which was met with a wave of smiles around. All except Bunga, who quickly copied his fellow teammates, recovering from making silly, cooing faces behind Kion's back mere moments earlier. The young lion's eyes met Fuli's, who's attentive, concerned gaze glanced back at him. "What happened? How did we-?"

"Kuwinda led us here after you fell unconscious." The cheetah replied, breaking through his words like a bull in thick overgrowth. She lowered her head, glancing over to the rest of the guard, who similarly lowered their heads. "We argued about what to do, whether to run or fight or just-" Before she could continue, she felt a familiar, furry paw graze her shoulder, caressing her lion guard mark with its gold-tinted fur.

"It's okay Fuli." The young lion's words washed with a gentle, careful tone through the cheetah's ears. "You did what you had to do." He turned to the rest of the guard, who flickered their attention between each other "You all did." Their affirming smiles gleamed back at their leader, infused with his confidence.

As Kion lowered his paw from Fuli's side, the light faded, replaced with the shadow of a well-built feline. As his eyes shot to the cave's exit, he noticed a familiar likeness, dragging in the fresh carcass of a young wildebeest, dropping it just within the cave's exit as she panted heavily.

"Kuwinda?" Kion and the guard watched as the life-bearing lioness slowly regained her breath. Amani quickly rushed up to her aunt, giggling the way only a cub could before tucking into the meal she had provided. As the young cub fed, Kuwinda turned her attention to the guard, smiling pleasantly at Kion.

"Kion!" She trotted forward, a newfound bound of energy pumping through her veins. "Thank the great lions you're okay!" The huntress slowly nuzzled the young prince humming gently as she did so. Upon seeing the two lions comfort each other, Bunga started to coo. However, he was quickly cut off with a swift flick of Fuli's paw at his chest.

As Kuwinda eventually stepped away from Kion, a larger, spine-chilling shadow seeped in from the cave as they were met with a series of thunderous flashes, projecting green silky hues throughout the cave. Amani immediately scurried into cover behind her aunt, quivering as she nibbled down the last pieces of flesh that she could from her meal.

"It's okay, sweetie." The young lioness nuzzled the cub, sensing the vibrating rumbles of her terror etched body seep through her fur. She turned to the guard who had already started to form a defensive position, prepped for anything and everything that would dare come through the cave's entrance. She gave a nod to Kion, who stepped forward, taking Kuwinda's place in the barricade.

This was it…

The unnatural screams of the Giza stained the lion guard's minds as the flashes intensified. Their bodies rattled and jigged with each conclusive blast that pierced the cave's exposed walls. Kuwinda tried to keep Amani as calm as she could as the Lion Guard held their ground, ready for the inevitable.

As the shadows started to creep in, Kion dug his claws into the ground. His heart raced as he thought of his team, his family, his pride. A river of tears rolled down his cheek as he realised that he'd never see his parents again, that they were bound to arrive in this hell hole of a place. They were destined to die here, just like he was. Taking a quick glance around to the others, he realised they too were silently crying.

At least they'd die together…

Out of nowhere, however, a savage, swift growl bellowed from outside the cave. The shadows pushed back, squashed under an unknown force as the sound of wheezing and desperate grunts filled the air. Kion stepped forward, his body still fuelled with terror, slowly being replaced with intrigue as the seeping shadow seemed to dissipate. As he took two more steps forward, however, a new shadow started to rush towards him.

He halted once more, waiting to strike at whatever dared approach. As his eyes refocussed, his chest pounded until he saw who stood before him.

"U…Ulinzi?" He relaxed his muscles, toning down his voice to be softer and welcoming. His heart slowed at the sight of the cub as the rest of the guard relaxed and followed suit. This only led them to be pushed out of the way by Kuwinda who, upon hearing Kion, pounced to the front.

"Ulinzi!?" Her eyes watered as she looked down at the frightened little cub, her voice croaking with an emotional release as she looked at him. Upon seeing her, his fear dissipated, replaced with a sense of safety and relief. He pounced at her, bursting into tears as he snuggled up to her lowered chest. To feel the cub's soft, youthful fur against her own. He may not have been her cub. But he was her nephew. Her family. And that was more than worth it.

"It's okay." She licked the top of his head, trying to calm the young cub down, whilst barely keeping herself from exploding into tears. "It's alright." She continued to clean the cub, whose fur was coated in dirt and snow. How he survived such a fall was beyond her, she was just glad he was alive.

This sentiment seemed to spread across the entire group. The guard cooed at such a heart-wrenching moment. It was so emotional that even Bunga broke, his tears staining his claws. The lioness nudged the cub behind the protective line before Amani rushed to her brother, pouncing on him with all the affection a sibling could possess. Her cheeks stained his as she affectionately licked her brother's face and neck. He returned the favour, licking his sister in unison, their tears fusing into one. A partially reunited family…

If only their parents were here…

As the two siblings held and nuzzled each other, Kuwinda turned her attention to the cave's exit. Various screams, growls and grunts emanated from the lightning-ridden land outside, calling her attention deeper to its origins. As her head began to poke out of the rocky crevice, her chest swelled with air, surprised by the sight that befell her.

"Oh my!" Kuwinda's eyes slowly widened as she continued to stare out into the barren land. Her heart pounded as she watched a wave of various primates flooding into the land. Some of them were small and nimble, easily outmaneuvering the swarming Giza before dispatching them with well-aimed swings of their wooden staves. Behind them, a wave of heavier muscular gorillas charged through the remaining Giza with ease, pouring onto the land in their sheer numbers from the mountains in the south.

As they pushed deeper into the kingdom, the howling, agonising screeches of the Giza erupted. More and more spawned from the earth, ready to face the invading primates with soul-thirsty eyes. Kuwinda stepped back, sensing Kion's presence beside her.

"Hevi kabisa!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Her words escaped her astonished, fearful muzzle as Kion glanced between the distant fight and the guard behind him. With a slow inhale of air, he stepped forward, turning his body to fully glance back at the gathered guard.

"Lion Guard! We have to help those primates!"

"Are you sure, Kion?" Bunga totted forward, waving his clawed hands to the side. "They seem to be doing just well without us." Before the honey badger could say anything else, an agonising, bone-crunching scream echoed across the land. The last sounds of one of the primate's life.

Kion flicked his attention away from the honey badger, leaping out of the cave with his head held high. "Come on team!" The others immediately felt re-energised, proudly pouncing out of the cave as they charged into battle. Fuli quickly caught up with her fierce leader, followed by Bunga and Beshte as Ono fluttered up into the sky. Kuwinda stayed behind, her ears flickering as she heard the sweet, playful giggles of the two cubs behind her, unaware of the full-on war brewing on the horizon.

Perhaps it was best this way…

As she attuned her ears to the cub's childish giggles, a fearsome, reverberating roar bellowed across the land. Kuwinda's heart halted, skipping a beat as she turned to its source. An embedded, corrupted crystal shard glowed as a pulse blasted across the land, causing her to stumble as it passed by her. But the roar! It sounded like-

"It… it can't be…" A shocked, heart warmed tears rolled down her cheek as her torso burst into roaring, emotional flames. For the first time in days, she finally felt the hope she once had seep back into her fur and bones. Her muscles contracted and relaxed in rhythm as she unknowingly prepared herself for what was to come.

"Kopa?"

The Royal Mlinzi stood upon the crystalised overlook, the overwhelming sensation of its freezing sting bite into his paw pads as the corruption faded, seeping away as the cyan, humming shade returned to its surface.

"Kopa!" Shujaa's troubled tones brushed past the Royal Mlinzi's ears as his roar echoed across the horizon. "Kwaheri has pushed forward towards the tower!" he turned to face his old friend who flicked his attention between him and the sickly tower in the distance. "But he's getting swarmed by the Giza!" With complete elegance, the scarred lion hopped off the cleansed crystalised overlook. Landing with a gentle thud next to his friend. Both males stared out at the horizon, watching the brewing conflict seep out across the horizon. With gritted teeth, Kopa and Shujaa started to trot, quickly speeding up into a full-on sprint as they rushed to help their primate partner-in-war.

Kwaheri led his clan deep into the Uasilands, carving their way through the Giza with ease. His staff hummed with the illuminating hue of its cleansed crystal core, dispersing the foul demons with a single swing. Mtafuta stood by him, striking away at the corrupted souls with little trouble.

"Keep pushing forward!" Kwaheri called out, just as he decapitated a Giza who foolishly tried to strike him down. Raising his staff from its slit, mineralised throat, he turned to find more of the spectral spawn seeping into the physical realm, reinforcing their forms with the deepest rocks and crystals from the rich, Uasian earth.

It didn't take long for them to swarm the primates once more. Though they fought bravely, a few of Kwaheri's clan struggled to hold back the overwhelming hoard, falling to their massive numbers. Kwaheri and the others could only watch on as the Giza dragged their fellow clanmates into their brood, the sound of their agonising screams scarring their minds as the spectral beings fed on their prey.

"Father!" Mtawa howled as a Giza snatched his staff out of his hands, knocking the poor young monkey to the ground as it growled in his face. Without thought, Kwaheri grasped his staff tight, swirling around to face his defeated son. His eyes narrowed; ears pulled back. Everything slowed as the sound of the ongoing bloodshed around him muffled and contoured with his focused perception. Before his heart could beat once more, he found himself within striking distance, ready to slice the Giza's head clear off with one, elegant strike of his staff.

His rage continued to burn through his mind and body as he repeatedly slammed the Giza's body into the earth, shattering it piece by piece. As more charged towards him, he threw the remains at them, knocking them to the ground with ease.

But the Giza were infinite. The more he killed, the more that spawned. They had even started to take the decaying form of his consumed clanmates, wielding staves of corrupted crystal. Kwaheri prepared himself for the fight ahead, swinging his staff into a defensive position as his son lay behind him. Mtafuta held her ground behind them both, ready to hold the rear of the remaining clan's position with her life.

With hundreds of the gnashing, lava-spewing demons surrounding them, their fates seemed certain. The skies gleamed a sickly green as silence fell among the land. This was it…

The end…

Or was it?…

Before the Giza's soul-thirsty teeth could make contact, an earth-reverberating roar bellowed across the skies. Within a blink of an eye, Kwaheri was met with the sight of his attackers blasted into pieces, shattering into nothing more than dust as a familiar, welcoming sight appeared in the corner of his eye.

"Kopa! Haha! Yes!" The monkey raised his arms in praise of his stepbrother's arrival. It wasn't long before the rest of the spectral beings had figured out what was going on. Their dim-witted minds flexed to challenge Kopa and Shujaa but for many of them, it was too late. With the elegance only a lion could achieve, Kopa dispatched the demonic cannon fodder, ripping their fiery jugulars and spines off from their bodies.

Shujaa did his best to keep up, eliminating a handful of them as he watched Kopa's back. To be fighting like this once more, alongside Kopa, was forcing his heart to pound with the strength of an elephant stampede. And not just from the adrenaline either… just from being alongside Kopa, watching him fight and reclaim his kingdom, inch by inch. His heart continued to flutter as the howling roars of reinforcements pierced the skies.

A wave of muscular gorillas descended from a hill to the south, crushing all that stood in their way. As they approached Kopa and the survivors, they slowed, branching out to help take out the last of the Giza. Their seemingly infinite spew of Giza had been purged… and they knew it. The sly, screeching undead crackled back into the sky, leaving behind the rocky remnants of their physical forms.

The fight was out on though. With a deep breath, Kopa rushed to the base of the Uasian tower, the whispering crystalised walls filled his mind with voices of those who had fallen. Their screams plagued his mind as the scar etched across his eye started to sting. He wouldn't let him get to him though, not now.

The others followed the lion with intrigue, encircling the tower as Kopa, Kwaheri, Shujaa and King Sokwe stood before its reinforced entrance. The Royal Mlinzi felt the corruption pulse through its surface, seeping through his mind with every passing second. He could not let this pass.

"So how do we get in?" Shujaa queried, turning his attention to his old friend. Kopa refused to turn away, scanning the gloomy green crystal with his focussed eyes. One voice, in particular, called out to him, passing along ancient words of wisdom beyond the grave.

"Uasian crystal flows with the soul of the perceiver…" Kopa's mind sparked with intrigue as Mfalme's words twinkled through his mind. Shujaa watched on as Kopa's muzzle started to grin. He felt the old Uasian king's words seep through his mind too, the words of his own father. His heart began to beat a little faster as he realised what Kopa was thinking.

"No! You can't!" Kopa ignored his worried friend as he inhaled softly preparing his body and soul for the strain that was to come. Every piece of his training would be needed to do this, but he knew he could do it, even if it drained most, if not all, of his energy.

"Do we knock?" King Sokwe scratched his head, facing Kopa as he did so. The Gorilla King was right to some extent, Kopa was going to 'knock', but not in the way that the gorillas thought.

"Nah." Kopa exhaled, digging his claws in as he did so. The power in his body built in his throat ready to be released at his command. Shujaa stepped back, forcing the others to step back too as Kopa's mane started to glimmer with a bluish tone. Kwaheri's staff also started to glow, resonating with Kopa's heartbeat as he prepared himself for the feat he was about to perform.

"Let's surprise them..."