(During Issue 1, WITCH after presented with their powers)

"Hey look! I said I'm sorry!"

Nigel says to Ray as they walk along the dark sidewalks of Heatherfield and patrol the portals. After the fight against Phobos' men, Eric was too injured from battle and Ray brought him back to Open Hill to be medicated. Later of that night, he asked Ray to take his place for the night shift in the meantime.

"Uh-huh." Ray sarcastically replies as he rolls his eyes. "You do know that unlike Eric, I need to take the bus just to get here, and back to Open Hill?"

"If I could just do the patrol myself," Nigel explains. "And look! After rockets fly over the air-"

"Yes, yes, you told that a hundred times." Ray cuts him off. "You were caught by the teachers and you were sent to the Principal's and that's the reason you didn't backed up Eric, just as we planned."

"I know." Nigel asks with guilt in his voice. "How's Eric by the way?"

"You're now sympathizing for Eric?" Ray smirks slyly. "That's so unlike you."

"No!" Nigel rebuffs. "I was too worried now the Meridianites, especially that traitor Vathek, are here and we are the only ones at least capable to fight them, excluding Eric who is almost too early on the road to his death bed!"

"But the Guardians are here, aren't they?"

"Yes—but they're not ready."

Ray then looks at Nigel puzzled. "What do you mean they're not—Wait you—"

"That's right, I knew the guardians but just one of them in fact." Nigel replies. "Her name is Taranee Cook, 13 years old and one of the recent new schoolmates of mine, black and short haired girl with one braid to the side, large eyes because of her round glasses and her skin is fairly brown yet a black beauty I should say!" Nigel says.

Ray then notices Nigel's enthusiastic and vulnerable behavior with a bright smile and a slight blush on his cheeks. "You like her don't you?" Ray grins at him

"H-huh?" Nigel stutters as his gesture and facial expression staggers. "H-hey I'm just stating the facts! I couldn't just be in love so easily? Right? You know me, right?"

Ray observes silently with an empty look at his face then does a devilish smirk "You're being to exposed right now."

Nigel realizing that he was too visible and how he felt for Taranee, regains his usual posture back and crosses his arms. "Could we just move on," he says. "Yesterday, rockets flew over the place and this girl, Taranee, suddenly change controlled the course of one of the rockets and was able to command the fire before her friend was to be consumed by it!"

"Do you suggest that she is the Guardian Fire?" Ray asks. "Or just a magical being?"

"I'm not that certain though." Nigel says. "But what I'm also concerned about how Vathek follows and chases another new batchmate of mine, Will, during the fire."

"Maybe it's just your imagination, and remember, you said that there was total confusion of students, it's more likely that he too was also in confusion." Ray replies.

"Eric theorized correctly that Meridianites would appear at the party." Nigel explains. "But what went wrong was that we focused too much on Elyon, but no sign of capture took place. I believe they were there for a particular motive."

"Another motive?"

"Probably," Nigel replies as he thinks "But I'm not the geeky and nerdy ol' Eric who comes up with theories!"

"You also said about Elyon remember that she's in danger?" Ray recalls. "Don't you think it was not the right time for them to take her during the party?"

"I don't know, okay." Nigel replies as he pulls out his phone "If anything happens to Elyon, her adoptive parents could actually contact me anytime."

"Really?" Ray asks as Nigel hands down the phone to him. "I didn't know you were to be seriously trusted, especially with a contact number."

"You think I'm mistrusted?" Nigel asks annoyingly as he takes back the phone.

Suddenly, it rings, Nigel as he sees the name on the screen, "Speak of the devil!" dashes out leaving Ray behind puzzled. "Hey! What happened?" as he chases after him.

"Hello Sir Alborn!" Nigel calls. "What's the—"

"Ashcroft, come here quick we're being attacked—" Alborn static voice suddenly follows a gurgle and confusion of sounds on the phone.

"Hello? Hello?" Nigel hesitantly calls out and shoves his phone to his pocket "Oh Flames! He's out!" He turns around to see Ray following after him. "We better hurry!"

A few minutes later they reach Brown's residence, they put on their hoodies, ready the weapons and peek only to notice that the lights were all turned off and only silence comes about. They quickly climb and jump over the large gates and break into the entry door. They open their flashlights on turn see no evidence of a fight that happened due to the furniture still in its proper place.

"Sir Alborn! Miriadel?!" Ray calls and pants out as he uses his back hand to wipe his sweat.

"They must have gone through the portal!" Nigel exclaims and breathes heavily from the run. "Quick! Find a portal!"

"There's a portal here?" Ray asks as he looks around the house

"I didn't tell you yet?" Nigel asks. "One of the indicated twelve portals according to the map is actually Elyon's house."

After minutes of cautious and quick searching of the entire house, they found no one, not even Elyon nor her parents. They also did not found the other portal, which may be an escape point for Phobos' men to capture Elyon and her parents.

"Flames!" Nigel out of rage throws his five feet weapon, the hollow and crooked magical staff with twin straight claw hooks on both ends he named the Incinerated Staff, to the ground. "We're too late!"

Ray also in disappointment, is anxious of the situation yet becomes silent in a regretful manner. They remove their hoods out as they walk out of the house. "Hey! Nigel you see that?" He points out to a growing large puff of smoke that appears and rises from the nearby horizon.

"That's the direction of our school!" Nigel exclaims. "And where the other portal is: at the school's own gym!"

"We better check it out now!" Ray yells as they run once more to the smoke's location and race for another kilometer to the school's gym.

After ten minutes of weary running the two boys reach the burning gym. "We've been running all over Heatherfield already!" Ray wheezes as he hides behind the edge of an adjacent building along the alley way. "It might be coincidence, but it seems like a battle took place here."

"I-I guess so?" Nigel replies as he also breathes heavily and also peeks out under him and sees the blazing fire on front of him.

"Maybe your Taranee did this?" Ray, with a straight face, jokes.

"Couldn't you just-" Nigel then pauses as he turns his head around from the strange feeling he encounters. "You sense something right?"

"Yeah they're here! And they're close too!" Ray whispers. "We better check around."

They both nod to each other as they once again wear on the hoodies and wear cloth face masks and cautiously follow where the sense comes from. They walk, tiptoe and hide beneath the shadows of the trees and the buildings around. When they found themselves at a barren garden, they quickly hide behind a tree when they found Vathek and the escanor and Elyon at the middle of them only fifteen feet away from them.

'She's in danger!' Nigel tells Ray based on his facial gesture. He jerks his head at him. 'You go first!'

Ray concentrates as his bow appears on his left hand. He places his fingers to the string and appears an electric arrow.

Yet five meters ahead, the electric light is soon noticed by Vathek. "Someone's over there!" Vathek exclaims as he points to where Ray and Nigel is. Cedric suddenly throws his hands off and blasts an energy beam off from his hand.

"Move out!" Nigel moves back as he quickly pushed Ray to the opposite direction and missed the energy beam; yet destroys a huge chunk of a tree which causes it to fall to the ground.

"Humans, they're spying at us!" Cedric points out as he grabs and protects Elyon

Vathek who sense a presence of the legionte, then spots a young man with a long bow and arrow on his hand "It's the legionate from yesterday!" he pulls his sword and charges at him

"From afar!" Ray cries out as he still lies down from the impact. He quickly prepares his bow and electrifying arrow. 'Farsight Fifth Technique: Grenade Arrow!' he then releases his arrow shot at Vathek.

Vathek quickly and skillfully clashes his sword with the fast approaching arrow. 'One arrow cannot stop me!' yet the clash creates an explosion on front of Vathek and he flies backward from the impact.

Cedric's other hand he creates a portal on front of him. "Come, my Princess Elyon! We must escape!"

"Oh no you won't blondie!" Nigel dashes out, leans his torso down and touches the ground. He raises his other hand upward and appears his Incinerated staff. He spins long staff in the air and points at them. "Ignition Second Technique: Dynamite Shooter!" The hollow on the end of his crooked staff shoots out a fast spark on the ground between the portal and Cedric. The Undersized yet powerful explosion causes the ground to shake and fly bits of soil and dirt around.

Elyon screams as she hugs Cedric wraps his other hand around her to protect her from the flying debris. When the smoke clears out he sees Nigel holding his staff at him and on his right side is Ray pointing his bow and arrow at him as well.

"Stop right there!" Nigel commands Cedric. "You're outnumbered."

"What do you want?" Cedric asks as he cautiously looks at them.

"We want answers." Nigel replies. "What's your business here with Elyon? And where are her parents?"

"You see your highness?!" Cedric tells Elyon and points at them "Just as your parents hide you here on Earth, this is what the legionates and the Guardians of the Veil of Kandrakar wanted! They wanted to stop you from taking your brother's throne!"

Nigel and Ray in confusion look to each other puzzled. "H-Hey what are you trying to say?!" Nigel says. "What did you poisonous words did you tell to her?"

"Poison?" Cedric chuckles. "It's the truth!"

Nigel looks at Elyon. "Elyon, don't listen to that long-haired blondie beast! Your parents hid you to protect you from Phobos!"

"No, they don't!" Cedric tells Elyon. "Believe in me and your brother Phobos! Kandrakar just fears your awesome power! Because you are truly the Light of Meredian!"

"You're just a dog! Following that snake Phobos' orders-" Nigel says as he is cut when he notices Elyon's aura shine as her hair and clothes float with the aura.

Elyon's teary closed eyes turn open suddenly with a flash of light in her eyes. "Don't you dare say that about my brother!" Elyon cries.

She waves her hand at them at blasts a strong energy beam in the surrounding garden. The flash of light blinds them as they cover their arms from the flashing light yet also impacts Nigel and Ray as they are thrown backwards from the unknown force. From the epicenter of Elyon's great power, the trees broke down, and the bushes and grass sway and concrete cracks to small debris.

Ray collides his whole back at a large water tank of a large building across and lands weakly in a genuflect landing on the roof deck. "I think Elyon has a big brother complex!" Ray says and cover his eyes. "What is this?!"

"Don't ask me!" Nigel yells as he drags his feet on the roof of the adjacent building.

Suddenly, they slowly open their full out eyes as the light decreases from where it originated and Cedric, Vathek and Elyon were gone!

"No! They got away!" Nigel says as he leaps from the building to the obliterated garden. He scans and senses for any leads of them; but to no avail.

Suddenly, sirens come about from the other direction. It was the police and the fire brigade. "Come on Nigel!" Ray says "We got to get outta here!" Nigel nods and they run the third time and disappear in the cover of darkness.