Hi everyone, welcome back. Wow, only one chapter in and my story already has over one hundred favs! I'm so grateful to have so much support for this story! And I'm also pleased to have such shocked and surprised reviews at the revelation of Nerissa being Drago's mother, because that is precisely the reaction that I was hoping for! I love it when I can surprise my readers and catch them off guard. And, I'm just going to say it right now, yes Caleb and Drago are half-brothers, as Nerissa was Caleb's mother in the show, while in the comics it was said that she 'created' him, which doesn't make any sense at all. It's easier just to say that their mother and son.
So, what kind of plans do our evil mother-son duo have up their sleeves? Time to find out!
The Knights of Vengeance
It was night in the now-peaceful kingdom of Meridian, all except for a cave on the outskirts of the town where the newly formed Knights of Vengeance dwelled as they appeared to be in disagreement over who would lead this group.
"You dare challenge me?!" Raythor questioned. "The Knights of Vengeance can have but one leader!"
"And it will be Frost!" The hunter stated.
"No, I will lead!" Hak Foo leapt down from a stone pedestal. "I am the strongest warrior here! It is only right that the strong lead!"
"You?" Drago gave a scoff. "Who are you to lead Mr. Black Tiger? You've been a lackey all your life; to Valmont, to my old man, even Phobos. You're not leader material."
"And you believe you are capable of leading us, Drago?" Raythor questioned. "You were never aligned with Prince Phobos or Meridian. In fact, based on what I heard, your father is the reason we are all in this position! If you seek vengeance for him, then we are not on the same side!"
"I'm not remotely interested in that old gecko." Drago said. "I've got plans of my own and believe me… you can't even begin to imagine the sort of vengeance I crave." He said with a growl before calming down. "But why don't we make this simple? How about we fight it out. The winner will lead the Knights."
"That's fine with me." Frost accepted.
"Agreed." Hak Foo nodded.
"Very well then." Raythor nodded.
Hak Foo was the first to attack, throwing a punch towards Raythor. "Ape Smashes Melon!" However, Raythor not only ducked under the strike, but he also swept his feet to trip up Hak Foo and send him rolling across the ground.
Frost charged Drago, but the young demon was much faster as he punched the hunter in the gut to send him crashing to a nearby wall. "Frost, meet fire!" Drago unleashed his fire breath to form a ring of fire around Frost, trapping and isolating him.
"Angry Crow Takes Flight!" Hak Foo leapt into the air, but Drago jumped up to intercept him, throwing out a kick that sent him flying and crashing into the stone. As Drago landed, he faced Raythor one-on-one.
"You have power on your side, I'll give you that much." Raythor drew his sword. "But there's more to a warrior than just strength!" He rushed Drago and swung his sword at him… only for Drago to catch the blade with one hand, much to Raythor's shock. This left him open for Drago to swing his tail, ensnare Raythor by the ankle, heave him up and slam him onto the ground behind him. He gasped as he saw his own sword, in the hand of Drago, pointed at his own throat.
"I think I'm covered in the tactical-department too, don't ya think?" Drago grinned. Raythor saw he was defeated and closed his eyes in acceptance of his own defeat. Drago then telepathically extinguished the ring of fire around Frost as Hak Foo pulled himself up. "It's true the Knights of Vengeance can only have one leader, but every leader could use a right hand." Drago offered Raythor his hand, much to his surprise. "You served Phobos well, I'd like that kind of service for me. We both have a common goal, so wouldn't it make sense to actually work together? And unlike my old man, I treat my partners with respect. What do you say, Raythor?"
A grin fell on Raythor's face as he accepted Drago's hand and was helped up. "I agreed to your terms, the Knights of Vengeance, as well as myself, are under your leadership, Drago. And I accept your offer to be your second-in-command." He placed his fist on his chest and gave a bow.
Hak Foo, Frost, Sandpit, and Tracker all stepped forward and bowed to Drago as well, even Gargoyle gave a slight growl and bowed his head in acceptance. The last to do so was Miranda, though she didn't quite trust Drago, she at least knew they had a common goal to serve; to get rid of those responsible for Cedric's death. For that reason, she bowed her head to Drago as well.
"It would seem the debate of leadership has been settled." Nerissa spoke up, speaking from her stone throne. "Now tell me Drago, where will you lead your Knights toward first?"
"First things first, we strike a bit of fear into the now-peaceful Meridian." Drago replied. "Show them that their troubles are far from over… before we make our move to our real targets: Chan and the Guardians."
"And strike vengeance into those who swore an oath to Prince Phobos and betrayed him!" Raythor added.
"Sounds like a plan." Nerissa shot a bolt of quintessence towards the wall, blowing a large hole open that would lead outside. All the Knights stood atop the head of Gargoyle as the gigantic beast made its way toward the kingdom, with their leader standing at the front.
"It's time for 'Queen Elyon' to learn the true burden of peace." Drago declared.
Earth – Heatherfield
Winter had passed, the snow was gone, the sun was up and shining, and it was finally starting to get warm has spring had arrived, complete with some cherry blossom petals falling from the trees. It seemed nice, and despite that…
"Have I mentioned how much I hate the Spring?" Cornelia questioned irritably.
"Cornelia, he's just a guy. Don't let him ruin a spectacular day." Hay Lin beamed.
"You speak, but the words have no meaning." Cornelia brushed her hair aside, giving of an air of indifference.
"Come on, we all know your bummed because Caleb decided to stay in Meridian." Irma said.
"Besides, you broke up with him, remember?" Alchemy reminded. "Pretty sure he could have handled his job and a relationship."
"No, it's because Cornelia wants all the attention for herself." Taranee teased.
"Oh please. I'm way over him. From now on, I'm strictly an Earth-guy, girl." Cornelia said as they passed by a basketball court.
"Heads up!"
A basketball came their way, but Cornelia was quick to catch it as Taranee's older brother came to retrieve it.
"Hey sis."
"Hey, Peter."
"Nice reflexes." Peter told Cornelia, who was immediately smitten with him.
"Nice muscles." She replied, tossing the ball back. "How about you and I go one-on-one?"
"Or… the five of you could join our game. The guys won't mind."
"Uh… maybe next time." Cornelia looked away with a grumble and crossed arms.
"Okay, see ya later." Peter ran back to the court to rejoin his friends.
Immediately, all the other girls giggled at Cornelia. "Not. A. Word. Not. One. Word." The blonde groaned, her eyebrow twitching.
Uncle's Rare Finds
Meanwhile, Yan Lin had arrived at the Chan family shop to assist them in performing research on their newest adversary; combing scroll-after-scroll, book-after-book, but they had so far had found no luck.
"Nothing." Tohru said as he put down a book. "There's no mention of a fire demon by the name of 'Drago' anywhere."
"He claimed to be the Son of Shendu." Jackie recalled, looking over a scroll. "Is it even possible for Demon Sorcerers to have children?"
"There is no need. Demons are immortal." Uncle said.
"Though they can be destroyed, as you did destroy Shendu in Hong Kong." Yan Lin pointed out.
"Only for him to return as a spirit and cause even more trouble." Jackie replied, shuddering as he recalled said spirit possessing his own body in an effort to rewrite history through the Book of Ages.
"You know, it never really occurred to me until recently…" Tohru began. "The other demons we faced were Shendu's siblings, meaning they would have to share a parent, right? So… who fathered the eight Demon Sorcerers?"
"No one." Uncle answered. "Demon Sorcerers were not born in the sense we mortals were. Shendu and the others are physical manifestations of evil elemental magic given sentience. The universe seeks balance, for every force of good, evil must exist as well. The Demon Sorcerers we faced, and possibly the likes of Tarakudo and the Oni, came to be through dark magic given life. There is no need for them to procreate."
"And yet… Drago does carry Shendu's fire ability." Tohru said.
"Fire is actually a common element used by demons." Yan Lin replied. "And demons aren't just limited to China or Japan, thousands have existed on our planet throughout history. Shendu happens to be the more well-known demon due to his feared reputation as the Ultimate Evil."
"Meaning Drago's claim could be false, and he is merely using Shendu's name as an intimidation tactic." Jackie guessed.
"Drago's parentage not important." Uncle said. "Drago himself, is. A new evil has risen, and we must find a means to prepare for… AIYA!"
Uncle's sudden cry came from a bright flash of purple that opened in the middle of the room, taking the form of a glowing purple portal.
"A portal?! Here?!" Jackie exclaimed as he and Tohru were immediately on the defensive, ready for a fight.
"Reign it in boys, the purple portal means that Kandrakar is calling." Yan Lin revealed, causing the two to look in surprise.
"Kandrakar…?" Tohru guessed while Uncle merely sighed and shook his head.
"Come, we must go." Uncle was the first to step into the portal, though he appeared less than excited.
"Uncle does not seem very… enthusiastic." Jackie said to Yan Lin.
"Jin doesn't quite approve of the Council and some of the choices they make." The elderly woman explained. "But regardless, if we are being summoned it must be important."
"What about the girls?" Tohru asked. "If this portal leads to Kandrakar, shouldn't they be here given they wield the Heart of Kandrakar?"
"Do not worry, they're likely being summoned as well. Now come on, let's not keep them waiting." Yan Lin stepped into the purple portal next.
Jackie and Tohru shared concerned glances, but stepped into the portal regardless, which quickly closed behind them.
Hale Residence.
"Hi Cornelia." Jade waved as Cornelia and the others entered their penthouse apartment, with Will sitting on the sofa behind her best friend with a box on her lap
"Yeah… how'd you even get in here?" Cornelia questioned, her eyelids lowered in annoyance. "You used the Talismans to fly up here? Or had Will transform you? Or did you just climb up?"
"We knocked on the door and your mom said it was cool for us to wait here for you." Jade said simply.
"Okay, so why are you two here?" Cornelia questioned.
"We got a surprise for you." Will opened the box to reveal a tiny black and white kitten that gave a cute little meow the second it appeared.
"Awe!" Taranee, Irma, Hay Lin, and Alchemy all gushed.
"What's with the fur bag?" Cornelia questioned once more.
"Duh, he's a gift." Jade answered.
"From the pet store Matt's grandfather runs. Thought he might cheer you up." Will added.
"For the last time, I don't need cheering up…!" Cornelia attempted to protest but was interrupted as her younger sister came running in excitedly.
"Cornelia! Did you see the kitty?! Mom said that we could keep him!" Lilian said in excitement. "Will and Jade say it's a 'him' not a 'her'. Are you gonna name him? Can I name him?!"
Cornelia didn't seem the least bit impressed. "You can name him. You can have him."
"Wow! Really?!" Lilian took the kitten in her arms with a wide grin. "You're the best sister ever! Mom! Look what Cornelia gave me?!" She ran into the kitchen where her mother was with a wide grin on her face.
"Wow, Jade, Will, you two were right. Ditching two little pests did cheer me up." Cornelia said sarcastically. "As for ditching the rest of you…"
"Oh hello, we get it. Ms. Congeniality needs her space." Irma said irritably.
"Yesh, the one time I try to be genuinely nice too." Jade added.
Suddenly, a bright purple portal opened up right in front of them, causing them all to gasp in shock and surprise.
"Whoa! Portal alert people!" Jade said alarmed.
"Why is it purple, though? Aren't these things normally blue?" Alchemy asked.
"I kinda think it looks cool." Hay Lin commented. "And a bit unsettling."
Cornelia turned to who she assumed was the culprit with a panicking expression. "Will, this is my living room! And my mom's in the kitchen!"
"It's not me… I can't explain it…" Will replied as she took out the Heart of Kandrakar that began to shine ominously. "But I think we're being summoned."
"One guess what comes next." Taranee said knowingly.
"Guardians Unite." With those two magic words, six of the girls were transformed into their respective Guardian forms while Alchemy just remained unchanged.
"I so gotta get my own transformation or something." She grumbled before Cornelia picked her up and all seven of them entered the portal, which closed in that instant right before Lilian entered the room with the kitty in her arms.
"Hey Cornelia! I picked a name! He's… Napoleon...?" The little blonde looked in confusion to see that her sister and all her friends were no longer there.
The Guardians, along with Alchemy, exited out of the purple and into a realm that none of them were familiar with. The sky was endless and stretched out in all directions, while infinite clouds laid below them. The entire world appeared to be glowing an ominous violet color as well. But what really stuck out and caught all their attention was the giant ivory citadel.
"Whoa…" Jade muttered.
"You said it, girl." Taranee added.
"Please don't let me go!" Alchemy said as she clung to Cornelia, not wanting to fall through the clouds below into what she assumed as a bottomless void.
"Where are we?" Will asked.
"Girls! Down here!" They all looked toward the base near the entrance of the citadel to see Jackie, Tohru, Uncle, and Yan Lin all wave to them. The group then flew down to meet them.
"Grandma!" Hay Lin was the first to address the group, primarily her grandmother.
"Jackie, Tohru, Uncle, what's going?" Jade asked. "Where are we and why is it all so purple?"
"This is the realm of Kandrakar." Yan Lin explained to them. "And all the 'purple' is the Veil itself, up close and personal."
"Kandrakar? As in the Heart of Kandrakar?" Will asked in surprise, taking out her amulet for emphasis.
"I just thought it was a magical brand name." Irma said.
"Apparently, this realm lies at the center of the cosmos." Jackie said to them. "This is the world of which your powers all originated from."
That caught them all by surprise. "Seriously…?!" Cornelia looked around in awe.
"Huh… for once… I got no clue what to say." Jade commented.
"This is pretty crazy…! Why are we all here?" Taranee asked.
"We were all apparently summoned." Tohru said before their attention was caught by another portal appearing behind the girls. "And it seems we weren't the only ones."
Stepping out of the third portal first was the Mage, followed by Elyon, along with Caleb, Blunk, Finn, Ratso, and Chow. "The Queen of Meridian and her honor guard have arrived." The Mage announced.
"It's okay Mage…" Alchemy said as she ran up to meet her friends. "To my friends, I'm always just 'Elyon'." She said as she hugged Cornelia and Alchemy.
"Brave new world… means brave new stuff!" Blunk looked in awe at first before rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"Now this is what you call style." Finn commented as he and the former Enforcers looked around at the mysterious realm, they all resided in.
"Talk about dramatic." Chow added.
"Are we in Heaven?" Ratso asked. "Cause we got the pretty buildings and all the clouds, now we're just missing the angels."
"You three going to Heaven? Yeah, I don't think so." Irma joked.
"Very funny." Finn's eyelids lowered in annoyance.
"Joking aside, it is good to see you all here." Jackie said with a smile.
"You too, Chan." Chow nodded.
"Hey Tohru." Ratso walked up and shook his former colleague's hand. "How you doing?"
"I've been doing alright. Seems like you've been doing well too." Tohru replied.
"Honor Guard, huh? How'd you guys earn that title?" Jade asked in a joking sense.
"Guess being pals with the queen's got its perks." Chow said with a grin, straightening out his suit with a feeling of pride.
"Just don't let us catch you trying to rob the place." Will joked.
"They won't, I'm making sure they're on their best behavior." Elyon cracked, elbowing Finn, causing him to chuckle as he ruffled her hair.
"Hey Cornelia." Caleb walked up with a friendly smile, but she turned around with crossed arms, not even giving him a reply.
"Oooh, the cold shoulder." Ratso observed.
Two white-robed figures soon came out of the citadel to greet the newly assembled group; one was a short, elderly man with pointed ears and antennas on his head with a long white beard. Accompanying him was an older woman with long blonde hair.
"On behalf of the Council, welcome to Kandrakar." The man greeted. "Althor at your service. And my venerated colleague is…"
"Halinor!" Uncle said with a smile, his happy tone surprising many of the people present as he walked toward his old friend.
"Jin… so good to see you again." Halinor shared a hug with him.
"Well don't leave me out of this." Yan Lin was next to hug her former teammate. "I see the years have been good to you, Halinor."
"And you're as full of life as ever, Yan Lin." She replied.
"Okay… did we get our Uncle mixed up? Cause he seems kinda… happy." Jade observed as all the girls, including Jackie, Tohru, and even Caleb and the Enforcers were surprised to see a genuinely happy expression on Uncle's face as opposed to his usual crabby grouchy expressions.
"Who are you and what have you done with the old man?" Irma put in.
"Girls, everyone, this is Halinor." Yan Lin introduced. "She was the Guardian of Fire on my team back in the day. Your predecessor, Taranee."
Though many were surprised at that, Taranee seemed the most surprised. "Oh!" She quickly came up to her predecessor and stood up straight. "Ma'am, it's nice to meet you! S-Should I call you ma'am? What do I…?"
Halinor laughed as she put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Just Halinor is fine, and it's nice to finally meet you too, Taranee. You've done an excellent job as my successor in such a short time, and I know you'll be doing great things in the future."
This caused Taranee to blush, having her own predecessor give her a complement like that felt like a huge honor. "Thank you, I promise to do my best!" She beamed with a wide smile.
"And you three…" Halinor walked toward Jackie, Jade, and Tohru. "Thank you for looking after Jin for so long. I know he's been difficult, but he's such a good old friend of mine and I can tell that you all mean as much to him as he does to you. So let me thank you; Jackie, Jade, Tohru." She bowed her head.
Jackie, Jade, and Tohru each exchanged smiles with one another. "Oh, it is nothing." Jackie said. "I'm happy to know Uncle had such great friends and I'm pleased to finally meet one myself." He and Halinor shook hands.
"Come now!" Althor got all their attention as he began to lead the whole group inside. "The Fortress at the Heart of Infinity awaits!"
Meridian
The rebuilding of Meridian was no easy task as it would take quite some time to get everything fixed up, not just with repairing buildings but rekindling the broken spirits of all the people who lost their hope during Phobos' reign. And while the road ahead would be a difficult one, there was still progress as at the very least, the repairing of homes and villages was going at a steady pace. The fact that the reformed soldiers and guards who previously served the old regime were helping to rebuild certainly made the work go by faster.
Leading the effort was none other than Tynar, who now pulled on a rope, hoisting up a large brick on the wooden scaffolding he was standing on.
"Well done, Tynar. Your work crew is a whole week ahead of schedule." Drake said congratulatory.
Tynar gave a small sigh. "When I served Phobos in his hunt for the rebels, I led the attack that leveled this village. The least I can do is help rebuild… Get down!" He quickly pulled Drake out of the way and leapt off the scaffolding with him just as a powerful stream of fire was shot at them, blasting away the scaffolding and destabilizing much of the building under construction as it was set ablaze.
The people around screamed and panicked at the sight of the enormous Gargoyle monster, with Drago and Raythor standing at the top of the creature's head as the young demon laughed.
"No rebuilding will keep Meridian safe from the Son of Shendu and his Knights of Vengeance!" Drago declared. "Get em, big guy!" He ordered Gargoyle, who roared with excitement as he began to bash his way through several of the buildings and ensue chaos.
"You say you want to step outside your father's shadow and yet you use his name." Raythor pointed out. "Why?"
"The best kind of rep is one that's built off fear. And my old man instilled more fear in this kingdom in a single day than Phobos could do during his whole reign." Drago explained.
Though Raythor didn't quite like how Drago referred to his prince in such a regard, he did understand the logic behind it. Fear could indeed be a powerful weapon, so perhaps it was time to use it.
"What are your orders then?" Raythor asked his leader.
"Take the ground crew and cause some chaos. It's time to send the message that while the old war is over, a new one is beginning!" Drago sneered.
"As you wish." Raythor accepted as he went to Gargoyle's hand and was put down. "Tracker, Hak Foo, Frost, Miranda, go!" He ordered as he drew his sword.
The Tracker roared as he opened his robe to unleash a swarm of his monster-bats onto the people and cause them to run away. Frost rode his rhino-steed Crimson with Miranda riding behind him as he and Hak Foo charged the guards and soldiers nearby.
"Charging Rhino Flattens Gazelle!" Hak Foo ran with a headbutt as he bulldozed his way through two guards. "Elephant Fists!" He threw out several punches that sent several soldiers flying in multiple directions.
As Frost and Crimson cleared the way of several guards themselves, Miranda leapt off Crimson and shifted into her spider-form to face Drake and Tynar. She shot a strand of webbing to ensnare Tynar and trap him in a cocoon.
"Tynar!" Drake was about to help him, but Gargoyle had approached them as the monster continued to cause destruction, from which Drago leapt off his head and landed a kick to Drake to knock him to the ground before unleashing a stream of fire from his mouth to set several smaller buildings on fire as Gargoyle picked up the ensnare Tynar.
"Bury them, Sandpit!" Raythor ordered.
The sentient pile of sand took his humanoid form before unleashing a twister of sand that spread out in all directions to blast away the last of the soldiers.
"Tynar recruited countless 'loyal guards' to betray our prince to the Rebellion." Raythor stated. "So vengeance must reign upon him!"
As Sandpit expanded the sand tornado to cover all their tracks, Drago picked up Drake by the collar and looked him dead in the eye. "Jackie Chan and the Guardians are probably gonna show up soon, and when they do, I want you to tell them exactly what happened here and who was responsible for it. And just to make sure that you don't forget…" Drago grinned as he brandished his claws his free hand…
*SLASH!*
Drake cried out in pain as he was dropped on the ground, covering the right side of his face that was slashed and bleeding as the sand tornado vanished, leaving no trace of Drago, the Knights, or their newfound captive.
"Tynar…" Drake moaned, greatly concerned for his friend and ally, with a feeling of dread sinking in.
Kandrakar
Meanwhile, Halinor and Althor, continued to lead the conjoined group of the Guardians, Chan Clan, former Enforcers, Elyon, Alchemy, Yan Lin, Caleb, the Mage, and Blunk through the Fortress of Infinity as they continued to look in awe around them.
"Has the Fortress met with your expectations my friends?" Althor asked.
"And then some." Jackie said. "This place is amazing."
"Yeah, we're in awe alright. Definitely in awe." Will added.
"Dudes, this place is huge." Finn said.
"It looks like a holy city or something." Chow added.
"Wait till you all see the Aurameres." Halinor said.
"Aurameres?" Taranee looked towards Uncle and Yan Lin. "I remember you guys saying something about that a long time ago. Like the source of our individual powers or something."
"Correct." Uncle confirmed as the group was led to a specific chamber, which was opened to reveal a staircase that led down towards a pedestal with six glowing spheres rotating in a constant circle, all being tended to by a white-robed woman with a feline-like expression. "The Aurameres are the source of the Guardians' powers. They transmit Kandrakar's power across the dimensions to the Heart, and to the Guardians."
"I thought the Heart of Kandrakar was source of their power." Alchemy said.
"It's both, actually." Yan Lin explained. "The Heart of Kandrakar is sort of like a wireless device that connects the Guardians to the Aurameres."
"So… it's like a cellphone tower." Jade theorized.
"That's one way of putting it." Yan Lin replied.
The group was led into the chamber so that the Guardians and their allies could see the Aurameres as well as the person tending to them.
"This is Luba, keeper of the Auramere globes." Halinor introduced.
"Hello." Jackie greeted, offering his hand, but Luba ignored him and instead set her eyes upon Jade, taking note of her Guardian form.
"So, you are the one who caused trouble with the Aurameres."
"Excuse me?" Jade questioned.
"For generations, there have always been five Aurameres, never a sixth. That is until you came along." Luba told her. "Do you have any idea the potential upset of the balance you could have instilled?"
"Hey, I didn't ask for any of this, okay?!" Jade argued. "I didn't ask Tarakudo to turn me into his queen, or to get all these fancy powers!"
"None of that is Jade's fault." Will was the first to come the best friend's defense with the rest of the Guardians, along with Jackie and Tohru. "Even if there hasn't been a sixth Guardian, she's been nothing but helpful to us."
"I apologize if we have unintentionally caused a disturbance with the Aurameres, but none of us were aware of any of this and had no control over it." Jackie added.
"Perhaps if you had been paying more attention to Jade's actions with her power, perhaps you would see there is nothing to worry about." Tohru also said.
"Regardless, such a phenomenon could still have… Ow!" Luba felt her forehead where Uncle delivered his signature dope-slap.
"Did you forget what Aurameres are?! The Aurameres are good magic!" Uncle chastised. "Universe seeks balance! Yin and Yang! Forces of Darkness had grown stronger with Phobos and Tarakudo allied together, so universe created new Guardian to restore balance! Council should know this!"
"Now, now, that is quite enough." Yan Lin and Halinor both got in-between Uncle and Luba respectively, preventing things from escalating. "Yes, a sixth Auramere was a surprise that none of us could have anticipated, and it may have indeed originated from the power of Tarakudo…"
"But, as Jin said, the Aurameres are good magic." Halinor continued. "And we have spent all this time observing Jade and her friends, and we have seen that there is no corruption among the Aurameres or the Guardians. In fact, it's been the opposite. The presence of the other Guardians have had a positive effect on Jade and the power, so I don't believe we have anything to worry about."
This seemed to calm things down a bit as Uncle and Luba both backed off, much to everyone else's relief.
"Wait… Hold on a sec… you guys have been watching us? This whole time?" Irma asked.
"That's kinda creepy." Jade commented.
"We apologize, we meant to cause you no discomfort." Althor said with a bow. "But we had to be careful with the presence of a sixth Auramere."
"Yeah, don't worry about Jade, she's probably the most good out of all of us." Will said as she put her hand on her friend's shoulder, causing Jade to smile sincerely.
"So, which of these Aurameres is ours anyway?" Hay Lin asked, getting a closer look and feeling a bit excited at seeing the source of each of their powers. "The purple one's obviously Jade, and I think I'm the white one."
"Maybe the green one is yours." Caleb said to Cornelia, who simply looked away, ignoring him once again. "Or maybe it's the one that's the coldest."
"Oooh, these are pretty." Ratso said, looking at the Aurameres with Blunk, Finn, and Chow.
"Wonder what they're made out of." Finn said.
"Maybe something a little expensive... or even priceless…" Chow felt the instinctive urge to reach out for one, along with Blunk…
Only for all their hands to be slapped away by Luba. "Do not touch them!"
"Blunk and friends not hurt globe-ball! Just assess value." Blunk excused.
"Eh, yeah. Sorry. Force of habit." Finn apologized.
"You definitely have your work cut out for them." Alchemy said to Elyon, regarding the Enforcers.
"At least they're trying to be better." Elyon replied.
"Now then, this way." Althor began to lead the group out of the Auramere chamber as Luba continued to watch over the globes. "The Oracle awaits in the court of the Council."
"The Oracle?" Taranee asked.
"Many myths and legends depict oracles as beings who can foresee the future, some having connections to gods and deities." Jackie said. "Am I correct to assume it is a similar case here?"
"The Oracle is the leader of the Council." Halinor explained. "A being of true wisdom who oversees the universe."
Uncle gave a scoff. "Oracle is merely title. Many have held it in past times."
The group made it to the central chamber of the fortress where two robbed individuals appeared to be waiting; one was an elderly man with long white hair and a beard, while the other was younger and bald.
"Hello there." Jackie waved to the pair as Will flew to the eldest.
"Oracle, sir. We are honored too…"
Suddenly, the Mage came towards the younger one and embraced him. "My dear Oracle."
"That's Tibor." Yan Lin explained to Will and Jackie, referring to the older gentleman. "The cute one's the Oracle."
"Oh… sorry." Will apologized to Tibor.
"No harm done." He assured.
The Mage broke off from her embrace. "My Oracle, I remain your humble servant."
"And yet, somewhat more affectionate than I recall." The Oracle chuckled nervously before smiling genuinely. "But I do share your enthusiasm. It is a pleasure to finally meet this new generation of Guardians, as well as you Jackie Chan." He spoke to the man directly. "I am honored."
"Honored? I'm afraid I am merely humbled archeologist." Jackie said with a slight chuckle.
"Perhaps, but one does not defeat the eight Demon Sorcerers without Kandrakar noticing. Such a legendary feat shared by you and your family." The Oracle said before looking toward Uncle. "And Jin, you have grown into a fine wizard. I'm certain Chi-Master Fong would be proud, and perhaps… we can start over?" He offered his hand to Uncle, who looked at it skeptically.
"Uncle will consider it." He looked away with crossed arms, leaving the Oracle to look a bit disappointed but not surprised.
"Um… does Uncle not like the Oracle?" Taranee asked Halinor. "I'm picking up some hostility…"
"It has to do with our team ended…" The former Guardian explained. "Jin and the Oracle disagreed on a… personal matter and it wasn't resolved the way either of them wanted."
"I see." Taranee could tell from Halinor's tone that it was a sensitive subject and chose not to press on it.
"Alright, can somebody explain to us what is going on here? Cause I get the feeling you didn't invite all of us just for a tour." Irma stated, referring herself and the assembled group of friends and allies.
"Allow me…" The Oracle began. "As many of you know, when Queen Weira of Meridian passed away and Phobos assumed the throne, chaos ensued in Meridian, chaos that drew dark forces from both that realm and beyond, such as the dark chi wizard, Daolon Wong. The threat was so grave that we were forced to quarantine Meridian to prevent any darkness from that realm spreading to the others, or other dark forces from being drawn there as well, and so the Veil was raised."
"And yet the Veil did not stop Tarakudo from coming to and from Meridian." Tohru said.
"Yes… Tarakudo's alliance with Phobos was unexpected." The Oracle continued. "Unfortunately, we could not stop him from using the Shadow Realm to bypass the Veil."
"Why didn't you just put a Veil over the Shadow Realm then?" Hay Lin asked.
"It doesn't quite work that way." Halinor explained. "Creating and raising a Veil requires a great deal of magical power, the combined power of the entire Council, to be specific. And even then, we are only capable of raising the Veil over one dimension, it's impossible to isolate two realms at a time."
"And even if that weren't the case, the Shadow Realm is not like the other dimensions." The Oracle continued. "It is a fluent and transparent world that can be accessed by all shadows across the infinite dimensions, placing a veil on that is all but impossible even with our power."
"Wow, guess even magic has to follow its own 'laws of physics'." Taranee said.
"However, with the threats of Phobos, Tarakudo, and even Shendu defeated, and a new day is about to dawn!" The Oracle declared.
The entire Council, including the recently arrived Luba, gathered in a circle and placed their hands together in the middle. They channeled all their magic and poured it into the very center, creating a sphere of pulsating energy that rose straight up and toward the roof of the chamber, but it didn't stop there. The energy transferred all the way to the very top of the Fortress of Infinity and shot directly into the sky. It impacted the solid purple energy that was the Veil and began to spread out, causing the Veil to begin dispersing and revealing the bright blue and natural sky of Kandrakar. It didn't take long for the Veil to disappear entirely, leaving the group more than a little awed.
"Holy…!" Jade muttered.
"What just happened?" Jackie asked.
"The Veil is no more." Uncle revealed.
"Indeed." The Oracle confirmed. "The Veil has been lowered and may the need for it never rise again."
"What are the 'Guardians of the Veil' if there's no Veil to guard?" Will asked, during all the commotion, Blunk snuck away from the main group.
"Duh, we still gotta fight bad guys." Jade pointed out.
The Oracle smiled in amusement before looking towards Uncle, Yan Lin, and the Mage. "We would be honored to have you three join us on the Council."
"I'm very flattered, Oracle. But also, very retired." Yan Lin politely rejected.
"No." Uncle said flatly. "Uncle does not belong in palace in clouds! Must attend to shop!"
"I do accept this honor." The Mage bowed. "However, I do have a responsibility in Meridian. I am tasked with keeping Phobos and Shendu in their cages. The one known as Hak Foo has already escaped."
"Wait, Hak Foo busted out?!" Finn exclaimed in surprise as he, Chow, and Ratso looked particularly worried.
The Chan Clan and Guardians likewise exchanged concerning and wincing glances. "Yeah… Hak Foo might actually be the least of our worries right now." Will said. "We also ran into Miranda a couple days ago."
"Miranda?!" Elyon questioned.
"And she was not alone." Jackie added. "She was working alongside a fire demon by the name of Drago."
"Oh and get this… he says he's Shendu's son." Jade revealed.
Nobody expected that. Elyon, Caleb, the Enforcers, and even the entire Council of Kandrakar looked in absolute shock and even borderline horror.
"Shendu's son?!" Halinor exclaimed.
"That oversized lizard had a kid?!" Chow questioned.
"Who's the mommy?" Ratso wondered.
"That monster… actually has a son…?!" Caleb looked towards Cornelia, who sighed as she gave him a solid answer that time.
"That's what he said, but I think he might just be blowing smoke." The blonde replied.
"We have done extensive research on several demons that lived on Earth, and there has been no mention of one named Drago." Tohru explained.
"Meaning, he could be just using Shendu's name as a means to intimidate us." Jackie said.
"Well, it worked." Hay Lin added. "First time we met, he and Miranda kidnapped me, Irma, and Cornelia and used us as bait to lure Will, Jade, and Taranee into a trap!"
"But we were able get that creep off guard and send him running." Irma said. "That guy was nowhere near as powerful as daddy dearest."
"Where is this Drago now?" The Oracle asked. "Even if he's not as powerful as Shendu, or his claim of being his son prove to be false, he could still be a danger as he's already directly attacked you Guardians."
"Last we saw, he and Miranda hopped into a portal and went to Meridian." Jade answered.
"He's in Meridian?! Why am I only hearing about this now?!" Elyon exclaimed in shock. "Nevermind, I have to go! I have to stop him…. Ow!" She felt her forehead where Uncle dope-slapped her.
"Too reckless! You have full Meridian power, but no proper training!" Uncle chastised.
"I agree with Jin." The Oracle said. "Just because you have your full power does not you are a master of it yet. However,… I do sense disharmony unfolding on Meridian. If it is connected to this Drago, I believe the Guardians and Jackie should go and investigate. Find and capture this Drago, we need to find out for certain if he truly has any connection to Shendu."
"Let us go too." Caleb stepped up with the Enforcers right behind him. "Meridian is our responsibility." He tried to ignore the eyeroll Cornelia sent his way.
"Yeah, we're good guys now." Ratso added.
"Plus, we used to work for Shendu." Chow said. "If this kid's anything like his old man…"
"Then maybe we can guess his next move." Finn also put in.
Jade smirked at the three with pride. "Look at you guys, volunteering to fight the good fight."
"One question, how are we gonna get to Meridian?" Will asked. "The Veil is lowered, so there are no more portals, right?"
"You six are now the Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions." The Oracle explained. "And with the passing of the Veil, opens the old ways of traversing dimensions. Mage?"
"Will, what I do with the Mage Ring, you will learn to do with the Heart." The Mage provided a demonstration by using her ring to open what appeared to be a fluent tear in space that revealed the kingdom of Meridian beyond it.
"This is a Fold in space." Uncle explained. "It bends the natural barriers that separate other dimensions from one another to create pathways to other worlds."
"So, it's basically the same as portals." Jade guessed. "Gotcha."
"What are we waiting for? Next stop, Meridian!" Alchemy was already ready for a fight, but Yan Lin put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
"Not so fast, you are coming with me back to Earth, Alchemy."
"What? But I always go with you guys! I can help!" She protested.
"Yan Lin is right." Jackie agreed. "Drago's no Shendu, but he is plenty dangerous, and we still don't know the full extent of his powers. I'm sorry Alchemy, but I'm afraid you'll have to sit this one out."
Alchemy looked down with a disappointed sigh. "Okay… But I'm coming on the next one!"
"Don't worry, we'll kick lizard-boy's butt for ya." Hay Lin assured.
The Guardians, Chan Clan, Caleb, and the Enforcers stepped out of the Fold and into Meridian but were all shocked by the sight that greeted them. Standing on the hilltop they saw a small section of the town in ruins with smoke coming from some of the burnt down buildings. Before anyone could go down and investigate…
"Caleb! Guardians!" Drake ran up to meet them, the right side of his face bandaged up where head been slashed. He informed them of the entire situation and they listened to every word.
"And... Drago and his Knights vanished… taking Tynar with them."
"Because he joined the Rebellion? Talk about sore losers." Hay Lin commented.
"Okay, I get Hak Foo and all those other guys wanting payback, but what's Drago's beef?" Irma asked. "He wasn't a part of Phobos army?"
"Maybe vengeance for what happened to his father?" Tohru assumed.
"If Shendu even is his father." Taranee reminded. "We still don't know for sure."
"Hello? Bad guy team up? Common enemy? Do I gotta spell it for you?" Jade stated. "Drago wants us out of the way, but since we kicked his butt back on Earth, he's teamed up with the Knights of Vengeance to even the odds. By the way that is a pretty cool villain team name, it's got real edge to it."
"But what is Drago's goal?" Jackie wondered. "What can he gain from trying to get rid of us?"
"We must capture Drago ourselves to get answers." Uncle said.
"Yeah, we might not know what Drago's up to, but we can guess what these so-called Knights want." Caleb agreed. "They're settling old scores."
"So, we're probably next up on the chopping block." Finn said, referring to himself and his friends.
"Yeah, they'll definitely come after us next for 'betraying' their bosses." Chow added.
"Technically it's not really betrayal if you're enslaved against your will." Taranee said
"Won't stop them for thinking it." Ratso also agreed with his friends.
"You won't be the only ones though." The group turned at the sound of the new voice and saw another former rebel had just arrived on the scene.
"Vathek?" Caleb did not expect to see him here.
"I betrayed Phobos of my own free will, and I'm the reason Raythor got tossed into the Abyss." Vathek said. "They'll be coming after me next."
Irma began to think for a second before a grin formed on her face as she got an idea. "Well, if you guys are willing… how does the idea of being 'bait' sound to you?"
Vathek and the Enforcers walked through a forest, seemingly alone as they waited for their attackers to strike. All of them had weapons at the ready as Vathek carried a mace, while Finn, Ratso, and Chow each carried a sword.
"Raythor! Come out and face us!" Vathek demanded.
In direct response to that challenge, a stand of webbing was shot from a nearby tree to ensnare and trap Vathek, causing him to drop his weapon and hoist him up.
"Hang on big guy, we gotcha!" Finn and the others were about to run and help him, but a wall of flames halted their path.
"Nuh-uh-uh." Drago shook his finger as he leapt down from the tree that Miranda lowered herself from. Stepping out from the other side were Raythor and Tracker.
"Here I stand, Vathek." Raythor looked toward him with contempt. "Surprised to see me alive? After you left me to rot in that pit?!" He exclaimed in rage, which Vathek honestly could not fault him for. "As for you three, I understand that you were enslaved by Daolon Wong's wretched magic." Raythor looked to the Enforcers.
"Yeah, what's it to ya, pal?" Ratso asked.
"Got no reason to hold any grudge against you if that's the case." Drago said. "So, I got a proposal instead. Join us! Join my Knights of Vengeance and you will have everything you could ever desire!"
Needless to say, the Enforcers were not impressed by this proposal.
"Sorry kid, but your old man kinda burned us." Chow told him.
"Literally, I got the scars to prove it." Ratso added.
Drago's smile faded. "You're turning me down?"
"Look, all that world domination stuff just don't pay the rent." Finn replied.
"And we're good guys now, and we like it." Ratso said.
"But how about we reunite ya with your dad instead? Right Chan?!" Chow called out.
Suddenly and quickly, Jackie Chan swung down from a vine and slammed both his feet into Drago, knocking him back towards his teammates as the six Guardians descended from the tree-tops, readying their respective elements as Tohru, Caleb, and Uncle appeared; the largest cracking his knuckles, the youngest drawing his katana, and the oldest wielding a pair of blowfish as he shot a chi-blast at Miranda to knock her back before Jade drew a shadow-katana to cut down and free Vathek.
"Who's ready to play?" Jade grinned.
Rather than look intimidated or angry by all this, Drago actually laughed. "So you laid out a trap like before? Wish we thought of that."
"Oh wait… we did!" Raythor added as the ground around the heroes caved in partially, revealing Sandpit in the form of a ring before it exploded outward to take the form of a large sand twister that began to blow around all the heroes, causing them to cover their eyes and stand their ground firmly.
"You tried that same trick back at the cave, remember?" Drago told them, sounding a bit disappointed as Hak Foo and Frost, riding atop Crimson, stepped out of their respective hiding spots. "Unlike Dad, I learn from my mistakes."
"Then let's just settle this the old-fashioned way." Jade created a sphere of shadow-magic to protect herself and most of her friends, all except Hay Lin who flew upward to create her own tornado of air that collided against the insides of Sandpit's own sand twister. Hay Lin expanded her tornado more and more until Sandpit could no longer keep it together and was forced to disperse himself, allowing Hay Lin to retract her tornado as the heroes went on the attack.
Frost rode Crimson and collided with Tohru, who pitted his own strength against the rhino-like steed and seemed able to stand his ground, digging his feet in. Frost tried to bring his axe down on Tohru, but Will flew in with a kick that sent him flying and crashing into a nearby tree, allowing Tohru to scoop down and grab Crimson by its underbelly and flip it over to slam him upside down on the ground.
Drago leapt straight towards Jackie, immediately engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Drago lashed out with a series of punches, which Jackie blocked and countered before trying to sweep his feet at Drago, but he leapt backwards and unleashed his fire breath upon landing. Fortunately, Irma came in and blasted a stream of water to extinguish Drago's attack.
"You look parched there, Scaly. Maybe try cooling down?" Irma snarked before she shot more water at him, forcing Drago on the defensive as Jackie went on the attack.
"Flying Dragon Corkscrew!" Hak Foo ran and spun his body around as he collided against his former comrades, the Enforcers, knocking all three back. Vathek tried to swing his mace at the man, but Hak Foo kicked it out of his hand before swiping his feet. "Snake Cuts Grass!" Suddenly, he was lifted off the air by a gust of air from Hay Lin before she threw him straight up toward her where she landed a kick on his face, further enhanced by a gust of wind she generated around her foot to send him crashing to the ground.
Sandpit created two sand-twisters in his hands and shot it all towards Jade, but she threw her hands out to create a large shield of her shadow-magic to block the attack before exploding her shield out in the form of fire-like shadows, dispersing much of the sand before she flew straight at the pile of sand, who shifted his right arm into a condensed cleaver-like blade and tried to slice at Jade. But she was able to fly above him and avoid the slice before directing her control over the shadows around Sandpit and create a dome of shadow to trap him.
"Lights out, sandy." Jade grinned, keeping him contained.
Uncle and Taranee shot chi-blasts and fireballs respectively at Miranda, who hopped from tree-branch to tree-branch. She tried to retaliate with more strands of webbing, but Taranee waved her hand to create a wave of flame to incarnate the web and allow Uncle to get a decent shot in with a stun spell to knock Miranda down on the ground.
Raythor brought his sword down toward Caleb, clashing with his katana. They pressed their blades against one another as Tracker tried to come at Caleb from behind with his glowing green mace, but Cornelia was already on top of it as she concentrated her own powers on the ground, sending a trail of roots forward to ensnare the Tracker, while also directing another path in front of Caleb to do the same for Raythor.
"Ha! Top that Mr. 'Meridian cannot live without me'!" Cornelia gloated.
Caleb glared in annoyance, but was surprised to see that Cornelia's roots and tendrils were not stopping, but in fact continued to grow and spread, making their way to everyone else, allies and enemies, already starting to ensnare many of them.
"Okay Cornelia, we get it! You can stop now!" Jade said as she tried to use her shadow-claws to slice away several of the tendrils, but this caused her to lose her concentration on the shadow-sphere that was containing Sandpit, allowing him to escape.
Cornelia tried to focus her powers as she already saw that Will, Jackie, Irma, Hay Lin, Uncle, Taranee, and even Tohru were also getting ensnared as Vathek and the Enforcers were getting cornered themselves.
"I… I can't stop it…!" She tried to focus as hard as she could.
"Ah what's the matter, Corny?" Drago taunted as he landed on a tree branch above her. "Too much for ya? Or are you just pissed that your boyfriend chose Meridian over you?"
"Shut up…!" She tried to block him out and focus more on her powers.
"Little Miss Narcissism can't get an actual hit with her social life." Drago continued. "Really makes you wonder if he left you because of his duty, or that maybe you were a little too high maintenance. That's pretty damn pathetic, just like you."
"SHUT UP!" She tried to fly and punch him, but as she threw her fist, it caused the ground around her to cave in and collapse, sending tremors all throughout the forest and uprooting several trees as the tendrils that ensnared all her friends only continued to grow. "No… No! I wasn't… I didn't…!" Cornelia stuttered, completely frightened by her own display of power.
While everyone was distracted, Sandpit converted into his twister form and made his way over toward Vathek, Finn, Ratso, and Chow; pulling them in and capturing them before flying away just as Raythor, Tracker, Frost, Crimson, Hak Foo, and Miranda regrouped with Drago at a safe distance to watch the scene unfold.
"Should we finish them off?" Hak Foo asked.
"No, I think Cornelia's got it covered, right blondie?" He called out to her, which only caused her to shudder more. "But to be safe, how about a little forest fire added on to that?" Drago shot his fire breath at several trees around the area, setting them ablaze, which only frightened Cornelia even more, causing her powers to grow even more wild. "Thanks for the help, Cornelia!" Drago waved with an evil laugh as he and the Knights turned around and retreated, leaving the heroes in their grave predicament.
"Bad day…" Jackie muttered, trying to wrestle himself free from the vines.
Kandrakar
Having stayed behind, Blunk had explored more of the Fortress… and by explore, he was in actuality, helping himself to whatever valuables he could get his grubby hands on. Already he carried a handful of treasures.
"Blunk loaded and ready!" He sniffed the air for a moment. "But Blunk not smell portal."
As he went around a pillar, the Passling accidentally bumped into something, causing him to drop all his acquisitions. He glanced up in surprise to see it was none other than the Oracle he bumped into.
"Blunk not steal! All this on consignment! All of this sixty-forty?" He tried to excuse.
"I'm afraid we're not looking to sell." The Oracle said somewhat humorously. "But perhaps I can offer you a gift."
That caught Blunk's attention. "Gift? What is gift?"
"The Tooth of the Tonga." The Oracle took out a talisman-like object that resembled a large, curved fang with a red gemstone engraved into it. "A creature that could traverse dimensions." The Oracle placed it around Blunk's neck like a necklace.
Blunk was brought to tears by the gesture, snot coming from his nose as well. "No one ever give Blunk gift before." He wiped the tears and snot from his face with the Oracle's robe. "Blunk not know what to…"
"Help your friends." The Oracle told him. "I sense they need you."
"Blunk will! Blunk promise!" The Passling vowed. "Blunk will help friends all the time!"
"I sense they need you, now." The Oracle clarified.
Meridian
The fires continued to spread throughout the forest around them as most of the Chan Clan and Guardians were all trapped by Cornelia's out-of-control powers. She tried to focus as hard as she could to stop all of it, but between the screams of her friends and growing flames, it seemed all but impossible as all that was in her mind right now as panic and fear.
"Cornelia! Cornelia, you have to focus!" Jackie tried to tell her as he tried to wrestle his way out of the vines.
"I… I can't I… I…" She stuttered.
"Alright, that's it!" Jade appeared to have had enough of this as she coated her whole body in shadow-magic and generated several tiny blades to cut away all the vines that had ensnared her. She then generated her shadow-claws again and spun her whole body around like a top, still completely coated in her 'shadow-armor' and quickly sliced her way through all the tendrils that were ensnaring her friends. Will, Hay Lin, Irma, and Taranee immediately took flight as Jackie, Caleb, and Uncle all landed safely on the ground; Tohru would have fallen but Will and Jade were quick to catch him and set him down.
"We gotta do something about those fires!" Will said. "Irma!"
"I'm on it!" Irma held her hands out and begun to shoot out as much water as she could to extinguish as much of the flames as she could.
"Hang on, let me try something." Taranee tried to focus on her own power as an idea came to her. 'I'm the Fire Guardian, right? I control it, and that's more than just shooting fireballs.' She reached out her hands in all directions, focusing on all the flames that Irma had yet to extinguish. The more she concentrated, the more control she had over the flames. The fires then began to shrink and subside. Within a few minutes, the flames all vanished, much to the surprise of most of her friends.
"Whoa… Since when can you do that?" Hay Lin asked, being the first time Taranee actually extinguished flames with her own powers.
"Since now I guess…" Taranee assumed. "The idea just came to me."
Despite much of the crisis being abated, Cornelia looked like she was about to have a panic attack. Her hands shook as everything around her became quiet, the only thing she could think about was how badly she messed up and lost control. When it looked like she was about to accidentally lose control again…
"Cornelia!" She gave a gasp as Caleb put a firm grip on both her shoulders. "Calm down. It's over. Just breathe."
Hearing Caleb's voice was enough to get her to at least focus on him. She did as he said and tried to breath, taking several and slow deep breaths. It seemed to calm her down a bit, which also caused all the growing tendrils to stop and recede back into the earth. After a few more deep breaths, it all came to an end.
"I… I'm sorry… I don't know what happened…"
"Hey, it's okay." Will said, coming over to put a comforting hand on her back. "We're okay."
"No, we're not. Vathek, Finn, and the others got caught because of me!" Cornelia stated.
"And we're going to rescue them." Jackie said. "I promise."
"Before we do though, can somebody explain what the heck just happened?" Jade questioned. "Cornelia's powers have never been that strong before."
"It is because of the lowering of the Veil." Uncle said, getting everyone's attention. "The Veil was risen by drawing power from Kandrakar itself, the source of its power…"
"The Heart." Will said in realization, taking out the crystal for emphasis.
"The Heart, and your Aurameres, are the source of Kandrakar's vast magical powers." Uncle explained. "The Council drew from it in order to raise the Veil thirteen years ago."
"Until today when it was lowered." Tohru seemed to understand. "Causing the energy to be returned to the Heart and the Aurameres."
"Correct." Uncle confirmed.
"Makes sense." Taranee followed along. "Energy can't be created or destroyed, just changed from one form to another."
"So… what you're saying is, all the times we fought Phobos, Tarakudo, and their lackies… we were handicapped?" Irma questioned.
"Your powers were not at their peak." Uncle said. "But with the lowering of the Veil, your will abilities will gradually increase and you will even develop new powers that you are yet unfamiliar with."
That caused each of the girls to look a little nervous, even Jackie. Would they all be just as strong as Cornelia just demonstrated? And what sort of new powers would they have? The one who seemed the most concerned was Jade. She was the only Guardian of Shadow to ever exist before, meaning any power growth or new abilities she would develop were a complete unknown, making her a wild card.
"Wait… new powers? I never had any powers before other than super strength." Will said. "So, what? Am I even stronger now? Like Superman-level strong?"
"New abilities not important now." Uncle shook his finger. "Finding Drago and Knights of Vengeance, is."
"Uncle is right, we need to focus on finding Tynar and the others. They need our help now." Jackie agreed. "But I promise, we'll look into your growing powers once this is all over."
Suddenly, a Fold was opened in the sky above them as Blunk fell out with a scream and landed on the ground in the middle of the group just as the Fold vanished.
"Blunk?" Taranee questioned as Caleb pulled the Passling up by his shirt.
"Blunk okay. Got gift." He held up his newly acquired talisman. "Tonga Tooth mean Blunk has sniffed out his last portal."
"Sniff… that's it!" Jade snapped her fingers. "Blunk, we need your help. Can you use your bloodhound nose to find Drago and his buddies?"
"Eh… could, but why would?" Blunk asked nervously. "Drago son of scary monster dragon, right?"
"If you help us, I'll give you a bucket of chocolate when we get back to Earth." Jade offered with a grin.
"Blunk accept!" The Passling leapt to the ground and immediately begun to sniff out their enemies.
Night had fallen on Meridian as Blunk led the Guardians, Chan Clan, and Caleb toward Hoogoon Gorge. The group stuck close to the ground, practically crawling as Blunk led them toward the edge of the gorge, looking down to see the Knights of Vengeance sitting around a campfire; with Tynar, Finn, Vathek, Chow, and Ratso all chained to large boulders.
"Blunk sniff, Blunk find." The Passling reported.
"Good work Blunk." Jackie nodded with approval. "Looks like they're still alive."
"Dragon boy smell like sulfur. Real bad." Blunk added.
"Alright, we've got the element of surprise, so listen up…" Will began to lay instructions for the group, unaware that a trio of bats, hanging from a nearby dead tree, were listening on everything.
One of these bats flew down into the gorge and onto the shoulder of the Tracker, whispering what it had heard from the newly arrived heroes. The zombified hunter looked towards his leader with a knowing expression.
"We got company." Drago said to his team.
"Understood." Raythor held his sword at the ready.
"Finally." Hak Foo grinned.
The campfire suddenly exploded around the group, forcing them to disperse and giving a chance for the Guardians to fly in while carrying Jackie, Tohru, Caleb, and Uncle. Once they were close enough to the ground, the girls let their non-powered allies go just as Irma sprayed water on the raging fire to create a smokescreen and allow the heroes a chance to go on the attack.
Caleb, once again, collided his katana against Raythor's sword while the Tracker tried to throw his mace at Caleb from behind, but Tohru ran up to catch it with his bare hands and used his superior strength to pull the Tracker into a punch that sent him flying into a wall.
"Angry Crow Takes Flight!" Hak Foo leapt toward the flying Hay Lin, grabbing her by her ankles and pulling her down to slam her onto the ground. But she quickly recovered and blasted him back with a whirlwind.
Jackie ran as Frost rode Crimson once again, chasing after him. Jackie ran straight towards a stone column before running straight up it while Frost pulled back on Crimson's reigns to get him to stop just as Jackie leapt from the column and landed behind Frost before jumping up to land a punch and knock Frost off his steed.
Drago unleashed his fire breath toward Uncle, who tried to retaliate with chi-blasts from his blowfish, but one fire blast exploded at Uncle's feet to knock him back. However, before Drago could advance; Jade, Irma, and Taranee appeared above him, readying their respective elements. Drago snarled at first but noticed a looming shadow behind the three girls and backed away with a chuckle.
The three Guardians heard a low growl from behind and turned around to look in shock at the sight of the Gargoyle as it brought its club-hand toward Jade specifically, the three girls separating to avoid the deadly strike. The Gargoyle set its sights on Jade, the very same girl that crushed its original arm and roared at her with deadly intent.
"Hey there big guy, ready for round two, huh?" Jade appeared to recognize him as well as she shot a stream of shadow-fire at the Gargoyle's face, forcing it to shield itself with its weapon hand before advancing forward.
Meanwhile, Drago had scaled up the wall and jumped straight at Taranee and Irma, grabbing them both and pinning them hard to the ground on impact.
"Hey, watch where you're grabbing, Junior!" Irma told him as she focused and built up a sphere of water in-between her body and his arm before quickly expanding it, forcing Drago to let go of her and Taranee, who retaliated with a large fireball of her own, which Drago ran to avoid.
Cornelia flew and avoided the fluent Sandpit as he had shifted his form into a stream of sand to come in and strike at her, Cornelia tried to focus her powers once again…
"You sure you wanna do that?" Drago called to her as he leapt back to avoid Taranee's fire. "A forest fire wasn't enough, now you wanna cause a cave in and bury your friends alive? Go ahead. Do it." Drago taunted before dashing under a stream of water that Irma sent his way.
His taunts had an effect on Cornelia as she remembered the disaster, she caused only a short time ago. In a gorge like this, she could easily cause a rockslide if she wasn't careful. She literally could kill all her friends here. For that reason, she chose not to use her powers; though this did leave her vulnerable for Sandpit to strike at her, knocking her back.
With the Knights seemingly occupied, Will carried Blunk and quietly made her way down toward her chained allies from behind.
"Blunk, pick the locks! Quickly!" Will told him
"Ooh, high quality chains." Blunk marveled.
"You can keep them if you hurry!" She urged.
"No! Kid, get out of here!" Finn warned.
"It's a trap!" Vathek added.
"Look up!" Chow also exclaimed.
Will glanced straight upward to see Miranda was already weaving a thick web at the top of the gorge. "We're being sealed in!" She warned her friends and teammates. "Miranda must have started as soon as we entered the canyon!"
"Oh but that's not all." Drago grinned as he leapt toward a ledge on the wall. "When the prey goes to ground… smoke em out! Or in this case, suffocate in it!" He shot his fire breath along all the walls at multiple spots, where multiple barrels of sulfur and flammable oil were previously staged ahead of time. Multiple explosions lit up the entire area of the gorge as the flames began to spread out in all directions.
"Time to go, but first things first, Sandpit…!" Drago gave his order.
The sentient sand pile did as ordered and shot himself at Irma and Taranee, quickly taking the form of a sand twister that pulled them in before moving to regroup with Drago, Raythor, Hak Foo, Frost, and the Tracker, pulling them in as well before shooting straight up and out of the canyon. Meanwhile, Gargoyle had walked through the only exit that led out of the canyon with Crimson running right underneath him. Gargoyle then slammed his club-arm onto the canyon wall, causing a rockslide that cut off the heroes only exit, leaving them in the pit as the flames and smoke began to grow.
Just as Miranda finished sealing up the entrance, Sandpit's twister form had escaped and dispersed himself, throwing Irma and Taranee to the ground as the Knights of Vengance loomed over them.
"Your friends down there will either be burnt alive or suffocate from all the smoke." Hak Foo said.
"But since you two can extinguish those flames with your own powers, we'll simply tear you apart limb-from-limb up here." Miranda added.
Raythor chuckled. "I have to admit Drago, this was a clever plan. It is clear that you are indeed fit to lead us."
"I try." Drago grinned.
Taranee and Irma tried to pick themselves up and made no effort to hide their fear. "You really did think this whole thing through, did you…?" Taranee said nervously.
"I told you. I learn from my mistakes." Drago sneered before unleashing his fire breath once again.
Back in the canyon, Blunk had already finished picking the locks to free the Enforcers, Tynar, and Vathek; but little good it did them as everyone were forced to circle up in the center as the flames quickly spread and the entire area was already being filled with smoke. Jade tried to raise a wall of her own shadow-flames around them to block the fire.
"I think I can push it back!" She said.
"Even if you push back the flames, we'll suffocate in the smoke." Tohru told her.
"Maybe I can blow them out." Hay Lin was ready to blow a gust of wind, but Jackie pulled her arm to stop her from doing so.
"No, that will only cause the flames to spread even more." He said to her.
"Drago had used us as bait, gathering sulfur and other flammable items just for this." Tynar explained.
"Sulfur, huh?" Jade looked towards Blunk, who's face filled with dread, realizing that his sense of smell had only lured them here.
"Blunk nose tricked! Not Blunk fault!"
"Uncle, can you cast a spell?" Jackie asked.
"No time! We must escape now!" Uncle stated. "Cornelia!"
"What?! Me?! After that disaster I caused last time!?" She exclaimed. "Forget it! I'll just cause a cave in and crush us!"
"You're letting Drago get inside your head! What happened back then was a fluke! But we need you right now, Cornelia!" Will told her.
"Emphasis on the 'now' part, cause we're about to be smoked! And not the good kind!" Finn urged.
"I don't tan very well!" Ratso added.
"I… I…" Could Cornelia really use her powers? Without Taranee or Irma to put out the flames, she was the only one that could get them out. A large cluster of vines could push them straight up and through Miranda's webbing. But… what if she only caused an earthquake? What if she just made things worse? What if…?
"Cornelia." Caleb gently held her hands. "Focus. You can do this. I know you can. Your powers are amazing, spectacular even. Just like you. Now be a hero, because that's what you are!"
Despite whatever disagreements they had, Caleb's words still had an impact on Cornelia. If he had faith in her, then why wouldn't she have faith in herself? Taking a deep breath, Cornelia began to focus.
"Can't believe I'm about to do this but…" She pressed her hands together and recited a mantra that would help her to concentrate. "Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao." As she recited the mantra and focused her powers, the ground around the entire group shook and broke apart as several large plant petals arose and encompassed everyone like a dome, and then taking the form of a plant bulb. It was then shot straight upwards as the flames almost reached the center, but the bulb had already reached the top, bursting through the web cover with little issue.
Back on the surface, Taranee and Irma were both knocked back as the Knights of Vengeance were on the verge of overwhelming them. However, everyone turned around to look in shock at the sight of the massive plant bulb breaking through the webbing and shooting straight up into the sky.
It stopped once it reached a certain height, the bulb then opened up, taking the form of a giant red rose that revealed all the other Guardians, Jackie, Tohru, Uncle, the Enforcers, Caleb, Vathek, and Tynar, all of whom looked down at the shocked Knights with glares.
"Drago, we need to go. This battle is lost." Raythor told him. "Gargoyle and Crimson should already be at the rendezvous by now."
The young demon growled, realizing he was right. He turned towards Irma and Taranee one last time. "This isn't over." He looked towards Sandpit with a nod, who took the form of a sand twister again, encompassing his teammates and flying away in retreat.
"Whoa… Cornelia…" Taranee was in awe, just as Irma was, as their friends got down from the giant rose and onto the surface. "That was… whoa…"
"Please, hold your applause." She said proudly.
"There's the arrogant and prideful blonde we all know and love." Jade cracked but was nonetheless glad that Cornelia had her confidence back.
"Good work, Cornelia." Jackie said with a nod and smile.
"But did you just try to cast a chi-spell?" Will asked her. "You recited the mantra."
"Well, not exactly." Cornelia explained. "It just… helped me focus a bit more. That's all."
"See? It is good to pay attention to Uncle." The elder chi wizard nodded with approval and arms at his hips with a smile, while Cornelia simply rolled her eyes.
"Thanks for the rescue, and ya know, getting us out of there." Chow said.
"I'm not surprised. I knew she had it in her." Caleb smiled towards Cornelia, who looked away with a blush.
"No problem. Sorry the Knights got away." Cornelia said.
"I wouldn't worry. Their days in Meridian are numbered." Caleb assured, but in that one instance, Cornelia's smile turned into an annoyed scowl.
"Ugh! Meridian! Everything always has to be about Meridian with you!"
"And everything always has to be about you with you!" Caleb argued.
"Oh no, we're not going through all that again!" Will suddenly came in between them. "Cornelia says goodbye!" She took out the Heart of Kandrakar and opened a Fold.
Earth – Heatherfield
While Peter and his friends continued to shoot some hoops, they happened to notice a flash of light around the corner.
Out of sight, the Guardians and Chan Clan had just emerged from the Fold, but were quick to take notice of their location.
"This is not the shop." Jackie observed.
"Duh." Jade pointed out.
"Sorry… guess this Folding takes practice." Will winced before quickly using the Heart of Kandrakar to turn herself and the other girls back to normal.
Peter and his friends rounded the corner, and while they didn't see the girls in their Guardian forms fortunately, they did see something that caught Peter's attention.
"Whoa."
Everyone followed his line of sight and looked in surprise at what they saw, the focus of their attention being Cornelia.
"Now what?" She questioned irritably, only to look down in surprise to see that while she was human, she had the same build and physique as her Guardian form, appearing much taller than normal.
"Uh oh…" Jade winced. "Uncle, you have a knockout spell, right?" She whispered to her eldest uncle.
"Not on hand." Uncle replied.
"Oh um… hello there." Jackie tried to save face, quickly standing in-between Peter and the girls. "Nothing to see here."
"Eh, don't worry man, not trying to cause trouble." Peter walked around him and addressed the taller Cornelia. "I know this is gonna sound like a line but… haven't we met before?"
"Duh. No big mystery, Bro." Taranee quickly came up with an excuse. "This is… Cornelia's… older sister. Lilian."
"Hi, I'm Peter." He shook her hand, something that caused her to smile brightly. He then quickly picked up Taranee and pulled her away to whisper something. "Could have sworn Cornelia had a younger sister."
Taranee chuckled nervously. "Heh, heh… silly you."
"Gotta jet, but I'll see you around… Lilian." Peter smiled and pointed toward her, he turned around to walk away… only to walk straight into a pole, face-first.
"Uh… sure…" Cornelia smiled and blushed, giggling slightly at what just happened as Peter's friends helped him to walk away. Just as they left however, Cornelia had shrunk and returned to her true normal appearance.
"Okay, now she changes back." Irma said.
"I'm assuming this 'glitch' was from the excessive powers being restored to the Heart?" Tohru asked Uncle.
"Correct. The Heart needs time to adjust to the newfound influx of power." Uncle confirmed.
"So, we're all gonna get super charged, huh?" Jade said before smiling. "Cool."
"Got a feeling we're gonna need it." Will said seriously. "Drago almost offed us today."
"Agreed, he may not be as powerful as Shendu… but he has proven to be incredibly cunning, and I feel he'll be ready for us in the next encounter before we are ready for him." Jackie said.
Kandrakar
The Oracle and Luba had gathered around the Aurameres as they oversaw the magical energies within continue to grow.
"Their powers are growing." Luba said. "Not only will they develop new abilities, but the current holder of the Heart will soon manifest her power of Quintessence."
"Yes, we already know of this, Luba." The Oracle said.
"But what about the sixth?" She questioned. "We have no idea what sort of powers she will have. I know I've expressed this before, but I feel I must say it again. Having a sixth Guardian, one who's powers originated from the Shadow Realm, could have disastrous consequences, regardless of her intent."
"And you are right to be concerned." The Oracle granted. "However, I believe that in the presence of her friends, as well as that of her family, young Jade will grow into a strong and capable Guardian. At this point, there is little more we can do other than watch and observe." He paid one last glance at the Aurameres. "With the Guardians' powers growing, as well as the appearance of this Drago-character, I foresee some very interesting moments ahead."
Done.
And so, J-WITCH has had their first battle against the Knights of Vengeance, who are currently being led by Drago (with Raythor as his right-hand). Already, they've proven to be a grave threat as Drago came up with a strategically brilliant and clever strategy that nearly did our heroes in. Jackie said it, he may not be as powerful as Shendu, but he is very clever and capable of learning from his mistakes and defeats, which makes him just as dangerous as both his parents.
Already, the girls' powers are beginning to grow, and it will only be a matter of time before they develop their secondary abilities and Will begins using Quintessence again. As for what kind of additional powers Jade will get, you'll just have to guess. I've got something very interesting planned that I'm sure you'll like.
Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there. Love you guys.