Here's the final chapter! At the end is a preview of my next Di-Gata story.

DISCLAIMER: I don't Di-Gata Defenders!

WORD COUNT: 731
TOTAL: 3116

BOOM. The sound repeated itself as Kara and Adam walked through the halls, trying to find a way out. "What is going on out there?" she asked.

"Part of the Yin-Tos army that's loyal to Brackus is attacking the Keep."

"And how do you know that?"

"Brackus told me." Brackus again. Why didn't he refer to him as his father? Or was he even his father? Kara had to know for sure.

"Stop." She grabbed his arm. "Before we take another step, this whole 'Brackus-is-your-father' thing. Is that true?"

"Yes." Adam immediately continued walking.

Kara followed him. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I ran away from him six years ago." There was true pain in his voice, the kind that even Adam – a talented actor, if nothing else – couldn't fake. "I stopped being his son long before that." It was clearer now. Why Adam had betrayed his father, why he'd been so cold to him for the entire deal. He and Brackus hated each other. Returning to him had probably been Adam's last option. Kara took his arm gently and gave him a small smile, which Adam returned.

"What a touching story." Both jumped as Nazmul emerged from the shadows. "Too bad it's a complete lie."

Adam wasn't intimidated. "What do you mean, 'a lie'?" he growled, glaring at the evil lord with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, Brackus isn't your father." Nazmul was so nonchalant about it; he may have been talking about the weather.

"What?!" Okay, now everything was confusing again.

"He stole you twelve years ago. Right after he destroyed your parents." Adam just stood there, staring at the villain, obviously unsure of what to believe.

Kara gasped. She knew what it meant. "You're a Defender!" she cried, looking at Adam, who was staring at the old wizard in shock.

"Yes, he is," Nazmul said smoothly, "Ironic, isn't it?" He raised his arm and fired a beam of green energy at Adam, slamming him into one of the many cylindrical machines.

Kara turned to face Nazmul, casting Bolt of Altas. Another burst of energy sent her now useless stones to the floor. "What?! How-" She didn't get to finish as yet another burst picked her up and carried her over to the former Wizard.

"It's time, young one," he declared. Several mechanical tendrils came from his body and began to reach her. "Nothing stands in my way now."

"No! Please, no!" Kara couldn't move, couldn't get away as the tendrils, now with spinning saw-like blades at the end, inched closer.

"ASSASSIN!" Kara saw Adam getting up and running towards the pair, halfway through casting. More tendrils grabbed him and again threw him into a machine, this time knocking him out.

Kara continued her fruitless struggle as she watched her only saviour crumple to the ground. The tendrils were wrapping themselves around her, and she bit one in vain. "Such youthful energy. I can see now what King Magnun saw in you."

"NOOOOO!"

A familiar roar reached her ears, and on her left, Kara saw a portion of the wall being blasted apart as Seth, in full Kragus mode, charged in. He took one look at the scene and launched himself right at Nazmul, knocking the old wizard away from Kara and freeing her in the process.

Kara heard her brother's voice calling her name, and she smiled. This nightmare was over.

Kara sat at the campfire later. Seth, Mel, and Erik had come to her rescue just in time, and reluctantly brought Adam back with them. He hadn't woken up yet, but the boys were more than willing to leave him behind. They seriously doubted any of the crazy stuff Kara had told them about Adam; they wanted to hear it from Adam himself.

When he finally woke up, he explained everything: what Nazmul had told him, how he'd run away, and every detail of his plan. He also mentioned that Brackus would often hit him and eventually caused the two to hate each other.

Mel and Kara, and even Erik, quickly apologized for their earlier suspicions, as did Seth, though the former only half-heartedly. They all knew he still didn't trust Adam, and it would be a while before he finally did.

THE END

So, here's that blurb from my next story, 'Shadow or Light? cont.':

"Adam!" Shantra called, "Where are you?"

"He can't hear you," Seth reminded her, "He's probably still out cold." 'I hope. Otherwise... No. Adam's tough. Six years of living with Brackus, and six more with the Rougon; he has to be. But he was unconscious, and weaker than I've ever seen him. What if...' his thoughts trailed off as he spotted a large patch of grey and dark green standing out against the dull browns of the forest floor. "Adam!" His friend was lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, head against a rock. Seth and Shantra ran over to him, fearing the worst. "He's still breathing. Thank RaDos his helmet's still on. Cautiously, Seth rolled Adam over, gasping at his friend's dire condition. The faceplate of his helmet was smashed; tiny fragments of it had embedded themselves in his face, some dangerously close to his eyes. His arms were scratched, cut and bruised, and his clothes were torn. Seth checked all four limbs to see if anything was broken; the right ankle seemed a bit tender. Taking a closer look, he noticed that something, perhaps a sharp stick or rock, had ripped through his armband and part of his forearm, leaving a nasty gash.

It's a continuation of 'Shadow Or Light?' by FF author 'Adamizgr8', which hasn't been updated in over a year.