Hi everyone, happy (late) Easter! I am so happy everyone liked my semi-original chapter last time and I've got some special surprises in store here.
What else is there to be said other than, let's get started!
Facades of Evil
Within the kingdom of Meridian, a large ceremony was being held at the amphitheater not far from the castle. Cheers and streams of confetti littered the air as Elyon had stepped on stage, with Blunk standing beside her as he carried a pillow that had seven medals on it.
"…And so, for risking their lives liberating our world, for going above and beyond what anyone could have asked them to do, I award the medal of Meridian to…!" Elyon began to announce.
"Pick Blunk. Pick Blunk. Pick Blunk. Pick Blunk. Please…" Blunk whispered to himself.
"Drake, Ratso, Julian, Chow, Aldarn, Finn, and Caleb!" Elyon announced as the aforementioned seven stepped out onto the stage.
"Nobody ever pick Blunk." The Passling muttered.
The minute they all stepped out, the seven were greeted with cheers and applause from all the citizens that had come to watch the ceremony. This included the Guardians and Chan Clan, and while Uncle didn't clap, he smiled with crossed arms. Even the Enforcers' nephews had come to cheer for their uncles. The only one who didn't cheer or applaud was Cornelia, who just sat with a sulk.
Using her magic, Elyon was able to telekinetically lift all seven medals and put them around the necks of all of them simultaneously.
"Guys… this is awesome…!" Chow said to his friends with excitement.
"Yeah, a nice change from getting beaten up and thrown in jail." Finn added.
"And our boys look so proud." Ratso smiled emotionally, gesturing to their nephews.
"That's great for you, guys. Really. But I have to get back to my post." Aldarn said, looking at his own medal. "I'm supposed to be on duty."
"Go for it, I'm sure Little E will understand." Finn told him, allowing Aldarn a chance to leave.
"I wish I was on duty. This is embarrassing." Caleb commented but still waved to the crowd.
"Hey, you earned this. Soak in all that glory." Chow said.
Cornelia gave a slight scoff. "Look at medal-boy. He's just loving this."
"Geeze, even if you're not dating the guy, you still gotta be at least happy that he's getting a freaking medal of honor." Jade told her.
"My social life status is none of your business." Cornelia looked away, causing Jade to roll her eyes in annoyance.
Aldarn had walked out of the amphitheater and was prepared to make his way back to the castle, though he couldn't help but look at the medal around his neck with a proud smile.
"Quite the honor, eh Aldarn?" Raythor asked as he suddenly appeared behind the young rebel.
"Raythor." Aldarn immediately had his sword drawn and pointed it directly toward Raythor's neck. "I arrest you in the name of the Queen!"
However, the unphased Raythor grabbed the blade and channeled his Fire Demon power into the metal, causing it to superheat and forcing Aldarn to drop it and avoid his hand being burned as he saw it melt on the ground.
"Yes, you could take me in…" Raythor began as he advanced towards Aldarn, who backed away in response. "Or perhaps we could take you."
Before Aldarn could even call an alarm, Hak Foo appeared behind him and delivered a neck-chop to knock him unconscious. Hak Foo then hoisted him over his shoulder. "That's one down."
"Yes, while our vengeance on Chan and the Guardians is still long overdue, they are not the only ones who will receive retribution." Raythor chuckled as the pair quickly and quietly left, taking Aldarn with them.
Meanwhile, back in the amphitheater, while most of the audience had left once the ceremony was completed, the Guardians, Chan Clan, and Nephorcers stayed behind to personally congratulate their friends and family.
"You must be very proud, Julian." The Mage said to Julian as she approached him.
"I am." He said with a smile. "Caleb has grown into a fine young man."
"He has a fine father." The Mage told him.
"And a fine mother as well." Julian quickly added.
"Congratulations to all of you." Jackie said as he shook Finn's hand.
"Yeah, way to go, guys." Jade gave a friendly elbow to Chow.
"Thanks. It feels great to be good guys for once." Ratso said as he and Tohru shook hands as well.
"And to give your nephews some impressive role models." Tohru replied.
"Sorry we couldn't keep the whole magic thing a secret from your nephews." Hay Lin apologized.
"Eh, we had them hang out with you guys, so we really should have seen it coming." Finn replied.
"You kidding?! We knew our uncles were cool, but this is awesome to the max!" Frank exclaimed with a grin.
"This magic world is real pretty!" Rocko said, specifically towards Elyon.
"Thanks, you guys. Just like all my other friends, you're welcome here any time." The young queen said with a smile.
"We'd better since our uncles are now flipping knights!" Charlie lightly punched his uncle Chow on the side in congratulatory fashion.
"Yeah well, we ain't ones to brag." Chow replied.
"Yeah, everyone loves a little bit of humility." Cornelia commented before glaring at Caleb. "Maybe you could learn a thing or two." She said before walking away.
"Ouch." Will winced.
"What's with her?" Frank asked Alchemy.
"She and Caleb used to date, but she broke up with him when he said he had to take priority working here in Meridian." Alchemy summed up.
"That's stupid. You can't date if you work?" Chow questioned.
"Tell that to Miss. 'the world revolves around me'." Jade said in mocking fashion as Caleb tried to catch up with the Earth Guardian.
"Cornelia…" He was able grab her by the wrist and stop her. "Look. I have a duty, I'm sorry if that means I gotta spend half my time in Meridian, but that's not my whole life! I don't see why we can't do both. Why…?"
"What's Elyon's favorite hobby besides fighting the Forces of Darkness?" Cornelia questioned.
"Drawing. Why?" Caleb answered.
"What's mine?" She questioned again.
"Um…" Caleb tried to think for a minute but couldn't get a solid answer. "Spelunking?" That clearly wasn't the right answer as she walked away, purposely blowing her hair back to smack into his face, complete with golden leaves from her hair. "Wait, tell me! I-I wanna know!"
"Ice skating!" She stated. "I love ice skating."
"No, seriously. What is it?" Caleb asked, but the look she gave him told him that was her favorite hobby. "You're kidding, right? Going in circles on a frozen pond? I can't think of anything duller."
"I can." Cornelia scowled before walking away.
"Besides… it's Spring! All the ice has melted!" Caleb tried to make a comeback, but she was already long gone.
"Yeah, that was a total misfire." Jade commented from behind.
"The comeback itself, or me trying to actually talk with her?" Caleb asked in a sulk.
"Both." Jade replied, causing Caleb to sulk even further, to which Jade patted on his back sympathetically.
Meanwhile, Aldarn had been taken to the cave that served as the Knights' hide out on Meridian and was kept in a smaller cave that was sealed off by a large boulder. But that didn't stop him from pounding on the large rock and shouting in defiance.
"Your days are numbered, Knights! Queen Elyon will see to that!"
"Queen Elyon. Queen Elyon." Frost said in frustration as he held Aldarn's medal. "Can't believe she gave this to the likes of him." He crushed it in his grip.
"I can't believe you took a prisoner without consulting Drago or Nerissa, first." Miranda commented, though the tone in her voice sounded like she was actually impressed.
"Yeah, what about all that loyalty stuff you been spouting about?" StrikeMaster Ice questioned with a mocking smirk.
"Was I supposed to do nothing as they honored those seven pieces of pawn scum?!" Raythor questioned.
"Drago and Nerissa are both gone." Hak Foo said with a growl as well. "We will not just sit idly by and wait for our enemies to find us when we can strike first!"
"Yo, talk about taking initiative, dog." MC Cobra complemented while DJ Fist pointed approvingly toward them.
"Nerissa and Drago clearly have a history with each other." Raythor went on. "I won't pry into it. While those two do whatever it is they do, I'll be certain that our thirst for vengeance is quenched."
Earth – Bhutan
Drago had climbed up a small mountain and gazed at his destination that laid in-between several other mountains. It was a large Asian temple that was currently being attended by several monks inside and out, all of whom had friendly smiles on their faces as they went about their daily work, as well as meditation, not even noticing the half-demon that was some distance away from their shrine.
"The Ben-Shui Temple." The Son of Shendu had taken out a small yet wicked looking device that was mostly made out of stone, taking the shape of a serpent with red eyes, all coiled around a glass jar that carried a flowing magical essence inside. As he gazed into it, he remembered the instructions his mother relayed to him the day before.
Flashback – Yesterday
"I have a special task for you, my son." Nerissa said to Drago as the two stood on the roof of the steel mill that served as their base on Earth. "I want you to go to a certain temple within the mountain ranges of Southeast Asia and find certain… information."
"Can you be a bit more specific?" Drago asked. "Be easier to find what I'm looking for if I know what it is."
"I'm afraid I can't." Nerissa explained. "As you recall, I was able to copy the memories of young Jade, and I have spent a great deal of time studying them, trying to learn what makes her so special. During which, I discovered that her name was written within the Book of Ages."
"The magic book that records the history of this world." Drago already knew about that.
"And while it may be directly connected to Earth, it can impact the rest of the cosmos, depending on what is written there." Nerissa continued. "And in her memories, it is said that Jade 'became a willy accomplice in the battle versus Evil.'"
"And?" Drago questioned.
"That's it." Nerissa replied. "She never read further into the Book, just that one part."
The half-demon looked more annoyed than anything else. "Can't do much with so little info."
"It's all I could get." His mother replied with a slight groan of irritation, though it was more towards the circumstances rather than her son. "So, I looked further into her life, going all the way back to the day she was born. And that's where I found something… interesting."
"Like what?" Drago asked.
"It felt there was… more to it. As if there was something before." Nerissa tried to describe as best as she could. "As I went further back into her memories, it felt as if I was reading a book backwards. But when I reached the moment of her birth, it felt more like I had reached the start of a single chapter rather than the book itself. As if, her whole life is one chapter to a much larger story, and there were others 'chapters' before."
"Other chapters? Other lives?" Drago looked a bit perplexed. "Like reincarnation?"
"Perhaps… but I was unable to delve further back." The old sorceress continued. "However, when I tried to look further into her spirit, from the breath I stole from her a while back…."
"The same way I got into her dreams." Drago recalled.
"…I could feel it reaching out. As if, there was another source of that lifeforce… or something else in this world that has a connection to it. A connection to Jade." Nerissa went on. "And the source happens to be in Southeast Asia, Bhutan to be specific." She handed her son the stone-serpent like object with the jar. "This device contains the portion of Jade's spirit that we've acquired. Use this to find whatever it resonates with. I do not know what you are searching for, but nothing like this has ever happened, even with my old team. If it means learning more about our little wild card, then this is something we must do."
Drago accepted the device and took it into his hands.
End Flashback
The half-demon held the device as the eyes of the serpent head began to glow, and when Drago aimed it directly at the Ben-Shui temple itself, the eyes glowed brighter.
"Looks like Mom was onto something." Drago grinned as smoke came from his mouth. "Let's see what this fancy temple's got."
The monks continued their daily work, but one who swept the floor near a window happened to spot the approaching half-demon and gasped. He ran inside to warn the rest of his brethren.
Drago had walked up to the main door with little issue. "Heh, too easy." He reached to push it open, only to wince in pain as a surge of green energy suddenly lit up, shocking and pushing him back somewhat. "Protection spell, huh?"
"Yes. A spell meant to keep out Forces of Darkness." The half-demon turned around to see a dozen monks gathering to surround and gaze hard at him. "Strong Good Chi protects our temple. Dark entities, such as demons, cannot enter from outside!"
Drago growled slightly before grinning. "Smart… too bad for you… there's more to me than just demon vibes." He aimed his right claw at the door. "Quintessence!" Bolts of dark red energy shot from his claw and onto the doorway, causing the green energy barrier to become visible. Drago's own Quintessence power struggled against the Good Chi barrier, so Drago had to put an extra bit of raw power into it, much to the surprise of the surrounding monks. After a few seconds of intense struggling, Drago's Quintessence energy was able to tear through the Good Chi spell, causing it to shatter around the entire temple.
All the monks gasped in shock.
"The barrier is down!"
"Impossible!"
"Open sesame." Drago grinned as he kicked the door open, only to find another dozen monks waiting inside, all of whom took martial arts stances as they prepared to face the young half-demon.
"We believe in peace. But we are prepared to defend ourselves!"
Drago's grin only grew. "Yeah, I fancy myself a man of action too." He then unleashed his fire-breath.
Heatherfield – Hale Residence
"Come on Cornelia, we're just trying to cheer you up." Taranee said as all the girls were gathered in Cornelia's room while she dressed in clothing fit for the winter.
"I don't need cheering up! Go away!" Cornelia told them as she stepped out.
"I'll show you my latest power. It's all about the clothes." Irma spun in the chair she sat in before snapping her fingers and all her clothes turned a solid pink color.
"Cool." Jade commented. "Can you do camo?" Irma pointed her finger toward Jade and snapped, causing all her clothes to turn green and brown. "Nice. I see stealthy ambushes in our future."
"So, you can change the color of your outfit." Cornelia looked impressed for a minute before putting on a snarky expression. "And yet, you're still so last season. Everyone knows black-and-white is the new pink, and camo went out of style years ago."
Most of the girls exchanged knowing expressions, understanding that she was only putting up a front.
"I'm last season? Hello? It's seventy-six degrees out and you're wearing more wool than Uncle." Irma told her.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" Cornelia replied as she put on a winter hat. "It's better to look good than feel good."
"She's dressed warm because she's going skating." Lilian said as she entered the room, dressed warmly just like her older sister while holding a pair of ice-skates.
"What?! Lilian! I am not!" She tried to put up a front in front of her confused friends.
"You are! You said so to that boy on the phone!"
That got all the girls' attention as they went up to Cornelia with teasing expressions.
"You have a date?" Alchemy asked.
"A non-Caleb date?" Will asked as well while all the other girls giggled, much to Cornelia's embarrassment.
"You are so not going with me!" Cornelia told her younger sister.
Meridian – Elyon's castle
It was lunch time as Elyon, Finn, Ratso, Chow, Blunk, Caleb, and Julian were all at a large dining table, with the exception of Blunk as he sat on the ground, helping themselves to the food that Trill was serving them. Though, Caleb didn't appear to be eating, but rather sulking.
"What's with you?" Chow questioned.
"I'm not hungry." Caleb groaned.
"Bet he's still moody over the cold shoulder he got earlier today." Finn commented.
"Yes, my son appears to have lost his appetite without Cornelia." Julian added.
"It's got nothing to do with her!" Caleb stated. "I wish I never met her."
"Well… I suppose I could use my magic to erase her from your memory." Elyon offered.
"No!" Caleb exclaimed.
"Ah-ha! You do care! And don't lie, I'm royalty." Elyon grinned triumphantly.
"Oooh, she got ya." Ratso pointed while Chow chuckled.
"You can't diss royalty dude." Finn snarked.
Caleb could only sigh in defeat. "Maybe a little…"
"In Caleb speak, that mean 'a lot'." Blunk said.
"She cares a lot too." Elyon spoke seriously. "I know she comes off as cold and self-centered, but she really does care. Are you really going to give her up without a fight?"
Earth – Hale Residence
"Does he go to Sheffield?" Taranee asked.
"Does Caleb know?" Will asked.
"Does he have any brothers?" Irma asked.
"Does he know Kung Fu?" Jade asked.
"Does he skate?" Hay Lin asked.
"Well Lilian, who is Cornelia's mystery date?" Alchemy asked Cornelia's little sister.
"I don't know, she doesn't tell me anything!" Lilian complained.
"Because it's none of her business, nor yours, children!" Cornelia told them all as she opened the door that led out of the penthouse and into the hallway. "Now get out!"
The doorbell for her family's penthouse rang, indicating her date was here. "Ugh!" She groaned before answering. "I'll be right down!"
"Sure, I'll be right here."
"Don't, follow me!" She told them all before stepping out.
Jade scoffed. "She knows us better than that."
Cornelia had stepped into the elevator with a sigh of relief. "Safe." She said before sparkles formed around her body and her appearance changed to look older, having a build similar to that of her Guardian form but without the wings or powers. The door was about to close, only for the others girls (except Lilian) to stop the close and look in surprise at what they saw.
"Oh… my…" Taranee spoke for all of them.
"Not safe…" Cornelia pulled her hat over her face in embarrassment as her friends stepped out into the elevator, the door closing behind them.
"You transformed without the Heart?!" Will questioned.
"Not exactly transformed…." Cornelia replied.
"Since when can you do that?!" Alchemy questioned.
"Since Kandrakar." She answered.
"No wings?" Hay Lin looked at her back as Taranee felt Cornelia's sides.
"You still got your powers?" Jade asked.
"No, I'm still me, just taller." Cornelia commented.
"Who's the guy?" Irma questioned, having a good feeling that this is connected.
"I don't suppose you'd all stay in the elevator with your backs turned?" Cornelia requested, only for all six of her friends to look at her with knowing expressions. "I didn't think so."
They all stepped outside to meet Cornelia's date.
"Hey, Lilian." Peter Cook greeted.
"'Lilian'?" All the other girls questioned while Cornelia suppressed her wince.
"Oh, hi Sis." Peter waved to his sister.
"Hi, Sis." Taranee waved back, rather shocked to see her older brother here.
"Sup Peter. So, quick question… how long have you and Lilian here been dating?" Jade asked, casting a mischief glance towards Cornelia.
"A few weeks. You were all there when we met at the park." Peter answered.
"Wow, memories, huh? Okay, we better go before all the good ice is taken!" Cornelia pulled Peter away as he gave one more wave.
"We're following, right?" Hay Lin asked.
"Oh yeah." Taranee said in a low growl.
Uncle's Rare Finds
Frank, Charlie, and Rocko all stood in a straight line in the back room of the Chan family shop, all three dressed in Kung Fu training robes. They each took deep breaths before punching. After a few punches though, Charlie tried to give a kick, only to trip and fall into his friends, causing all three to fall down.
Jackie had a humorous smile on his face as he approached the trio of boys. "Not bad, but you still have much work to do." He said as the Nephorcers stood up. "Charlie, you have a lot of energy, you need to learn to harness and control it."
"So, I'm a little jumpy, isn't that good?" Charlie asked.
"There is nothing wrong with having all that energy." Jackie continued. "But you have to know when and how to apply that energy, as well as how much you need to use, or else you risk jumping the gun and getting into trouble."
"Oh… I get it." Charlie nodded.
"Rocko, you have a strong build, so try to be a bit sturdier." Jackie said to the largest boy.
"Sturdier?" Rocko didn't quite understand.
"It means you gotta be like a rock." Frank translated.
"Oh, like Uncle Tohru?" Rocko said, looking towards Tohru, who swept the shop outside and gave a wave and a smile.
"Yes, something like that." Jackie confirmed. "And Frank, you seem just as eager as your friends, but also learn to exercise patience."
"But I wanna learn Kung Fu so I can fight bad guys and be cool like Uncle Finn and all my friends!" Frank said. "What about those magic rocks you guys got that let you shoot fire and run fast? Ow!" He felt a dope slap on his forehead.
"Talismans are not toys!" Uncle chastised.
"Uncle is right, the Talismans are too dangerous." Jackie agreed. "And I'm glad that you want to help your friends, but no one becomes a master overnight. It takes patience and dedication. If you three really want to help, then you must be willing to put in the work. Can you do that?"
The three boys exchanged glances with each other before smiling and nodding. "Yeah, I think we can do that." Frank said.
"So, what's next, master Jackie?" Charlie asked eagerly. "More punches or kicks? Cause I wanna learn how to do a kick!"
"If I'm like a rock, should I curl up like a rock and make it easier for people to throw me at the bad guys?" Rocko wondered.
"Aiya…" Uncle sighed in mental exhaustion.
Jackie seemed to feel the same way, and yet he also felt a sense of pride. It was nice to see the Enforcers' nephews were so quick and eager to help all their friends, so their hearts were definitely in the right place. This wasn't all that different from teaching Jade when they first met, followed by helping the other girls learning not only how to defend themselves but helping them to grow and mature, now he was helping yet another group of young individuals with plenty of potential. Needless to say, Jackie was very much enjoying his role as mentor.
Meridian
"…We'll redeploy Aldarn's men." Julian said as he and Drake overlooked a series of maps within an armory that was stationed at the top of the wall that surrounded the castle. "Where is he, anyway?"
Drake glanced up at an odd flapping sound and looked past Julian to see a flock of bats enter the armory through the window. "Julian!" He drew his sword immediately, prompting Julian to turn around and do the same just as all the bats came baring down on them. The two hacked and slashed with their swords to keep the bats at bay.
Suddenly, the wall to their side was broken down courtesy of DJ Fist and Frost as they both entered the armory, the Tracker and MC Cobra right behind them.
"Yo, somebody call for a pick-up?" MC Cobra grinned. "Cause I got eyes on the merchandise." He said with a sneer towards Julian and Drake before throwing a lava ball at the pair. They both dived in different directions to avoid the deadly attack.
Julian faced against DJ Fist and tried to swing his sword at him, only for it to break apart against his steel arm, right before DJ Fist delivered a backhand to knock him back and knock him out. At the same time, Drake tried to attack Frost with his own sword, but Frost shattered the blade with a punch, enhanced by his dragon-strength. He then picked up Drake by the shirt and slammed him onto the ground to knock him out as well.
"Time to go." Frost said as he picked up the unconscious Drake while DJ Fist did the same with the unresponsive Julian and they exited out of the hole they recently made. They didn't get that far though as they came face-to-face with the patrol of guards.
"It's the Knights!"
"They've taken Captain Drake!"
"And Captain Julian!"
The four guards drew their weapons, but they didn't seem to notice StrikeMaster Ice and Miranda, in her spider-form, both on the roof of the armory. That is until Ice blew his frosty breath towards the guards, causing them to freeze up as they were covered in snow, slowing them down and allowing Miranda to finish it off with strands of webbing to bind them to the ground.
"Now that's what I call without a hitch, dog." StrikeMaster Ice grinned as DJ Fist and Frost both leapt over the wall and toward the mouth of the castle's outer perimeter, where Gargoyle arose to catch them and their captives.
"Congratulate yourself after we've escaped." Miranda told him.
"Stop, you fools!" Ice, Cobra, Miranda, and Tracker all turned around to see the Mage approaching them with a furious look on her face. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Duh. Vengeance. It's in the job description, lady." MC Cobra said before throwing a lava ball at her, which she defended herself against by throwing up a magical barrier of electrical power. Miranda was next as she shot some webbing at the Mage, which managed to ensnare her. But the Mage retaliated with blasts of electrical power from her eyes to zap and immobilize the spider-girl.
The Tracker was about to retaliate, but Ice stopped him. "Nah, we're booking. We got what our packages." He, Tracker, and Cobra both leapt over the wall to hitch a ride onto Gargoyle, leaving Miranda behind as the Mage kept her pinned with her powers.
Earth – Heatherfield
Elyon had brought Caleb, along with Finn, Ratso, and Chow, to Cornelia's apartment building and rang the bell.
"Hello?" Lilian answered.
"It's Elyon. Is Cornelia there?"
"No, you just missed her and all her friends. They went skating. Without me."
"You can really skate in the Spring?" Caleb asked in genuine surprise.
"At an indoor rink, sure." Finn answered.
"You can even chill in a hot tub outside in the winter." Chow added.
"I'm doomed." Caleb sulked.
"Hey, don't quit when you haven't even tried." Ratso tried to tell him.
"Yeah, we'll catch up to her at the rink, it's not far from here." Elyon added.
"I can't skate." Caleb said in a groan. "I've tried, I'm a disaster."
"Can't be that bad…" Chow tried.
"A face-first-ice-up-your-nose, disaster!" Caleb finished.
"Ooooh." Finn winced. "Well… girls love a guy who can make her laugh, right?"
"Yeah, they really do." Elyon said as well.
Suddenly, the doors opened as Lilian ran out excitedly. "Take me with you!" She leapt at Caleb to tackle him with a laugh.
"Awe, cute kid." Ratso smiled.
Ben Shui Temple
Three monks were sent flying and crashing into a wall as Drago made his way deeper into the temple, and despite the best efforts of the monks that tried to defend it, the half-demon had the advantage, though the monks were putting up quite the fight.
Two monks with staffs came at Drago from both sides, forcing him to cross his arms and block it, but this allowed a third monk to deal a flying kick that sent him toward the ground, though he quickly recovered and found six monks in total had surround him. He responded by unleashing his fire breath in all directions to keep the monks at bay before going on the attack. He rushed one with a staff and delivered a punch that sent him crashing into a pillar before picking up the stick and lighting both ends on fire. He spun it around and charged at the monks, hacking and slashing to break down any staff they wielded and beating them down with his flaming weapon.
One monk attempted to deliver a chop, which Drago tried to block with his staff, only for the chop to break through and strike Drago in the face, knocking him down where several other monks tried to gang up on him while they had the advantage, beating and pounding him. They kept up as much pressure as possible, hoping to end this battle and put the half-demon down for good.
Suddenly, an explosion of black and red energy bolts shot up from Drago, who had unleashed a raw blast of his Quintessence power to knock back all the monks. Now it was his turn to press the advantage as he grabbed one by the foot and used his own body as a weapon to smack away two more monks before slamming him down on a third. Drago dealt a kick to the face of another to shatter all his teeth, a punch to the chest of yet another, a blast of fire to take down three at once.
In a matter of moments, it appeared that all the monks were beaten as Drago stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by all the beaten monks, several were bleeding and/or covered in burns.
He took a moment to catch his breath and stand up firmly. "Huh, not a bad brawl." He then took out the device his mother gave him. "Now, where to?" He held it outward and waved it in several directions, when he noticed the snake-eyes glowing a brighter red. He followed the glow as it lead him toward the side where he spotted what appeared to be a walking stick on a pedestal with two candles around.
"Wha? Is this for real?" Drago questioned skeptically as he looked at the device once again and aimed it at the walking stick, where the snake eyes glowed the brightest. Drago then took the stick in his hands. "I came all the way out here for a stick?!"
"That is no mere stick, demon." He turned around to see someone had just arrived. He was a tall and elderly man, his robe being similar yet more regal to the other Ben Shui monks. Clearly their leader. "That is a relic of our chosen one."
"Chosen one?" Drago questioned.
"There is one in this world who has lived a thousand lifetimes." The High Mystic explained. "A peacemaker revered by our people. That stick you have, is a relic of their past life."
"Reincarnation, huh?" Drago mused as he looked at the stick and then toward the device, specifically the glass containing a piece of Jade's spirit. "Chosen one…"
"I see…" The High Mystic noticed the look on Drago's face. "You are not here of your own accord. You serve another."
"More like an equal partnership. I don't severe anyone, gramps." Drago told him.
"Either way, I cannot allow you to leave this place with that relic." The High Mystic declared as he carried his own walking stick but thrusted it forward to send a blast of good Chi magic at Drago, scoring a direct hit and sending him crashing into the wall. The High Mystic's attention was drawn to the device that Drago dropped, where he spotted the energy inside. "So… it would appear the chosen one does live in this lifetime. We have felt the omens, yet did we not intervene with how strenuous the cosmic balance has become. Perhaps we should see out this chosen one and lend our aid."
"I don't think so, old timer." Drago said as he pulled himself from the wall. "The only place you're going is the morgue!"
Heatherfield
Everyone was at the ice-rink and appeared to be enjoying themselves, that included Cornelia in her 'Lilian' disguise as she skated ahead of Peter, jumping and twirling as she did.
"That all you got?" Peter asked playfully.
"Heh, what have you got?" Cornelia replied with a grin.
"Tag, you're it!" Peter tagged her on the side before skating away.
Cornelia gave a happy sigh before skating after him. "I am it."
Meanwhile, the other girls were getting their own skates on just outside the ring, though Taranee was clearly not happy with the situation, and nobody could blame her.
"Playing my brother. My brother! With a phony name and even phonier body?! Urgh! She's got some nerve!"
Hay Lin happened to spot something that caused her to wince. "She's gonna need it." They all looked in the direction she was looking and happened to spot Caleb, along with Elyon, the former Enforcers and even the real Lilian, having just arrived.
"Oooh boy." Jade muttered.
"This is a trainwreck." Will commented.
"Good. Lilian deserves a kick in the caboose." Taranee stated.
"Can I be the one to tell Cornelia? Oh please, oh please!" Irma hoped.
"Don't know what I'm worried about." Caleb said, mostly to himself for the sake of confidence. "I mean, how good could she be?"
"Well, she did used to skate in competitions and stuff, but only nine of her ten medals are gold." Lilian answered.
"Yeah… you may be out of your league here, dude." Finn said, only to get elbowed by Elyon.
"Caleb! Great to see you! Let's go rent you some skates!" Will was already there and lured him away.
"I've got my own. I'm ready to go." Lilian said but Alchemy was already there, pretending to get a good look at those skates.
"Hey, I don't think these are sharp enough. Might wanna get some new ones. You can't use dull skates, or you'll get hurt." Alchemy said.
Lilian got a good look at her skates. "Hey, yeah these are kinda dull. Let's get some new ones."
Alchemy led Lilian away and gave a wink toward the others as Jade and Irma approached Elyon and the Enforcers.
"What is Caleb doing here?" Irma practically sung.
"I made him swallow his pride." Elyon replied.
Jade chuckled. "Surprised he didn't choke. What about you guys?" She asked the Enforcers.
"Moral support." Ratso answered.
"And get a good laugh over the disaster that's about to come." Chow added.
Taranee had already skated onto the ring and was moving rather aggressively. "World's coolest brother, tricked by ungrateful sister. Film at eleven." She was already moving behind Peter and Cornelia and was pushing her brother away much to his surprise.
"Wha… Taranee, what are you doing?"
"Snake! Snake!" She called out to the other people on the rink. "Come on everybody!" This seemed to work as several skaters came in behind Taranee and linked up to form a snake.
Cornelia looked confused for a moment, only to gasp as she was quickly grabbed by Jade, Irma, and Elyon. "Hey! Let go of me!" She was pulled behind an unmanned zamboni for cover.
"Prepare to have your worlds collide, sister." Jade told her.
"What are you talking about?" The blonde questioned.
"Caleb's here." Elyon revealed, the girls peeking out from behind the zamboni to see Caleb skating on the ice, or at least trying to.
"I'm okay!" He said as he tried to maintain his balance, but slipped and fell on the ice. "Still okay!"
"Try doing the pizza french fry, thing!" Ratso called to him as he, Finn, and Chow hung on the side while Chow had a bowl of popcorn for all of them.
"That's for skiing." Finn told him as he helped himself to some of the popcorn.
Cornelia was honestly surprised, not just the fact that Caleb was here, but it's what he was doing, what he was trying to do.
"Is he… humiliating himself…? For me…?"
"Now that's love if I've ever seen it." Irma snarked.
As everyone else continued to skate, Caleb happened to pass by their location, much to Cornelia's shock. "Oh no! He can't see me like this!" Ducking behind the Zamboni, Cornelia had abandoned her older disguise to take her proper form, though her clothes still remained the same.
"Here, this will help." Irma snapped her fingers, causing Cornelia's clothes to change from black and white to camo, much to Cornelia's ire and Jade's amusement.
"Camo is the new black and white." Jade snarked, putting on her best impression of the blonde while Elyon giggled.
"Ugh, I'd rather get caught." Cornelia muttered.
They heard Caleb's grunt as he slammed into the side of the wall near them. He struggled to maintain his balance as he tried to pull himself up and spotted Cornelia. "Oh, hi… you… look nice." He said as he tried to catch his breath.
"Hi… uh… thanks." She couldn't help but smile at the genuine complement. But she winced when she spotted Peter and the others coming back around. "Uh… let's skate!" She tried to quickly skate past Peter, hoping he wouldn't notice, but he did and broke off from Taranee and the rest of the snake to catch up with her.
"Cornelia. Wow, everybody's here today. Have you seen your sister?" He asked. "She sort of vanished on me."
"Lilian?" Cornelia tried to act innocent. "Uh… she's around here somewhere."
"I'm right here!" The real Lilian skated past them, with Alchemy quickly trying to get in-between them so Peter wouldn't see.
"Yeah, I'm here to say 'hi'. Hi Cornelia! Hi Peter!" Alchemy waved, sounding not so subtle.
"Weird… Could have sworn I… Whoa!" Suddenly, Peter tripped on the ice and landed face-first.
"Hey, you okay?" Cornelia stopped, holding onto the side railing.
"Yeah… just slipped." Peter brushed off, not noticing that his own shadow had moved to trip him up, but Cornelia did notice it.
"Nice move, there." Elyon said to Jade who leaned back on the zamboni with Irma.
"Ninja shadow stealth." Jade herself grinned, twirling her finger.
At the same time, Will had entered the control room and used her Quintessence power to get in touch with the control device.
"This is Phil, rocking and rolling in the Heatherfield rink!"
"Phil, how about bringing down the lights to help a friend out?" Will offered.
"Create a mood. Groovy."
The lights all around the rink began to turn off while shinning a single spotlight on Cornelia, who skated back and forth between Caleb and Peter, with Irma snapping her fingers to change the colors of her outfits while Cornelia herself moved in-between the shadows to change her body between each guy. Jade also discreetly used her own shadow powers to keep the real Lilian out of eyesight from Peter with Alchemy making sure the little girl skated away from the others.
"Hey… what's going?" Finn asked as he, Chow, and Ratso stood alongside Jade, Taranee, and Elyon, all three leaning against the back railing. "What's with the pallet swap?
"Cornelia's on a date with Taranee's brother, but she's using her powers to disguise herself and use her sister's name to make herself seem older." Jade summed up.
"Well… that's a little messed up." Chow commented.
"Isn't that like… cheating or something?" Ratso asked.
"You're absolutely right, Ratso." Taranee commented in frustration. "It is cheating. But I can't exactly bust it without revealing our secret to my brother."
"Guess we'll just have to trust Cornelia to make the right choice." Elyon said.
"Yeah, pretty sure we're more likely to get a lion to go vegetarian." Jade commented.
Right as she said that though, the technician had made his way back into the control room, with Will having left already, and was able to get the lights working again. When they turned back on, Caleb ended up bouncing into Cornelia, causing them both to fall over with the blonde on top of him. The two stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Caleb spoke.
"Cornelia, I'm really trying. And I've got the black and blue marks to prove it."
She could tell that he was making a genuine effort and that was something she'd always admired about him. Whenever he puts his mind to something, he gives it his all and nothing deters him. He was so strong willed; he would do anything for the people he cares about. Maybe, she could give him a chance. But she had to do something first.
"Give me five minutes, and I'll meet you outside."
"Deal." Caleb accepted as he tried to stand up. "Now just gotta turn in these shoes of death." He walked out of the rink to return the skates he rented.
Irma skated near Cornelia. "I'm ending it with Peter." She told her friend.
"He'll be crushed." Irma said sarcastically but was internally glad to see Cornelia make the morally right choice.
However, just after Caleb returned his skates, he happened to spot on the monitor nearby Cornelia changing her appearance to her Lilian disguise, causing him to look in confusion. He turned around to see the whole thing himself with Cornelia skating with Peter, right as he kissed her on the lips.
Cornelia then spotted Caleb out of the corner of her eye. She saw the look of heartbreak on his face before it turned into one of anger as he stormed out of the building. She gasped before rushing to try and catch up to him, much to Peter's confusion.
The other girls, as well as former Enforcers, happened to see what had happened as well and winced in sympathy.
"Ooooh. That didn't go so well." Alchemy said.
"Come on. Let's see what we can do." Jade said seriously as she and everyone else left the rink.
"Caleb! Caleb wait…!" Cornelia walked outside with the hope to find and talk to him, but was surprised to see that Caleb was in the parking lot, talking with Jackie, Tohru and Uncle. Caleb turned around to see her and glared at her before Jackie approached her.
"Jackie? What's going on?" Cornelia asked as the other girls and Enforcers made it outside as well.
"We need to go to Meridian. Right now." Jackie said as Blunk appeared on Jackie's shoulder.
Meridian
While Alchemy had stayed behind on Earth to try and get Cornelia's little sister home, the other girls had all donned their Guardian forms as they, Jackie, Tohru, Uncle, Caleb, Elyon, and the former Enforcers, all returned to the castle where the Mage kept an unconscious Miranda trapped in a cage made entirely out of her own magic power.
"I was only able to capture the shapeshifter." The Mage informed the group. "The others were able to escape. I apologize for my incompetence."
"Don't hold yourself responsible." Jackie told her. "You were able to capture one of them and that is enough."
"Especially since we can squeeze some info out of this little bug." Jade stated as she glared at Miranda woke up.
"Well, the gang's all here." The spider transformed back into her human form with a malevolent smile.
"Tell us where your friends taken Julian and Drake, you traitor!" Elyon demanded.
"And Aldarn. Don't forget Aldarn." Miranda sang.
"You little…!" Caleb looked ready to strangle her, but Jackie held him back.
"Caleb, calm down." Jackie told him.
"You better listen to him if you ever wanna see them again." Miranda advised. "Here's how it'll go: you'll release me, and I'll leave with Caleb."
"Or we can just beat the crap out of you and make you tell us where they all are." Irma offered.
"I'm okay with that." Chow said in agreement. "You don't talk with spiders, you stomp em!"
"If anything happens to me, it'll be your friends who pay the price." Miranda told them.
With a reluctant sigh, Caleb glanced at Uncle and Blunk with a knowing expression, both nodded in understanding as he gave the spider-girl her answer. "Fine."
"Caleb, you can't…!" Cornelia tried to stop him.
"I don't remember asking for your opinion." Caleb glared at Cornelia, causing her to sink back while the girls and Enforcers looked in partial sympathy as he turned toward Elyon. "I'm prepared, my Queen."
With a wave of her hand, Elyon had dispersed the magical cage, allowing Miranda to walk out as she took Caleb's hand before smiling mockingly toward the heroes. "See? Isn't it nicer when we all just try to get along?"
Sometime after they left the castle, the Guardians, Chan Clan, and Enforcers followed Blunk as he tracked Caleb's scent through the Meridian plains.
"Ugh, I feel sick." Cornelia made no effort to hide her worry as the Guardians flew over their friends who ran and followed Blunk.
"Blunk's nose can put bloodhounds to shame." Will told her in assurance. "He'll lead us right to the others."
As he continued to run, Blunk could smell Caleb's scent getting stronger. "Blunk close. Very close!" He ran out into an open plain, only to find Caleb's jacket left on the ground. "Not so close."
"They ditched his jacket. Hate to admit it, but that's smart." Finn commented as the group gathered together.
"Uncle anticipated this." The elderly chi wizard spoke up as he pulled out a vile of green liquid and poured it over Caleb's discarded jacket as he picked it up, causing it to glow green. "Locator spell has been activated. We will find Caleb and others quickly."
"Go Uncle." Hay Lin smiled.
"Or how about stop?" The group looked in surprise as a large cluster of the ground in front of them exploded outward, revealing Sandpit who had used himself as cover for a hole as the Knights of Vengeance, consisting of StrikeMaster Ice, Hak Foo, Frost and Crimson, MC Cobra, Tracker and Sniffer, and DJ Fist. "Stop and get ready for the pain, dog!" Ice grinned.
"It's an ambush!" Will exclaimed.
"Bad day…" Jackie muttered before Sandpit was the first to attack, its body converting into a sand twister to encircle and trap the six Guardians while the other Knights went on the attack.
MC Cobra threw a lava ball at the feet of the Enforcers, who all yelled in shock and tried to get away, only to have Frost and Crimson block their way as the rhino charged. Tohru tried to assist them as he stood in front to grapple with Crimson, but that allowed Frost a chance to leap over and tackle all three of the Enforcers to the ground, knocking them out in one strike.
"Spiraling Dragon Fang!" Hak Foo spun his body around as he flung himself towards Jackie, who just barley limboed underneath. But when Hak Foo landed behind him, he swept his feet to trip up Jackie. "Snake Cuts Grass!"
Uncle had drawn a blowfish and shot a series of stun spells towards the charging DJ Fist, but he used his steel skin to tank the blasts as he kept charging despite the pain. Uncle gasped as DJ Fist quickly closed the distance and was unable to dodge as he rammed into him, knocking Uncle to the ground and knocking him out.
A mass of shadow magic exploded from Sandpit's twister form, the Guardians more than prepared to fight back as they flew down to engage the Knights. StrikeMaster Ice went straight for Will and Jade, both using hand-to-hand to block and parry his own attacks. MC Cobra threw a lavaball at Cornelia before rolling to dodge Irma's water blast. Tracker had ensnared Hay Lin with his mace and slammed her to the ground but was shot in the back by a fireball from Taranee.
However, this was all a distraction as Tracker had already sent Sniffer after Blunk, who ran away with a scream as the hound chased after him. Blunk tried to lose Sniffer in the bushes, but Sniffer wasn't easily shaken off as he caught up to Blunk and pulled him out by the shirt, causing Blunk to lose the Tonga Tooth he had around his neck.
"Oh no!" Blunk whimpered as Sniffer pulled him back, the Knights of Vengeance regrouping as they carried Uncle, Finn, Ratso, and Chow, all of whom were knocked out.
"Let them go!" Jackie demanded as he, Tohru, and the Guardians also regrouped to face their adversaries.
"Nah, I think we'll keep em." Ice grinned.
"Good luck finding us without the troll with the nose, or this fancy locator spell." MC Cobra held up Caleb's jacket, which still had the locator spell active, only for him to burn it to ash in his lava hands, much to everyone's, especially Cornelia's, shock.
Sandpit had formed yet another sand twister around his fellow Knights to cover their escape. "No!" Cornelia screamed as she tried desperately to channel her earth powers and stop them, but it was too late. The tornado had disappeared, leaving no trace of the Knights or their prisoners.
"No..." Cornelia fell to her knees. "We… we lost them…"
"Hey, we'll find them." Hay Lin said for the sake of optimism.
"How? We just lost our tracker and the only guy who can whip up a fancy locator spell." Irma said.
"I wouldn't say that." Tohru said as he reached into his own pocket and pulled out a liquid chi-spell of his own, much to the others' surprise.
"Tohru?" Will asked.
"Given how crafty Drago and the Knights are, and following Sensei's rule of making extra, I whipped up my own locator spell just before we left the castle." Tohru explained. "All I need is something from Uncle, Caleb, or any of the others that were taken, and we'll find them."
"Way to think ahead, T." Irma smiled as the others felt a great deal of relief.
"I saw Blunk drop this." Taranee was quick to retrieve the Tonga Tooth. "It's what he uses to Fold between worlds now."
"That'll work." Tohru said as Taranee handed him the Tonga Tooth. Tohru then poured the potion over the relic, causing it to turn green as the locator spell was activated. "Got it. Let's go."
"We have to hurry! If anything happens to Caleb I… I'll…" Cornelia looked ready to have a panic attack, something Jackie noticed and was quick to address.
"You all go on ahead, we'll catch up." Jackie told them. Having a good idea what was about to happen next, Tohru and the other girls all nodded before following the locator spell, leaving the two behind.
"Jackie, we can't wait! We have to find them! We have to…!" Cornelia urged.
"Cornelia, sit down!" Jackie told her, putting a firm grasp on both her shoulders. "I need you to sit and calm down. Panicking is not going to help Caleb or the others!"
Seeing how she had no room to argue, Cornelia had sat down on a nearby rock, but she still appeared in a state of panic, prompting Jackie to kneel to her level and speak to her calmly.
"Breathe. Inhale." He instructed. Cornelia followed his instructions and took a deep breath. "Now exhale." Jackie told her, allowing her to let her breath out. "Again. Inhale." Cornelia took another breath. "Exhale." After letting lose another breath, Cornelia seemed to have calmed down somewhat. "We will find them. I promise you."
"But… it's not just that… I… I messed up, Jackie. Like… big." Cornelia hung her head down in shame.
Jackie then sat down next to her. "Go on." He would listen to what she had to say.
"I've… I've been dating Taranee's brother, Peter, for a few weeks." She began. "But… it's not… I've been using my powers to make myself look a bit older and even using a different name. As far as he can tell, he's dating my 'older sister'."
Jackie looked serious at that. "You've made a relationship on a lie."
"Yeah…" She made no effort to hide it. "I don't know why… maybe it was an impulse or something… or it was just something I wanted after breaking with Caleb. I… I think I knew deep down it was wrong, maybe even wouldn't last but… I didn't care. I just…wanted something. But… I was planning on ending it with him today, but Caleb saw us…"
"I see." That explained why Caleb seemed so angry when Jackie saw him earlier.
"If anything happens to him… after that I… I can't live with myself." Cornelia said as she was on the verge of tears. "God, why am I like this? Why am I so selfish and self-centered?!"
"Cornelia… I need you to look at me." Jackie told her. She looked at him with a teary gaze as he spoke seriously and sincerely. "Yes, you were wrong to begin a relationship with deception. And it something you must deal with soon. But you must also realize that while you are… self-centered at times… it is not your only defining quality. You are strong-willed, passionate in your actions, and loyal to all your friends, these are impressive and admirable qualities. But only tempered with compassion and humility. You have to recognize your faults to improve and… I'd say you already are." That caused Cornelia to look in surprise as Jackie smiled before continuing. "You know what you did is wrong, and you want to end it before it can get out of hand. The first step to fixing a mistake is to admit that you made one."
"But… what about Caleb…?" Cornelia asked. "No way he'll still like me over what happened."
"When we rescue him and the others, and we will, you have to speak with him." Jackie told her. "And you must be honest with him. No hiding, no deceptions, just honesty. I can't say for certain what sort of relationship you will form with him, that's up to the two of you, but honesty is the best way to begin making amends. Can you do that?"
Taking a moment to let all that process and sink in, Cornelia gave her answer. "Yeah… honesty. I think I can do that."
"Good." Jackie said as he stood up and offered her hand with a smile. "Now, let's go."
Cornelia smiled back as she accepted his hand before leaping at him with a hug. Though surprised initially, he was quick to return it. "Thanks… Uncle Jackie."
Earth - Ben-Shui Temple
Drago was knocked back outside, covered in bruises and marks from stun spells. He pulled himself up as he held his arm, facing the High Mystic as he stepped outside, carrying only the walking stick that was a relic of the Chosen One, and he didn't have anything more than a few burns on his clothing with little scratches on his body.
"Damn it…" Drago growled in fury.
"You are strong. Your firepower is impressive." The High Mystic commented. "But all that anger blinds you. While I can see you are indeed cunning, it's only a shame it is wasted in the service of evil. Despite being a demon, I can see great potential in you."
"Trying to convert me, old man?" Drago scoffed. "Hate to break it to ya, but I got bigger plans than just sitting around in a dusty old temple all day. Universal size plans. Now hand over the stick!"
"I'm afraid I cannot. You are… AAHHHH!" The High Mystic gave a pain-induced scream as he shot in the back by an electrical blast. He fell to the ground, unresponsive, yet still alive, revealing the elderly sorceress who just arrived via a Fold.
"Mom…" Drago looked in surprise before scowling. "You didn't have to go out of your way to come here." He said as he went to retrieve the walking stick. "I had it under control."
"We have a problem, Drago." Nerissa told him as she had her own scowl, but not directed towards her son. "A problem involving insubordination."
Meridian
Caleb, who had been imprisoned along with Julian, Aldarn, and Drake felt along the boulder that kept him and his friends and father trapped within a smaller cave, looking for a way to escape. But so far, he had found none. When the rock began to move however, Caleb stepped back to see that Gargoyle had lifted the rock with Tracker, Hak Foo, and DJ Fist pushing in Uncle, the Enforcers, as well as Blunk.
"Hey, watch the jacket!" Finn told him.
"So, the Knights of Vengeance want a piece of Uncle?" The chi-wizard challenged.
"This all big mistake! Blunk never got medal!" Blunk squeeked as Gargoyle put the boulder down before walking back outside to guard the cave.
"So, we got em. What we do with them?" MC Cobra asked as the remaining Knights gathered together. "I'm thinking we go 'death by lava' vibe. Whatcha think?"
"I was thinking something a bit more cold. Like frozen to the bone type of cold." StrikeMaster Ice offered.
"Quick and nasty." Miranda argued.
"Slow and painful!" Frost argued back.
"Let us rip out their hearts and make examples of them for all our enemies!" Hak Foo stated.
"The fate of the prisoners will be decided by Drago and Nerissa." Raythor spoke up, much to the others' shock.
"What?!" Frost exclaimed.
"Vengeance is meant to be ours, not theirs!" Hak Foo argued.
"What happened to all that initiative? Don't tell me you got cold feet, old man?" Ice questioned.
"Fools! Without them, most of you would all be in cages!" Raythor stated.
"Or worse!" All eyes set upon Nerissa herself as she and Drago had just arrived, both looking less than pleased. "How dare you act without consulting us?!"
"But vengeance is the mission you gave us." Raythor told them.
"What about Chan and the Guardians? Did you forget about them?!" Drago questioned. "All you've done is kick the hornet's nest!"
"Is cool, dog." StrikeMaster Ice brushed off. "We got that weird toad-thing with the nose and the old wizard dude so they can't track us."
"And what of the other one?" Nerissa growled.
"Other one?" Miranda questioned.
"The wizard has an apprentice!" Nerissa exclaimed. "One who has already become well-versed in Chi magic, and tracking spells are elementary! He would have already made another one to track the prisoners that you've caught!"
"Get it?" Drago growled before shouting. "You idiots think you're so smart? But all you did is lead the enemy right to our doorstep!" He unleashed a large blast of fire from his mouth, forcing all the knights to duck and avoid the blast. "They'll be here any second! You all get out there and fight like your lives depend on it, cause they just might!"
"But… the prisoners….?" Raythor asked.
"I shall deal with them…" Nerissa growled. "NOW, GO!"
Gargoyle growled lowly as he remained on guard duty outside the cave, glancing down to see Raythor, Hak Foo, StrikeMaster Ice, Miranda, MC Cobra, Frost and Crimson, DJ Fist, and the Tracker all walk outside. However, they didn't get very far as the ground underneath Gargoyle suddenly caved in, causing the large monster to fall into the makeshift pit. The Knights all cleared out of the way to avoid getting caught up in it themselves, while a large cluster of roots and vines appeared above the opening of the hole that Gargoyle fell into.
"Ugh! What was that?!" Hak Foo questioned.
"Knights, form up! The enemy is here!" Raythor exclaimed as they tried to regroup. Suddenly, all the Knights' clothes began to change into bright colors such as pink, blue, orange, and yellow, making them all stand out like sore thumbs.
"Yo, what the deal?!" StrikeMaster Ice looked at his pink outfit, which clashed with his icy skin.
"Haven't you guys heard?" They looked out in front of them see J-WITCH, along with Jackie and Tohru, with their own clothes having changed into camo colors. "Camo is the new black-and-blue." Irma snarked before Jade threw out a wave of shadow magic to blind most of the Knights.
"Cornelia and I will go to rescue the others." Jackie said as he held the Tonga Tooth that still had the active locator spell that Tohru had made.
"Go, we'll handle things out here." Will replied as she, the other Guardians, and Tohru all ran into the surrounding forest, their camo outfits made it easier for them to blend in while Cornelia picked up Jackie by the arms and flew them over the mass of shadow and directly toward the cave.
The shadow was dispersed as the Knights tried to regain their senses, only to be attacked from all sides by long-distance elemental attacks of fireballs, windblasts, and steams of water, even blasts of shadow flame, all courtesy of Taranee, Hay Lin, Irma, and Jade who took cover in the foliage.
"They're using the forest for cover!" Raythor exclaimed before being blasted back by a cyclone.
"And our new paintjobs make us stand out like sore thumbs in tie-dye!" StrikeMaster Ice said before he was struck in the face by a fireball.
Meanwhile, Jackie and Cornelia both made it inside the cave as Jackie held the glowing Tonga Tooth, the green energy glowing brighter. "We are close."
"Look out!" Cornelia pushed Jackie out of the way to avoid a blast of fire, which had blown her back. She got up only to gasp as she came face-to-face with Sandpit, who brought its massive sand fist down toward her, but she flew out of the way just in time.
Likewise, Jackie had also gotten back up as he faced Drago who had an angry scowl on his face. "Release our friends now, Drago!" Jackie demanded as he took a martial arts stance.
"You should be more worried about yourself, Chan." The half-demon growled before rushing him.
Back outside, Miranda had transformed into her spider-form and crawled up onto a tree to try and find any of her hidden enemies, only for said tree to quickly grow in size as one of the branches turned into a large hand, which reached out to grab Miranda before slamming her onto the ground rather hard.
"Guess Cornelia's not the only one with a green thumb." Will said, having used her own Quintessence power on said tree.
"Cobra! Burn the forest down! Flush them out!" Raythor ordered.
"You got it!" MC Cobra was ready to throw a large lava ball into the woods, only for it to be extinguished by a blast of water as Irma hid within the leaves of one tree. She increased the power of the water to cover MC Cobra in it, causing a cloud of steam to form and further obscure the Knights' vision.
"Go Crimson! Charge!" Frost ordered his pet, whom he rode out of the fog. However, Crimson's own shadow began to grow around it, causing Crimson to sink in partially, halting his charge and sending Frost flying, towards Jade who generated a fist-like construct from shadow magic and dealt a powerful punch to send him flying and crashing into both Hak Foo and DJ Fist.
Tracker growled before unleashing a swarm of bats up above the fog to try and find the enemy from the sky, only for a wave of flame to appear over the fog and burn away most of the bats, any survivors flew away.
"This is whack, yo!" StrikeMaster Ice backed up, only to back into someone rather large, revealed to be Tohru as he picked him up and slammed him into the ground. Tohru then gave a loud yell as he charged forward, Raythor gasping in shock as Tohru slammed into him, shoulder-first, and knocked him down hard.
Hak Foo, DJ Fist, and Frost were quick to get back up as the fog slowly began to disappear, only to find themselves and Tracker, along with Sniffer, caught up in a large tornado as Hay Lin flew above them.
"Get ready for hurricane Hay Lin!" She controlled said tornado and caused it to move and expand to pick up Miranda, Raythor, StrikeMaster Ice, MC Cobra, and Crimson before she sent it into the forest behind her, causing it to crash and explode, sending all the villains scattering over the woods, crashing and breaking through many of the trees there and severely injuring many of them.
"Is that all of them?" Jade asked.
"I think so." Taranee confirmed.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them all exploded outward as the Gargoyle had climbed back to the surface with an angry growl.
"Except for the big guy." Irma's eyelids lowered in annoyance.
Back inside the cave, Cornelia flew around Sandpits stream form as it lashed out at her, but she thrusted her palm forward to extend her earth powers over Sandpit itself, causing its form to disperse around her. However, it was quick to reform and blast a twister of sand toward her, which she flew up to avoid.
Jackie, meanwhile, was locked in hand-to-hand combat with Drago as he blocked and parried most of his strikes, but Jackie was quick to take notice of not only Drago being slower than normal, but also the great many injuries he was in. He decided to use that to his advantage as he parried the next punch with his arm before kicking Drago back with enough force that would have knocked the wind out of a normal person, which also did the same for Drago When he landed on his back, Jackie stood over him and motioned his fist close to his face.
"Surrender, Drago! It's over!"
Drago growled. "I got a better idea." He shot a stream of fire straight up and past Jackie. But as he moved back and glanced up, he realized too late that Drago wasn't aiming for him, but rather all the explosives that he had placed in the ceiling of cave ahead of time, around the time the Knights of Vengeance were first formed. These explosives were tied around a massive stalactite, which soon exploded, causing said satalctite to fall, which Jackie jumped back to avoid. This set off a chain reaction that lit the fuses of several other crudely made explosives all lined along the ceiling of the cave, already causing the entire structure to begin collapsing.
"Another time, Chan!" Drago exclaimed as he made his way to the exit with Sandpit following.
"Cornelia!" Jackie called to her as she tried to fly deeper into the cave, only for more rocks to fall in her way and block the path. She tried to press further, only for Jackie to grab her by the wrist. "We have to go!"
"But Caleb…!"
"No time!" Jackie exclaimed as he picked Cornelia up and threw her over his shoulder and ran. As much as he hated leaving anyone behind, especially his uncle, he knew they had to get out or risk being crushed themselves.
Outside, Tohru and the other Guardians were forced to move away from the cave as it continued to collapse, as did Gargoyle. They saw Drago and Sandpit make their way to the top of Gargoyle's head before Sandpit took the form of a massive sand twister to provide them cover to escape, but that wasn't their concern right now.
They went towards the entrance of the cave just as Jackie and Cornelia emerged to avoid the final collapse, the shockwave of the impact knocking them both down. Their friends were quick to help them up where they all looked in shock to see what was once a massive cave, was now a broken pile of rubble.
"Where… Where's Uncle… or Caleb… or the others…?" Jade stuttered.
Jackie looked towards his niece with a somber expression before shaking his head, causing her eyes to widen in horror. The other girls weren't far behind with Hay Lin covering her mouth in terror. Were they too late? Were their friends really gone?
Cornelia fell to her knees as tears flowed down her eyes automatically. She felt her heart break before sobbing. Jade and Hay Lin wasted no time in kneeling to her level and hugging her, both on the verge of tears themselves.
However, Tohru noticed something in Jackie's pocket, a faint glow of green. "Jackie… the Tonga Tooth." This caused Jackie to pull out the tooth-shaped relic, which still glowed green.
"The locator spell…!"
"It is still active." Tohru confirmed, a sign of hope evident in his voice.
"So… that would mean…" Taranee was the first to understand what that meant.
Suddenly, a Fold had appeared in front of them along with a few screams and yelps as Blunk, Uncle, Caleb, Ratso, Julian, Chow, Aldarn, Finn, and Drake all fell out right before the Fold closed.
"They're alive!" Will exclaimed in joy as Jade quickly flew to hug Uncle with the others quickly coming in to help them up and greet them warmly.
"Caleb!" Cornelia couldn't help but throw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in relief. However, the gesture was not returned.
Elyon's Throne Room
"…So, this hag just opened a Fold and let you all go?" The young queen of Meridian asked, as the Chan Clan, Guardians, and everyone else returned to the castle to give their report on what happened. "Why would she do that?"
"No idea." Julian confessed. "We all should be dead right now."
"What happened to the Knights?" Elyon asked.
"They got away." Will answered.
"But how much do you wanna bet that hag is the same one that's been helping Drago and his buddies?" Jade wondered. "The same one that messed with all our dreams."
"It is a possibility." Jackie seemed to confirm.
"Sensei, you've seen the sorceress now. What would you make of her?" Tohru asked his teacher.
"Uncle not sure… sorceress said nothing to us. Yet… she felt… familiar." Uncle muttered.
It appeared that they wouldn't be getting much further in this discussion as they only seemed to have more questions than answers, but for the most part, everyone was just glad that they all made it out of that mess in one piece.
Caleb then turned around to walk out of the throne room. Cornelia gave a worrying glance towards Jackie, who gave her an assuring nod. That was all she needed. She knew exactly what she had to do.
As he walked alone in the castle hallways, he heard his name being called. "Caleb, wait!"
"For you? Not anymore." He replied, not even stopping or turning around to acknowledge her.
"I deserve that. Really." Cornelia said as she tried to catch up to him. "But please… just… look I know you probably won't forgive me for what you saw back on Earth, and I don't blame you! I wouldn't forgive me either!" That caused Caleb to stop though he still had his back turned to her. "Especially since I've basically built that relationship on a lie. And… I have no excuse for any of that. I'm… I admit it… I'm narcissistic, I've got an ego probably the size of a planet and… it's hard for me to accept or admit when I'm wrong, especially about…" She struggled to find the right words before continuing. "But I know what I did there was wrong… and… I was wrong to treat you the way I've been treating you. You want to protect your world and… I guess I just I got jealous because… because I wanted you all to myself! But… I understand now that I don't deserve someone as amazing as you…" She was already crying but kept going, even as Caleb kept his back turned to her. "I… I won't ask you to give me another chance… because I don't deserve it. You have every right to hate me! But… please let me say that… I am so… so sorry!"
She sobbed for a few seconds before she heard a reply. "Cornelia… I could never hate you." She turned her emotional gaze towards him as he finally turned around. "Yeah, you drive me crazy and really make me mad sometimes but… I'd never find myself hating you. Believe me, I'm no stranger to all your flaws… and you know I'm not exactly flawless either. I can be very reckless and maybe take things a bit too seriously, and even get competitive. But you've always put up with that. And despite all your flaws, I've seen your good side too, like how loyal you are to the people you care about, that's what I've always admired most about you. And maybe you were right a little bit… maybe I gave a bit too much to Meridian. Don't misunderstand, it's still my home and I do have a duty. But… maybe I can find a way to balance it with… other things that I want. That is what the old guy's always talking bout right? Balance?" He cleared his throat slightly to try and put on an impression of Uncle. "One more thing, you must find balance, or the universe will end."
That earned a chuckle from Cornelia as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "And he'd probably dope-slap the both of us."
"Yeah, probably." Caleb said with chuckle himself before speaking seriously. "If… if it's alright with you… I'd like to find that balance, a way I can both protect my home and be with the person I care about most."
He offered her his hand, which caused Cornelia to smile emotionally, shedding tears of joy as she took it, before trying to move in to kiss him on the lips…
Only for him to quickly cover her mouth with his hand and stop her. "One thing though. That other guy? You gotta end it with him. Lying aside, I won't do anything behind anyone's back."
Cornelia sighed in agreement. "You're right. I was going to… but all this happened so... crappy timing. But I will end it with him, I promise."
Earth
After returning to Heatherfield, Cornelia, once again in her Lilian disguise, probably for the final time, she had met up with Peter again on the ice rink and talked with him about ending their relationship. He nodded in understanding as they skated in opposite directions with Peter moving closer to Taranee, who was outside the rink and hung by the railing. Though she was glad Cornelia made the right choice, she did feel bad that her brother just got dumped.
"You alright? You kinda looked like you were bumming."
Peter gave Taranee a reassuring smile. "Just a façade, Sis. She looked so serious, I didn't wanna hurt her feelings."
"You were gonna break it off?" Taranee asked in surprise.
"She was nice, but she wasn't the one. And we all gotta find something real." Peter confessed.
Right as he said that, Cornelia, in her true form, skated out into the rink along with Irma and skated her way towards Caleb, who tried to keep his balance. But when it seemed like the two were about to make contact, Cornelia's shadow lifted in front of her slightly, causing her to trip into him and knock them both down.
Just outside the rink, Jade smirked as she twirled her finger. Hay Lin giggled alongside her, while Will just shook her head with an unsurprised smile.
Despite that crash, Cornelia and Caleb couldn't help but be happy as they pulled themselves up and she leapt into his arms to kiss him right on the lips.
"Uh… it was a misunderstanding, yo…" StrikeMaster Ice said in a nervous pleading tone to Nerissa as the Knights had returned to the steel mill that served as their hideout on Earth.
"Your 'misunderstanding' nearly cost us everything!" Nerissa exclaimed with Drago standing next to her. "There wasn't even time to properly deal with the prisoners!"
"I take full responsibility." Raythor stepped forward. "This was all my plan."
"You all share the responsibility as none of you protested!" Nerissa shouted before casting a bolt of her Quintessence power from her scepter to the ground at their feet, causing it to explode and blast many of them back, save for the massive Gargoyle. "Let that serve as a warning. Go behind my back again and there will be no mercy. I helped to bring all of this together and even give many of you your powers… I can just as easily end it. Do not forget that!"
"It… won't happen again." Raythor said as he was the first to pick himself up. "I swear to it."
"It better not." Drago growled. "Now, we wait for the next Demon Chi to activate. Nobody leaves this place until that happens. Consider yourselves grounded." The two walked away, and while Raythor seemed acceptant of the choice, many of the Knights didn't as they glared towards the direction Drago and Nerissa had left.
The duo of mother and son had entered a small room to speak more privately. "I'm surprised you actually spared all of prisoners." Drago said to her. "I get why you did those three… but the others…"
"Don't overthink it." Nerissa replied. "As I said, there wasn't enough time to properly deal with them. And besides, most of them were all powerless insects. They were no threat to me." She turned around to face her son. "Please tell me that you found something on your end. I could use some good news."
"Oh, I found something alright." Drago began. "Apparently, Jade's some sort of prophetic chosen one."
"'Chosen one'?" Nerissa questioned.
"Those Ben-Shui monks worship someone who can reincarnate." Drago explained. "I don't know all the details, but this belonged to a chosen one's previous life." He handed Nerissa the walking stick he took from the temple. "Jade's lifeforce seems to resonate with it, so they might be onto something."
Nerissa held the stick in her hand for a moment to get a read on it. "I can sense a powerful chi from this. This 'chosen one' could explain why Jade has become a Guardian, and why she seems equally powerful with my successor."
"What about their connection?" Drago asked. "Could that be a reason?"
"The spiritual link between Will and Jade may be unrelated, more of a result of their own relationship." Nerissa replied. "But still… this is concerning and yet…" A devious smile formed on her face. "It could also be most advantageous for us. All we have to do, is find a way to make it work in our favor."
Drago chuckled. "Of course you'd find a way to twist something. So, what's the plan?"
"It will take some time before I'm able to devise anything useful from this, so for the moment, keep your focus on the Demon Chi, and by extension, their attention on you." Nerissa's sinister smile only grew. "Our time is coming my son… and at the moment they realize it… it'll be too late." She finished with a cackle.
Done.
So that was an interesting chapter. Aside from Cornelia and Caleb making amends with each other, and I really enjoyed writing that scene between her and Jackie, we are expanding more into Jade's whole chosen one thing with the Ben-Shui monks.
It was implied in the canon that she was their revered chosen one, but never further explored. I plan to fix that here as it will have a major role to play in this story.
Also, just to clarify something, in this story, we never had that episode where Tohru was mistaken as the chosen one (which is aptly titled "The Chosen One") as that is the Chan Clan's first encounter with Daolon Wong. While in my first story, the heroes had their first encounter with him in what was the second episode of the canon WITCH series. Just wanted to explain to anyone who was confused about a potential continuity snarl. I hope that all makes sense.
Oh and don't worry, the Ben-Shui monks and their High Mystic aren't dead, just beaten. I plan on having them make other appearances later in this story And while we didn't see them fight in the canon, I made them able to fight here because we've seen monks practice martial arts and it just seemed to fit.
Next, we get back into the Demon Chi as I have a very interesting chapter planned for you all. Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there. Love you.