The balloon has been traveling for hours now. Stealth Elf was struggling to keep her cover up, but she remained unseen. Enigma didn't suspect anything suspicious and just focused on the laser which guided him through the sky. Stealth Elf soon noticed that their surroundings changed and shifted colors. It went from a pale blue to a deep purple, and a strange mystical fog appeared. Even though she was a Life Skylander, Stealth Elf could feel the magic surging through the air.
"What is this place?" The elf asked herself while staring at the mysterious purple area they entered. "Are we in another realm?"
Her thoughts were interrupted by the abrupt landing of the balloon. Enigma left the basket and started to walk in mid-air. Stealth Elf couldn't believe her eyes and carefully leaned over the basket. She touched the invisible floor and indeed felt a surface. She slowly followed the Trap Master who was taking a few more steps before stopping. He raised his staff and slammed it on the ground, creating a circular wave that spread through the entire area. Stealth Elf witnessed the appearance of a seemingly endless path with rows of doors on each side. They were all huge gates and each of them was unique. Some were glorious and inviting, while others appeared dark and deadly and seemed to lead to an equally repulsive world.
Stealth Elf heard about hidden doorways leading to different realms, but she never expected to see it with her own eyes. Enigma came from one of the many places but refused to ever talk about it. The elf could barely withhold her desire to quit her invisibility and ask the sorcerer all about this place, but she knew that it was for the best if she stayed unnoticed. The assassin couldn't keep her eyes from observing every door and wondering to what new worlds every one of them would take her. She was so distracted, that she didn't even notice that Enigma was talking. She could hear the voice of the mage in the distance, but she couldn't see anyone besides him. Stealth Elf leaned her head to the right and recognized another cloaked Skylander in front of him.
"Star Strike?" The assassin once again spoke in her mind as she was walking towards the duo of Magic Skylanders.
She couldn't make out what they were saying until she got close enough. "Are you sure it will work this time?" Star Strike sounded unsure. The mysterious female shared her secretive vibe with Enigma, which already caused some misunderstandings between them and the other Skylanders.
"I can't make any promises, but I'll do what I can." Enigma answered and continued to walk down the shimmering road, this time accompanied by Star Strike.
Stealth Elf followed them further and saw many more doors, each fascinating in their own way. Finally, the Magic Skylanders stopped in front of one specific doors. Everything about it gave off a feeling of space. The arc was covered with white stars and the door itself was like a window presenting a distant galaxy. The ninja watched as Enigma held his staff tightly and started to speak a spell. The weapon glowed in a radiant light and the frame of the door reacted to it by emitting light as well. Star Strike watched eagerly while Enigma tried to stay focused and open the door. Stealth Elf squinted her eyes to see a clearance between the two halves of the door. It was slowly opening, revealing another world behind it. Star Strike raised her head and slowly moved closer to the door. She reached out for the opening and was about to put her hand through it before it the door slammed shut. Star Strike quickly pulled her hand back and looked at the sealed door with disappointment.
"I'm sorry." Enigma said before falling on his knee and taking deep breaths. "I'm not powerful enough."
The Magic Skylander turned around to look at the exhausted Trap Master. "No, it's okay." She floated towards the sorcerer who looked up to her with his hood covering the entirety of his head. "You got closer than ever before and I know that you're doing everything you can. I'm very grateful for that."
The intergalactic being couldn't see Enigma's reaction, but he seemed to be happy to hear Star Strike's gratitude. They headed back to Enigma's balloon, with Stealth Elf always being a few steps behind them.
"We can try again in a few days. There have been some suspicious events at the prison, so I should make sure that everything's under control." Enigma entered the air balloon and was ready to set off again.
"No problem." Star Strike nodded and once again thanked the Skylander for his efforts. "I'll see you back at the Academy."
The cloaked creature turned around and floated back along the path. Stealth Elf slowly walked towards the balloon, trying to not cause any noise. She would soon regret that, as Enigma didn't hesitate to lift the balloon into the air and get ready to return to the Academy. Stealth Elf ran as fast as she could, but the balloon was already too far away for her to reach it. The elf looked after the aircraft flying away, before finally cancelling her invisibility. Star Strike was already gone and the Life Skylander was stuck in an unknown realm, completely alone.
The sun has reached its highest point and the Academy was flourishing with life. Everyone was talking, relaxing or even training, even though clouds started to appear above the island. Snap Shot headed for the library to look for a book about archery. He was the most capable warrior when it came to bows and arrows, but he ran out of techniques to teach Wolfgang, so he decided to do some research. He found what he was looking for and took a seat on a chair on the balcony. The reptile enjoyed the cool temperature today and sensed that it would rain soon, his favorite type of weather. He was so invested in the book that he didn't even notice Gearshift sitting on another chair on the other end of the balcony. The Trap Master jumped up in surprise but tried to play it cool by putting on a neutral expression.
"Gearshift. Didn't see you there." The Trap Masters had a hard time communicating with the robot since she wasn't exactly programmed for that.
The Tech Skylander was holding a book and precisely scanned each page with her eyes, not even bothering to look at Snap Shot. "I know. I would have greeted you, but that would have interrupted my scanning process."
"Didn't you interrupt it now?" Snap Shot saw his companion close the book and turn her head towards him.
"Yes. I am finished now." Gearshift's eyes jumped from Snap Shot to his book and then back at him. "You are reading a book about archery. I assume for your sessions with Wolfgang."
"Yeah, I kinda ran out of tricks to show him." Snap Shot scratched the back of his head and directed his sight from Gearshift to the floor.
"You seem to be very invested in helping him." Gearshift pointed out analytically. "That is strange considering your problematic past with Wolfgang."
"I don't know, he's different now." Snap Shot thought about the way they used to interact and compared it to the present. "I guess people can change, even the nasty ones."
Gearshift was silent and processed what she would say next. "It appears your feelings for him have changed."
Snap Shot opened his eyes widely and looked at the robot bewildered. "Feelings? How did you come to that?"
"My lack of emotions allows me to analyze those of others." The Trap Master looked at the book again, rather than Snap Shot. "You do not hate him anymore."
Snap Shot had to smile. "Well yeah, he's not a villain anymore. We're becoming-"
"You love him." Gearshift interrupted and had no hesitation to tell Snap Shot the result of her analysis.
"What!?" Snap Shot had to catch himself from falling out of his chair. "Are you insane? There's no way I'd fall for-"
"Your overreaction further proofs my statement. And ironically you did fall for him, in the literal sense." The Skylander never stopped once she started to talk and only allowed Snap Shot to answer shortly.
The Water Trap Master couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Wait, were you watching-"
"I silently observed you two and everything I have seen lead to this conclusion." Gearshift raised herself from the chair and the tall figure stood in front of Snap Shot. "I suggest that you avoid hiding your feelings. In most cases it will lead to a scenario which is far worse than admitting them." She left without saying another word and left Snap Shot shocked and overwhelmed with thoughts. He did not expect that from his visit to the library.
The clouds covering the blue sky slowly turned darker and some decided to get underneath the next roof they could find. Tidepool chose to do the opposite. She was standing in the center of the arena, facing Wild Storm. They have agreed on another battle to test their strength. The Senseis haven't seen each other ever since their turbulent air balloon ride and Tidepool was still upset about Wild Storm's behavior. She wanted to finally admit her feelings, but the knight completely threw her off by claiming that they should spend less time together.
The gong announcing the start of the battle could be heard and the Skylanders started to fight. However, the rules for this match were changed by Tidepool's demand. They did not carry any weapons and their unique powers such as Tidepool's whale summon and Wild Storm's cloud roar were forbidden. They could only fight with their bare hands and physical strength.
The fight started with Wild Storm dashing towards his opponent on all fours and attempting to pounce her. Tidepool quickly dodged the attack and returned a kick instead. Wild Storm brushed it off like it was nothing and started to punch after Tidepool. She used her arms to block the hits and finally get a hold of the Air Sensei. The quickshot used a swift move to throw him onto the ground and keep him there by holding his hands. Wild Storm used his lower body to roll backwards and get Tidepool underneath him instead. She responded to that by a headbutt which caused the beastly warrior to grunt and fall backwards. Normally, Wild Storm is more powerful in one-on-one combat, but Tidepool's anger was bundled in each of her hits, granting her more strength than usual. They exchanged more punches and kicks until Tidepool was finally able to throw her legs around Wild Storm and tear him to the ground once more. Before he could get back up, Tidepool pinned him down with her foot and looked him dead in the eye. Raindrops started to fall from the sky and hit the combatants.
"Great job Tide!" Wild Storm freed himself from his enemy's grip and got back on his feet. "You won, but don't expect me to go easy on you next time."
Tidepool kept her serious and cold expression and left without a smile or any sign of kindness. Wild Storm was confused as to why she behaved that way, and started to think that he may have done something to upset her.
As soon as the rain started to increase, and water was pouring from the sky, everyone was already inside, safe from the humidity. Spyro was sitting in front of the window of his room and watched single drops of water slowly run down the glass. He hasn't seen Stealth Elf since yesterday and started to worry.
"What's going on with everyone." He didn't tell anyone, but Spyro wasn't happy about the recent events. "First Cynder and now Elf is gone." The dragon has waited many years for the war in Skylands to end, for a time of peace. He was never able to spend much time with his friends, but now that he finally is, everyone has something that terrorizes them and prevents them from enjoying their time without fighting.
The Skylander felt sad, but he was willing to help. He knew that the only way to have an enjoyable time with his friends was by helping them to finally get rid of their problems, once and for all.