Yes, it's about bloody time I updated, but work has been an absolute nightmare this last month or so! Ah well, mustn't grumble too much.

Many thanks as always to those kind peeps that reviewed the last chapter, Spongey and Kira. You gals rule!!

Random Quote: Now, I'm off to eat somebody's parents. (Tyrannosaurus Alan, form the Volvic adverts)

BTW... you do remember way back in chapter 21 when Teggy rushed back into his room to get something, don't you?

With the collection of brave young boys and girls completely at his mercy, any ultra-powerful evil-doer with aspirations of universe-domination could have easily vaporised them without a second thought... but not Lord Darkar.

Oh no.

He wanted to make them pay for their folly.

He wanted to make them suffer for even thinking that they could stand up to him.

And so, he stood tall in front of them and raised his arms up high, his hands glowing a bright shade of yellow and his eyes glinting in that usual sinister shade of crimson as he surveyed his soon-to-be victims one last time.

"Circle of Despair!" he roared as, with a surge of power, a golden yellow circle suddenly appeared around the group, spewing energy up into the air in a steady stream which arced above their heads, enclosing them in an ethereal dome.

"Oh man, what now?" Riven grumbled as he scrambled to his feet. His question was quickly answered courtesy of a sudden feeling of light-headedness. He screwed his eyes shut and shook his head in an effort to clear it, but the fog that was clouding his mind simply got thicker. And it wasn't just his mind that was going - he could feel his entire body gradually feeling heavier. It was then that he noticed a faint, almost imperceptible glow lifting into the air from his own hands like a ghostly cloud of steam, and it wasn't just him - the same thing was happening to the others slumped around him.

His keen tactical brain soon realised what was happening - this energy dome of Darkar's was sapping their energy. He looked around him - Charlotte was sleeping, and Bloom and Layla weren't far behind. Musa was struggling to keep her eyes open as she cradled Tegryn in her lap, who looked dead to the world save for the occasional grunt as he tried to lift his head, and Sky and the four WITCH girls were all looking decidedly groggy too.

"Gotta get out of this thing" he said as he stumbled forwards, reaching for the edge of the dome. A sudden and very painful jolt soon told him that wasn't a very good idea. Darkar looked on with a deep sense of satisfaction as Riven was flung backwards onto his derriere. This was entertaining, but the best was yet to come. He cast a glance upwards to the top of the dome. As the energy streamed up within its walls, they had collected at the apex in a ball of light that was growing larger and brighter by the second, until suddenly, a torrent of energy was sent crashing back down upon the helpless victims, striking them with painful fingers of lightning.

Ah. Their screams of anguish and despair were music to Darkar's ears.

But apart from inflicting great pain, it was also having an unforeseen effect on one of their number. As the feelings of agony and hopelessness grew, Tegryn felt a sudden boost in his own energy levels. With a struggle, he sat up, ignoring the jolts of energy he was receiving along with everyone else.

"Teggy!" Musa said through gritted teeth. "Are you okay?"

"I... I think so. I don't understand it..."

But deep down inside, he did understand. It was Shadowhaunt itself that was doing this. As a place of pure darkness and evil, it grew stronger from the fear and the pain of any fairy foolish enough to set foot inside its caverns... but Tegryn was no fairy. His own magic was dark in nature, and as such it was at one with the dark energies which inhabited this realm, and as Shadowhaunt fed from the negative emotions of his friends, so did he. He was literally feeding off their pain - here, he was little more than an emotional vampire. It was a thought was disgusted him, yet at the same time it gave him great hope.

Darkar ceased his attack and laughed at the sight of these pathetic defeated do-gooders, before stepping forward to finish them off.

"Darkar! You... stay away from them!"

Darkar spun around. Somehow, Will had found the strength for one last act of defiance.

"So young lady, you still have some fight left in you," Darkar said mockingly as he approached her, "But it'll do you no good. There's nothing that can stop me now. By the end of the day, I'll have pocketed the entire universe!"

Tegryn gasped at this, and at one word in particular.

"Pocket?" he whispered to himself. That one little word had reminded him - just before they left Alfea, he had dashed into his room to collect something. He patted his hip - thankfully it was still there.

"I have an idea," he said softly, trying hard to make sure Darkar didn't hear him.

"What is it?" Musa asked.

"Hopefully, you'll find out soon enough."

He looked over to see how their young Earth friends were doing.

"Taranee? Are you okay?"

She looked over, adjusting her cracked spectacles as she did so.

"Yeah, I think so, but my head isn't feeling too clever right now."

"That's okay. Come over here a minute - I need your help with something."

Taranee did as she was told and crawled over to him. When she was close enough, Tegryn leaned over and started whispering into her ear.

"When I give you the signal, I want you to..."

She listened intently for a second until he was finished.

"But Teggy, if she does that, she'll be..."

"Look, you gotta trust me on this, okay?" Tegryn snapped. "Just do exactly as I say, when I tell you to."

With that, he attempted to stand up before letting out a sharp intake of breath and cursing his stupidity. How on Magix could he have forgotten his leg was knackered up beyond belief?

"Dizzy?" he whispered over to where the pixie sat, looking very woozy indeed. "You up for another flight?"

Saying nothing, she tentatively took off before collapsing to the ground.

"I'm sorry Tegryn." she apologised weakly.

"It's okay. I just hope I can remember enough of your flying lesson."

With that, he brought himself up, trying his best to put the blinding pain in his leg to one side. It was hard work, but the mental discipline he'd learned all those years ago back home in China was really paying off here. And as he prepared to face off against their most dangerous of enemies, Musa looked on helplessly, praying with all the hope she could muster in her heart that he'd somehow get through this without getting hurt even more.

"Darkar!" he barked. "We've got some unfinished business!"

The dark lord looked at him and burst out laughing.

"Are you serious?! You can't even stand! How do you expect to defeat me? You don't have the power."

Tegryn grinned and reached into his pocket. He took out a thick bracelet, dark green in colour, and slipped it onto his left wrist. As it reached past his wrist, the bracelet started to glow, and thin tendrils of green light started to wrap themselves around his forearm. Tegryn breathed in deeply, allowing this new wave of power to wash through him and invigorate his tired and agonised body.

All this time, Darkar stood and stared at him in disbelief.

"A Gloomix? After all this time, you still have the Gloomix that I gave you?" (1)

"Yes. Ironic, isn't it? You've given me all the power I need to take you down!"

"Hmph! Well at least you've made destroying you worthwhile."

Tegryn said nothing as wheeled over to one side, ducking and weaving as Darkar fired off shot after shot in his direction. As the bolts of dark magic whizzed around him, he resisted the temptation to retaliate or erect some sort of shield to protect himself, relying only on his speed to keep him out of trouble. He had something special in mind for Lord Darkar, but even with the extra power that his Gloomix gave him, he knew this attack would use up a lot of his energy, if not all of it. He knew he only had one shot at this, and Darkar had to be in exactly the right position for him to even come close to pulling it off, and so he continued his evasion manoeuvres much to Darkar's frustration.

"Argh! Stop squirming and let me destroy you like a man!"

"What's the matter LD? Can't hit a guy with a broken leg? Pathetic... and you call yourself the Lord of Shadowhaunt... ungh!"

Tegryn's taunting was cut short as one of Darkar's attacks struck him hard on the shoulder, quickly followed by another which finally floored him.

"Damn, that hurt!" Tegryn muttered to himself as he hastily regained his senses. In fact, it more than hurt. He had fallen awkwardly, and now it felt as though his injured leg was screaming blue murder at him, but even so, he couldn't help but grin as he lifted his head up - Darkar was in the perfect position.

It was now or never.

"Okay Taranee, NOW!!" he yelled as loud as his lungs would let him. Darkar quickly looked over in her direction, expecting some sort of sneak attack from a somehow rejuvenated Fire Guardian... but all he saw was her still kneeling on the floor looking the worse for wear.

Tegryn smiled - that was just the distraction he needed. He sat up, closed his eyes and gathered his strength, concentrating on the small crackling ball of black energy which had formed in his hands.

"Dis-Spell!" he yelled as he let loose his secret attack. As it flew towards its target, he all too quickly felt himself becoming very dizzy indeed and his vision became blurred. As he slumped back onto his back painfully close to blacking out, he could just make out his ball of magic flying harmlessly a yard to Darkar's right-hand side.

"Hah! You missed!" Darkar said triumphantly as he strode slowly towards his fallen foe. "And believe me, that's the last mistake you'll ever make!"

With that he raised a foot, ready to squash Tegryn like a helpless bug into the floor... but then something happened. Something that struck him hard in the back and knocked him clean off his feet, and thankfully away from Tegryn. Infuriated, he got up and looked at the source of that attack.

It was Will.

She was free from her bonds, and she looked at Darkar with a wry smile.

"Oh no Darkar, Teggy didn't miss - he was right on target!"

1. Yes, Teggy has a Gloomix, as modelled towards the end of Back To The Old School (chapters 27 onwards).