War of Hearts

by Storyseeker

Kandrakar's true history is stranger and more dangerous than anyone knew. What part does Cornelia's sister, Lillian, have to play in it, and what is her connection to Nerissa?

4. Chapter 4

W.I.T.C.H. doesn't belong to me. I'm just doing this for fun.

Many thanks to Aesop for his help in editing and consulting with ideas!

Set shortly after the end of Season 2.

0000000000

Mount Thanos;

30 Years Ago:

'The walls…walls closing in…' Nerissa's deranged thoughts went around and around, taking her nowhere, as she stared at the impregnable stonewalls of her cell. They weren't moving of course, but after so many years with no one but herself for company, she could no longer differentiate reality from imagination.

"I think I've gone a little loopy, wouldn't you say, Cassidy?" she asked her late friend, which was nothing more than a pile of sheets in front of her. Every now and then, her departed friend would take on the form of whatever item there was in her cell, not that there was much in there. Her cell consisted of the stone-walls, energy bars, some sheets and some edible moss that grew on the back-wall. There was even a small trickle of water at the back, supplying her with fresh water, and a small hole that she used as a lavatory.

The cell had everything needed to keep her alive, but nothing to keep her sane. She had been trapped there now for almost ten years, ever since that damned Oracle had left her there to rot!

"Only here till I face my guilt, HA!" she sniggered blatantly. "What, pray tell, have I to face? Tell me, Cassidy old friend, what, WHAT?!"

But, of course, as always, Cassidy had no answers for her. The Oracle had imprisoned her there as punishment for killing Cassidy, saying she would remain there until she faced her guilt and redeemed herself.

"I didn't mean to kill you!" she insisted. "I only wanted the Heart of Kandrakar back, as it was mine to begin with! Why couldn't you just relinquish it without a fuss?!"

For the first two years, her old friends Kadma, Halinor and Yan Lin had come to visit her often, but over time the visits had stopped. They claimed that their duties as Guardians made it hard for them to find time to come, but she knew better.

"They never wanted to come anyway!" she snarled. Even before the accident with Cassidy, although they had been civil and somewhat close as companions, they had never truly been her friends. Only Cassidy had been her true friend, as they had known each other since kindergarten. The rest were all just people who hung out with them.

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" she yelled, her screams echoing off the walls of the cavern. "It wasn't…it wasn't…it was…"

"Glad to hear it," a new voice suddenly spoke.

Nerissa spun around, once more facing the bars of her cell. They were composed of pure energy; the sort that her Guardian powers should have been able to bend to her will, except this kind of energy was pure magic, immune to elemental power. Worse, they were enchanted to prevent anyone disabling them, and should anyone attempt to do so then they would instantly sound an alarm, alerting the Council of Kandrakar.

When Nerissa stared between the bars, she found a man staring back at her. The man was handsome, apparently in his early 30s, with a well-built strong body. The only thing that ruined his perfect image was his eyes. It wasn't that they were ugly, but they just seemed so…so…dark. And the way they stared right at her, looking as though they were searching her very soul, unnerved her.

By then, she thought that she had well and truly gone mad.

"A pleasure to meet you," the man said, bowing before her. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ian Hexin, of Hexin Industries. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

A few minutes passed, but Nerissa said nothing. She was still adjusting to the fact that there was actually someone in her cave, with her, for the first time in years. She had fantasised about there being other people with her, but they had only been delusions of a mind that had been kept in solitude for one too many years. But all those delusions had been of people she knew, and this man was one she had never seen before in her life.

"Are you real?" she finally asked. She knew it was a stupid question, like something a baby would ask, but her mind was still adjusting.

"Yes, quite so." He replied. "And judging from your reaction, I assume no, you have not heard of me." He stepped closer to her cell, which in turn made her back off.

"Have no fear," he said assuredly. "I am not here to hurt, but merely to offer an opportunity."

"Opportunity?" she said quietly.

He nodded, slowly walking around the cavern, examining everything in sight, though there was little else except her, her cell, the rocks and snow. "As I already stated, I am the head of a multi-national organisation called Hexin Industries. My organisation has holdings in virtually every industry from nuclear missiles to canned dog-food. However, that is merely for show…" He reached the bars of her cell, placing the tip of his finger up next to them.

"The true heart of my organisation is for a purpose unknown to the rest of the world. To investigate, contain and learn about all manner of supernatural activities reported all over the entire planet."

"When you say supernatural…?"

"I mean mystical, my dear lady," he confirmed for her. "Over the years, my people have acquired a number of talismans and information that allows them to do things beyond humanity's comprehension. One of those things gains us the ability to detect magical energy in certain areas. That is what led me here, to you."

"Me? Why?"

He shrugged. "You tell me… As I said, our means merely detected the presence of something magical here in this cave, on this mountain. We knew not what it was, let alone who it was. We just knew it was here. So I came here to investigate, and lo and behold, I found you." He lightly tapped his finger against the energy bars, causing them to fizz and sizzle a little. "Clearly you're a being of magical powers, my lovely, but would you care to explain why you're here?"

Nerissa paused for a moment. She had by then accepted that this man was no delusion. That meant only one thing, and that was that for the first time in nearly a decade she had a means of escape from her incarceration! But she had to play it safe, as one wrong move might send this man running from her, and she'd lose her chance for freedom. However, she had a distinct advantage for the moment, and that was this man had a thirst for knowledge and power, something she was very familiar with, and one she could exploit and use to her advantage.

Hexin, as that was his name, obviously knew she was not what she appeared to be. He had told her his resources had discovered the presence of something mystical, and that could only be her. So she had to tell him something…

"I…am Nerissa," she said slowly, still finding it hard to speak. Although she had accepted Hexin as real, after so many years alone she found it hard to start talking to someone other than herself. "I am…or I was once a Guardian."

"Interesting," he said. "A Guardian of what, may I ask?"

"Of a place unknown to you, another world called Kandrakar."

It streaked across his face in but the fraction of a second, so fast that she couldn't be certain that she had even seen it, but for one brief moment she thought she saw a look of what she could only describe as pure longing…and triumph.

"Kandrakar?" he asked. "Interesting. Maybe you could tell me more about it?"

"I could…" she said, giving him a small smile. "But what's in it for me?"

He returned her smile with one of his own. It was not a pleasant expression. She wouldn't admit it, but his stare and smile made her want to run and hide. "I can offer you two of the things you crave most."

She chuckled. "What could you possibly know about what I want?"

"A great deal, I imagine," he replied, staring at her again with that same cold and calculating gaze. "In business, being observant and a good judge of character is necessary to success. Judging by your surroundings, you have obviously been incarcerated for some reason. To be sealed within a cave, in a mountain, no one to talk to, and judging by your appearance…" He indicated the state of her clothes, which had definitely seen better days, and her generally haggard appearance. "I'd say it's been a while since you've been to a hair salon. All a bit drastic I say, but hey, for all I know these Kandrakarians have a medieval type of justice system."

She lost her smile. "I was betrayed," she seethed, as she remembered how her former friends Yan Lin, Halinor and Kadma had left her to rot here.

"I'm sure. Just as I am sure that besides freedom, the one other thing that you desire most of all is…vengeance!" He smiled at the expression on her face, as she turned to him again. "I'm right, aren't I? Those are the things that you crave most, freedom and revenge."

"Not revenge!" she insisted. "Justice! I was judged unfairly, and then left to rot here in this stinking cell for all eternity!"

"Of course, justice. My mistake," he apologised. "But either way, what chance do you have of accomplishing either of those things while you're stuck here, languishing in this prison till old age and death claims you?"

"I would escape in a heartbeat if I could! But these bars are enchanted not only to keep me in, but if they are ever disturbed then my former employers will be alerted to my escape instantly! There is no safe place on earth that I can run or hide."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure of that." His smile grew. "Perhaps I can offer a demonstration, as well as a free sample."

"What do you mean?"

"You desire freedom and revenge. I shall give you the first, and should you wish to depart on your own, then so be it. If not… Well, let's see, shall we?"

She laughed. "How can you possibly…?" she began, but Hexin was not listening, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a small mirror, with a small box of electronics attached to it.

He moved right up to the energy bars, opened the mirror and placed it right between two of the bars on the ground. The moment he did so, the lights of the bars reflected off the bottom of the ground, joining with the other two next to them, and created a large gap in the cell's entrance.

"Maybe I can't destroy the bars of your cell without being noticed," he admitted, "but not every problem requires a violent solution. Sometimes, the simplest of methods prove to be the most effective."

He motioned for her to move forward, and for the first time in almost a decade, Nerissa walked free.

The second she passed the energy bars, she felt as though she had been holding her breath for hours, and only now was she finally able to let go and breathe. She was free! At long last, she was free!

Mere words could not express the emotions that Nerissa felt at that moment. She was anxious, elated, overjoyed, thirsty, hungry, and wanted to do a million things all at once.

"Now, doesn't that feel better?" Hexin asked, never losing his smile, a fact that spoilt the moment a little for her.

"How did you…?"

"I told you," he said, reaching down to retrieve the mirror, which when removed instantly reverted the two bars back to their original position, once more sealing the supposedly inescapable cell. "My organisation studies all things mystical, and we also have access to all the world's most advanced of technology. I find a combination of science and sorcery can prove more effective than either one alone."

She didn't know what else to say. She had just adjusted to there being someone other than herself in her cave, and now she had to adjust to actually being out of her cell for the first time in years.

"I've kept my word," he then said. "What happens next is your decision, my dear."

"What do you mean?"

"I said I would give you one of the two things you desire most, which I have done. You have your freedom, and as a sign of good faith, I will even have my escort drop you off wherever you want to go. Only question is, once you go there…what will you do?"

Nerissa opened her mouth, but couldn't think of an answer. What was she going to do? She was an outcast of Kandrakar, so she couldn't go home. With Cassidy gone, she had no one to turn to. Everyone else she knew would most likely turn her in to the Council straight away.

"Do you still desire veng… Sorry, I mean justice?" he then asked her.

Nerissa looked up at him, and nodded. Yes, that was the one thing she was still positive about. She had lost nearly ten years of her life, thanks to that damn Oracle! Now, it was payback time!

"Then how do you intend to carry out your task, if I may ask?"

Nerissa paused at that, because frankly she had no idea. As she had just realised, she had nowhere to go or anyone to turn to, she had no resources to speak of, and barely any knowledge of sorcery or science with the exception of her Guardian powers, which were now at minimum. Since she no longer had the Heart of Kandrakar, her powers were now weakened, and with no Heart to fuel them they would gradually drain her own life-force the more often she used them.

Normally, that wouldn't be so bad while she was still young, but she was now almost 30. The more she used her power, the more it would drain her until she had practically no life left.

Taking all this into account, the idea of her wishing to bring down the Oracle, one of the most powerful beings in the universe, was laughable. There was no way she could achieve it.

"You have no idea, do you?" Hexin confirmed. "But there is a way."

"How?"

"Join me and my organisation. Tell me everything you know about Kandrakar, its secrets and your former position with them. In return, I will share all the knowledge in my organisation that will aid you in your coming war with them."

"Why would you do this?" she asked, looking suspiciously at him.

"As I said, my organisation was created for the research and capture of all things mystical. As for why I'm giving you this…" he explained. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and knowledge for knowledge, plain and simple. You give me something worthwhile, and I in turn give you something equally worthwhile. That is the whole purpose of my organization after all."

Nerissa didn't buy that for one second. There was definitely something off about Hexin that she couldn't quite put her finger on, something sinister. But try as she might, she could see no other option open for her. She was all alone in a world, in a universe where she was the outlaw with nothing and no one to turn to.

Besides, she need not tell him everything about Kandrakar. Better to leave out a few details, just in case if she ever needed something to bargain with him in the future.

"Very well," she agreed.

0000000000

Washington D.C.; 8 Years Later:

Agent Nerissa Sanchez of Hexin Industries made her way through the vast underground corridors of the company's main headquarters. The official building up above was large enough, with its 40 storey high offices of glass and iron, but gigantic when combined with that of the vast complex hidden beneath it, consisting of laboratories, numerous libraries on virtually every subject, and display rooms of countless artefacts the company had gathered from all corners of the globe.

Even with a map, it was possible to get lost in the underground complex.

After Hexin had freed her from her cell on Mount Thanos, he had brought her to Washington where his main headquarters was located. It had been disconcerting for her to be around so many people, after years of isolation, but when Hexin had showed her his vast library, she soon adjusted.

She had spent the next few weeks, after that, getting used to her new environment and spending a lot of her time in the libraries.

The knowledge he possessed was astounding! She doubted that even the Mage of Meridian had this much information. He had virtually everything, from detailed instructions on spirit-walks as performed during the time of stone-age cavemen, to modern Voodoo curses.

In addition to the knowledge he possessed, he provided a few extra benefits…a deluxe apartment to use as she would, $100,000 annual wage, and free access to most of the company's advanced technology and mystical items. Because of the last, she had many magical talismans at her disposal, which meant she no longer had to rely solely on her limited Guardian powers.

That was one of the job's main advantages, as without the Heart of Kandrakar her powers now slowly drained her life force, and now that she was in her late 30s, the price of using her powers without a conduit was high. And she had no great desire to lose half her years, not to mention her youthful looks. She now only used her powers in an emergency.

But, as she soon came to realise, nothing in this world came free, and Hexin made that clear when he asked her for all information regarding her former position as Guardian for Kandrakar. He seemed really interested in the Council and their Fortress at The Heart of Infinity, but she supposed that was natural, as that was his job, to find out all he could about such things.

So she gave him all the information he asked for. She told him almost everything he wanted to know about Kandrakar and the Guardians…but not everything she knew. She stayed true to her original plan, and kept a few bits and pieces of info handy just in case. He knew of the Guardians, but nothing about who they were or where they lived, except for her and Cassidy. Since she was dead, Nerissa saw no reason to keep anything about her a secret.

She explained that the rest of them were girls that had been chosen by the Oracle to be his soldiers of justice (not something he had literally said, but it had seemed more or less true to her, since that was the reason he had called them in the first place). Cassidy and she had been friends since kindergarten, but the rest were all strangers to them (that was a lie, as they had all attended the same school together, though the five of them had never got close until they were 13).

She told him about the Oracle, the rest of the Council, their Fortress, and of course the Heart of Kandrakar itself.

For the second time since he had rescued her, Nerissa swore she saw his eyes light up when she mentioned the Heart, if only for an instant.

He seemed to forget all about the Council and Guardians, and concentrated more on the Heart. He had asked her for all she knew about it, how she had gotten it, what it had been used for, and one he seemed most insistent on…where was it now?

Nerissa had answered his questions efficiently, telling him how the Oracle had given it to them, and before them it had been kept in the Fortress for several centuries, fuelling the power of the Council. When Hexin again asked where the Heart was now, she explained that she didn't know. She had been the Heart's original keeper, but the Oracle had taken it from her, giving it to Cassidy. When Cassidy died (by pure accident!) and she had been imprisoned, the Oracle had taken the Heart away. She could only assume that one of the other Guardians now had it, but who that was and where they were now was unknown to her.

Hexin had kept his face neutral and stoic, as he always did, but she could practically smell the disappointment and anger rising from him.

Everything else she kept hazy at best, but she did provide him with more than enough information to keep him happy. He had also helped get her settled in Washington by providing her with a deluxe apartment as her new home, and a job as one of his new agents. With her guardian powers that gave her an edge in a fight and her obsessive drive to learn, the better to seek her revenge, she soon became one of his most valuable employees.

She entered her office, sighing as she went to her desk and computer. Hexin had access to all sorts of technology decades ahead of the rest of the world.

Despite her security level, though, she was still kept in the dark about pretty much everything (something she detested). She watched and learned, gathering as much information about her benefactor as she could.

She noticed immediately that he made numerous trips to places in Europe, mostly to the excavation sites of what appeared to be old Nazi concentration camps. She had attempted to find out why from some of the other agents, but none could tell her much about anything, as they had been ordered not to discuss it, or they just plain didn't know. Hexin was most efficient when it came to secrecy, even more so than Nerissa herself.

She spent most of her time studying all the books within Hexin's collection. She discovered many interesting things about Earth and its mystical history. She made special note of the existence of some kind of inter-dimensional gateway in an old street in Washington.

The gateway was located, at present, in an old store that had been abandoned for some years. It had been sold and rented out a few times, but no one who bought it ever wanted to stay. There were stories that there had been strange sounds coming out of nowhere, and one man even claimed that he had suddenly found himself in a whole other world. The locals all believed the old store to be haunted, and thus had stayed far away from it.

There was no mention of where, precisely, the gateway led to, but according to her research, such a gateway could not be opened without a source of magical energy to fuel it. The only other way the gate would open on its own, was if it had been left undisturbed for a good many centuries, allowing it to store up enough energy to open, and even then it would only open once or twice, and then more centuries would have to pass before it would open again.

If the story about one of the shop's former owners, finding himself in another world, was true, then the gate's energy was now spent for another few centuries, thus, the only way to open it was to use a source of magic to fuel the gate. If there was such an item in Hexin's headquarters, then it was nowhere her security clearance granted her access to.

Nerissa had just returned from a mission in Cairo. She had been sent there to do some research on an ancient relic that had recently been found in the Egyptian desert. The relic was an old staff, which judging by its engravings and the sun-based style of it, it was one probably used by ancient priests of the sun god Ra. There were rumours that the staff had mystical properties that could harness the powers of the sun.

She had been sent to investigate and confirm whether or not the staff was genuine. It had taken her a while, as the security at the Cairo museum where it was being kept was top notch and not easy to get around. Not to mention all the spells she had to research to find out which ones would get her the answers she needed. In the end she succeeded, only to find that the staff was just that, a mere staff of gold. Excellent for decoration, lousy for magic.

She picked up the phone to contact Hexin's private secretaries, and inform them as to when they could expect her report.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end sounded.

"Agent Sanchez here. I have just returned from Cairo. I have the report on the…"

"Many thanks, Agent Sanchez, but that will not be necessary for the time being. We are preparing for Mr Hexin's return."

"Return?" she queried. She had been unaware that Hexin had even left during her absence. "Where has he been?"

"On another excursion to Europe. I believe he was there investigating some digs near an old concentration camp."

"Why?"

"That is all anyone is privy to know about. You may hand in your report tomorrow. Good day." The secretary hung up before Nerissa could say another word.

She fumed. Another trip to Europe, she thought, and again to an old concentration camp? What was it he found so fascinating about WWII history?

She frowned, chewing on her lower lip.

0000000000

Two Days Later:

Over the next two days Nerissa grew increasingly frustrated. She had tried to get in touch with Hexin, but he had been uncooperative. He only sent a reply, saying that what they were working on did not concern her, and she should concentrate on her own cases instead of snooping into others.

If it was one thing Nerissa detested above all else, it was to be left out of the loop, and Hexin was doing just that! She had gone through it with the Oracle, and she was damned if she was going to let Hexin do the same to her!

Over the course of the next two days, she learned very little about what he was up to, but she was able to find something at least. When it became clear that she wasn't going to get anything from Hexin's personal staff, she decided to try other methods.

She skimmed through every report, from the highly detailed to those that recounted simple rumours, on her computer screen. She had used every resource available to her in the company, from hacking into the government's reports concerning the excavation sites, to viewing reports from the airport when Hexin had returned home.

She knew that Hexin had been to Poland at the site of an old concentration camp. The reason why that knowledge was not secret was most likely because Hexin wouldn't have been able to hide it even if he wanted to. Having someone like Ian Hexin, a prestigious businessman, having his company help fund an excavation was not something easily hidden.

So far, all she had learned about the reason Hexin had funded the digs was because he seemingly had a vested interest in WWII, but nothing other than that.

Actually, though, he had not been to the camp itself, but a spot a few miles outside of it, in what had once been an old field, now a construction site. Apparently, the people who had been doing the construction had located the remains of more than 100 human corpses. It was believed they were former prisoners of the camp. Sometimes, the prisoners' bodies were simply dumped in a hole, buried and forgotten.

For some reason, Hexin was interested in these bodies beyond all else, so much so that he had provided the latest technology available to the scientists working at the digs. He seemed intent in learning the identities of the people buried there, though many told him that was unlikely, as the Nazis had destroyed all their records at the end of the war, particularly those in their camps, so identifying the deceased might not be possible. But Hexin was insistent, and since he was the one signing their cheques, they had complied.

Hexin had spent several weeks out there, overlaying all the site's progress reports until finally, for some reason; he just suddenly packed up and returned home. Nerissa found this most interesting of all, as he had not requested that the lab-boys provide him with continuous progress reports, which could only mean one thing; he had found what he had been looking for. Whatever that was, though, was still a mystery.

There was no mention of him taking anything from the sites, however she did discover from the airport files that he had returned home with considerably more luggage that what he had flown out with. But then again, that was hardly unusual, as many people who went overseas often came back with souvenirs.

'But what kind of souvenirs has he brought back?' she wondered.

She checked out the luggage report from the airport, and among them she found that he had also brought back with him a large container, but the specifics on what that container had held were sealed.

Nerissa frowned. It was clear that Hexin must have taken something from the site and brought it back with him to Washington. He had probably paid someone off to look the other way when they were wheeling it out, or simply not reported it when they did. But what could be so important from the graves of old death camp prisoners that had died decades ago, that Hexin would go to the trouble of all this secrecy?

'Perhaps one of the people had something with them when they were buried?' she thought, listing all the main possibilities. She dismissed that option though, as she knew very little about Nazi history, but doubted that the soldiers would let their prisoners keep anything of value with them.

'Unless it was something they didn't know was valuable?'

Nerissa checked all of Hexin's latest acquisitions, but there was no mention of anything from Poland. But if it was here, then chances were he would have it in his highest security vault by now, and she didn't possess the security clearance required. She didn't even know where it was, as Hexin kept the restricted archives secret.

Frowning, she thought. In the time she had worked under Hexin she knew one thing, and that was he would never keep anything he considered important far from him. So it stood to reason that wherever the archives were they must be somewhere close by, where he would have easy access.

It was a simple and logical conclusion. The only problem with that was that Hexin's headquarters had more than enough hiding places for such objects. Searching them all would take weeks if not months.

'Where would he keep them?' she thought.

Then she realized that no matter how secret the place might be, he would need to keep records that he could access at will. Such records would be marked for his eyes only. And there was only one place that Hexin spent the most time, and that was in his private study at his mansion-home. She had been there once or twice, but never for long enough to explore.

"Well," she said out loud. "Looks like I'm going into the cat burglar business."

0000000000

Next Night:

She hadn't bothered trying to get any information about Hexin's home, as everything that other people knew she would undoubtedly know already. Considering how secretive and security obsessed Hexin was at his workplace, she'd be amazed if he wasn't twice as paranoid about his own home.

Although she rarely used her former Guardian powers, she hadn't allowed herself to get out of practise. She had used some of her free time to learn how to better control her powers, and one of the things she realised she could also do was to make herself invisible to certain security systems, including cameras. It was a simple matter of using her electrical powers to form a sort of dampening field around her entire person, acting to block out her entire form to any form of electronic security device.

The guards, however, were another matter.

Nerissa silently tiptoed the floors of Hexin's mansion, cursing lowly as her shoes echoed on the solid marble. 'This must be one of his ways to spot an intruder approaching,' she thought. She briefly considered taking her shoes off, but she could hear the guards approaching.

Fortunately, the hard floor also served her benefit, as she could hear the approach of the guards well. When she heard them, she quickly used her power to disguise herself as a statue (she had also learnt that she could use her powers to alter her form).

"Did you hear something?" one of the guards said.

"Check the perimeter again. Nothing here."

The moment they left, the statue returned to its true form, with Nerissa smirking at the departing guards. 'Should things come to the worst, I could have a career as a cat burglar,' she thought.

She made her way through the hallway, taking care to keep her dampening field intact, for if she lost concentration for one second, she would instantly become detectable to the house's alarms. She tiptoed up the stairs, heading for Hexin's study.

She had been to his house only once or twice, but she recalled his study being somewhere in the west wing. It took her a while, but eventually she was able to locate it.

There was no way she could sense if the room was empty or not, so she had to chance opening the door. 'Where's the big keyhole that allows the burglar to spy through?' she thought dismissively. 'Why can't real life be more like the movies and fiction stories?'

Taking a deep breath, and getting ready to disguise herself or flee if needed, she inched the door open. Nothing happened.

Feeling more confident, she pressed the door open long enough for her to poke her head in and look around. The room's lights were on, but no one was in sight. If Hexin had been in here, then he must have just left.

Hurrying inside, she closed the door behind her and then raced to search the room. It looked like any other study, with its expensive fixtures, oak desk with a computer on it, antique ornaments and numerous shelves filled with various books, most of them first editions.

Another thing she had learned about Hexin was that he had an impressive collection of antiques and relics from archaeological finds. Whether here in his house or at his office back at HQ, his collection was amazing. Many of his finds had never been shared with anyone; even the world's most learned archaeologists. When asked about his collection, Hexin merely said that his family had always had a fascination with history, and that was all he gave away.

Nerissa paused when she walked inside. She had never had the opportunity to come to the study and remain long before, so she had never had a chance to get a good look at all the ornaments in here. Most of the antiques looked Asian. Some looked ancient, like first dynasty, and others like they were only made within the last century. There was one thing, however, that they all had in common. They were all inspirations of the same theme…The Four Dragons!

No one outside of Kandrakar, except for herself and the rest of the Guardians, knew that the ancient Chinese tale of the Four Dragons was in fact the same story for the origin of Kandrakar's mystical Heart. Most of what was commonly known of the story was inaccurate or incomplete, such as the Princess Xin Jing who was not even mentioned in the human version of the story.

Nerissa had told Hexin a lot about Kandrakar, but she had never mentioned the Four Dragons, or what they represented. Then again, Hexin was from the orient, and the Four Dragons was a popular Chinese story, so chances were he was probably just interested in the tale because it was from his ancestral homeland.

Pushing these thoughts out of her head, she wasted no further time. "Quintessence!" she recited, cringing as the electricity coursed through her left arm, before shooting out of her hand. The use of her former Guardian powers was starting to have an ill effect on her. Every time she used them, her arm, the one she used to shoot the lightning out of, felt like it was sick with arthritis afterwards.

The computer bleeped and came online by itself, allowing her to literally ask it what she wanted to know… "Computer, I need you to tell me everything you know about Ian Hexin's last trip to Germany. I know he must have brought something back with him from there, but I don't know what?"

"Humph!" the electronic voice of the computer replied, sounding annoyed. "It's always take-take-take with you humans. Never once do you ask how I am, what do I need or…"

"Now!" she hissed through her teeth. One of the first things she had learned as a Guardian was how to bring inanimate objects to life, but she had never mastered how to do so without them exhibiting obnoxious, self-centred or overly sensitive behaviours.

"Okay, okay, sheesh!"

There was the sound of electronic beeping, and he computer's voice added, "There's no mention here of anything about a trip to Germany."

She frowned. "How can that be? He returned only a couple of days ago."

"Hey, don't blame me. I'm just saying what's recorded in me. Maybe you'll have better luck with the other guy."

"What other guy?"

"The big computer in the room adjacent next to this one."

Nerissa frowned again, looking curiously at the computer screen. "There is no room next to this one."

"Says you! I've been here for six months. I think I would know the layout of the room I'm in by now, don't you?"

"But…there is nothing here. The next room is…"

"Look! Say what you will, but I know there is a room next to this one. The entrance is just a few feet from where you are, to the left."

Nerissa looked up, but the only thing located near where the computer had stated was one of the big bookcases.

Suddenly, she paused. 'Well, it's worked for all those spies in movies,' she thought, and walked up to the bookcase.

"Quintessence!" she repeated, cringing in pain yet again. "Books, I need you to tell me if there is a door behind you?"

"Sure there is," a jabber of voices suddenly chorused, speaking over one another. "Been one here for a few decades now. The big boss had it installed right before he had the rest of us shelved here."

"How do I get in?"

"I can help!" a single high voice sounded. "Pick me!"

Nerissa looked over in confusion, before her eyes settled on a small plain book with a brown leather cover. The cover read 'The Tree of Knowledge'. The title was unfamiliar.

"Hardly anyone ever picks me because I've got no words in me to read!" the little voice continued.

"No words?"

"I've got no pages. I'm not even really a book. Only reason anyone ever picks me is when they want to get inside…"

"You've convinced me," she said quickly, grabbing the book and pulling it out. It only came out a few inches, but the moment it stopped, the entire bookcase started to shudder, as it moved back and came apart, splitting down the middle. After a moment, the shelves were gone, and Nerissa found herself at the entrance into a hidden room.

Swallowing, she took a peek inside. The room turned out to be not all that different from one of the many file-rooms at the company. There was another computer, a few filing cabinets, and endless pages of files and photographs pinned seemingly everywhere.

She walked inside, picking up the nearest file as she came in. It seemed to be old records of the concentration camp Hexin had visited. She wondered briefly how he had managed to get his hands on these. While she was no expert on WWII, she remembered from her history class that the Germans had destroyed all their files when the allies invaded. There were two of every page inside, one in the original German language, and the other its translation.

The files were apparently records of the camp's day-to-day history. This one was that of September 17th 1942. It stated 'Troops encountered resistance today. One lone Jewish girl, around 15-17 years old, upon entering the camp resisted officials. Soldiers report the Jew displayed some kind of unusual behaviour, claimed she was able to control the very earth beneath her. There are signs of some seismic activity, but could just be coincidence, or possibly a trick made by the resistance. The Jew's attack was repelled and she was shot down, killed instantly of a bullet to the head. Identity is currently unknown.'

Nerissa chewed on her lower lip. "Seismic activity?" she thought out loud. "Like Kadma?" She soon dismissed that idea though, as Kadma and the rest of their group had been Kandrakar's first and only Guardians. No one else possessed their power to control the elements. There were some creatures from other worlds that possessed similar abilities, but none from earth could do it, let alone a human.

She read on… 'September 16th 1942. Nazi Officer report. One Jewish girl located. Believed to have been making an attempt to escape. Girl willingly surrendered, giving the name Beata Serce. Will be sent to Concentration camp.'

'The girl surrendered herself?' Nerissa wondered. She looked at the file and noticed a small photograph accompanying it. The photo was an old black and white picture, showing that of a young girl in her teens. She had a stern expression on her face, as she looked out of the photo at her, with fair hair and pale eyes.

If the girl really had caused that earthquake, then that would mean she must have had great power, and the only reason she could think of why anyone in that girl's position would have surrendered…was if she had been planning to escape!

'She must have been planning to liberate some of the Jews in the camp,' she thought, 'but the Nazis retaliated and shot her, taking her by surprise. Even when I was a full Guardian, I could be taken down easily enough, if say I was taken from behind without my ever knowing.'

She searched through more folders, each containing files, all based on the same concentration camp, and Beata Serce.

There was one folder that bore information on Beata's family. Apparently, her only living relatives had been her parents and brother, all of who had been shipped to the camp a couple of days earlier, while she had been missing. There was no mention of where she had been, but according to the reports there was speculation that she may have been involved with the resistance.

Beata's family had obviously been the main reason why she had been in that camp in the first place. Sadly, though, according to the records, her rescue attempt had been in vain. For they had all been executed the day before she had arrived.

The rest of the files from the camp were all pretty basic. They said that Beata's body had been kept for scientists to analyse, but they had found nothing out of the ordinary, so it was disposed of, but there was no mention of how or where it had been disposed.

From what little Nerissa did know of the camps that could have anything from cremation to simply dumping her in a hole somewhere.

Something clicked inside Nerissa's head, as the last part of that sentence rolled through her mind…"dumping in a hole somewhere".

"The excavation site!" she deduced. "He's been looking for this girl's body! But why?"

"Why indeed?" a low voice suddenly spoke from behind her, startling her. She spun around in shock, and found Hexin staring right back at her, his face as stoic as always.

"Find anything interesting to read?" he asked casually.

She swallowed the growing fear in her throat. Although she never showed it, Hexin had always given her the creeps. "Some," she admitted, and held up one of the old Nazi files for him to see. "Mind if I ask how you got these? I thought the Nazis had all their files destroyed when the allies invaded."

"They did," Hexin replied. "This is an old file that I had one of my spies send to me during the war. Unfortunately, he was found and executed by his fellow soldiers before he could tell me where they stored and later buried Miss Serce's body."

Okay, that was telling her a bit too much. "Your spies?" she said, blinking.

"Yes, like you. Only those who work undercover."

"Yes, I get what you mean, Hexin, but… But these files are from WWII! You would have to be at least in your 80s in you were around then!"

Hexin smiled, making her nervous again. "I'm far older than that, my dear."

Nerissa paused. "How old, exactly?"

"Older than even I can remember." Hexin moved around to pick up one of the photos pinned on the wall. "This is the girl you have just been reading about. Beata Serce. I have had a vested interest in her and her ancestors for many centuries."

Nerissa wasn't really surprised in Hexin's confession about his age, as she had always known there was more to him than he let on, and she had more than enough experience with the strange and unusual. She was, however, growing increasingly nervous the more things he told her, as what reason did he have to tell her so much…unless he didn't intend to let her go?

"Why her?" she asked.

Hexin merely shrugged. "I require her aid in retrieving something I lost a long time ago, long before you humans ever developed your own languages."

She stared at him, her eyes searching his, and finding…nothing. "Who are you, Ian Hexin?"

He lost his smile, looking dangerously angry, but not at her apparently. "Someone whose birthright was stolen from him!" he all but growled. "Someone who literally had his life and all his power ripped right out of his chest and left for dead! And someone…who will go to hell and beyond to get it all back!" He looked straight at her. "My name, my true name, is Xin Hei-an, Prince and rightful ruler of the kingdom of Kandrakar!"

Nerissa's eyes widened. "Kandrakar…" she said. "But that's impossible. Kandrakar has no ruler, save for the council."

"Only for the last 40 thousand years or so!" Hexin sneered. "Before that, when Kandrakar was in its golden age, it was ruled by a single ruler…an emperor who ruled with strength and an iron fist…Emperor Yu! Until old age began to weaken him…"

"And let me guess," she then asked. "You decided to replace him."

"It was in my right to do so," Hexin insisted. "For I was next in line, and the strongest between me and my sister."

"Sister?"

"The Princess Xin Jing."

Nerissa felt her breath freeze. Until now she had just thought Hexin's words were the ramblings of a madman, but…she had never mentioned the true story of the Four Dragons to him, nor any word of the nymph Xin Jing. She was never even mentioned in the human version of the Dragons' story. Only someone who had been to Kandrakar could possibly know about her.

"Xin Jing was my twin sister," Hexin continued. "Her name means Heart of Crystal. My father named her so for her beauty in spirit. My name, Xin Hei-an, means Heart of Darkness." He smirked. "I have to hand it to my father. He could always look into a person and know what best to call them."

"But…but…" she stuttered.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out by now," he added cockily, and with his words he reached down to a pen and paper, and began writing. When he was finished, he lifted the paper up for her to see, revealing the name Xin Hei-an on the page, with a line going down from each letter onto the next name below…Ian Hexin. His new name was just an anagram, the letters of his true one rearranged.

"My people were the most advanced civilisation of the age," he said, continuing as though nothing had happened, and speaking with pride. "We were the first to develop our own language, mathematics, writing, religion, science and magic. We discovered how to cross through to other worlds long before others even knew there were other worlds to begin with. Our world was one of true splendour, filled with treasure, magic and knowledge. And at the height of our civilisation, we were watched over and protected by my father's most trusted and powerful warriors…The Four Dragons!"

"The Four Dragons," Nerissa repeated him, "who could control the elements?"

Hexin nodded. "My father's most loyal and most powerful… Di qiu, the yellow dragon, master of earth. Kong qi, the black dragon, master of air. Wang yang, the red dragon, master of water. And finally, Jiong the pearl dragon, master of fire! Each a master of an element of nature."

"I would've thought the red dragon would have the fire," Nerissa said, shrugging.

Hexin shrugged back at her. "You live and you learn. They were powerful, these dragons, the most powerful in all my father's kingdom! But they had little intelligence. They were big in heart, but little in brains. I used this to my advantage, but not until years later." He walked back into his study, waiting for her to follow him. "When my sister and I were born, the Mages of our world foresaw that we would be gifted with supreme power, the power of a new element. It had no name back then, but you know it today as Quintessence!"

"You and your sister both had the power?" Nerissa said, as she re-entered the study and watched him as he sat down at his desk.

"Yes and no," he explained. "We both had the power of Quintessence, but each of ours worked differently, like Yin and Yang, light and dark…"

"Good and evil?"

Hexin looked at her for a moment, and then shrugged. "In a way… But with Xin Jing and me, ours was literally life and death. Where Xin Jing's power could bring life to others, mine could only take it!"

She gulped. "So…you were like the Kandrakar version of the Grim Reaper?"

"In a sense," he admitted. "I could redirect lightning, as well as make my own, and fashion it into an unbeatable weapon of mass destruction. Just as you did when you struck your friend Cassidy down."

Nerissa, for the moment, forgot her fear and nervousness of Hexin, and felt her blood run hot with anger. "I did NOT kill Cassidy!" she insisted. "It was an accident!"

He cocked his head. "Perhaps… In any case, my sister and I both possessed powerful magic, making us equals in our father's eyes. I was his first and only son, so the throne was rightfully mine. But because of our magic, I suspected my sister was gaining our father's favour, and I feared he may decide to give the throne to her…so I took steps."

"Steps?"

"I spent the years of my youth training in a vast variety of subjects, from advanced martial arts and weapons training, to black magic and sorcery! I spared no expense, learning anything and everything I could that could help better my cause. And when I grew older, I began to cross over into the other worlds that my people had explored, seeking out all the dark forces that existed in each of them, and gathered them together to forge an army of monsters, mages and various other creatures to do my bidding. It took the better part of a hundred of your generations to complete, but eventually I succeeded!"

"A hundred generations?"

"Time to my people is somewhat different to you and yours, Nerissa. What counts as a lifetime to you, is no more than a quick second to us."

He offered her a seat, but Nerissa stayed standing where she was. "So you attacked with your army?" she said.

Hexin shook his head. "Not right away. My army was one of the most powerful forces that ever graced the universe, but my father's army was just as strong, and even if it weren't, the combined might of my forces would be no match to that of the Four Dragons. Their power of the elements alone would have been enough to crush whatever assault we conceived, and combined together with my father's army, my entire army would have been swept out onto the winds of oblivion."

"So what happened?"

He smiled. "I did what I always did…I waited and planned. I was nothing if not patient. My father was a great warrior, powerful and strong, but…he was an arrogant and vain bastard." He stared hard at her. "All warriors, no matter how powerful they may seem, have weaknesses, Nerissa. And the first rule of business, turn every weakness into strength. Remember that! My father didn't, but I did, and I turned that to my advantage."

"How?"

"As I said, my father was arrogant and his vanity easily stoked. For years, I fed it, praising every little thing he did with a hero worship that outdid a thousand priests at a hundred different religions."

"Why?" Nerissa asked, honestly confused. What did his father's vanity have to do with all this?

"As you may remember from the dragons' story, the beasts had tough skin but soft hearts. They couldn't stand to see the suffering of any kind of creature lower than them, including the peasants of my world. As the Emperor, one of my father's main responsibilities was to produce rain for the people. I simply cast a spell, which caused a drought over the peasant's land. When the people came to my father to ask for help, I kept them from him, telling them that I would relay their message. Eventually, the dragons came to ask why he hadn't yet brought the rain, and I told them that he had been hard-pressed with other duties, and that they should help take some of the pressure off him by bringing the rain themselves."

"At first, the dragons did not want to usurp my father's royal duties, but when they saw the peasants crops withering away and the people suffering, Wang Yang and Kong qi combined their powers to bring water back to the land, while Di qiu and Jiong gave the crops an extra hand to grow back all the quicker. It worked splendidly, in more ways than one…"

Nerissa knew how the rest of the story went, but she listened intently. She had to admit, as sneaky and terrible as what he was saying was, it had been a brilliant strategy!

"I told my father what they have done, and claimed that they deliberately usurped his duties because they saw him as weak and ineffectual, and they wanted to claim his power for their own! The possibility that they were out to steal his power, and that they had the gall to take something that was both his right and responsibility, was too much for him, and in a fit of rage he had the four of them imprisoned within four hollow mountains." Hexin laughed. "Unfortunately for him, by doing so he had condemned himself! For without the dragons, his army and mine were evenly matched, and thus I wasted no time and launched my attack immediately!"

He leaned forward a little on his desk. "The war was long and bloody, with many lives lost on both sides, until finally only I and my father were left on the battlefield. We fought for many hours until; at long last, I struck him down!" Hexin actually looked pleased when he said that. "My years of planning and preparation had all been worthwhile. My father lay dead at my feet, and with that his crown was now mine!"

His voice then took on a darker tone. "Alas, I was so elated with my victory that I let my guard down, and I didn't notice the shadow of my next opponent reach me from behind…until she literally stabbed me in the heart!"

"She?"

"My sister Xin Jing. She had been waiting on the sidelines since the battle had begun. Whether it was her plan or at my father's insistence, I know not, but the instant my father was killed, she sneaked up behind and cut out my heart!" As he said the last part, Hexin undid the buttons of his shirt, revealing his bare chest to Nerissa.

When she glanced at his chest, she had to bite her lip to keep from gasping, as she stared at the huge gaping hole where his heat should have been.

"It was quite a shock to me," he added. "Xin Jing had always been the gentle one in our family. She was afraid of any kind of violence, and would faint at the sight of blood… How she managed to cut out my heart without losing consciousness, or at least vomiting, is beyond me."

"How are you still alive?!" Nerissa finally brought herself to ask, still staring at his vacant chest.

He shrugged. "Though we appear similar, my race is quite different to yours, and even then my sister and I were considered unique even amongst our own people. You know the story of Xin Jing, how she also possessed a power equal to that of the dragons."

"And you possess that same power?"

"Yes and no," Hexin admitted. "My sister and I were more than just twins, Nerissa. In fact, like the Yin-Yang symbol, we were more like two halves of one whole, and the same also went for our powers. Quintessence is the stuff of life itself, but what is life…without death? They are a part of each other, neither existing truly without the other. And the same goes for me and my sister." He gave her a look. "Tell me, was it life that caused that tragic accident with your friend Cassidy?"

Nerissa stiffened at the mention of Cassidy's name, and the memory of that dreadful night, but she kept herself calm.

"Quintessence is a single element made up of two forces," he explained. "Life and death, neither one whole without the other. When you lashed out at your friend, you were using my power of Quintessence, the dark side that destroys. Xin Jing's was what many would call the side of light, the part that creates and gives life. Mine only brings death and destruction."

"And that's how you're still alive? Because you're like the life force of Quintessence?"

"Partly. My sister and I were both the embodiments of one of the five elements themselves. Even without my heart, the power of quintessence still radiates from me, though I no longer have access to it."

"You have no power?"

He glared at her. "I am hardly without power, my dear Nerissa," he said warningly. "But as for my original power, no, I'm afraid that magic is denied to me. For my power comes straight from my heart, and without it I am, alas, no more powerful than a mere mortal." He said the last part spitefully, as though ashamed.

After a moment, she asked, "What happened next?"

Hexin looked up. "It didn't take my sister long to find out that I could not be killed, and she knew that as long I lived I would never rest until I had taken what was mine, the throne of Kandrakar. In her mind, that was something she could not allow. So she did the only thing she knew of to prevent it."

"Which was?"

Hexin gave her a hard stare. "By destroying…everything."

Nerissa looked surprised, which she was. For someone who was supposed to be one of the gentlest souls in all creations, this Xin Jing had done some pretty dark stuff in her life.

"How?"

"My sister used all of the power she had in her spirit to make contact with the Four Dragons. Although they were still trapped in their mountain prisons, they could still use their power in the outside world by using Xin Jing as a conduit, thereby using her to cast their magics. Together, they combined all their power, releasing a devastating and final display of all their powers, laying waste to all of Kandrakar, until all that remained was a vacuum space of nothingness, or as you described it…an infinite sky of clouds."

"She destroyed her own home-world to save the rest of the universe from you," Nerissa realised.

Hexin scoffed. "Personally, I think she had an overstated opinion of me. I mean, take a look at this world we live in… Do you really think your people are better off with freewill? Thanks to that overrated sense of freedom, your people have given life to guns and bombs, gangsters and muggers, terrorists, war, genetically engineered plagues, pollution, hunting creatures to extinction, and that's just naming a few!" He sneered hard at her. "Do you honestly believe your people will survive into the next millennium at the rate they're going, Nerissa?"

Nerissa wanted to say, "Yes, they would," but there was a part that could not say it. She remembered when she was a child, she and Cassidy used to have long talks and debates about the same things that Hexin was now talking about. Cassidy was always the optimist, believing in hope for all things and always shadowing the bad things their race had done with all the good things they had also brought to the world, such as medicine, helping people, exploring new countries and cultures, co-operation and unity in the most dire of circumstances, aeroplanes to fly, even the written word. She always left Nerissa feeling with a new sense of hope, but now… Now Cassidy was no longer here, and Nerissa was left dealing with Hexin's point of view that once she would have been spouting.

Instead, all she said was, "How did you escape your world if it was destroyed?"

Hexin smiled. Whether it was because of Nerissa's avoidance of his question, or because of what he was about to say, she didn't know. "When I realised her intention, the complete destruction of our home, I used what little magic I had left and opened a portal to the first world that came to mind. That world was obviously this one. I arrived here almost 40,000 years ago, and have been trapped here ever since."

"And your sister?"

He shrugged. "I can only assume that if she did indeed survive, then she must have escaped through a portal herself. Where that portal led, who knows? As for me, I spent all my time building a small empire for myself, moving around from one country to the next, seeking out all manner of mystics and talismans that could help me. I was the one who first told the story of the Four Dragons to the Chinese, and at the same time taught them the language of my people."

At Nerissa's confused gaze, he laughed. "Did you not think it an amazing coincidence that Xin Jing, a girl from another world, would have a name that came from the exact same language as found here on Earth? When I first arrived here, I arrived in a primitive land full of savages, a land that would one day be known as China. I taught them the language of my people, our ways, and even told stories including that of my downfall from grace."

"Why is your story of the Four Dragons so different from the one told on Earth?"

He shrugged. "Over the centuries, as the story was passed down from one storyteller to the next, translated into foreign languages again and again…the words of the tale have been altered so many times that no one save me remembers the original text of it anymore. Humans have such small brains, with such short memories."

"Why did you stay here on Earth?" she then asked. "Since you seem to have such little regard for my people, why do you not just simply leave for a better world?"

Hexin snorted in disgust. "I told you! All my power was located within my heart, and without it, aside from my immortality; I am as mortal as you are. The magic that brought me here in the first place was power from my own world, and when it died, the magic died with it. As such, I am now stuck here, plain and simple!"

"But you do have some magics at your command?"

"Merely borrowed power," he scoffed. "Magics taken from various talismans that I have collected over the ages. My own power has long since been extinguished, and the only way I can ever hope to get it back is by reclaiming my heart!"

"Then your heart…?"

"And your Heart of Kandrakar are one of the same!" Hexin revealed, smiling. "How it came to be in your former Council's possession, I don't know. I have searched for aeons for it, never knowing what became of it…until you came, that is. You can never imagine my joy when you told me about it, Nerissa!"

"And because you couldn't leave this world, you could never go to find it," she deduced. "But how did you know your heart was not destroyed along with your world?"

"My heart contains all the dark powers of Quintessence, just as Xin Jing's contains all the light. Neither of them can be destroyed."

"And what does a young Jewish woman who died years ago have to do with all of this?" she then asked, pointing once more at the room with all the old German files.

"Everything!" Hexin grinned. "She is the key to my heart's retrieval!"

"How?"

"In my centuries of searching and hoping, I have learnt of a spell that can seek out my heart and return it to me, no matter where it is, all within an instant. The spell, of course, requires some very specific guidelines, most of which are no problem, except for two things."

"And they are?" Nerissa asked.

"The spell can only be done at a specific time when the stars are in a certain alignment. The next alignment is not due for over another 20 years or so, but again that's no major problem. When you're immortal like me, all you have is time."

"And the second thing?"

"The one thing that leaves my spell useless without it," he explained in detail. "For a spell as powerful as this to be cast, it requires something of pure innocence and raw power to be used to fuel it."

"Like the Heart?"

"Exactly!"

"But what does…" she started to say, but stopped, as the pieces slowly started to form in her mind. The Jewish girl, Beata Serce… The Nazi reports say she had some form of magic. From the way it was described, it sounds similar to what I and the other Guardians had, but…"

"But you know that before you and your companions there were never any other Guardians," Hexin supplied for her. "Which means…?"

"Only one kind of entity I know of has the power to do something like we could…" she said, continuing to think out loud. "…A Heart! The living source of all magic of a single world!"

"And the grand prize goes to Nerissa Sanchez!" Hexin declared.

"Beata Serce was the Heart of Earth?"

He nodded. "Yes, the last one to be exact. A very powerful child she was, too. If she hadn't died, chances are WWII would have ended much sooner than it did, and with a lot less bloodshed. Sadly though, as powerful as she was, she was also over confidant. She never noticed the Nazi soldier sneaking up behind her, shooting her in the back of her head. When that happened, the Heart of Earth literally ceased to exist."

"Ceased to exist? How can that be?"

"Recall what I said and what you read in the files," he said. "Miss Serce's family were all killed by the time she got there, and because she died with no heir, all of her powers went out to the next person who had the most right to them. In this case, it was the soldier who killed her, except he had no idea what she was, let alone anything about the laws of magic. So he never made a claim for them, and the powers could never move on unless he first claimed them. Eventually, that soldier died during the war, and apparently he had no family either, which left the magic of the Heart of Earth trapped in a state of limbo. Its magic still exists, but without an heir of the original vessel, or the soldier who killed her, then no one has any claim to them, and thus they are doomed to remain forever trapped."

"So why do you have all this info on her then?" Nerissa demanded. "She's been dead for years, she has no family to get the power for you, and neither did the soldier who killed her. What possible reason could you have for all this?!"

Hexin smiled. "There is an old saying, Nerissa… With death, there is always rebirth."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It doesn't matter for now," he replied, shrugging as if it was unimportant. "But now the big question remains… what shall you do now?"

"Me?"

"You now know of most, if not all, of my deepest secrets, Nerissa. Far more than any of my top agents do. I now have a choice to make…either kill you, or have you at my side as one of my exalted few. Which do you prefer?"

Nerissa paused, partly to consider her next option, partly out of fear. She knew Hexin well enough to know he would not be joking in a situation like this. A part of her greatly wanted to accept his offer to become one of his elite agents. As one of them, she would probably have access to who knows how many other sources of knowledge he had stashed about. The power she would have would be almost limitless, and yet…

"Why didn't you do anything?" she suddenly asked.

Hexin looked at her in confusion for a moment. "About what?"

"The girl, Serce, her people the Jews…why didn't you do anything to help stop the war?"

He shrugged. "It had nothing to do with me."

"Millions of people were killed in the second world war!" Nerissa insisted. "My own grandfather died fighting the Germans on D-Day! Countless Jews were incarcerated and led to death camps, butchered like animals or worse! Why didn't you do anything to stop them?!"

"The petty trifles of mortal men are meaningless to me, Nerissa," Hexin replied casually. "As they are to all of my agents, and as they shall be to you. What goes on outside our walls does not concern us."

"And suppose if I were to help you get you heart back?" she asked. "What then? If you were unwilling to help prevent something as devastating and horrific as WWII, then what would you do if you were supreme ruler?"

Hexin looked at her, his eyes unmoving. "Take care with what you say, Agent Sanchez. Your words are starting to take on a dangerous tone of treason."

Those words were the only answer she needed.

"No," she simply said.

"No?"

"No, I will not join you, Hexin. Any man, if he can call himself a man, who stood by and let millions of innocents suffer needlessly in a war that he could have prevented, has no place being offered any kind of power! In fact, I dread to think what kind of a ruler you'd make if you did retrieve your lost power and lay claim to all the known worlds!"

Hexin stared at her with his hard eyes. "I see…and is that your final say on the matter?"

"It is!"

"Very well. Then I am sorely disappointed, as this means there is only one other option left open to me." He raised his hand and clicked his fingers. A second later, two powerfully built men charged into the room, armed with guns aimed straight at Nerissa.

Hexin slowly shook his head. "Such a shame, Nerissa," he said seemingly sad, but with no real grief shown on his face. "You were one of my best agents, and I hate to lose you, but…treason and betrayal cannot be tolerated in my kingdom. Dispose of her!"

The men aimed their guns at her, preparing to shoot.

"Quintessence!" Nerissa cried out, bringing life to the guns. They leaped out of the men's hands, and began shooting all by themselves at them. The men yelped in fear, while Hexin merely looked at the whole scene with a stoic expression on his face. Nerissa, however, paid him no mind. The second the men jumped for cover, she raced past them, out the door as fast as her legs could carry her.

The second she ran out the room, the guns dropped to the floor. The two guards looked at them shakily. It took a stern look from their employer to get them moving again.

"Well?" Hexin said. "What are you waiting for? Get after her!" The guards hastily picked up their guns and ran out of the study, but Nerissa was already gone.

"Where'd she go?!"

"Check the south wing!"

"Put the whole mansion on red alert!"

The guards fled down the corridors of the house, not even noticing the large Ming vase that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, where they had been standing just a few short moments ago. The instant they were gone, the vase disappeared, and Nerissa stood in its place.

"Rather dim for highly paid security," she muttered, but wasted no more time, fleeing out of the house.

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One Week Later:

Nerissa had spent the best part of the week running for her life. Hexin's goons had been on her tail 24/7. She had lost all of her contacts and couldn't even go back to her apartment.

She knew she was only delaying the inevitable. Hexin would never let her go. His men would never give up, and they had access to all sorts of organisations around the world, so tracking her would be easy. The only option she could think of was to contact her old friends for their help, but that was no option at all. The thought of crawling back to plead for help from her former friends, and the Council, was like a fate worse than death to her.

But what else could she do, or where could she go? The years in her cell on Mount Thanos had severed any link she had to her old life. Any family she had all thought she was dead, thanks to the Oracle and his damn magic. All her other friends she had had besides Cassidy, Kadma and the others had more or less forgotten about her. And now, because of Hexin, she was a fugitive, with all her contacts once again severed.

Part of her wished she could go back in time and change her mind about Hexin's offer. After all, he only wanted to reclaim what was rightfully his, the Heart of Kandrakar. And she would love to see the look on the Oracle's face if that happened, not to mention the rest of them! It would be the perfect revenge!

Yet…there had been something in his eyes when he told her his plans. The way he looked when he talked about the Heart of Earth, how it was his only way to reclaim his own heart. And how he had been able to live through a terrible time such as WW2 and not do anything to help stop it. He had admitted that he had had spies working for him in the Nazis, so he must have been able to do something to help, yet did not.

Hexin was already powerful enough as he was now, she dreaded to think what he would be like if he ever got his heart back. He had admitted that his power was that of death and destruction, the same force of Quintessence that she herself had once used when she had lashed out and accidentally killed her beloved friend Cassidy. Except Hexin would be like a fully charged version of that force. There was no way to know how many people would die if he ever got that power back.

She had to admit though that there was a part of her that agreed with some of Hexin's plans. The idea that Earth and its people were too savage to wisely look after themselves did have merit. After all, how many people had died in senseless wars? How much of the earth had mankind polluted? How many species of animal had they made extinct? And how much of a future did it have left with its current rulers?

Perhaps Earth did only need one single ruler to watch over it, one ruler to rule them all and to keep everyone and everything in check? But there was little doubt in her mind that Hexin was too vicious and heartless (both metaphorically and literally) for such a responsibility.

But that still left her with one major problem. What was she to do now?

That was when it suddenly hit her…the gateway! The portal that led into Meridian straight from Washington. It was the perfect escape! Not even Hexin could follow her into another world, as he couldn't open the gateway, not having enough energy to pull such a trick. Question was, did she?

Her Quintessence magic should be able to bring the power of the gateway to life, allowing her to pass through. But she had never opened anything as complex as a mystical portal before. It would require more energy that she might be capable of.

She had been using her magic more regularly over the past week. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she swore she could see some grey starting to appear in her hair. She was in her late 30s, but she had never seen any there before.

There didn't seem, however, to be another option. It was only a matter of time before Hexin tracked her down, and then what would she do?

So she made her way back to the address. The gateway was located in an old store that was currently unoccupied, which made it all the safer for her. She disguised herself as a man in a business suit, looking like a realtor, which made sense, as people would no doubt think he was trying to sell the place again.

The only problem was, would she be able to get in and out of there without Hexin finding her?

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The next night, Nerissa sneaked into the store, using every trick she had from her glamour powers to agent training. She made her way to the back, silently breaking the door to get in, acting as swiftly and stealthily as she could. She knew that despite all her precautions, Hexin would probably be on her at a moment's notice.

She held out her hand, feeling the electrical currents in the air with her power, trying to find the gateway/portal. It took her but a few moments to find, as the portal emitted unusual energy that was easy for her to locate.

"Ah, there you are," she mused, heading over to where the old register was kept.

"And here you are!" Hexin's voice spoke from out of nowhere.

She didn't even have time to blink, as the lights suddenly came on, and more than a dozen agents came pouring in from the next room and seemingly out of nowhere. They were each dressed in compact uniforms, armed with weapons, which were all aimed on her.

"Did you honestly think that I would not guess you would come here?" Hexin asked tauntingly, walking out from between them. "That with no place left to go; this would be the one option open to you?"

Nerissa viewed his smug face, wanting very much to wipe that smirk on it and leave him with yet another hole on his body, preferably one where his head used to be.

"You've given us quite the chase though, I'll give you that," he added. "Your glamour powers alone made it difficult for us to locate you, even more so when added to your own training in espionage. I must say I am very proud of you, Nerissa! You've done me proud."

"So glad I could accommodate you," she muttered angrily, glaring at him.

"I had a feeling though that you would come here and try using this portal for yourself," he explained. "Like you, I knew that perhaps with your former Guardian magic, my own I might add, you could possibly activate the portal and breach the two worlds. That is why I've had a guard on this place ever since your escape. And even before then, I have always had it under observation in case anything should emerge from the other side of the gate."

"I thought as much," Nerissa replied hauntingly.

Hexin stared at her. "You knew?"

"I guessed," she admitted. "I knew it would be a risk coming here, but like you I knew it was a chance I had to take, and like you…I came prepared!"

Before he had a chance to consider the meaning of her words, she raised her right hand and screamed out "QUINTESSENCE," releasing the strongest surge of energy she had in her body. The electrical energy from her created a wave that surged all across the room.

The men were all wearing insulated suits, for protection against electricity, which was no surprise to her, as she guessed that they would all be wearing protective clothing. Fortunately, even though they weren't killed, the blast had enough juice in it to at least knock them off their feet and leave them dazed for a short while, giving her just enough time to do what she originally came out for.

The only one who wasn't affected at all by the blast was Hexin, as he glared back at her. "You'll regret that," he promised. "Threatening me with my own power! Did you truly think that would harm me?!"

"Harm you, no. Distract you, yes!" Nerissa replied, and then withdrew a small ball from her pocket and threw it at him. The ball hit Hexin on the chest and burst, releasing a wave of tar-like substance that covered his entire body.

"What the…!" he cried out, trying desperately to free himself of the sticky substance, but with no success.

"A little something from my time with you!" Nerissa said tauntingly. "Tell your department thanks for their creativity!" Hexin practically snarled, but Nerissa spared him no time. The guards were already getting up, and she hurried over to the register.

Her right hand was still shaking and hurting from the last time, so she used her left hand. "QUINTESSENCE!" she screamed out again, but this time she created an even stronger surge. Before, she had created the strongest surge that her body could summon, but this time she had to use literally every fibre of her being to fuel the intended spell.

The pain was excruciating! She gritted her teeth, as she charged herself with all the energy she could muster. Every cell in her body was pleading for her to stop, as she purged herself of every last bit of energy she had in her, pouring it all into the gateway.

At first, for the longest moment she thought all her hard work was in vain, but then, slowly but gradually, the portal started to open. It seemed to take forever. The first sign of the portal was a slow twinkling light. It then began to grow in intensity, as they flared into a bright explosion of pure energy.

By the time the portal had opened far enough for her to jump through, her arm had grown numb from the pain. Wasting no time, she leaped through the gateway, ignoring the roar of anger from Hexin behind her.

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She didn't know how long she had been lying there…seconds, minutes or maybe even hours…she had no concept. The last thing she remembered was falling through the portal, but beyond she had no recollection. She must have passed out from the pain.

She tried to move, but the instant she did so, she cried out. The pain in her left arm was now beyond excruciating! Every time she tried moving it, even a little, it sent shivers of agony through her, and the worst thing was that she couldn't even stop it from moving. Her arm shook uncontrollably, like a 90-year-old woman with advanced arthritis.

She moaned pathetically, attempting a small roll onto her right side, and hissing through her teeth at the pain. Eventually, she managed to get up to her feet and observe her surroundings.

She seemed to be in a small cave, the only source of light coming from the entrance that stood but a few feet from her. The cave was very small, as she had to bend over to stand. Limping painfully, she made her way out of the cave, and stopped.

The cave was located at the foot of a large mountain, somewhere in the countryside, but it was unlike any country she had ever been in though. Some of the flora looked like it belonged in a museum exhibit.

She moved a little further on, and then turned around to look back on the cave. The cave was simple and hard to spot from a distance, but more importantly the structure of it looked unstable, as though it might collapse at any given moment.

She tried raising her right hand, to see if she could generate another blast to bring the cave down. Her entire body ached from her previous spell. To try another one so soon after, she decided, would be unwise, but she was resolved. She could sense the gateway even from outside, and as long as this portal was left open, there was a chance, no matter how small, that Hexin could follow her from Earth.

"Quintessence," she scarcely breathed out, pointing her right hand at the cave entrance, and clenching her teeth. The energy once more built up inside of her, shooting out of her hand and striking at the stone. The second it did, the stones of the cave collapsed, filling the inside, sealing it for all time.

Nerissa felt herself collapse once more, the pain returning to her right arm again, but not as severe as the one in her left at least. The only consolation she had was that, for the first time in over a week, she felt safe. With the gate now sealed, Hexin had no way to follow her.

An hour passed, maybe two, and she finally felt the strength to get up again. Her left arm was still in unbelievable pain, but she gritted her teeth and bore it. Her right arm was also shuddering painfully, but she could stand that. It was her left one that took the greatest effort to cope with.

She limped away from the cave, heading over to some trees. Each step was like a mile to her, but she pressed on. When she reached them, she pulled some of the branches back to get a better look of her surroundings. There were an infinite number of worlds in the universe, and she could be in any one, for all she knew.

When she pulled them back, the first thing she saw was a castle off in the distance, built on top of a high hill, with waterfalls coming down from the sides. The view was picturesque, but more importantly it was known to her. She recognised the setting almost immediately, having visited the place once before when the Oracle had sent her and the other Guardians to see someone called The Mage, who was apparently one of the founding members of the Council itself.

"Meridian!" she said to herself, confirming where she was. That was both good and bad, as Meridian wasn't a hostile planet, aside from the odd monster here and there, but unfortunately it meant that she was also on the same world as the Mage.

As best as Nerissa could recall, the Mage was not an active council member of Kandrakar. She had been once, but she declined their offer to remain, preferring to stay on her own planet where her people needed her. But she had kept in regular contact with them, which was the main problem. If the Mage found her then she could report her escape to the Council.

Nerissa swore. It was one piece of bad luck after another!

She stopped when she heard the sweet sound of trickling water nearby. Until then, she had not realised how thirsty she was. The use of her powers without a mystic Heart, not to mention all the running and exercise she had been doing had left her severely dehydrated and exhausted.

Pressing on, she soon came to a river, and sunk her head into its waters, since her hands were still too shaky to use, drinking her fill. The water was pure and clean, and more delicious than any soda pop she could name. When she was done, she lifted her head and for the first time noticed her reflection in the water.

She had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming. She looked almost like her grandmother! Her face was unchanged, but her hair was now pure grey.

"My god," she whispered, reaching out and touching her reflection, as though that would somehow break the vision she was seeing. But even without her reflection, she could see her hair as it flowed right in front of her, its grey colour seemingly mocking her. "What has happened to me?!" she squealed in fright.

Her thoughts were all a jumble, her arms still aching, and her body still too worn out from the day's events. She couldn't take it anymore, and once more fell into unconsciousness.

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Nerissa moaned, as she slowly came to. Just opening her eyes seemed to take all her strength, as she forced them open. When she did, she looked around and found to her surprise that she wasn't still at the river where she had passed out, but in someone's bed, covered with warm blankets.

"Where…?" she started to say, but was interrupted.

"You are in my home, child," a soft voice sounded.

She looked toward the doorway, and saw, to her dismay, the one person she had been dreading to see since she had first realised where she was…

"Mage!" she swore, seeing the ancient sorceress standing before her.

The Mage bowed shortly before her. "Greetings, Nerissa."

She swallowed. "So you remember me then? I was hoping you would have forgotten, since we only met the one time."

The Mage shrugged. "I'm not the last vestige of the ancient empire for nothing, you know," she replied with a touch of humour. "One of the benefits of the job is having what you humans call a photographic memory. Everything that ever existed about the ancient empire, I remember. And yes, I also remember you, Nerissa, former Guardian of Kandrakar, holder of the power of Quintessence, leader of the Guardians, and killer of your friend Cassidy."

Nerissa felt her body electrify, as she glared at the ancient sorceress with the youthful appearance. Although she was thousands of years old, the Mage appeared no older than a woman of her mid 20s at most. Her hair was long and silvery white, reaching all the way down to her feet; she wore a long flowing green dress with gold highlights, along with a green and gold cap-like crown with an emerald jewel hanging from it over her brow. Her eyes had no pupils, shining a pale green, yet looked right through her as though searching her very soul. "I didn't…!"

"Whether intentional or not," the Mage interrupted her, "you did kill Cassidy. Denying it is pointless, so don't bother."

Nerissa buttoned her lip, keeping quiet and letting the Mage continue.

"Besides, as a founding member of the Council of Kandrakar, I was kept informed of all that had transpired with you, which is why I am most curious as to why you are here on Meridian. More importantly, I am amazed as to how you are able to be here in the first place, considering that you had been imprisoned on Earth in what is supposed to be an impermeable prison cell."

"I got lucky," Nerissa muttered, but said nothing else, and just moaned again as the pain in her arm shifted.

The Mage noticed her discomfort, and moved forward to examine her properly. "Your arm is in dire condition," she noted. "I would surmise that you have recently completed a spell that required a large dose of your life force to help fuel it?"

Nerissa bit her lip.

"I'll take your silence as a yes then," the Mage confirmed. "I won't ask you what you did or why yet, as your wounds need tending to, but rest assured I will ask, and for your sake I hope your answers are worthwhile."

For the next hour, the Mage worked to help free Nerissa of some of her suffering. For her right arm, all that was needed was some special lotion, made of Meridian herbs, to help soothe some of the pain until it had properly healed. For her left arm, though, more drastic measures needed to be taken.

"I am afraid there is nothing I can do to cure your left arm," the Mage said finally. "Whatever spell you cast has left your arm virtually useless. I can't heal it, but I may be able to help alleviate the pain." With that, she raised her hand, made some gestures and recited a few words in a language that Nerissa could not understand. After a second, a bright light shone in her hand, leaving behind a metal object.

"Wha…?" Nerissa began to say.

"This is from one of the sacred armours," the Mage explained, holding the item up and revealing it to be the arm from a suit of armour. "The armour belonged to an ancient warrior of Meridian, from the early days of the ancient empire. It is said to contain curative powers to ensure that its wearer will be ever vigorous in battle."

Nerissa bit her lip, as the Mage lifted her arm, ignoring the pain that swarmed through it, and slipped it into the armour. The instant that the Mage fastened the armour over her; she felt a strange tingling wash over her arm, suppressing the pain. When it was done, the pain was all but gone.

"How does that feel?" the Mage asked.

"It feels…good," Nerissa admitted, but stopped as she once more took notice of her hair. "What's happened to my hair?!"

The Mage looked at her for a moment, but then shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "As I just said, whatever spell you had just completed must have required a huge amount of power to fuel it. Since you no longer have the Heart of Kandrakar, it used your own life force. The loss of colour in your hair and the damage done to your arm are all ramifications of that spell."

"But…my hair," she whined pathetically. She had always been proud of her long wavy hair, blacker than the blackest night. It had been one of her most attractive features, gaining more than a few interested looks from all the boys at Sheffield Institute. "Will it go back to the way it was?"

"Sorry, but once you use your life force, even a little, then that's it. The loss of colour in your hair is a sign of the diminished flame in your life force. It's the same as when you would lose your hair colour naturally, in the fullness of time. Aside from using hair colourings to dye it, it won't change back."

Nerissa groaned.

"So…are you going tot ell me how you came to be here?"

She chewed her lip, wondering what to tell her. Should she tell her the truth? No, she might not believe her. After all, who would? Besides the fact that she was now an exile and a fugitive, who would ever believe that the so-called pure Xin Jing had actually had a twin brother who was still alive and now planning to take over the entire universe after getting his heart, the Heart of Kandrakar, back?

"A portal opened up in my cell," she lied. "I don't know how it got there or why, but I leaped at the opportunity and ran through it. It sent me to Heatherfield, but I couldn't stay there, not with Yan Lin and the others still about. So I ran away and eventually ended up in Washington, where I found a mystical gateway. I didn't know where it led, but then I wasn't too fussy. I just wanted to get away before the Council found out I was gone and put me back in my cell. I used up most of my energy to open the portal. Little did I know that the blasted thing would bring me here!"

The Mage regarded her carefully. If she suspected Nerissa's lie then she did not show it. "You could have tried talking to your friends?" she offered.

"They are not my friends!" Nerissa insisted, saying the first truly honest thing she had said since coming to Meridian. "They stopped being that the day they betrayed me!"

"In some ways, one could say you betrayed them first. After all, Cassidy was well liked by all of them, was she not?"

Nerissa bit back the tears that were threatening to emit from her eyes. "Yes, she was," was all she said, for it was the truth. Cassidy had always been well liked and loved by everyone who knew her. She had always been the most compassionate one of them all, with love for everything and everyone. "But I was their friend, too, and they abandoned me at the first opportunity!"

That wasn't true, as Kadma, Halinor and Yan Lin had visited her regularly before their duties as Guardians had compromised most of their free time, but Nerissa still saw it as a betrayal to her.

The Mage didn't respond though, as she just looked at her with an almost sad expression on her face. "As you say," was all she said.

"So what happens now then? When do the almighty Council come to collect me and take me back to my cell?!"

The Meridian sorceress cocked her head thoughtfully. "That depends," she said finally. "Do you want me to contact them and tell them you're here?"

She laughed bitterly. "What kind of question is that?"

"Just what it is, Nerissa," the Mage said seriously. "If you don't want me to, then I won't."

"Why would you do this?" Nerissa asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

The sorceress paused for a few moments, and then sighed sadly. "Because, in all honestly, I did not agree with the Oracle's decision to do what he did to you. I agree that you deserved to be punished, but I also felt that he should have done more to help you face your guilt, rather than leave you to face it yourself." She explained. "That was always the Oracle's failing in dealing with the problems of other species. His has no problem in that, as their seer powers makes it impossible for them not to face their wrongs. It is a fact of their physiology. Unfortunately, they have little experience with what other species do when they are faced with guilt. I fear what he did to you was what his race would have done with him, and as such he expected you to act accordingly. It never occurred to him that what works well for his people, may not work for others."

"The others didn't try and stop him!"

"Tibor has been in the service of the Oracle for many a century, and he has long respected him and his wisdom. As for your friends, remember that you were all quite young at the time, and the Oracle was their leader. It only makes sense that they would look to him for all the answers, same as all youngsters do with their elders. It never occurred to any of them that he might make a mistake or possibly be wrong."

Nerissa shed a tear, but said nothing else about her former comrades. "So you won't tell anyone I'm here?"

"Not if you don't want me to," the Mage promised. "But may I ask? What do you intend to do now?"

She shrugged. "I hadn't thought that far in advance."

"If you wouldn't mind, I would like to offer you sanctuary here in my home."

Nerissa stared at her. "You would offer me sanctuary?"

"You would be company for me," the Mage said smiling. "Thousands of years here in the Infinite City can be very lonesome after a while."

"And what do you want in return?" Nerissa said, looking cynical.

"All I ask is that you accept my offer. Rest, give yourself time to adjust, and hopefully…learn to embrace your inner demons and move on with your life."

"I have moved on with my life," Nerissa said, but did not sound as sure as she might have. The dull pain still left in her right arm, the endless days of evading Hexin, and the worry over the Mage, Kandrakar and the Heart of Earth, had deprived her of sleep for too long.

"Rest now," the Mage told her. "We will talk more tomorrow when you have rested. Sleep…sleep…sleep."

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Meridian; Four Years Later:

Over the next four years, Nerissa had remained with the Mage on Meridian. The Mage had even seen fit for some reason to take her on as her apprentice, training her in the way of Meridian sage wisdom and mysticism. She was most intent on helping Nerissa cope with her inner demons.

Nerissa had spent most of the years studying the tablets and grimoires in the Mage's home within the Infinite City, rarely ever leaving her underground home. She still had the armour gauntlet on, as without it her arm was practically useless. The Mage had given her space when she wished for it, yet was always nearby whenever she needed an ear to listen to her or a shoulder to cry on. The Mage was concerned, though, about how much time her charge spent underground with her, and often tried getting her to go topside once in a while, but Nerissa's only reply was that she was happier reading, and since the Mage didn't want to pressure her, she let her be.

The main reason the Mage had taken Nerissa in was because that, for the first in a long time, the Mage was feeling useful. There had been peace throughout Meridian for many years, with no wars or natural disasters, and as such the royal family had had no need to call upon her services as Mage. It was a sad fact, but the Mage was only really ever called upon whenever there was dire need in the kingdom, and there had been no such need for over two centuries.

The current rulers of Meridian were Queen Weira, who was also the present Heart of Meridian, and her husband, the Royal Consort Zaden. Both were noble rulers, honourable and generous to the people. They also had a son, Prince Phobos, who the Mage had met only the one time when she had gone to congratulate the proud parents upon his birth. The boy was now a child of six years, and although he was not the next Heart of Meridian, he still possessed the same powers as she. But because he was not a mystic Heart, that meant that whenever he used his powers he used his life force as a battery for them, just like Nerissa, and like Nerissa eventually his life force would run out if he used his magic too often.

So far, though, the Queen and her husband did not seem too concerned with Phobos's predicament. They kept him from using his powers too often, if at all, and would probably do so for the rest of his life. Nerissa couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy, as she knew firsthand, from her time in Mount Thanos, what it was like having power and being banned from using it.

Nerissa had only seen the royal family once or twice when she had to go topside, but had obviously never spoken to them. She was more than content with the Mage's books. She didn't want to admit it, but for the first time in a long while she was actually feeling content with herself, a feeling she hadn't felt even when she was with Hexin.

'Hexin!' No matter how hard she tried to banish his name from her mind, it still haunted her. She had been studying the Mage's knowledge so intently mainly because she wanted nothing more than to forget all about Hexin, but deep down she knew she was only kidding herself. Hexin was a threat not only to the Earth, but also to all of the known worlds. If she didn't do something, who would?

She had never told the Mage anything about Hexin, mainly because she feared she would not believe her. After all, the Mage was a founding member of the council, and if she didn't know anything about Hexin or the true origins of Kandrakar's Heart, then how would Nerissa be able to convince her?

Nerissa had tried countless times to get the Mage to reveal more about the Heart, and more about basically everything she had in her domain, but there were some things that the ancient mystic refused to share with her. With that in mind, Nerissa did the only thing she thought she could do, and the one thing she was best at, by breaking into the Mage's stronghold and finding everything out for herself.

Luckily, the Mage had kept something of a diary, but finding all the pages in the correct context was something of a challenge. So far, the pages Nerissa had found only went back the last thousand years or so, but she had discovered something interesting. She had found notes revealing that the Mage had once possessed the Heart of Kandrakar a thousand years ago, and used it to create something called the Star of Threbe to help find a lost princess.

"A thousand years ago," she said aloud. She checked again to make sure it was the Heart of Kandrakar the notes were referring to, and sure enough it was. But the council had only been around for the last several hundred years? So if the Mage had possessed the Heart over a millennium ago, then what had it been doing on Meridian?

"What are you doing here?!" a stern voice, normally so timid, suddenly spoke up behind her.

Nerissa jumped around and found the Mage staring hard at her. "I…I…I was just…" she stuttered.

"I told you specifically that this area was off limits to you!" the Mage stated.

"I know, I was just..."

The Mage then gave a long sigh, as though depressed. "This isn't the first time though, is it, Nerissa?" she noted. "I know you have been going through my personal items for a long time now. I had hoped you would grow weary of snooping around like a common thief, and learn to trust me, but apparently I was wrong."

"I haven't stolen anything!"

"It doesn't matter. I brought you into my home, offered you sanctuary, yet you choose to dishonour me by disobeying and going through things that do not concern you."

"They do concern me!" Nerissa snapped. "I need these items, and more, to help save…" She paused.

"Save what, Nerissa?"

She kept silent.

"I see," the Mage looked sadly at her. "I'm afraid your actions must have consequences, Nerissa. You leave me no choice but to return you to Kandrakar."

Nerissa's eyes widened in fear and apprehension. "No! You can't!"

"You leave me no choice…"

"No, I won't let you! I won't!" Nerissa started to become hysterical, as the thought of going back into that cell on Mt Thanos filled her mind with dread, as well as leaving Hexin to do whatever he liked in the outside world, and being unable to do anything about it. "I WON'T!" She screamed one final time, and for the second time in her life she lashed out uncontrollably with her magic, striking out at the Mage with unbidden fury.

The Mage did not even have a chance to blink, let alone jump out the way or erect a mystic field to protect her from the oncoming bolt of energy. The beam struck her chest, destroyed her heart, and exited her back, leaving a burnt out hole in its wake. She managed to give Nerissa one final stare of…whether it was astonishment, disappointment, pain or grief, Nerissa didn't know…and then she fell to the ground, dead.

For the longest part of several minutes, all Nerissa did was stand where she was, staring at the now lifeless corpse at what had once been the last vestige of Meridian's ancient empire, unable to speak or even think coherent thoughts.

Finally, Nerissa did what she had done all of her life when faced with problems. "You brought this on yourself!" she cried out insistently.

She ran away from them.

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Nerissa toiled and sweated, and finally finished digging out the last foot of the grave. She had picked out a secluded spot by MaGenzien Falls, where it was unlikely anyone would find her remains. Now came the hard part.

She climbed out of the hole and walked over to the other side, where the Mage's body now lay. She cringed, biting her lip until blood flowed, as she reached down and began pushing her late friend's body into the hole. A small push and the Mage went over the edge and landed at the bottom of the grave with a hard thud.

[THUD!]

Nerissa instantly spun around and brought up her lunch, tears falling from her eyes. "I had no choice," she repeated over and over to herself. "I had no choice, I had no choice, I had no choice, I had no choice, I had no choice, I had no choice…"

After waiting a few minutes for her stomach to calm down, she took her shovel and began filling the hole back up. It took her several hours, but eventually she finished, and as a final act of respect, she used a little of her energy to cut out and move a large slab of stone from the mountain, placing it on the grave as a tomb.

"Forgive me," she whispered silently, bowing in respect before the grave, before departing to return to the Infinite City. She had only just arrived there when someone else entered the city.

"Great Mage!" a voice called from behind the waterfall, the doorway to the Mage's home, as Nerissa was just about to go back to the Mage's study to continue her research.

"Oh by the…!" she swore. 'What am I going to do now?'

Years of no visitors, no one daring to enter the city, and on the day when the Mage died, someone had to drop by and ask her for help?!

"Great Mage, I beseech your wisdom! I need help!" the voice, that of a man, continued.

Nerissa cursed again, but knew she would have to play along. If anyone discovered that she had played a part in the death of Meridian's most beloved and powerful sorceress, not even the Council of Kandrakar would be able to protect her from their wrath.

Using her Guardian magic, she altered her appearance, making herself appear as that of the Mage, but only so she could speak in her voice. "What is it you seek?" she replied in the ageless voice.

"I come from my home beyond the kingdom in the Jayden Plains. A beast with no eyes and many horns has entered our territory, threatened the sanctity of our home. It destroys our crops, pollutes our water supply and has frightened our livestock away, leaving us to go hungry. The queen was unable to see me today, and my people cannot wait! I would beg of your assistance!"

'Terrific,' Nerissa cursed again and again, wondering how she was going to get herself out of this one. The real Mage would undoubtedly know this creature, and how to destroy it, but as for…

Suddenly, Nerissa stopped. "Tell me more about this creature?" she asked. "What did it look like?"

"It was the colour of the mountain, no eyes as I said, dozens of horns growing from its back like a Metra-porcupine."

"Did it emit any strange sounds?"

There was a pause, as the man stopped to consider. "Aside from its roar, yes. When it attacked, it made a soft crooning sound. It sounded almost playful at first, but right after that, it attacked viciously."

"Wait one moment!" she ordered, and then turned to hurry back to the study. She wasn't sure what, but what the man had described sounded awfully familiar to her. When she got there, she ransacked all of the books she had recently read, skimming through the pages at the speed of the wind, until finally she found what she was looking for.

"Yes!" she said, giving a sigh of relief, and the hurried back to the waterfall where the man was even now awaiting her.

"The beast you speak of," she said, speaking once more in the voice of the Mage. "You say it has no eyes, yet many horns. Did it have one particular horn, in the form of a spiral, located directly in the centre of its brow?"

"Yes!"

"Ah," Nerissa replied, while inwardly giving a whoop of joy and relief. "I know what creature this is. It is called the Brontesian. It is not a thing of evil, but is known for its viciousness. Did you not say your home is located in the Jayden Plains?"

"Yes?"

"The Jayden Plains were once the breeding ground of the Brontesian," she explained, reading from the book, "until the time when the late Queen Weira relocated them to the plains of Gayla, to make way for your ancestors to build their new home."

"But that was over a hundred years ago. What is this one doing here?"

"Brontesians are known for their unusually long periods of hibernation. It is possible that before Weira sent the rest of its herd away, this particular Brontesian was in deep sleep. It is also known that when your ancestors first settled in the Jayden Plains, they did a lot of digging and landscape alteration. I recall there was once a small mountain where now there sits a lake. The Brontesian might have been sleeping there, and if the mountain fell down upon it, its body would have remained in permanent hibernation until it was clear from the rocks. Tell me, have your people done any recent changes to the plains?"

"Yes," the man's voice said again. "We built a dam for the lake, to bring in some more water."

"Then there in is your problem," Nerissa/Mage revealed. "The Brontesian was asleep when your ancestors brought down the mountain upon it. It slumbered until you built the dam. You must have unknowingly dug out the Brontesian, and when you did it was awakened. And, as I said, your home on the plains was once the Brontesian's breeding ground. That soft crooning sound you mentioned is the Brontesian's mating call. It knows not where its herd is, and is calling for a mate. With no answer, and none of its kind nearby, it is understandably aggravated and frustrated."

"Then what must we do?!"

Nerissa read her book further. "Go to the springs of Wyla. There you will find a growth of berries, the colour of jade green. These are Wylian berries, a great favourite of the Brontesian race. Use these to lure the beast to the Gayla Plains, and once it is with its own kind again, it will leave you be."

"My thanks, Great Mage!" the man thanked her. "I am honoured to have met you!"

"Go in peace!" she added a little forcefully, mainly because she wanted the man to hurry up and leave before she might reveal anything un-Mage like.

The man soon left, and Nerissa released her glamour and returned to her proper form, dropping down with a sigh of relief. 'That was,' she thought, 'not so bad.'

She had managed to play out the role of the Mage almost to perfection! She still needed some work of course, but all in all her performance had been superb. If she could do it once, she could do it again! And if she could fool anyone into believing that she was the last vestige of Meridian's ancient empire, she could fool them into believing she was anyone or anything!

She had only been lucky so far, though. The only reason she had succeeded today was because she had read about the Brontesian just recently. If it had been any other creature of Meridian, she wouldn't have known what to do. If she was to fool everyone into thinking she was the Mage, she was going to have study the Mage's books very thoroughly.

There was also the problem of the Council of Kandrakar. Although the Mage was no longer an active member of them, she still kept in odd contact with them, and the Oracle had been friends with her for many years. Still, since she had left the council, then that would serve to her advantage. Anytime they contacted her, she would just say that she was too busy with Meridian business.

She went back to the study and replaced the book back in its holder. Although she was dismayed over what had happened to the Mage, she couldn't help but see a silver lining in the dark cloud she had created for herself. With the Mage gone, she now had unlimited access to all of her magics and knowledge! And with this newfound power, Nerissa might finally have a chance to face and defeat Hexin.

Resigning herself to her fate, Nerissa sat down and began to read.

0000000000

Two Years Later;

MaGenzien Falls:

Nerissa made her way to one of the largest and most beautiful waterfalls in Meridian, so that she could once more pay her respects to the true Mage of Meridian. She had been doing so every Sunday for two years. Every week she would go to the falls, to where she had buried the Mage, place a small flower on her grave and mentally ask if she could forgive her for any role she might have played in her accident. And, as always, she was greeted with silence.

Over the years, Nerissa had fully immersed herself in the Mage's books, reading anything and everything she could find. As a result, she had accumulated a lot of mystical knowledge, which would surely give her enough power for her eventual battle with Hexin.

It was fortunate that she did, too, as the centuries long peace in Meridian looked as though it was finally coming to an end.

It didn't seem possible, but the reason for the oncoming darkness was none other than Prince Phobos, the Queen and Consort's 7-year-old son. The whole idea seemed laughable, and even Nerissa hadn't been able to help herself. She had gone to find out the truth. But as remarkable as it sounded, it was true. Phobos, a mere child of seven, had managed to seize power in Meridian.

Somehow, he had discovered a way to use his powers without wasting his own life force. It had intrigued Nerissa at the time; until she discovered what it was he did to sustain his own life…by draining the power of others! He had found a way to literally suck the life energy out of other beings, absorbing them into himself, to replenish the energy he wasted. He had already done this with his own mother.

Queen Weira was still alive, but her power was severely depleted. Her energy was so weak that she couldn't even manage a simple charm to awaken a sleeping flower. Her power would return in its own time, of course, due to her being the Heart of Meridian, but every time she came close to being her usual strong self again, her son drained her of her powers yet again. Worse yet, no one could stop him, as anyone who dared ended up either being teleported to the dungeon, or changed into some lowly creature!

Nerissa had spied on the boy every now and then, and found him to be nothing more than a spoilt brat with delusions of grandeur. The only problem was that this boy had the power to enforce his will. His parents were now practically prisoners in their own home, as Phobos wouldn't let his mother out of his sight. She was, after all, a living battery for his magic, so he couldn't afford to.

She frowned. At the moment, Phobos was only a spoilt child, but who knew how powerful he would become in the years to come. She didn't want to admit it, but the look in the boy's odd golden eyes reminded her a lot of Hexin. Perhaps, she decided, it would serve her best interests to keep a close eye on him.

As she knelt down to place the flowers on the grave…

"Hello! Is someone there?"

She sprang up and saw someone approaching from beyond the thicket. Cursing the fact that someone had found their way there, as she had hoped that this place was secluded enough for her to hide the Mage's remains, she quickly changed into her Mage form before whoever it was came close enough to notice her.

"Step forth and make yourself known!" she ordered in the Mage's voice, and a few moments later, a young man of about 25 approached her. She actually found herself holding her breath when she first saw him. He was very handsome, with auburn brown hair, brown shining eyes, broad shoulders with muscular arms, and a small beard on his chin.

"I apologise for my…" the young man began, but stopped when he got a good look at her. "Forgive me!" He suddenly knelt down before her. "I did not know it was you, Great Mage. I was unaware that this place was inhabited by you."

"Peace," she told him pleasantly. "I was merely spending a few hours with myself. I find the peace and tranquillity of these falls very relaxing."

"Oh, they are," he agreed. "I come here sometimes just to listen to the rushing water. Helps take my mind off recent events."

Nerissa/Mage smiled at him. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Forgive me," he repeated, and bowed shortly before her. "My name is Julian."

0000000000

Over the course of the next year, Nerissa's life went through some drastic changes. She had never intended to become involved with anyone, preferring instead to concentrate on learning all she could from Meridian's sacred library. Yet…she had been so entranced with Julian and his handsome yet cocky grin, she hadn't been able to stay too far away from him.

Fortunately for her, fate had been on her side in that regard. Meridian's problem with Prince Phobos was gradually becoming more and more serious. Already, he had been taking matters into his own hands, against his parent's wishes, by gathering some of Meridian's more unsavoury creatures and turning them into his own personal army.

Many of Meridian's people were slowly becoming afraid of the small, yet, terrifying boy prince, and often Julian would come to her to ask for help.

That had seemed like a problem at first, as Nerissa wasn't sure what the real Mage would have done in her place, but in the end she just told Julian that she was sworn not to directly interfere with Meridian's ruling family. She could offer him advice and answer his questions, but that was it. That seemed to satisfy him for now, as who could argue with the word of the all-powerful Mage?

The real problem she had had was when the Queen herself had sent ambassadors to ask her what could be done about Phobos, and if his power could be restrained. She had simply told them no, and that the only way to defeat him was for her to use her own power once it had revitalised. Whether that was true or not, Nerissa didn't know, as she had just made it up as she went along.

But over the months, she and Julian had become very close. Many times they met at MaGenzien Falls, and before long their courtship was sealed with a kiss, and 9 months later it was resealed with the birth of their son Caleb.

Nerissa could still not believe it…she was a mother! This had definitely not been in her plans when she had first come to Meridian, and now she had no clue as to what to do next. Only one thing was for certain, and that was that Caleb could not stay with her.

After she had spoken to Julian, she told him that if Phobos ever learned about the existence of her and the Infinite City, and that Caleb was her son, he might have the baby abducted and used to control her, or steal her knowledge and power. Although Phobos did not know of the Infinite City, since his parents had never told him of its existence after he had stolen his mother's power, there was still the possibility that he would find out.

Julian had thankfully agreed with her on that, and had taken Caleb back home with him, telling his neighbours that he was the result of a love affair that he and a woman from another county had had months ago, and who had died during childbirth. This left Nerissa free to return to her studies, but that was not the only thing she had to worry about.

Phobos was growing more powerful every day. For a small child, he was showing remarkable feats of power, and even darker acts of cruelty and arrogance. She had once decided to keep him under a watchful eye, and now she was convinced of it.

0000000000

Three Days Later;

Phobos's Palace:

Deanna, the head cook, fumed as she threw in the rest of the icing sugar. So far she had been making cake every day for that wretched spoilt nymph of a prince, all cake and no vegetables! If she weren't so afraid of him, she'd be more than happy to tell him where he could stuff…

"Excuse me?" a good cheerful voice said behind her.

"Huh?" Deanna looked behind her.

"I apologise for being late," the woman, a young stocky woman with brown hair and a round face, said. "I am the new maid."

"New maid?!" Deanna bellowed. "What new maid?! I wasn't told of any new servants!"

"I was demanded for by Prince Phobos himself," she explained.

Deanna swore under her breath. "That damn brat! You watch, he'll be ordering a whole new set of toys next, followed by new beasts for his pets, and a new palace to go with it!" She moaned. "All right then. Here, take these Gantry-berries to the queen's room. She likes these after dinner, and with the way the prince is treating that poor woman lately, she'll need all the help she can get."

"At once." The new servant woman took the gold bowl of berries and made her way out of the kitchen.

"Oh, wait!" the cook called out after her. "Before you go, what's your name?"

"Trill!"

To Be Continued…