(Issue 3: Before WITCH goes to Meridian for the first time)

"You're too thoughtful don't you know that?" Ray says after they discussed about their recruitment plan with Caleb as they find their way back to the portal, along the lonely and foggy streets. They were first guided by one of the rebels on the way out and show a couple of directions to go back where they started.

"I accept your compliment." Eric replies sarcastically. "Not only that, I felt too bad to decline him"

"You should have at least asked the Lieutenant for more time to think about it than to accept his request." Ray says. "Sorry if I cut you off your reply to him, Eric, but you really do need to think this through."

"You don't have to be apologetic about it." Eric replies. "You were right when you said that the time we need is at least two to three more days and come back here for an answer."

"Like I explained to him, our actual mission is to guard the portals to keep the Meridianites at bay. It would somehow be a great danger if we were to keep them on Earth, train his men, and hopefully not, knock on wood, they would start to infiltrate and add more Merdianites to Earth." Ray continues. "He even said that his men will be on our world double the times than the last time when the old Vanguard trained them. But since the three of us active, it could be difficult to keep an eye on them."

"You sure really are cautious recently." Eric replies.

"Well I can't keep the trauma out of my mind." Ray says as he recalls the mistake of his uncle. "Yet again, I might be overreacting to the situation; we just have to think about it."

"Don't you think the Lt. Caleb has left a bad impression on us?" Eric says. "I mean, we decline his pleading demand."

"Slight, I guess." Ray replies as he moves his hand in a see-saw movement. "But he just accepted us to the Rebellion Army and by the looks of it he looks also grateful for it."

"That's because you have a way with words." Eric teases. "You can please anybody with the slight touch of your tongue."

"Is that so?" Ray laughs.

Then comes a long brief silence as they try to think on the current situation at hand. Eric, in the meantime, thinks and reflects about his tall friend Ray. Ever since he first met him at the academe, he has a strong sense and impression to the people around him. He may be not as skillful as Eric or Nigel, but is more idolized and adored by many for his cautious yet reckless courage and his communicative ability to be persuasive to impose his ideas and to enforce morale; such as when Ray

"Do you think you should be the better Atlas?" Eric breaks off the silence in a sad tone.

"You're being too modest again." Ray annoys by his sudden question. "I've told you earlier that you should think twice before you say something weird. And what is this timing for you to become so emotional and sad?"

"Remember during the graduation ritual?" Eric recalls a sad past. "When the crowd cheered for you when they were to announce the next Atlas?"

Ray chuckles. "That was an embarrassing moment to remember. And when they called out your name they became silent and confused?"

"That's because I was one of the awkward and quiet boys of the class, but you were my opposite." Eric says in wonder. "Up until now, I look up to you because of your bravery and your social skills. What am I today is because of you."

"You're making me uneasy right now." Ray teases. "This isn't a farewell right?"

"Well I mean it's the truth, you lead a lead a small group and won against an opposing larger group because of your recklessness and a while ago you also persuaded a high-ranking officer to think about our situation and at the same time he may not feel bad when we decline. You also became a referee to me and Nigel when we almost cause a fight, just like a leader does." Eric explains. "Up until now I never knew why I was called to be the new Atlas-"

Ray suddenly punches meanly on Eric's arm. "Oooff!" Eric reacts to it as he dwindles his feet to the other side but still remain in balance. "I think you should shut up now." Ray replies sternly.

"What was that for?" Eric asks as he rubs his arm.

"Hold it together will you?" Ray smilingly says in a disappointing tone. "Did you now that like Nigel, I wanted to claim the title of Atlas myself?"

"You do?" Eric eyes widen in surprise.

"And I was devastated, that I expected too much from myself." Ray explains. "I feel like a failure to the people who look up to me. To be frank, I actually doubted you for being Atlas. I also even thought that Nigel may be even better than you."

Eric having to realize this unintentional revelation stutters in regret "I am so s-sorry-". His head slightly lowers.

"But I was wrong." Ray says. "I think the Sword of Atlas and Kandrakar chose you because they saw something in you, different from Nigel and I. Recently I think I know what it is…"

Eric looks at him in confusion. "What is it?"

"I think Nigel and I are after 'Atlas' was for the title and that cool sword, and you never once thought of being the Atlas yourself and that I think that makes you worthy of claiming it." Ray explains as he places his hand on his shoulder. "After years of knowing you, to be honest I perceive a great sense coming from you. It's not something magical, but believe me, I feel a great aura coming from you."

"You really do have a way with words." Eric bashfully slightly chuckles and smiles as he relaxes from his puzzling mind. "You really believe so?"

"Why do you think I have Farsight? Seeing in a far distance?" Ray jokes as he offers his arm; inviting a forearm fist bump

Eric smirks and gives a hopeful sigh. He then reciprocates his forearm with a quick bump.

"Thanks."

(Issue 3: WITCH enters Elyon's house)

"I don't have a choice though but to use this uniform." Nigel says in his legionate uniform. Instead of a hood that hides his identity, he uses a brown-white camouflage high necked bomber jacket. He covers it up with a brown open wind breaker with a large collar with dark brown and silver accents on the sleeve outlines. His pants are loose yet a garter straps below his knee and his shoes are the standard rubber shoes. "It's been years since I got to wear on this again!" he excitedly exclaims metaphorically.

Later after the Hale residence incident, he arrives to Elyon's house he cautiously enters and searches if the Guardians got to the portal before he does. "When Ray and I were here, we never got the chance to find the portal nor to find Alborn and Miriadel, I hope the Guardians this time could find it" He says to himself.

He then hears murmurs and echoes along hallway. He investigates and notices a small door along the hallway under the stairs. The door knob is present but the edges of the door are not supported by jambs and are seemingly sawed off from the original wall! "That's funny; I never knew that there was door here."

He opens the small door, enters it and founds out a large and circular basement with a winding staircase that follows the circular path down to the basement floor. On the other side of the wall, where he can still hear the echoes, is a large and hollow hole. He walks down the stairs and enters the large underground arched tunnel made out of red bricked wall with only a series of torchlights being the only source of light.

He still follows the origin of the noises and as it gets clearer he founds the girls. 'There they are!' he says as he hides behind the pillars.

"The Heart of Kandrakar knows what to do" Will says as she lets the Heart float on her hands.

Cornelia sternly looks toward at Will. "I don't like that attitude. I don't want to trust that thing too much. It has helped us here, but what if it someday stops working?"

'While we get to decide on ourselves,' Nigel annoyingly says to himself. 'especially when you get Eric to do the orders!'

"What should we do? Should I turn her into a crow?" Hay Lin whispers a joke to Irma about Cornelia.

"Nobody would notice the difference." Irma replies back.

Cornelia looks back to Irma. "I hear that! Say it to my face, if you have something to say!"

As they argue, a swirling object appears as it gets larger on the bricked wall behind Cornelia as Irma, and the rest of the Guardians react to its sudden appearance.

"Portal! It has opened again!" Irma yells as they try to avoid it.

"I understand! The seal of Phobos is key to the other dimension!" Will says as the Heart of Kandrakar shines and beams to the portals. "Are you thinking the same thing as me?"

'Seal of Phobos?' Nigel asks himself.

Suddenly, an opaque gist of colors blue of Irma, orange of Taranee, white of Hay Lin, green of Cornelia and pink of Will auras and winds flow around each of their bodies as their clothes begin to fade away! 'The girls are transforming!' He embarrassingly hides back to the pillar and blushes of a short glance he has seen. After the light fades he takes another peek and sees the expectedly amazing women on front of him. 'The Guardians of the Veil!' he says in admiration.

"Do we have to jump in that fire circle?" Irma, in her guardian outfit that consists of a teal, slightly off-the shoulder, long sleeved top with a purple mini-skirt that has a slit on the left side, also has turquoise and green-striped tights, and her shoes are ankle high boots, points out to the whirling portal.

'If I could just only tell them how harmless they really are.' Nigel annoyingly expresses himself. 'Wait? Jump?'

"No way! I'm not some circus clown!" Will says in her guardian outfit, purple midriff-bearing cropped top with long poet sleeves, a teal mini-skirt, turquoise and green-stripped tights and purple high-heeled shin-high boots. "Taranee, could you help us and make the flames a little less dangerous?" she asks Taranee.

"Of course. Just a minute." Taranee replies in her guardian attire, purple turtleneck tank top, tight teal shorts over turquoise and green-striped tights, purple wristbands and high-heeled boots with her hair styled in feathery braids around her hair. "Flames, listen to me. Did you hear die down!" she says as she points her hands on them and suddenly the fire vanished into smoke. "Wow! It worked!"

'Holy Flames!' Nigel rubs his eyes 'Not only her costume is cool and attractive but her powers are cool as well!' He then notices what's left of the portal. 'Yet they leave the portal open, are they going to—"

"Good! We can go in." Will says.

"Wait" What happens if we get stuck on the other side?" Cornelia cautiously warns in her guardian attire as well, consists of a teal, off-the shoulder, midriff top with long sleeves that form triangle-like shape across the back of her hand, a dramatically long, purple skirt that has a slit on the left side, turquoise and green-striped tights, and knee-high, high-heeled, purple boots.

"We have the Seal of Phobos!" Will says. "If it helped us in, it will help us out too."

"Hah!" Cornelia disapproves once more. "Who 'Miss-Know-It-All' you think you are? You speak like you had been doing these things for ages."

"I know Cornelia." Will replies. "But would you believe, if I told you that somebody tells me how the things are?"

"Maybe Elyon is on the other side." Irma replies. "There is a good reason to go in!"

"Exactly! Who's coming with me?" Will asks as they begin to enter the large and empty portal.

'Oh no!' Nigel says to himself. 'Guardians in Meridian? That's insane for them to go! From what I understood, it's their mission to destroy the portals and protect the veil but not enter it!' Nigel follows them and hides beside the portal hole. 'I can't stop them now as Eric commands. But at least I could just follow them'

"I have that strange feeling again. This time it's more powerful." Will says as Nigel hears from the echoes of the tunnel.

"I can believe that. We are now in another dimension." Hay Lin replies in her guardian outfit, observed by Nigel earlier, small, teal, cropped top whose sleeve curls around her shoulders and a purple, knee-length skirt with slits at the sides, revealing most of her legs and a beaded cord is tied around the waistband.

As he peeks out to the other side of the empty portal, he sees that the Guardians have gone to Meridian. 'Here goes nothing!' Nigel enters the portal and feels his body separates with the whirling black hole into the center of infinity.

He opens his eyes and founds himself in an unknown place; Medieval structures with an accent of bluish-greenish accent. He perceives the same environment when he founds a picture of Meridian back when he was at the academe. "I'm really here in Meridian!" he realizes. "Yet where are the Guardians?"

He then remembers his first time crossing the portal, which could explain his likely early arrival than the Guardians. Individuals who cross the portals for the first time are usually delusional with the different illusional environments they see before they reach their destination; thus delay their time to arrive. 'Flames!'

"You there!" a gruff voice says as Nigel rotates to the call, and founds a galhot in blue soldier uniform "Who are you? You're not the Guardians?!" he yells as the other galhots who dresses up like him, also take a full glimpse on the commotion.

"What's the all the racket?" a familiar shout comes out from the group of gathering soldiers and as he approaches and notices the known stylish uniform of Nigel back at the academe. "A legionate?! Why are you here?!"

"Vathek!" Nigel exclaims as his Incineration Staff appears before his hand and points his staff at him and the soldiers on front of him. "What a welcoming! I didn't expect a hundred men to receive me."

"You're the least I was expecting!" Vathek says as he points his sword at him. "Where are the Guardians? They should've been here by now!"

"And you've brought a hundred men against five inexperienced girls," Nigel harasses. "Never knew that your army would stoop this kind of low!" he continues to mock.

Vathek, as furious as ever, yells at him. "You talk like you can even match our strength!" He yells at his army. "Guards, arrest him!"

As the guards chase him so does Nigel who runs away down the winding bricked-street. Vathek in puzzlement yet laughs. "You coward! Where's all the spunk you have if just run away?"

After a hundred steps away from Vathek, he sees the soldiers still chasing him 'Don't know how they even manage to predict the Guardians' arrival. Yet with a hundred guards against the Guardians is an unmatchable fight.' Nigel thinks as he sprints. 'At least I could distract these soldiers away!'

"Vathek!" Cedric says in his true large lizard-like appearance form, green skin long straight hair with a long tail crawling to his back, with Princess Elyon behind him.

"Lord Cedric, it's that legionate from Earth! He's here again!" Vathek explains.

"What fools! Do they challenge the Meridian might?" Cedric asks and then chuckles. "Not to worry then, he also might join to their graves."

"Their graves?"

"Didn't you know? The unknown vigilantes earlier were confirmed, it was Atlas and his other ally here on our Meridian soil." Cedric explains. "And once Zagan reveals himself to them, just as he did with the first Earth legionates, those boys will never see Earth again.