Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H. This is a work of fan fiction.

Season Three Episode Thirteen: "The Dark Veil" Chapter Two

Uriah Dunn ran scared from his pursuers. He still couldn't believe what rotten luck he was having lately. First, he had started finding himself easily frightened by almost everything around. He had controlled this at first, but the last two days, since someone as seemingly harmless as Bess Grumper had turned on him in a fit of rage, all control had been lost. He was barely functioning.

And now there was his current situation. He had just been on his way from last class to the radio studio when out of nowhere these strange men appeared. Something about them was creepy enough that he probably would've turned tail even before his new phobic problem. Now he was running as if the Devil himself were in chase. Actually, Uriah thought to himself, that probably wasn't far off with these guys.

And so, running headlong and more worried about what was behind him than in front of him, he rounded a corner and slammed into someone standing there. "Oh man, I'm glad you're here." he started to say, "There's these big scary guys chasing me-" Uriah trailed off as he looked and saw he had run into another of them. Before he could turn and run again, the man pulled a strange device from his belt and pointed it at him. He never knew what hit him.

Kandrakar. After Miranda had finished retelling her story, Halinoor sat back for a moment, thinking. Finally she said, "I have a suspicion. Tell me Miranda, can you remember the Dark Queen's exact words when she offered you power? The precise wording may be important in confirming or denying what I'm thinking…"

"I think so." Miranda answered. "She said something like… 'I will give you a measure of my power as the Heart of Varthan.' Yeah, that's it."

"Yes, that would fit." Halinoor murmured, almost to herself.

Elyon stepped closer. "What are you thinking Halinoor? I can tell you've got some kind of idea. I can also tell it's really upsetting you. What do you think is going on?"

Sighing deeply, Halinoor answered "I do have an idea, and yes it's not good. But I want to consult with the Oracle upon his awakening, before I say anything. That should be sometime tomorrow morning. Until then, I think you girls should go on home. We'll contact you one way or the other once we know for certain."

As they turned to leave, Alchemy asked "That's it then? I was expecting more."

"She's trying to keep from scaring us." Miranda stated flatly. "Whatever Halinoor suspects, it's so bad she's terrified by it and wants to spare us that fear for now in case she's wrong about it."

"How can you be so sure?" Will asked. "She looked unsettled sure, but not terrified."

"I'm not going by looks. I could smell the fear on her." Miranda replied.

Varthan. A fold opened and retrieval team three returned home from earth. The team's commander deposited Uriah on the ground next to Courtney, then bowed before Neera. "Mission accomplished Dark Queen." he said.

"Well done my servant. You are dismissed." As the soldiers left, Neera turned to Aljax and Garix. "Recovery is going well." she said, "Aljax, return to the palace and prepare the mindquavers. Garix, see to the transference chamber."

Aljax bowed and left on his assignment. Garix also bowed, then said "I go to obey Mother. If I may ask, though, for what purpose do you remain here?"

Watching as men transferred her two captives to gurneys and carried them towards the palace, Neera said "It is time to remove the Counsel's ability to assist the Guardians. This was a part of the plan from the beginning after all. I am standing in the best location to channel the needed power. Stand clear my son, this amount of energy could harm even you."

Garix replied, "I will proceed with my orders." As he left for the palace, Neera closed her eyes and reached deep down within herself, to the core of her power as the Heart of Varthan. She pulled loose a mass of energy, shaped it, and with a mighty roar sent it surging into the space between worlds…

Heatherfield, the Silver Dragon. Blunk was searching through the dumpsters for treasure when Yan Lin came out the back door carrying a small bag of trash. As she went to throw it into the dumpster, she suddenly froze up. Dropped the bag and put both hands to her head. Began to shudder. Even Blunk could tell something was wrong. Looking around to be sure no one else was in the alley, he jumped out and ran to her side. "You okay? Hello? Guardian Grandma okay?" There was no response.

Blunk slipped into the restaurant's basement and crept up the stairs. Opened the door just far enough to see into the kitchen. Luckily, Hay Lin was between deliveries and standing close enough to hear his "pssst!" Blunk led her to Yan Lin.

Upon seeing the condition her grandmother was in, Hay Lin became very frightened. "Granma? Granma? Blunk what happened to her?"

Shrugging, he answered "Blunk not know. One minute fine, next minute like this. Blunk come to find you when he not get answer either."

Hay Lin pulled out her cell and started to dial 9-1-1. Just as she was about to hit 'send' Yan Lin grabbed her hand, stopping the call. "Be calm granddaughter. I am okay. I will admit that was quite a shock though."

"What was quite a shock? What happened to you?" Hay Lin asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. Something happened. I felt something happening somewhere in the infinite worlds. Something very big. Very big… …and very bad."

Hay Lin and Blunk exchanged an uneasy glance at each other.

In the space between worlds, the mass of energy Neera released headed straight for Kandrakar. Upon arriving, however, it did not impact the planet. Instead, it began to spread apart, growing rapidly, enveloping the entire world within it's energies. Slowly, surely, unstoppably, the Dark Veil was born…

Kandrakar. Will opened a fold back to earth and the four girls stepped in. Immediately they knew something was wrong. Folds were instantaneous transportation, yet this time they seemed to be trapped within it's confines. The girls found each other, linked hands. They looked ahead and saw the far end of the fold, the earth end, receding from sight. "What's going on?" A terrified Alchemy asked.

"I don't know. This has never happened before." Will answered her.

Elyon said, "Look ahead! The end on earth is getting further away! I think we better run for it before it's too late!"

And so, working together, they struggled forward towards the exit. It was hard going, as there was a flow of energy, palpable as a strong wind, blowing in the other direction, back towards Kandrakar. They made headway though, and the exit drew closer. At the last minute, the energy flow suddenly reversed itself. The teens were thrown violently towards the exit and emerged into Will's living room with a sudden rush, as if they had been shot out of a cannon. Behind them, the fold closed on it's own.

"What the heck was that?" Miranda asked.

"I have no idea." Will answered. "Are we all okay though?" Everyone nodded in the affirmative. She then said "Here's another question: Why did the fold close on it's own? They're not supposed to do that."

Will used the Heart, and tried to open another fold back to Kandrakar. Nothing happened. Tried twice more with the same results. Elyon said "Let me try." but got the same thing. She looked at the others. "You guys don't suppose…"

"A veil of her very own? Neera's capable of it, surely." Miranda said.

Now starting to freak out a little, Elyon said "Mom and dad are still on Meridian!" She raised a hand and a fold opened.

"That's a relief." Will said. "Guess it was just a quirk."

"No. This fold leads to Meridian." Elyon explained. She opened two more folds. "These two go to Zambala and Varthan." She closed all three folds. "But when I try to open one to Kandrakar…" She waved a hand with no results "…nothing. Neera's put up a veil alright. But one that only contains Kandrakar itself…"