Chapter 38:

Two days later, the Guardians, after three days of a bit more training and rest, were standing in the backyard of the mansion ready to go to Kandrakar and end the rule of the Oracle and the current Council of the Known Worlds. They all decided to wear something they could move more quickly in, just in case if they were to transform back to they normal selves when fighting the Oracle's forces. So they decided to wear sweatpants with white t-shirts and sneakers. Will and Nerissa had yellow sweatpants on, Cassidy and Irma had blue sweatpants on, Taranee and Halinor had red sweatpants on, Kadma, and Cornelia had green sweatpants on, Hay Lin and Yan Lin had violet sweatpants on, and Joe and Angelo had black sweatpants on. All twelve were a bit nervous but knew what needed to be done. So they all nodded to each other ready to go. So, Nerissa and Will raised their Hearts and said the two words they hoped they wouldn't be say for the last time.

"Guardians, Unite"

Once these words were said, Nerissa and Will were covered in balls of pink light, while Cassidy and Irma were in balls of water, Halinor and Taranee in balls of fire, Kadma and Cornelia in balls of green light, Yan Lin and Hay Lin in balls of air, Joe in a ball of orange light, and Angelo in a ball of yellow light. They then floated in the air as they began to transform into their Guardian forms.

"Water!", Cassidy and Irma called out as they transformed into their Guardian forms.

"Fire!", Halinor and Taranee called out as they transformed into their Guardian forms.

"Earth!", Kadma and Cornelia called out as they transformed into their Guardian forms.

"Air!", Yan Lin and Hay Lin called out as they transformed into their Guardian forms.

"Quintessence!", Nerissa and Will called out as they transformed into their Guardian forms.

"Mass!", Joe called out as he transformed into their Guardian forms.

"Speed!", Angelo called out as he transformed into their Guardian forms.

Once the light faded, the twelve of them were in their Guardian forms.

"I still can't believe these new forms we have!", Hay Lin said as she looked down at her new Guardian form she got from Draganos. "That Draganos has some pretty good taste!"

"Only you would say that about a dragon, Hay Lin!", Cornelia said with a grin which got the others laughing.

But then Nerissa cleared her throat getting everyone's attention before opening a fold for Kandrakar.

"Everyone ready for this?", Will asked as she and Nerissa turned to face the others.

"Cause once we go through this fold, there's no turning back unless we truly need to.", Nerissa said.

Everyone looked at each other and knew that they were ready for this. They then looked back at Nerissa and Will and nodded. They then walked through the fold one at a time into Kandrakar. Once they were all through the fold, it closed behind them. Once in Kandrakar, they saw they were at the front doors of the Fortress of Infinity.

"Front doors, huh?", Cassidy questioned.

"Well, this is where we were when we first came here.", Nerissa said. "I figure that this is where we should come when to start this."

"It was the same for us when we first came here.", Will said. "It feels... fitting to start this here."

"Then let's get this started.", Joe said.

"Allow us.", Cornelia said as she and Kadma stepped up to the doors of the fortress.

They then hit the doors with a powerful telekinetic blast that knocked the doors open with incredible force that made the others jump back a bit.

"A little much, don't you think?", Cassidy questioned as they walked inside.

"Why be quite, when they probably know we're here?", Kadma questioned.

"She has a point, you know.", Will said as they walked down the hall towards the main room, where the Council of the Known Worlds has their meetings.

"Then we should be ready for anything.", Angelo said. "And I mean anything."

"Speaking of being ready for anything, where is everybody?", Halinor questioned. "Normally, there are plenty of council members walking the halls."

"Maybe it's their day off.", Irma said getting sighs from the others. "What? It could be."

"Or, they're waiting for us to show up.", Hay Lin said.

"I'm going with Hay Lin on this one.", Joe said. "I smell a trap."

"Question is, if this is a trap, then how did they know about us coming?", Taranee questioned.

"We'll find out sooner or later.", Yan Lin said as they continued to walk down the hall.

Soon they were at the doors of the main hall.

"Get ready guys.", Will said. "This is it!", she said as Joe stepped forward while growing twelve feet tall.

Joe then pushed the doors open and shrunk back down to normal size.

"Show off.", Nerissa said with a smirk that Joe returned.

As they walked into the main hall, they saw that it was empty.

"What's the deal?", Cornelia questioned. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh yeah!", Will said looking around. "Most definitely a trap!"

"You'd be correct!", came a voice they all knew as a light flashed in front of them.

Once the light flashed they all saw Himerish the Oracle standing before them in his white Kandrakarian robe.

"So, it seems what I've been told was true.", Himerish said as he looked at the twelve Guardians. "Draganos has given you all a boost of power."

"That's right!", Will said. "Power we'll be using to take you down!"

"Is that so?", Himerish questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes it is!", Nerissa said as she narrowed her eyes at Himerish. "You ruined my life! Because of you, I've lost so much and hurt a lot of people!"

"And all because you were fearing our strength!", Yan Lin said. "Tell me, Himerish, were you going to do the same with my grand-daughter and her friends if they were going to get stronger?"

"If the need arrived, yes.", Himerish said surprising them. "But then again, you all figured that, thanks to that traitor Luba!"

"What have you done to her?", Halinor questioned in a demanding tone.

"She's been banished back to Balsilide for her betrayal!", Himerish said. "She won't be here to help you! Nor will Alfor and Tibor, for they have also been banished back to their home worlds as well. You have no one here to help you!"

"I have to ask this.", Joe said. "How did you know about us coming here to kick your butt five ways from Sunday?"

"A true allie of Kandrakar came to me and told me all that happened to you.", Himerish explained. "And he also told me about your little plan."

"To bad he's not here to help you!", Angelo said as he stepped forward.

Suddenly, from out of no where, a fold opened and a green beam of energy was fired a few feet in front of Angelo making him jump back! Seeing this beam made Will's eyes widen in shock!

"No!", she said hoping it wasn't who she thought it was. "It can't be! Please don't let it be him!", she said as she looked up in the direction the beam came from and saw who fired it. "No!"

Sure enough, it was Matt in his Regent form landing next to Himerish as the fold closed behind him.

"Are you kidding me?", Irma questioned. "You ratted us out, Olsen?"

"Only to save you from, Luba's lies!", Matt said. "The Oracle isn't evil! He's willing to give you a chance to surrender and rejoin Kandrakar.", he said as he looked towards Will. "Please, Will. Don't fight us. You won't like what happens."

"Why?", Will questioned as she looked at Matt with watery eyes. "Why did you do this? I asked you to trust me on this, yet you go behind our backs and reveal our plans!"

"I did it for you own good!", Matt said. "You can't trust Nerissa and her tricks! If you all were to take Kandrakar, she'd go and betray you all and take it all for herself!"

"He speaks the truth.", Himerish said earning glares from the Guardians. "Stop this and rejoin Kandrakar and no harm will come to you."

"And if we don't?", Cornelia questioned as another fold opened.

"Then we'll have to fight you.", came another familiar voice.

Everyone looked at the fold to see Elyon walking out from it looking upset and angry at the same time.

"Elyon?", Cornelia questioned as the fold closed. "You, too?"

"The Oracle sent for me the other day and told me about what you all were going to do.", the Meridian queen said. "He asked me to come and help fight if the need arose. So, here I am."

"And Caleb?", Cornelia asked.

"He's on Metamoor.", Elyon said. "When I confronted him about all of this, he told me what he was told by Luba and told me about the change that came with you power boost. He said he trusted you all in what you were doing. But I think it's just the part of him that wants to believe that his mother is good again.", she said before looking at Nerissa. "But we all know that's not true. Don't we, Nerissa?"

"Why won't you or Regent-boy believe that I'm not evil?", Nerissa questioned with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Because you are evil!", Matt snapped. "And you're going to be locked away for a very, VERY long time!"

"That's it! I've had it!", Cassidy snapped. "I say we kick butt and end this!"

"Couldn't agree more!", Angelo said.

"You have a choice, Himerish.", Halinor said. "Give up now, or we'll force you to give up."

"I chose neither.", Himerish said. "For you'll have to get past my knights first!", he said with a snap of his fingers.

When he did this, the sound of his fingers snapping echoed throughout the hall.

"That was weird.", Irma said.

"What did he mean by knights, Halinor?", Joe asked.

"You're about to find out.", Halinor said as slots in the walls slid open.

Out of the slots came a small army of armored soldiers. Each with shield in one hand and a thick rod, war hammer, or mace in the other hand. They entered the room one by one until they surrounded the Guardians. As they did this, Himerish teleported himself along with Matt and Elyon on top of a high platform.

"Who the heck are these guys?", Will questioned.

"They're called the White Knights of Kandrakar.", Halinor replied. "Each one was designed to be as powerful as one of us. They're mechanical soldiers!"

"You mean like robots?", Nerissa questioned.

"Yes!", Halinor said. "They're almost unstoppable!"

"Keyword being 'almost'!", Angelo said.

"I say we test their metal!", Irma said.

"Do your worst!", Himerish said with a small smirk. "You will be defeated soon! White Knights! Attack!"

"Guardians! Go!", Will and Nerissa yelled as the White Knights charged at them.

The Guardians flew or in Angelo and Joe's case charged at the knights ready for battle! Matt and Elyon watched as both sides charged at each other still surprised by what was going on.

"I still can't believe this is happening!", Elyon said as she watched Cornelia hit one of the White Knights with a powerful telekinetic wave.

"I can!", Matt said as he glared at Nerissa through his golden mask watching her throw an energy ball at a White Knight knocking it down, only for it to get back up. "Nerissa powers of enthrallment are good."

"A little to good if you ask me!", Elyon said.

"Worry not, my friends.", Himerish said. "For once this is over, Nerissa will get a proper punishment."

Matt smiled knowing that Nerissa would get her when all was said and done. As for the Guardians, they were giving it their all against the White Knights. Yan Lin and Hay Lin swept a few of the knights in a powerful twister and sent them flying towards a thick wall which caused them to fall apart and then fall to the floor in pieces.

"That takes care of them!", Yan Lin said as she and Hay Lin were about to fly off to fight some more knights.

"Ummmm... Grandma!", Hay Lin called out to Yan Lin.

"What's wrong, Hay... Uh-oh!", Yan Lin said as she watched what was happening.

Before their eyes, the broken White Knights began to come back together and get to their feet ready to fight.

"You've got to be kidding me!", Yan Lin said as one of the knights jumped at her with its rod. "Whoa!", she yelled as she dodged the attack. "That was close!"

"Back off!", Hay Lin said as she hit one of the knights with a ball of air sending it flying back a bit. "Phew! These guys are tough!"

"Then we'll just have to get tougher!", Yan Lin said as hit one of the knights with a flying double heel strike only to hurt her feel a bit as she flew from it. "Ow! Won't try that again!", she said as she took to higher ground.

"We can't make a dent in these things!", Hay Lin said as she joined her grandmother in the air. "What can we do?"

"Improvise!", Yan Lin said as an idea came to her. "Do what I do!"

Yan Lin then formed a large ball of air and trapped a White Knight in it. She then sent it flying out of one of the windows to fall to the surface of Kandrakar.

"Where did you send it?", Hay Lin questioned.

"Don't know.", Yan Lin said. "All I know is that the fortress is high above the mountains of Kandrakar. So you know it's a long way down!"

"Works for me!", Hay Lin said as she copied her grandmother's moves and sent a White Knight flying out of a window to who knows where. "Wind power rules!"

"You said it, Kiddo!", Yan Lin said as they both sent a few more White Knights flying out of some windows!

Not to far from them, Cassidy and Irma were doing their best to freeze the knights at first it seemed to work, but the White Knights easily broke free of the ice they were in.

"You've got to be kidding me!", Irma said as she and Cassidy formed an ice wall in front of the knights they were fighting. "What does it take to beat these guys?"

"Hallie did say that these things were tough.", Cassidy said as the knights smashed through the wall only to slip on the broken pieces of ice. "But it seems that they're pretty clumsy too!", as the knights fell to the floor. "Let's try this!"

Cassidy then hit the knights with a powerful ice beam trapping the fallen knights to the floor in blocks of ice. Seeing this, Irma joined in and soon they had the lot of them trapped in ice trying to get free.

"That should hold them!", Irma said hoping they'd stay trapped.

But three other White Knights, with war hammers, came up to the trapped knights and broke the ice freeing the trapped White Knights.

"Aw, man!", Cassidy said as the knights got to their feet and ran at the two Water Guardians. "This is so not our day!"

"Tell me about it!", Irma said as they combined their powers to trap the knight in balls of water.

"I wonder.", Cassidy said as a thought came to here. "Keep them trapped in the balls of water, Irma"!, Cassidy said as she flew towards the trapped knights.

"What are you doing?", Irma questioned.

"Trust me!, Cassidy said as she dove into one of the balls of water that held a White Knights.

"Trust me she says.", Irma said as she used her powers over water to hold the trapped White Knights in their water ball prisons.

Once in one of the balls of water, Cassidy quickly saw how the water had entered the White Knight's armour.

'I hope this works!', she thought to herself as the trapped knight swung its mace at her. 'Little slow there buddy!', she thought to herself as she easily dodged the attack before flying out of the ball of water.

Cassidy then fired beams of ice at the balls of water freezing the White Knights that were trapped in them.

"You know that they'll just break free again.", Irma said as she flew up to Cassidy.

"Not this time.", Cassidy said proudly. "This time they're fully trapped!"

"How can you tell?", Irma questioned.

"Simple.", Cassidy said. "Last time we hit the knights with ice. This time we trapped them in balls of water before freezing them. Cause when they were trapped in the balls of water, some of the water went inside the armour! So when I froze them, the ice went inside of them as well!"

"Stopping them all together!", Irma figured.

"And now she gets it.", Cassidy said with a grin while rolling her eyes before she flew off to help the others.

"Hey, I would of figured it out!", Irma said as she followed Cassidy.

"Sure you would of.", Cassidy said as she flew to where Halinor and Taranee were.

As for Taranee and Halinor, they were trying to melt some of the knights but they simply marched towards them without much of a struggle.

"Come on!", Taranee snapped as she poured the power on. "Melt already!"

"Forget trying to melt them!", Halinor said as she began to shoot the floor under the knights. "Try melting the floor under them!"

"Worth a shot!", Taranee said as she did the same thing.

It took a few seconds, but they were able to melt the floor enough to sink the knights they were fighting down to their necks.

"It worked!", Taranee cheered happy to of taken care of some of them.

"It's not over yet!", Halinor said as she saw the knights try to climb out of the melted ground. "We need to cool the melted spot fast!", she said as she noticed Cassidy and Irma flying towards them. "Cassidy! I need you to cool this spot!", she said to her friends while pointing at the sinking knights.

"Gotcha!", Cassidy said as she and Irma fired ice beams at the melted spot cooling it off sealing the knights Taranee and Halinor trapped.

"That's a few more down.", Irma said.

"And a whole lot to go.", Taranee said as they looked at all the White Knights that were still up and about.

"Then let's go help were we can!", Halinor said as they flew off to help the others.

As they were doing that, Joe had grown up to twenty-five feet and was either smashing white knights into the walls of the room or stomping them deep into the ground keeping them at bay. Or so he thought, for they were able to work their way free and continued their attack towards Joe.

"Okay. That plan was a bust!", Joe said when an idea came to him. "Let's hope this works!"

Joe then began to focus his powers to make a forcefeild and made one around one of the knights. He then made the force field shrink down crushing the knight into a large ball of metal.

"I can't believe that worked!", Joe said as he dropped the force field around the ball of metal. "Let's see if I can take out multiple targets!", he said as he focused his powers a bit more.

Sure enough he was able to trap three more knights in separate force fields and crush them in them.

"Four down, and a whole lot more to go!", Joe said as he continued to fight the knights with his strategy!

In another part of the large hall, Kadma, Cornelia, and Angelo were doing pretty against the group of White Knights they were fighting. Once they got a hold of one of them with their telekinesis, they used its metal to coat themselves in it giving themselves an edge as they formed swords and began to cut down the knights. But once they cut them up, they were able to pull themselves back together and mend their wounds and continued their attack.

"These things have to have a weakness!", Angelo said as he beheaded a knight.

"But what?", Cornelia questioned as she cut one in half by the waist. "Each time we cut one down, it repairs itself!", she said as the ones she and Angelo took down repaired itself. "See?"

"I say we cut to the HEART of the matter!", Kadma said as she stabbed a knight in its chest.

Once she did this, the knight simply stopped in its tracks and slumped down on its knees. Kadma then pulled her blade out of the knight letting it fall on its side. "Looks like I found its weakness."

"Looks like.", Angelo said before he turned and stabbed another White Knight in the chest shutting it down. "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"Yes!", Cornelia cheered as she took down a White Knight. "That's three down!"

"And a whole mess load to go.", Kadma said as they turned to see more White Knights marching towards them.

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us.", Angelo said as he took a fighting position. "You two go help anyone who needs it! I've got this!"

"This is no time to be macho, Angelo!", Kadma said.

"I;m not being macho, Grandma!", Angelo said. "With my speed, I can cut through these guys quick and easy! But not with you and Cornelia around me!"

"He makes a good point.", Cornelia said. "Besides. I think Will and Nerissa my need our help!, she said as she spotted Nerissa and Will were having trouble fending off some White Knights.

"Very well.", Kadma said giving in. "Just be careful!", she said before she and Cornelia flew off to help Will and Nerissa.

"I will, Grandma.", Angelo said as he held up his blades. "I will.", he said before he charged at the White Knights with his super-speed and began to slice nad stab at the knights cutting at the core in their chest, taking them out. "Bring it on, boys!", he said as he continued to take more of them down.

As they were doing this, Will and Nerissa were doing their best to take down a group of White Knights, but all they were doing was either knocking them back or knocking them down only for them to get back up.

"You'd think they'd be affected by our lightning!", Will said as she threw a lightning bolt at a knight only for it to only get knocked back.

"I know!", Nerissa said as she fired an energy blast at another knight, who blocked the beam before marching towards her and Will. "Not even energy blast damage it!"

"Energy blast may not, but I wonder if a blade will.", Will said as she formed an energy sword and flew at a knight and slashed at it vertically!

Once she did this, the knight split in half and fell to the floor.

"You di it!", Nerissa said as she flew up to Will.

"I didn't think that would work!", Will said as Kadma and Cornelia landed next to them.

"Looks like you found a way to hit the core of the knights.", Kadma said.

"Looks like.", Will said.

"Then let's get back to some knight thrashing!", Nerissa said as she formed an energy blade of her own. "We still have a long ways to go!"

"You can say that again!", Cornelia said as all of them began fighting and taking down the White Knights.

See his White Knight fall from the Guardians did not please Himerish as he glared at the young heroes.

'They have grown stronger.', he thought to himself. 'But they are also growing tired from the long battle. So even if they do defeat my White Knights, they will be too weak to fight me!', he thought to himself as he continued to watch the battle unfold.

Also watching the battle below them, were Matt and Elyon. While Elyon was worried about her friends, Matt kept his focus on Nerissa to see if she'd pull anything.

'I know you're up to something, Nerissa!', he thought to himself. 'And when you show your true colors, I'll be ready to take you down!'

As the battle raged on, the Guardians were taking down many of the White Knights of Kandrakar, but they were getting tired from all the fighting. Seeing this, Himerish was beginning to think that victory was his.

"It will be over soon.", he said to Matt and Elyon. "Once they are captured, I shall remove the darkness from them all and restore their inner light. Then we shall have not five but twelve warriors of Kandrakar.", he said proudly seeing as he truly meant to simply brainwash them all into being his loyal servants.

"Even Nerissa?", Matt questioned.

"Yes, young Regent.", Himerish said. "For she too is a victim of Nolan."

"I hope you're right.", Elyon said as they continued to watch the battle below them unfold. "I truly hope you're right."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting tired!", Irma said as she trapped another knight in a ball of water and then froze it. "I don't know how much longer I can do this."

"We can't give up!", Nerissa said panting and sweating. "We've come so far and been through so much to just quit now!"

"Nerissa's right!", Joe said as he shrunk down to ten feet getting weaker. "We have to keep going!"

"We don't want to give up, Joe!", Kadma said as she took out another knight. "But if things keep going the way they are, we're done for!"

"How about we hit them all with one big attack?", Hay Lin questioned. "You know. Like a combo attack."

"We combine our powers into one big attack and hopefully knock Himerish out, too!", Halinor said.

"Worth a shot!", Cornelia said.

"Let's do it!", Will said as everyone gathered together. "Everyone combine powers!"

The twelve of them began to glow their Guardian colors ready to combine their powers. Nerissa and Will were covered in a pink light, while Cassidy and Irma were covered in a blue light, Halinor and Taranee in a red light, Kadma and Cornelia in a green light, Yan Lin and Hay Lin in a violet light, Joe in an orange light, and Angelo in a yellow light. Once this happened they merged their energy and before they knew it released it outward and destroyed the White Knights in the room turning them all into ash! Seeing this they all breathed a sigh of relief as they dropped to their knees feeling tired from doing what they did.

"We... beat them!", Taranee said glad that the White Knights were gone.

"Now... we just... have to fight... Himerish.", Kadma said.

"But you are to weak and tired to fight me!", Himerish gloated. "And besides, you didn't defeat all of my White Knights.", he said as he snapped his fingers.

And again the sound of his snapping fingers echoed through out the room. But it's what happened next that shocked the Guardians! In flashes of light, many White Knights teleported around them.

"Where did these guys come from?", Angelo questioned.

"These are the White Knights that the two Air Guardians sent flying out the windows.", Himerish said with a small smirk. "It's over, young ones. Surrender now, and all will be forgiven."

"Fat chance!", Will snapped. "You're no Oracle!"

"You're a liar and a thief!", Nerissa snapped. "You stole my life from me! You're a monster!"

"A monster am I?", Himerish said as his smirk turned into a sneer. "Everything I did, I did for the benefit of Kandrakar!", he snapped surprising everyone. "Had you five stayed in your place and not gotten so powerful, then I wouldn't have had to of give the Heart to Cassidy!"

"Oracle?", Elyon questioned. "Are you... okay?"

"Shut up you pathetic excuse of a queen!", he snapped making Elyon jump back. "To think that you're the Heart of your world. You're a joke! Get out of my sight and return to you pitiful little world!", he demanded as he opened a fold and sent Elyon flying through it!

"Elyon!", Cornelia called out as the fold closed.

"Are you nuts?", Matt questioned before a thought came to him. "No! This is all your doing!", he snapped as he looked down at Nerissa. "YOU'RE GOING DOWN, NERISSA!", he roared as he took to the air and dove down at Nerissa.

"Matt, don't!", Will pleaded as she tried to get over to Nerissa.

"This ends now!", Matt yelled as his closed in on Nerissa.

Try as she may, Nerissa was too tired to move fast enough. Everyone else tried to get to her by they were too weak to move fast enough. Watching all of this was Himerish, who was impressed with how far Matt was willing to go to stop Nerissa.

'If I didn't know any better, I'd think that was really Shagon.', he thought to himself.

As for Matt, once he landed in front of Nerissa, he looked down at her while glaring at her through his golden mask.

"I've waited a long time for this!", Matt said with a sneer in his voice. "I'm going to make sure you never hurt anybody ever again!", he said as he was about to reach down and grab her.

But suddenly, a fold opened up and a figure ran out from it and did a flying jump kick at Matt knocking him back!

"What the...?", Matt questioned as he and everybody else got a good look at the person who attack Matt.

Once they saw who it was, they were shocked! The person was dressed just like Angelo and Joe with the black pants, white boots and white short-sleeved shirt, forearm bands and shash for a belt that hung off his right sides, that was white just like his headband. He also had a leather battle harness over his shirt. In addition to all of this, he had a long sword strapped to the back of his battle harness.

"Stay away from my mother!", Caleb said as he stood in his Guardian form glaring at Matt.

"Caleb?", Nerissa and Cornelia questioned at once.

"Caleb?, Matt questioned in shock.

"Caleb?", the other Guardians questioned in surprise.

"Hey, guys", Caleb said. "Heard you could use a little help."

A/N: That's right, folks! Caleb has joined the party! Bet you all didn't see that coming! But how and when did this happen? And is Elyon okay? And will Matt snap out of his rage before he does something he'll regret? And can the Oracle be stopped? Find out in the next few chapters!

Please review.

I'd like to thank HeartOfMeridian for the use of her White Knights from her "WITCH Season 4 Wants & Needs" story. I also like to thank TTigerz for her help with this chapter.

Thank you HeartOfMeridian & TTigerz!