A/N: As I continue to edit and revise my stories I will, when possible, replace the old, sloppy chapters with the new and freshly edited ones as soon as they are to my standards. You will see this note, along with possible variations of it, above all the chapters I have edited. Once all chapters are completely edited I will remove all author notes pertaining to the revision of the story.

Just as quickly as Nox and Maya disappeared into the swarming crowd, they ducked out of the cluster of spectators into an empty hallway. The hallway was constructed out of steal and looked like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. They had been running through the empty corridors and passageways of the spaceship for a few moments and could no longer hear the roaring thunder of the panicking crowd.

"N, where are we going?" Maya trembled. "Why did you kick Toby like that? Why is Lokar here? Isn't he the dark Kairu Master who destroyed Mookee's home planet?"

Nox skidded to a halt. "Maya," she spoke firmly, "Toby is not… He's not on our side. I don't know why Lokar's here but I know that if we stick around to find out, things won't end well. I've got to get you to Boaddai. You need to be safe… I need you safe…" Before Maya could say anything, Nox grabbed the little girl's hand and they continued to run. She did not have time to explain things further right now. She had to get Maya to out of here and fast. Nox had a very obscure feeling that Lokar was after Maya. It seemed to make sense, considering how Toby tried to keep them in the danger zone.

"N," Maya asked softly, "do you know where we are going?" It seemed to her that they were running in circles. Everything looked the same no matter where they went.

"Of course I do," she smiled. "Just up a bit further, around the corner, and then straight ahead is where the main docking station is. That's where the Redakai Council is supposed to meet if there's an emergency."

"Oh, okay," she mumbled sheepishly. She felt a bit guilty for doubting her best friend's abilities. For some reason Maya never fully understood, Nox always seemed to know how to get from one place to another.

As they continued to run alongside each other, Nox sighed and thought silently to herself, It's like I have a little compass inside my mind, directing me where to go. I can sense we're getting closer. No... He's here. Erian's beard! I thought he would've focused on the Redakai Council and not come after us!

The end of corridor was suddenly illuminated by hazy fuzz of bright-purple light. Lokar emerged from the cluster of light, his red cloak billowing behind him.

Both Nox and Maya stopped in their tracks. He was blocking their path.

"Now, what have we here?" he began to scoff at them. "I hope you two weren't thinking about running off to the Redakai Council." He grinned down at Nox and Maya.

Nox clenched her jaw slightly. They were alone, and helpless. She was well aware that Lokar was a skilled Kairu Master and was a very formidable foe. After all, Mookee's home planet was destroyed by Lokar. She was constantly reminded of the event since she lived with Mookee. It would be almost impossible for her to fend off Lokar by herself. It's not like she was doubting Maya's skills or anything. Despite Maya being very talented in the ways of Kairu for her age, she wasn't going to be much help with fighting Lokar.

There was a flash of bright-blue light and the hallway was illuminated once more.

Glancing behind her, Nox saw that Toby and two other Kairu Warriors had appeared, blocking the only other escape route available. She remembered the other two Kairu Warriors from the tournament, the redhead and the purple-haired-girl. She noted that Toby was standing with his weight on his right leg and the look of pain on his face. It occurred to her that she might have fractured one of his ribs, something that she was slightly proud of. After assessing the situation, she then directed her attention back to Lokar.

Lokar glided closer to them, "So you must be Nox Kenway. Toby mentioned you. Using the maintenance corridors to evacuate was very clever of you. Although, I can't say it was a very brave decision." He stared down at Nox.

In response to Lokar's advancement, Nox positioned herself in front of Maya.

He observed Nox's eyes. He noted that they appeared violet in this light. Yet he remembered very clearly, for she was the only one who was able to return his gaze without looking away in fear, they were most definitely pale-blue. "You are albino, correct?" he asked nonchalantly as he looked over the teen's features.

Suddenly Nox felt like the elephant in the room. A subtle tic started in Nox's jaw that only Lokar seemed to notice. Feeling paranoid and insecure, she silently cursed herself for not bringing sunglasses to prevent people from looking at her eyes. She couldn't stand the cynical half-smile Lokar was wearing. "I don't see how that's relevant," she said dismissively, trying to hide her insecurity with her sass. Yet she got the feeling that Lokar saw right though her disguise by the way he was smiling.

"I was just asking a question," Lokar said contemptuously. "There was no need for such rude behavior, Kenway."

"Just what exactly do you want?" Nox asked curtly. "I thought you would be more interested in the Redakai." Something was blocking Kairu senses, rendering her extrasensory ability useless. No matter how hard she concentrated, she couldn't sense the whereabouts of the Redakai's presence. This frightened her. Though it occurred to her that this could be happing because of two things. Either Lokar had defeated the Redakai, gotten his revenge, and now she and Maya were alone or that Lokar was purposely blocking her senses in order to psych her out. Nox hoped it was the latter.

"The Redakai is not my concern at the moment," Lokar replied slyly. "I have business with a certain blue-haired-girl." Lokar's gaze switched from Nox to Maya, who gently clung to Nox's side, then back to Nox. He had business with Maya and nothing was going to stop him. As for the other, if things went well, he would gain a new recruit.

Nox wrapped an arm around Maya and glared at Lokar. She knew it. Her intuition was right. Lokar attacked the tournament under the pretext of revenge, when his true purpose was to get Maya.

"Now," he said casually, "if you don't mind, I'll be taking your friend." He went to take another step forward, but stopped when Nox spoke up.

"What makes you think I'll let you take my friend?" Nox frowned. She clenched her jaw and became very tense. The thought of this man putting his hand on Maya set her on edge. Nobody was going to hurt Maya, her one and only best friend, as long as she was around.

Lokar gave a throaty chuckle, "Do you honestly believe you can stop me?" He continued to stare at Nox then switched his gaze from the daunting teenager, to Maya, then back to Nox again. He seemed to be sizing up the opponent.

"Well," Nox began, "I suppose I'll have to try. You're definitely aren't going to stop yourself, and you're definitely aren't going to leave us alone if I ask politely, are you?"

His smile faded and was replaced with a scowl.

"You should learn when to bite your tongue," Toby hissed. "It will get you in trouble." His nose was crinkled and his teeth were clenched. As much as he wanted Nox to pay for kicking him, he knew that talking back to Lokar would almost always lead to trouble.

"Haven't been told that before," she rolled her eyes.

"Silence!" Lokar demanded. He did not have time for such foolishness.

Just as he demanded, silence immediately fells across the hallway.

Once Lokar felt his authority had been established, he glowered down at Nox. "Now, Kenway," he hissed ruthlessly, "stand aside or else."

"Or else what?" Nox asked.

Smack! The sound echoed through the entire corridor along with the small whimper that escaped Nox's mouth.

"N!" Maya gasped. She stared at Nox who had recoiled in pain from the force of the slap.

Nox blinked and stared up at Lokar in shock. She didn't expect him to slap her. Her cheek stung and her pale skin turned pink. Her head ached and her ears were ringing. Her bottom lip was stinging with pain. She must've caught her lip on a tooth when Lokar slapped her. A trickle of blood made its way from the stinging cut, down to the bottom of her chin, until it finally hit the floor with a sickening drip and splattered on the white floor. Despite knowing she had crossed a line, she did not back down from her stance. Though she made a note of where that line was drawn to be certain she would not cross it again; unless it was necessary. That would be counterproductive. If she enraged Lokar enough there was no doubt in her mind that he would kill her without any sort of hesitation. Then Maya would be all alone without any protection. Her plan was to stall for time until she thought of a better plan.

Toby winced and shuddered. The smack sound was thick and her whimper was high pitched and both reverberated against the walls. Nox's red cheek sent shivers up his spine. It was obvious that Lokar had slapped Nox very hard and that, without a doubt, it hurt. He couldn't believe his master's forwardness. He was aware of Lokar's strict discipline and that he demanded respect. But he never once thought Lokar would ever lay his hands on someone who wasn't his student.

"Do not play games with me, Kenway," he scowled, his voice raised slightly. "You know what I will do if you don't get out of my way." Despite his overall anger at Nox's insolence, a small smirk of pleasure played in the corner of his mouth. He found her reddening check sickeningly pleasurable. The way he was able to silence the teen. The fear he was able to invoke in the other. It gave him the sense of being in control, a feeling her thrived off of.

"Is this how you normally handle things, Lokar?" Nox asked, slightly more cautious this time. "Because it seems kind of cowardly, considering you call yourself a Kairu Master and all," she finished with a bit more sass than caution. It was yet another one of her bad personality traits. She never could stop her sass.

It took every ounce of self-control Lokar had to restrain himself and not slap her again. Instead he chuckled, "No, I suppose it's not the proper way to handle things." He then sighed, "However, a Kairu Challenge is."

Nox tilted her head in confusion. "What are you saying?" The small trail of blood remained on her chin, she had decided not to wipe it away. She hatted having blood on her hands and arms. It brought back bad memories.

"You think you can beat me, well," Lokar chuckled condescendingly, "Kairu Challenge." He took a step backwards to make sure there was enough space between them, then pounded his fists together and bowed to properly issue a Kairu Challenge.

Toby and his teammates stood shocked. They knew Lokar was the type of Kairu Master who enjoyed dominating his opponents in battle but never once saw him issue a Kairu challenge, not even to the Redakai earlier today.

Maya squeezed Nox's hand even tighter. It was so tight that the blood circulation was almost impossible and Nox's left hand had turned slightly blue and felt numb and tingly.

"Hold on, wait," Nox raised an eyebrow. "You're challenging me, a kid, who is nowhere near your level of strength or skill just to prove a point?"

"Yes," Lokar smirked down at the confused teen. "There's nothing more pleasing to me than putting opponents in their place."

"All right then," she sighed firmly, "Challenge accepted." She disentangled her hand from Maya's and then pounded her fists together and bowed.

There was a sudden shift in the Kairu energy that was surrounding them. It had become stronger and more potent, demanding its presence to be felt by everyone in the area.

The sudden shift in Kairu energy made the hair on the back of Nox's neck ridged. Her heart was beating rather quickly. As much as she tried to hide it, the truth was she was actually very frightened. She wasn't sure she would be able to defeat Lokar in a one-on-one battle but she'd do anything to save Maya.

"N!" Maya whimpered. She tugged the hem of Nox's training robes.

"It's all right," Nox murmured to Maya softly, "I got this." Her attention was then directed back at Lokar.

Maya wanted to say something but kept quiet. The smirk Lokar wore frightened her into silence. She knew something bad was coming and didn't want Nox to get hurt.

"You accept a challenge from someone several times your age?" Lokar cocked an eyebrow. "You're either very brave or extremely confident in your skills." An enigmatic smile spread across his face.

"I like to think it's a bit of both," Nox retorted, trying to seem brave. Yet there was something hidden in Lokar's mysterious smile that made her a lot more attentive than she was before. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a door to a room she didn't see before. In her haste and panic, she must've missed it. It was a long shot, but Nox hoped that she could create a big enough distraction for her and Maya to be able to slip into the room without being detected. The only potential issue was that if there wasn't another exit that would leave them trapped inside the room.

"Seeing how I'm itching to finish you off," Lokar grinned maliciously, "Ice Tomb!" He raised his hand and a beam of ice shot out from it.

Before the attack was able to hit both her and Maya, Nox pushed the girl aside as a last resort to keep Maya from getting hurt. She felt the freezing blow wrap and stiffen around her, leaving her incased inside a block of ice.

"Get the girl," he commanded. "I will finish this one off myself."

Toby stood and watched his team mates go after Maya, who tried to make a run for it, and grab her before she could escape. He then turned his head to see Lokar walking closer to Nox. He didn't want Lokar to kill Nox and he wanted to say something but he knew his master would punish him for being disobedient.

Maya shrieked as the purple-haired-girl and redheaded boy grabbed her. She thrashed about trying to break free. Unfortunately, her childish strength was no match for the teenagers.

"Stop struggling," the redhead sneered.

"Let me go!" Maya screamed, lashing about trying to break free.

"You little brat," the purple-haired-girl hissed. Maya's fist had hit her in the nose.

"N!" Maya whimpered after seeing her friend frozen in ice. "You stay away from her!" she shouted at Lokar.

"Shut up, will you?" the redhead snapped.

Completely unconcerned over the commotion going on behind him, Lokar smiled as he circled Nox, who remained frozen inside the ice. His plan was going smoothly. He let out a throaty chuckle of self-satisfaction. Despite being slightly disappointed that he wasn't able to observe the teen's skill, he figured that she would've demonstrated it by now. Not to mention he didn't sense anything extremely special within her.

Dizzying darkness engulfed Nox's body. The coldness was rapidly draining every ounce of energy she had. The idea of giving into the swirling darkness was becoming more and more favorable by the second. It would be so much easier to give in than to fight back. Yet there was something preventing her from doing so. She couldn't remember what she was fighting for, and she struggled to pull the reason from her thoughtless mind.

Lokar raised his hand, ready to finish Nox off. His hand was surrounded by a red aura as he charged up his attack.

Maya shrieked as she watched with watery eyes in horror. "N!" she shrieked.

The cries penetrated the thick ice and reached Nox's ears. She remembered. Maya was in danger and if she didn't do something, Lokar would hurt her only friend. Her eyes snapped open. She tried to concentrate to use her Inner Kairu to shatter the ice that contained her.

As Lokar released the energy blast, Nox had used her Inner Kairu to break free. The two forces of energy met in the middle and created a small shockwave, filling the room with smoke and forcing Nox backwards.

The shockwave of energy even forced Lokar back a few steps. "What's this?" he said to himself. He was shocked that Nox escaped. No one had ever been able to escape his Ice Tomb before. He watched Nox with frustration and curiosity. His interest, of course, was to discover where the teen's power was coming from. It seemed that he had underestimated his opponent; something Lokar was dreadfully aware of now.

Nox staggered forwards as she regained her balance and glared at the people who were tormenting her friend. "Get away from my friend," she breathed heavily.

Not one of them moved.

"Look, Drew," the purple-haired-girl chuckled, "she thinks she can order us around." She was about to fire an attack at Nox.

"Julie!" Drew hissed. "Master Lokar said he wanted that one to himself."

"I said," Nox demanded, "get away from my friend." She emphasized each word. Her fists were clenched so tight her knuckles turned white.

"You think you can beat all of us?" Julie mocked. She let go of Maya, and took a step forward.

Drew grabbed Maya's other arm firmly. It wasn't necessary, however. Maya was paralyzed with fear and unable to move.

"I've beaten bigger people all by myself," she laughed unusually.

"Oh really?" Julie scoffed, "Like who?"

"It doesn't matter who," Lokar spoke before Nox could say something. "You should focus on your opponent while in battle, Kenway."

Nox turned to face Lokar. "You're going to regret going after my friend, Lokar," she snapped.

"Am I now?" he sneered.

She clenched her jaw tightly and scowled. She clenched her fist and her arm surged with energy. Then she swung her fist and a beam of red Kairu energy was blasted toward Lokar.

With nothing more than a flick of his hand, Lokar simply redirected the attack back at Nox. Not only did he use Nox's own attack against her, he mixed his own power into it as well. Purple lightning swirled around the red energy blast as it shot through Nox.

She let out a scream of agony. It felt as though she was being electrocuted while on fire. Nox fell to her knees in pain. No matter how hard she tried to move her body to stand up and fight, she found it impossible. She could not move. Whatever Lokar added to the attack, it made here immobile. All Nox could do was watch helplessly. One familiar feeling whirled throughout her body and reflected in her eyes. She felt afraid. Yes, she was defiantly afraid. But she knew she was not afraid of Lokar. No, she was afraid of losing Maya and not being strong enough to save her friend.

Lokar gave a deep chuckle as he walked over to Nox, who was still paralyzed. She was completely at this man's mercy. "You're a fool for trying to stop me, Kenway," he said menacingly. He tightly gripped the collar of her training robes and lifted her off the ground.

Nox stared wide-eyed at Lokar. Her limbs dangled helplessly no matter how hard she tried to move them. She watched a sickening grin spread across his face. Her heart was racing. She watched helplessly as he charged up an attack in his free hand. Something, it felt like a hand, jabbed her in the gut. There was a second's delay before the attack surged through her body. The purple lightning bolts rushed through her body. She threw her head back and let out a yelp of pain as she was electrocuted. Her eyes watered and she twitched about uncontrollably. Fresh blood dribbled out of the corner of her mouth and down her chin. It burned and felt as though her blood were boiling. Then, after a minute of torture, Lokar released Nox's collar but his other hand remand pressed against her abdomen. Before she could even fall a millimeter, there was another, much stronger than before, burst of energy. The force of the attack flung her through the air. She landed with a loud thud a few feet away. Her body lay motionless on the floor.

With Nox out of the way, Lokar turned to Maya.

"Stay away from me," Maya's voice quivered.

Lokar however did not stop. He smiled and reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Let me go!" She shrieked.

Lokar laughed, "Now, now, I won't hurt you." It was almost true; Lokar had no intentions of hurting the girl. However that would change if necessary. "But," he smirked, "You're coming with me."

"No!" Maya shrieked as she struggled about. "Leave me alone!"

Nox heard everything. She couldn't just lie around while her best friend was in danger. Get up, she told herself. I… need to get up. She tried to move. Nothing happened. Why can't I move? The overwhelming sensation of panic began to take control of Nox's body. As the anxiety began to flood through Nox. How was she going to save Maya if she couldn't move, let alone open her eyes? She tried to force herself to calm down. I can't deal with an anxiety attack right now. Not while Maya is still in danger. I need to focus on the task at hand. She concentrated on her breathing and was able slightly more focused on the task at hand. It took a few seconds, but she was eventually able to will her body to stand.

When she was finally on her shaky feet, she glared at Lokar. "Let her go," Nox demanded, her voice wavering only a bit. She tried to hide her pain with her anger. But it was hard. It hurt to stand and it hurt to breathe. Her pain wrecked body screamed in agony with any movement. Even when she wasn't moving pain surged through her body. But Maya was worth the pain. She showed no signs of pain or torment. Hiding her pain was something Nox was good at. After all, she had practice.

"I'm impressed that you're still able to stand," he stated as he turned to face Nox. He released Maya's arm.

Maya jerked her arm away, her instincts told her to run but Lokar's E-Teens had her surrounded.

"You're in for a world of pain, Kenway," Julie sneered at Nox.

Unconcerned about Julie's comment, Nox continued to scowl at Lokar. Once again Nox and Lokar's eyes were locked in a deadly battle of glares.

Despite Nox's angry expression, Lokar wore a smug smile across his lips. He knew she was in pain, her efforts to hide it from her were useless.

"Isn't she cute when she's mad," Drew smiled to himself.

Toby tried to suppress a sigh of relief, but it came out despite his efforts.

Drew turned to him, shrugged, and looked away.

"I'm about to get real adorable," Nox hissed under her breath as she pulled out her X-Reader. She was about to transform into one of her more powerful monsters but stopped when Lokar spoke up.

"You're not like the average Kairu Warrior," he remarked.

"What?" Nox asked. She was completely caught off guard by his comment and felt strangely awkward because of it. She hated compliments, and she especially hated them from strangers.

"Well I must say, you are definitely much more resilient than most Kairu Warriors of your age, I'll give you that much," he stared down at Nox. After Nox took such critical damage in battle, he was surprised she could even stand let alone have the will power to continue the battle. "Boaddai is not worthy of someone of your skills," he finally stated.

"Just what do you mean?" she titled her head. As much as she wanted to get both herself and Maya out of here safely, she still found herself curious about what Lokar was talking about.

Finally, Lokar had his chance to persuade Nox to his side. He smiled smugly, "I sense you have an affinity with the darker side of Kairu."

"N, what's he talking about?" Maya ask worriedly. While she was still afraid of being surrounded by Lokar's cronies, she was more worried about what Lokar was saying. She didn't like what Lokar was suggesting at all. Nox was a bit of a rebel when it came to following the rules but she'd never mess with the dark side of Kairu. Or at least that's what Maya hoped.

"I honestly have no idea," she said without looking at Maya. The words tasted bitter in her mouth. She knew very we'll what Lokar was talking about. Nox found out early on that when it came to things pertaining to the dark side of Kairu, they came relatively easy to her. At night, when Nox would read, she would sometimes find herself drawn to books containing anything about the dark side of Kairu. When she was alone, Nox would sometimes mess around with her Inner Kairu. It was never anything devious, though. She never took things too far and never crossed any lines. It was just really interesting to the young teen's mind. But she could never let Maya, especially Boaddai, know that. They would be concerned. Nox didn't want anybody to worry about her. "Although, I'm pretty enthralled with what you're saying," she directed her attention back on Lokar, "so, please, continue."

Enjoying the fact that he had grasped Nox's attention and had her curiosity getting the better of her, he glided closer to her. "Well, you have so much potential," he said in his most beguiling of tones. He stared down at Nox and said smoothly, "It's wasted as a student of Boaddai's, I should know."

Maya wanted to run to Nox's side she was so scared. Being surrounded by E-Teens and being aware of the fact that she was completely defenseless frightened her even more.

Toby must have sensed her desire to runaway because he said, "You're not going anywhere, Maya."

She cringed at the way he said her name.

"Lokar will have Nox on his side in a matter of moments, he can be very convincing," Toby whispered.

"That's not true!" she stuttered, "N would never do such a thing!" Yet as she watched Nox and Lokar talking, she saw Nox's curiosity and interest growing steadily with every word Lokar spoke.

"Think about it, Nox, I can bring you to greatness. I can help you achieve your fullest potential," Lokar smiled charismatically.

Nox frowned slightly. Something about his logic appealed to her.

"We both know your potential surpasses Boaddai's," he went on, "there is nothing more he can teach you. You're aware of that, aren't you? I, on the other hand, can teach you so much more. Continue you're training with me, and I will make sure your true potential is reached. There is no shame in switching sides, Nox. So, what do you say?"

"Well, Lokar," Nox began, "I must say, you are very convincing."

"You made the right choice," Lokar smiled. He was pleased with himself. He may have failed with getting the revenge he desperately wanted but it was not without a small victory. He had Maya and gained a new recruit.

"You didn't let me finish," Nox shook her head.

Lokar raised an eyebrow.

"As much I agree with what you said, I'll have to decline," she angled her body towards Maya, her eyes never leaving Lokar's, "Ink cloud!"

A deep purple smoke filled the entire hallway. Toby attempted to grab Maya but failed, his injury had greatly reduced his speed. Julie and Drew stumbled over each other, trying to stop Nox and Maya from escaping.

"Come on," Nox whispered in Maya's ear, "let's go!" She grabbed Maya's hand and they ran. They ducked into the room that, fortunately led to another corridor. Before they made their full escape, Nox made sure to disable the door by smashing the padlock.

The thirty second distraction proved to make an affective get away. By the time Lokar waved his hand through the smoky air to neutralized Nox's attack, the two were already long gone. After taking a second to scowl at his E-Teens, who scrambled to their feet and tried to make themselves look less incompetent, he went over to the room they had ran into. He tried to open it, but the button didn't work. It only sent out a few sparks. "That clever little girl…" Lokar thought out loud when he realized that Nox must have short circuited the device. He gritted his teeth and silently cursed himself. How could he have been so idiotic and not noticed she was playing his game better then he was?