Hi everyone, welcome back! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays, but now we're ready to continue with this story! But this is a very special update! We have reached the half-way point in J-WITCH Season 2, and this will be the chapter where everything turns on its head! I can't wait for you all read this as I have been waiting to write this for a very long time! And now, without any further delay, let's begin.

Return

The Knights of Vengeance current hideaway was a volcano, one with active lava at the top and coming down one side of a slope. A place so uninhabitable would be the best place to hide out for a while. At the moment, Gargoyle was at the base of the volcano, keeping watch for any enemy forces, while Sniffer barked towards Crimson, who aggressively ran his right foot in the ground, both animals glaring at each other on opposite sides of a stream of lava.

The remainder of the Knights, consisting of Raythor, Miranda, Frost, Hak Foo, Sandpit, Tracker, and the Ice Crew, all stood around at the summit as they watched Drago and Nerissa sitting across from one another, the stolen Chi-Omatic that still contained the active Fire Demon Chi, on the ground in-between them.

"Ya Gaa Mee Mo Ya Gaa Mme Chi Wa!" Drago chanted as a brief stream of dark energy shot from his claws onto the Chi-Omatic, which revealed a glowing green Aura surrounding the device.

"Denune Mayheluse Loquibar." Nerissa chanted as bolts of magic shot from her open hand onto the device, clashing against the protective chi-spell.

"Yo, how much longer this gonna be?" Ice questioned. "They been at that thing for two whole months!"

"That accursed wizard and tricks!" Hak Foo growled.

"Why don't we just smash it open ourselves?" Frost suggested as he punched his fist into his palm.

"If that were an option, don't you think they would have done so already?" Raythor replied to all of them. "I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to magic, but I trust that our leader and benefactor know what they are doing."

As Miranda continued to observe Drago and Nerissa work, MC Cobra happened to approach her. "Yo, that new form of yours is hot, spider girl." He said slyly, complementing her young adult human appearance while Miranda just looked more annoyed than anything.

"Begone, pest." She turned away.

"Hey, all I'm saying is that you look way better like that than just as a kid, yo." MC Cobra walked in front of her.

"If you don't stop trying to flirt with me, I will suffocate you in my webs and feed your corpse to actual spiders." Miranda threatened as she walked away.

"Oh, I like a girl who plays hard to get." MC Cobra smirked.

Finally, Drago and Nerissa had both casted bolts of energy onto the Chi-Omatic, which surged against the green aura of the protective Chi-Spell before it was dissipated completely.

"At last. The spell has been removed." Drago said with a sneer as he picked up the device. The fact that he was holding it in his hands was proof that the protection spell was no longer there "The Fire Demon Chi is now ours."

'Though credit where it is due. Jin has made it quite difficult for me with that protection spell of his. He's come a long way as a wizard.' Nerissa thought to herself.

"Finally!" Hak Foo stepped forward. "So, who shall be the first to taste the power of the Ultimate Evil?"

"I already know just the pair." The sorceress smirked. "Quintessence!" Channeling her own power, she shot a bolt of Quintessence energy into a pool of lava, causing two large forms of mass to rise and take the forms of a man and a woman. "Alborn and Miriadel."

"Why those two?" Frost asked.

"They raised young Elyon as a child, protected her and cared for her on Earth." Nerissa explained. "They were responsible for her return to power. By infusing them with Demon Chi, we'll turn the queen's adoptive parents into raging monsters. You can only imagine the pain she will feel from having to fight those she loves."

"Oooh, now that's hitting where it hurts. You got a sick mind there, Granny." StrikeMaster Ice pointed to Nerissa with an approved smile.

"Raythor, you're in charge." Drago tossed his second-in-command the Chi-Omatic. Though he caught it, he looked somewhat surprised.

"Me? What about you?" Raythor asked.

"Nerissa and I have something we need to take care of." Drago answered. "And Miranda, we could use your help for this." He said to the shapeshifter.

"And what would this 'something' be?" She asked, stepping forward with an illusive smirk, hoping to get an answer.

Drago smirked back in response. "Oh trust me, you're gonna love it."

Nerissa opened a Fold with her scepter. "Come along, you two."

Just before they entered, Raythor kneeled to his leader. "I swear to you Drago, we will show no mercy."

"Good. Make sure that they hurt." Drago replied as all three stepped into the Fold, causing it to vanish as Raythor stood up straight.

"So how do we lure those two out of the castle?" Hak Foo asked, referring to Alborn and Miriadel as their lava silhouettes sank back into the molten rock.

"We don't." Raythor shook his head, much to everyone's surprise. "Nerissa and Drago have the right idea, but they're thinking too small. Why take such roundabout ways with minor targets when we can go the direct route to enact our vengeance on Elyon herself."

"Yo, you going behind their backs again? After last time?" StrikeMaster Ice asked.

"Last time, we were too reckless." Raythor replied.

"But that little Elyon brat is a one-kid-army, dog." MC Cobra pointed out with DJ Fist nodding in agreement. "How we gonna take her down?"

"To conquer a queen requires more than knights, it requires a prince." Raythor responded.

"Phobos?" Hak Foo questioned. "But he has been stripped of his power!"

"Fortunately for us, we have power to spare." Raythor smirked as he looked at the Chi-Omatic, and the active Fire Demon Chi that swirled around inside.

Earth – San Francisco

A Fold had opened up near a shoreline of San Francisco Bay, rather close to the Golden Gate Bridge. Drago, Nerissa, and Miranda had all stepped out as the shapeshifter looked around at her new surroundings.

"This is Earth… Why are we here?" Miranda asked. "There is no more Demon Chi for us to hunt down."

"Perhaps not, but there is something here equally valuable. Something that we have been searching for, for quite some time" Nerissa answered as Drago stepped closer towards the water, getting a feel for the area.

The half-demon happened to glance down at a certain spot and crouched to push away some dirt and grass, revealing a piece of stone with unusual engravings. "Gotcha." He grinned as he pressed his hand down on the center, causing the ground to shake somewhat. Drago then stepped back as he, Nerissa, and Miranda all watched a stone totem arise from the ground. This totem had the engravings of a Chinese Dragon with a statue of a dragon's face at the front. The statue's mouth opened up to reveal a set of fanged teeth.

"Dragon's teeth." Nerissa sneered. "Well done, my son."

"I aim to please, Mom." Drago replied.

Miranda gasped as her eyes widened. Did they really just say…? "What…? Son… Mom…" She looked in-between the pair for a brief moment before pointing at the elderly sorceress. "You're his mother?!"

"I understand the surprise. His appearance takes more from his father." Nerissa replied. "But I assure you, he is mine."

"It takes two to make a kid, after all." Drago added.

Miranda's eyes narrowed at this revelation. "What is going on here? Why keep this from us?"

"We have no use for any more Demon Chi." Nerissa explained. "It made a decent distraction, at worst it could have been an x-factor that would have caused trouble for us if left unintended. But that's no longer a problem. Though I do suspect that Raythor will disobey our orders and find another way to use the Fire Demon Chi."

"But even if he did use it the way we told him to, it won't really matter." Drago added before looking to his mother. "You're sure the time is right? Timing is kinda important for us."

"I am very certain. I confirmed it myself as I saw Elyon drift into sleep." Nerissa revealed. "The jewel is ready."

"Perfect." Drago sneered.

"Elyon…? You've been near that child queen?!" Miranda exclaimed before glaring. "Now I see… the Knights of Vengeance are merely pawns, myself included!"

"At first. But you have proven to be capable enough to support our true objective, my dear Miranda." Nerissa said. "I take my son's recommendations very seriously."

"Recommendation?" She looked towards Drago as he approached her.

"Like I said before we left, you're gonna love this!" He began. "Why settle for just causing mayhem on Earth and Meridian when we have a bigger goal in mind? How does turning the entire cosmos inside out sound to you?"

Though Miranda was more than a little angry for being deceived for so long, she also knew Drago long enough to understand he was a very ambitious individual, even more-so than the late Cedric, that was one of the qualities that had her to endear to him. But did his goal truly involve the entire universe? She was mad, yes. But she couldn't help but be intrigued.

"I'm listening."

The Next Day – Meridian

Trill had served breakfast to Elyon, as well as Alchemy, the Enforcers, Alborn and Miriadel. As she sat the plate down, she happened to look in Elyon's direction as tears formed in her eyes.

"Trill? What's wrong?" Elyon asked with concern.

"N-Nothing." She stood up straight and rubbed her eyes. "Forgive me, my queen. I was feeling nostalgic. With that jewel, you look so much like your mother."

That caused Elyon to smile as she touched the jewel she had continued to wear around her neck since the moment Trill had given it to her. "Tell me about her… and about my dad too. What were they like?" She asked more-so to her adoptive parents.

"Queen Weira was a wise and kind ruler of this world." Miriadel said with smile. "She was every bit as powerful as you, but always used her power to help others."

"The consort, King Zayden, was also a friend of mine." Abron added. "One of the finest warriors in Queen Weira's royal guard. That was one of the many qualities that drew her to him."

"Wow, Elyon. Your parents sound awesome!" Alchemy said toward her best friend.

"Well, they must have if they had an awesome kid like her." Chow complemented.

"Yeah. Too bad their other kid turned out to be such a jerk… Ow!" Ratso was cut off as Finn elbowed him in the side.

"Ixnay on Obosphay!" Finn scolded in a whisper.

"I want to know more about my parents." Elyon said. "Like… did they… love me?"

"You mother and father loved you more than life itself." Miriadel told her. "You were the true jewel in their crown."

Elyon held the jewel around her neck in her hand with a sad smile. "I wish I could have met them."

"If you don't mind, Queen Elyon… I might know of a way." Trill offered, catching Elyon's attention.

Earth – Heatherfield

The Silver Dragon was incredibly busy today, so much so that Hay Lin had to work to help keep things going. She had just set down a large stack of plates in the kitchen to be washed and cleaned. The girl could only take a second to catch her breath before her grandmother handed her a bag of food.

"Delivery order! Thirty minutes or less! Time to petal that metal!" Yan Lin told her, causing her granddaughter to lower her eyes.

She stepped outside for a brief moment and pulled out her cell phone to enter the six-way call with all her friends.

"Okay, I'm here."

"Finally!" They all replied simultaneously.

"Hey, you're not allowed to complain!" Hay Lin told them. "You're all on vacation. I'm a summer-time slave!"

"Better than beach boring." Irma replied from the beach she was at with her family on the East Coast.

"Or mosquito mountain." Taranee added, calling from the campsite at the Rockies that she and her family were staying at.

"Or the Mommy-and-new-boyfriend, museum tour." Will spoke up, speaking from the New York National History Museum.

Jade scoffed on her end of the line at Central Park. "Least you don't have a strict schedule. The Dragon Scouts are a borderline military school."

"But aren't the Dragon Scouts all boys?" Hay Lin asked.

"They let girls in now. But it still beats quilt-making and cookie selling in the Buttercup Scouts." Jade replied.

"I cannot picture you as a girl scout." Irma commented.

"Well, at least I got company." Jade said. "Jackie volunteered as a Dragon Daddy supervisor, and the Nephorcers are also scouts."

Hay Lin smelt her apron and cringed. "Ugh. I smell like egg foo young."

"I smell like o'de fabulous!" Cornelia said, not even bothering to hide the good time she was having in Paris. "I have Daddy's platinum, the caviar is awesome, and we're getting seaweed wraps, tomorrow!"

"We get it, you're having the time of your life. You don't have to rub it in." Irma sulked.

"The only thing missing is… Caleb." Cornelia said in a loving tone.

"…Matt." Will said in the same manner at the same time.

"…Nigel." Taranee also said simultaneously.

"Boys?! You're all in five kinds of paradises and all you can think of is your next date?!" Hay Lin questioned.

"Hay Lin, someday soon, you're gonna be thinking about your first date." Cornelia told him.

"The only guy who's on my mind right now, is Uncle! Who, in case you all have forgotten, has been in a magic comma for almost two months!" Hay Lin stated. "How are you not worried about that, Jade?!"

"Of course, I'm worried." Jade herself responded. "But Tohru and Halinor are watching over him at the Ben-Shui temple, so I'm not freaking out too badly."

"Well maybe…" Hay Lin was interrupted as her grandmother snatched her cellphone from her.

"Hay Lin can't talk now. She's busy." She said on the other line before hanging up and looked towards her granddaughter. "That moo goo ghai pan ain't gonna fold to Elm Street!"

"Okay, Okay, I'm going…" Hay Lin got on her bike but didn't quite ride off right away. "Grandma, seriously… do you think Uncle's going to be okay?"

Yan Lin gave her a reassuring smile. "Jin's the right mix of tough and stubborn. There's a reason he's lived as long as he has."

"What about Drago and the Knights of Vengeance?" Hay Lin asked. "They still have the Fire Demon Chi and we haven't heard a peep from them?"

"Because that protection spell Jin put on it is top-notch. Now, enough worrying about the fate of the world and get a move on." Yan Lin encouraged, but before Hay Lin could bike off. "Oh one more thing…" She stopped her. "Avoid Seventh Avenue. Traffic is pretty bad there."

Hay Lin ended up giggling, seeing her grandmother put on an impression of Uncle to cheer her up a bit. "See ya later, Grandma." She said before pedaling down the sidewalk.

The girl made a turn and rode her bike across the sidewalk toward her destination. But as she did, she happened to notice a boy on the other side of the street waiting at the bus stop. He had lightly tanned skin with shiny blue hair and eyes. Honestly, it may have been a crush at first sight as Hay Lin couldn't help but blush and smile in his direction.

However, her bike slowly began to hover off the ground. When she noticed, she gave a startled yelp and tried to set herself down, but this caused her to fall down on the sidewalk, her bike falling to the side, and all the food she had been carrying spilling all over. As she recovered, she looked to see a bus had pulled up at the bus stop before driving away, the boy no doubt got on.

"Oh no, he's gone…" She then noticed the sticky food all over her. "Ew!" She pulled a wet noodle out of her hair. "Okay, maybe it's lucky that he's gone." She cringed in embarrassment.

Section 13

Captain Black had a set of photographs on his desk, which he had given to the recently arrived Viper, El Toro, and Paco for them to look at. All these pictures were that of the elderly sorceress that has been evading them for so long.

"This woman doesn't look familiar to any of you?" Captain Black asked. "I've had inside sources try to get a possible match on her identification, but it all came up empty."

"I am sorry Captain, but this woman is unfamiliar to me." El Toro apologized.

"Fea…! She may give the Chupacabra nightmares!" Paco cringed as he looked at the picture he held.

"Doesn't look like anyone I've seen from my shadier days." Viper also said. "But since we're dealing with magical dimensions now, maybe she's from one of those?"

"Probably, but I wanted to make sure to check under every rock here on Earth." Captain Black explained. "For half a year, this hag and her little team have been one step ahead of us. Though we were able to capture nearly all the Demon Chi, we haven't made one ounce of progress in identify her or capturing her associates."

"I heard from Jade that one of them is supposed to be the son of Shendu!" Paco pointed out. "That's crazy!"

"Well, he's got the temper and literal fire power to prove it." The head of Section 13 replied. "Not to mention he's got dear old daddy's power in the form of the Fire Demon Chi. But with Uncle out of action, and Jackie and the Guardians currently scattered, I need the J-Team on standby just in case something happens here on Earth."

"We are at your service, Captain." El Toro stood tall.

"Just tell us when to move and we'll be there." Viper added.

Ben Shui Temple

Uncle continued to remain in his magically induced coma as he laid on a bed, while continuing to be attended to by several Ben Shui monks as they provided him what nourishment they could, all the while Tohru, Halinor, and the High Mystic spoke just outside his room.

"I do not understand how this is possible." Tohru said. "We have tried every healing incantation, even use of the Talismans, we've even tried spiritual spells to try reach into Sensei, but he has yet to awaken."

"A very powerful spell was placed on him." The High Mystic explained. "One that prevents intruders, even those of spiritual nature, to enter his body. One could even compare it to a protection spell of sorts. Removing such a spell will be quite difficult."

"What I'm most concerned about is why this sorceress even used this spell in the first place." Halinor said. "I'm grateful that Jin is still alive, but if she felt he was a threat…"

"Why didn't she kill him?" Tohru saw her reasoning. "I can certainly see someone like Daolon Wong trying something like that but…"

"Perhaps there was a reason she spared his life." The High Mystic said. "If we find out what that reason is, it may even provide a clue to the identity of this mysterious sorceress."

"While I do see the logic in that… I'm more concerned with the immediate problem of locating the Fire Demon Chi." Halinor said.

"Uncle has placed a protection spell on the Chi-Omatic to ensure that dark magic cannot touch it." Tohru put in.

"But this sorceress has proven to be just as crafty with spells as Jin has. I fear she may find a way to undo the spell, and the power will then be at her disposal. The power of the Ultimate Evil." Halinor made no attempt to hide her nervousness.

Tohru provided a comforting hand on the older woman's shoulder. "Don't worry, Halinor. I carry a spare Chi-Omatic myself." He pulled out the device. "And I know the removal spell that is needed. If the Fire Demon Chi is ever activated and used, we will seal it away just like the others."

Halinor looked up to Tohru with a smile. "You're quite confident. I can tell that Jin trained you well, Tohru. He'd proud. And also…" She bowed her head. "Thank you for looking out for him. He is a dear friend."

"Of course." Tohru bowed in respect himself. "Any friend of Sensei's, is a friend of mine."

Meridian – Elyon's Castle

Trill, Miriadel, and Alborn had escorted the young queen, along with Alchemy, and the Enforcers, to another chamber inside the castle, all standing before a large and special door.

"You may meet your parents, your majesty. In memories." Alborn told Elyon.

"I don't… have any memories of my parents." She said, looking down.

"But Trill does." Miriadel explained. "And in the ancient meditation chamber, your own power can put you both into a trance, allowing you to interact with her remembrances."

"Whoa. That's cool." Alchemy commented.

"Hey uh… don't they got something like this for old people back home?" Ratso asked. "Like a mind-probe or something?"

"I think that's only in the movies." Chow said. "I got no clue."

"Yeah, it's not like we're memory-scientists or anything." Finn added.

"Trill, thank you!" Elyon took the maid's hands in her own excitably. "This is really…!" However, her excitement came to an end as she noticed her adoptive parents looking down, causing her to feel a great deal of regret. "I'm sorry… I didn't…"

"It's alright, your majesty." Miriadel assured.

"You must go where your heart leads." Alborn said right before Elyon ran up and wrapped her arms around him.

"It'll always lead me back to you." She spoke. "You raised me." She pulled away and looked towards Miriadel. "I love you." She said before hugging her as well.

"And we love you, child." Her adoptive mother said with a smile as she held Elyon close.

The young queen then pulled away and looked towards her friend. "Alchemy, you and Cornelia were the first friends I ever had, and then my best friends. I hope you don't…"

"It's okay, I get it." Alchemy conveyed a smile of her own as she took Elyon's own hands in hers. "Even if we're literally worlds apart, nothing will ever come between us." She and Elyon shared a hug of their own. As Elyon pulled away, she noticed Finn, Ratso, and Chow all smiling toward her before she smiled at them.

"You guys too. Even when Phobos and everyone were using me, you guys still took care of me and even tried to save me. That time may have been fake, but the care you guys gave me was real." Elyon said.

"Well duh, you're such a sweet kid." Chow told her.

"Yeah, and unlike all our old bosses, you were nice to us." Ratso added.

"It's a nice change of pace." Finn put in, right before Elyon ran up and hugged him, much to his surprise.

"It's more than that, now. You guys are practically my uncles. My family." Elyon looked up with a warm smile. "I love you."

The three smiled emotionally as the shared a group embrace with her. "Awe." Ratso gushed. "We love you too, kiddo."

"Now enough of the sappy stuff, you got parents to meet." Chow said.

"Go on, Little E. We'll be right outside." Finn said as well.

Elyon then followed Trill into the meditation chamber. It was a large room with an active fountain in the middle and two seats across from one another. Both the queen and her maid sat on their respective spots before closing their eyes, allowing steam and mist to emerge from the fountain's waters and spread across the room, causing the pair to enter a deep trance.

Infinite City – Prison

A pair of guards stood outside the water fall entrance, as it all seemed quiet like any other day. However, a large pair of stomps loomed their way closer, prompting the guards to take arms as they looked up in shock to see Gargoyle standing over them with a roar before smacking them to the wall on the side.

"Yo, time for a smack down in the big house!" StrikeMaster Ice said as he rode on Gargoyle before letting lose his icy breath to freeze the guards to the wall as Gargoyle went through the water fall.

Vathek and all the guards inside looked with serious expressions, while the imprisoned Phobos, Daolon Wong, and the other caged Lurdens, looked in surprise, as Gargoyle stomped his way in. StrikeMaster Ice jumped down from the giant beast as the other Knights of Vengeance, consisting of Raythor, MC Cobra, DJ Fist, Hak Foo, Frost, Sandpit, and Tracker, along with Sniffer, all entered the prison.

"Charging Dragon Flattens Farms!" Hak Foo sped his way in and smacked down two guards, sending them over the edge of the bridge and to the water below. The other Knights joined in as Vathek drew a pair of dual swords, clashing one blade against the fire-sword of Raythor, who sliced through that one sword and left the blue-skinned man on the defensive, backing toward the center as he and the laughing Ice advanced toward him.

Sandpit used his sandy-arm to smack two guards off the ledge. DJ Fist's steel-coated skin blocked the sword and spear strikes of two guards, allowing MC Cobra to throw a lava ball and melt their weapons, giving DJ Fist the chance to grab the guards and throw them over the edge. Frost used his superior strength to push down a few guards himself, while Sniffer barked and pounced on a guard, allowing Tracker a chance to grab that guard and throw him off the edge as well.

"Raythor…" Phobos did not expect to see the former captain of his guard, especially after he falsely threw him into the Abyss of Shadows for being framed for a crime he did not commit.

"What is this…?" Wong questioned as he saw the Knights of Vengeance making quick work of the guards, but he was even more surprised to see how three of these individuals, all of whom he recognized, wielding a certain kind of power. "How do they wield the power of a Fire Demon?"

Soon, Vathek was all that was left as Raythor and StrikeMaster Ice had him cornered, the former using his fire sword to cut apart his other blade while StrikeMaster Ice gave a kick to knock him down and pinned him to the ground with one foot.

"You might wanna stay down, blue guy. Less you want some serious freezer burn courtesy of the ice-man." Ice told him with a sneer.

"My prince, stand back!" Raythor told Phobos as he sliced his sword to send a wave of fire his direction. Phobos took a few steps back to allow the wave of fire to strike the magical energy bars, causing them to dissipate and free the dark prince inside.

"At last… freedom…!" Phobos chuckled as several of the other Knights followed Raythor's lead. Tracker threw his mace at several of the cages, with MC Cobra, StrikeMaster Ice, and Sandpit blasting lava, ice, and sand respectively at all the surrounding cages to break free all the captive Lurdens. All except Daolon Wong, who's cage hadn't been touched.

As they continued to work, Vathek saw an opportunity as he grabbed Ice by his ankle and threw him towards Raythor to knock him down. Vathek quickly snagged the enemy's sword and saw the remaining Knights about to encircle him, but Vathek knew he couldn't beat them all, nor was he trying to.

Using the stolen sword, he jammed it into a glass brick in the floor and turned the mechanism inside. "Nobody will escape this prison! Not on my watch!" Vathek said as the mechanism he activated caused a large, barred door to descend at the entranceway, trapping everyone inside.

Back on the surface, a loud horn was sounded at the center of the Castletown, the sound making its way all the way toward the castle itself where Caleb and Blunk were patrolling along the wall.

"The horn of warning…. Phobos is free!" Caleb exclaimed in shock.

"Good time for Blunk to take that long weekend at the shore!" Blunk said as he ducked and pressed his hands against his head. "Or just dig hole and not come out!"

Caleb was about to run back inside when he happened to run into Alborn, Drake, and several other guards. "We must alert the queen!"

"That could present a problem…" Alborn replied reluctantly.

Elyon had found herself deep in a meditative trance along with Trill. Both stood in a white space as they saw two people materialize before them. One was a fancily dressed man with blonde hair much like her own, and the other was a woman with red hair and a royal dress, holding a certain baby in her arms.

"Queen Elyon… these are your parents. And yourself." Trill told her.

Elyon looked and saw the images of her parents, along with her infant self in her mother's tender grip. This caused the girl to smile in a mixture of amazement and affection.

"Your majesty! Your majesty! Elyon, please you must wake up!" Miriadel tried to shake the young queen from her trance.

"Little E, time to step out of dreamland! We got bad guys!" Finn also tried to tell her as Ratso, Chow, and Alchemy tried to shake Trill awake.

"Come on lady! Wake up!" Chow shook Trill by the shoulders, but neither she nor Elyon would awaken.

"Should I have them sniff my armpit?" Ratso offered. "It works in cartoons…"

"Ugh! Gross! Now!" Chow cringed.

"Are they stuck or something?!" Alchemy questioned. "How do we wake them up?!"

"I'm afraid only Elyon and Trill can break their own trance." Miriadel said with reluctance. "We can't awaken them."

Alchemy then noticed Alborn return with Caleb and Blunk in tow. "Then I'm going to Earth with Blunk to get reinforcements!"

"Go, we'll hold off Phobos and his forces as long as we can." Caleb told her.

"Do we really have to worry at all?" Ratso asked. "Wasn't the guy de-magicfied or something?"

"If it's the Knights of Vengeance who freed Phobos, then it's also likely they have the Fire Demon Chi with them and are planning to give it to their master." Caleb stated.

"Phobos with Shendu's power? Yeah, that's bad news." Finn said with a pale face.

"Blunk! Earth! Now!" Alchemy told the Passling.

"Don't have to tell Blunk twice!" Blunk quickly used the Tonga Tooth to open a Fold, which he and Alchemy stepped in immediately.

Infinite City – Prison

Vathek was frozen to the ground by the ice-breath of StrikeMaster Ice, just as Sandpit used his fluent from to collect all the Lurdens and bring them out from their cells, but despite all of that, Vathek remained defiant.

"You only made your cage bigger, Phobos! Nothing can breach that gate from the inside!" He declared.

"We'll see about that, dog." Ice looked towards DJ Fist. "Bring it down!"

DJ Fist nodded as he, Hak Foo, and Frost both charged at the gate and rammed into it, However, they didn't even make a dent. Gargoyle was about to move in and crush it himself…

"Hold it!" Raythor stopped them. "There is an easier solution. Sandpit!" He commanded the walking pile of sand as it stepped toward the barred gate and easily passed through, using his sandy body to slip through the bars and solidify himself again at the lever on the other side, pulling it up, and bringing the gate up himself.

"Grrr, showoff." Hak Foo growled.

Phobos then turned towards his former captain. "Raythor…" In a move that surprised everyone, the prince bowed his head. "I owe you an apology. You were cast into the Abyss of Shadows for nothing, and I was the one who authorized the act. Yet despite that, you came to free me. I can never repay this debt."

"You have nothing to apologize or repay for, my prince." Now it was Raythor's turn to bow, this time on his knees. "I made a vow to follow and serve you. And I am a man who keeps his word. I am your knight, now and forever."

Phobos smiled. Even when everyone else turned against him when it was said that Phobos had murdered his parents to try and steal the throne, Raythor never abandoned him. And despite what he had done, Raythor would still follow him. It was nice to know that he at least had one man who was truly loyal to him, and not motivated by greed or personal vengeance.

"Now, what exactly happened to you?" Phobos asked as Raythor stood up. "Not only has your physical appearance changed, but you also even wield magic. You could never do that before."

"This…" Raythor looked toward his hand. "Is a gift from one of our new benefactors. But of course, that is nothing compared to the power you will now wield." He presented Phobos the Chi-Omatic with the active Demon Chi inside, which also drew the attention of Daolon Wong.

"What is this?" Phobos asked.

"This… is called Fire Demon Chi." Raythor explained. "That demon Shendu who tried to overthrow and conquer Meridian? This is his power, and with it under your control, you shall be more than a match for that usurper of your sister and reclaim your throne!"

"Shendu's Demon Chi…? How is that possible…?" Daolon Wong questioned. "Oh… unless… traces of his chi on the Immortal Relic used to banish him thousands of years ago!"

Phobos looked at the dark stream of energy inside the device. He remembered that demon all too well. The very same one that Wong had resurrected to overthrow him and take all of Meridian for himself. But now that power would be at his finger tips. It almost seemed too good to be true.

"While this power would indeed make up for the magic that was stolen from me… It won't make me invincible." Phobos said. "After all, Chan and those wretched Guardians were able to defeat the original demon."

"True." Raythor acknowledged. "However, we've also acquired the aid of a skilled and powerful sorceress. Once we have captured Elyon, we shall adhere to your original plan. We will strip her of her power and give it to you. With that power combined with the Fire Demon Chi, then you shall be truly invincible! More than a match for Chan and the Guardians!"

Now that caused Phobos to smirk darkly, though it quickly faded. "And just as before, once my sister no longer has her powers, she will be sent back to Earth to live her days as a normal girl."

"Of course, if that is your wish." Raythor accepted, though the trio of the Ice Crew shared disapproving glances with each other, which nobody noticed.

"Then do it." Phobos ordered.

Raythor aimed the Chi-Omatic at Phobos and released the dark power inside. The stream of dark energy entered into the de-powered prince. As a dark blue aura formed around him, Phobos found his body growing to twice the size he previously was. Muscles formed along his arms and body, with dark green, almost goldish scales growing on his skin. His face became more reptilian as his eyes glowed a blood red. The transformed Phobos let loose a roar identical to that of Shendu as he also blasted fire from his mouth straight to the ceiling.

The trapped Vathek looked in terror while Wong gazed in surprise as the Knights of Vengeance all looked in awe and amazement before they bowed along with all the Lurdens.

"All Hail Prince Phobos!" Raythor declared.

"Prince Phobos! Prince Phobos! Prince Phobos!" Nearly everyone else said.

Even as they too bowed, the Ice Crew didn't seem as jubilant as their comrades. "Yo, he's already got some demon dragon power, now he's gonna get all that magic royal stuff from his kid sister? That ain't fair." MC Cobra whispered.

"Nah, it ain't." StrikeMaster Ice agreed before he smirked. "Unless we get to the kid first." This caused MC Cobra and DJ Fist to smirk.

"M-My Prince! I could be of help to you!" Daolon Wong pleaded. "Even if I have been disenchanted as well, I am familiar with the power of Shendu! I can…"

"Be silent!" The demonically transformed Phobos glared at him, silencing Wong. "You wormed your way into my inner circle before and then betrayed me. I will not repeat that mistake. After I retake my throne, you will be the first one I shall publicly execute! Oh, and speaking of betrayal…" Hak Foo only gasped as Phobos' enlarged fist, engulfed in flames, smashed him into the ground. "Abandon me again, and you will suffer worse! Am I clear?!"

Hak Foo groaned as he pushed himself up. "Crystal… I serve you… Prince Phobos…"

"Now then… to the palace." Phobos, in his new demonic state, led his Knights and the liberated Lurdens from the prison.

At the same time, within the only part of the prison that hadn't been touched, the darkened pit that contained the stone form of the original Fire Demon, a Fold had opened up as Drago and Miranda, in her human form, both stepped out just as it closed.

"Right on time. They're already moving." Drago said as they heard the commotion from outside.

"I don't like this." Miranda looked away. "Being deceived for so long is one thing… but to help him…!" She growled.

"I get it, he killed your precious Cedric." Drago replied.

"And you claim you have no love for him, either!" Miranda interrupted.

"I don't. But you heard the plan. If we wanna turn the universe inside-out, we need him." Drago told her. She still looked reluctant to follow him. "Hey…" He put the tip of his finger to her chin and turned her gaze toward him. "It'll all be worth it in the end. Trust me."

Her anger softened somewhat. "Fine… but lead me astray again… and you will suffer!"

"And that's why I like you, Miranda. That foul and twisted mind of yours." Drago complemented, earning a slight smile and blush from her as the half-demon walked to the other end of the chamber, right to the energy bars that kept the stone-form of his father further imprisoned. With a blast of fire, Drago easily dissipated the magic bars. "Yo. You awake, old man?"

The eyes of Shendu's statue form shined their dark red as he gazed at his visitor.

"Well… my son has come for a visit." The Ultimate Evil spoke in a seemingly polite tone. "Though I sensed your birth a long time ago, this is the first time I have actually laid eyes on you. Though your physical form does take much after me… I can still see some human in you."

"I am a half-demon, after all. Can't be helped." Drago shrugged. "So anyway, I got a proposition for you, Dad. How'd you like a get-out of jail free card?"

"And how do you propose to liberate me?" Shendu asked. "I don't suppose you have the Talismans on hand? At the very least, the Rat alone should reanimate me."

"No, I don't have those little rocks. Instead… I got something better." Reaching into his coat, Drago pulled out a vial containing the Dragon Teeth that he had recovered from Earth and showed it to his father.

"Dragon Teeth… Those should indeed suffice, except for one little problem, Drago." Shendu said in a tone of disappointment. "The spell you are likely thinking of can only be cast at midnight, on the stroke of the new year. And unless time operates differently here in Meridian, you are several months away from that point."

"True. But I'm thinking with a little Quintessence thrown into the mix…" Drago opened his free hand to shine a few black and red bolts of his Quintessence power for emphasis. "…We can speed up the clock a bit."

"I see… very clever." Shendu complemented. "I expect no less from my flesh and blood."

"But I just can't bust you out right this second." Drago told his father, surprising. "I can cast the spell and put a delayed reaction on it. It'll still work, but you might have to wait a few hours. We got some other cogs running in this machine of ours, and the timing has to kinda be precise."

Shendu said nothing at first as he gazed at his son, contemplating all that he's been told. "…Your mother has come up with a scheme, I'm assuming."

Drago grinned. "Old man, you have no idea."

Earth – Heatherfield

After making a delivery, Hay Lin rode her bike back to the Silver Dragon. But during her ride, she noticed the same boy she spotted from before, riding his skateboard and coming toward her on the sidewalk from the opposite direction.

However, when the boy looked at her direction, he did not see Hay Lin, but rather a bike riding by itself, much to his confusion. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, probably assuming he was seeing things, and went on his way.

The invisible Hay Lin pulled her bike to a stop around the corner as she giggled. "He looked at me! He looked at me!" However, she then noticed how she was invisible the whole time and turned back with a sad expression. "But he didn't see me…"

"Might wanna be careful with those powers. Especially in public." She turned around in surprise to see Captain Black pulling up to the curb in a van.

"Captain Black?"

"Get in. Right now." Black ordered. "We have a situation."

"No, no, no, no, no situation!" Hay Lin waved her hands. "The Guardians are totally scattered!"

Rockies

"Okay… Demon Sorcerers…" Taranee muttered to herself as she sat at a table and did some research on her laptop. But the results she got from her search weren't all that promising, mostly stuff from fantasy stories and video games. "Okay, how about something more specific… Shendu and his siblings were Chinese so… Hmmm…" She resumed her typing. "Elements… Fire… Water… Earth… Wind… Sky… Moon… Thunder… Mountain." These results seemed a bit more promising. "Whoa…"

However, her laptop was closed by her dad as he took the device away. "Taranee, this trip is about the great outdoors. No cell phones, no technology, back to nature! Come on, we're going hiking!"

Taranee sighed with reluctance as she stood up and joined her family.

New York – National History Museum

Will, along with her mother and Collins were at the dinosaur exhibit, looking at all the skeletons as the redhead read the name of one of dinosaur skeletons.

"Allosaurus, huh? Think I'm gonna call you 'Al'." She commented.

Dean chuckled. "That's a good one."

"Who even came up with that name anyway? At least Tyrannosaurus sounds cool." Will said.

"Well Richard Owen was the one who came up with the Dinosaur phrase back in 1841, but since there were different types of Dinosaurs, a lot of people came up with all the names." Dean explained.

Susan more hung out behind them, simply watching. It was nice to see Will and Dean getting along. These last couple of months during the summer, things seem to be going nicely with Will. Whatever stress she had been dealing with appeared to be deluded slightly and she seems to have calmed down. And if she and Dean can get along, then perhaps her relationship with him might work out.

"Hey uh… Will." Dean began. "I know you and your mother already talked about this but… sorry for… not telling you."

"It's fine." She raised her hand. "I'm… trying not to dwell on the past. If you guys are happy together, that's fine with me."

Dean smiled. "Glad to hear it." He said before smirking mischievously. "But don't expect me to go easy on you at school."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Will said before looking sternly. "Likewise… if you break my mom's heart, I will kick your ass. I know Kung Fu."

Dean chuckled somewhat nervously at that. "Hey, heard this place got a new planetarium. Wanna check it out?"

"Sure." Will accepted. "Mom, you coming?"

"Right behind you." Susan said as the three entered the next room that was already turning dark with the show about to start.

"Before the light show begins, we ask all patrons to please turn off all mobile devices."

Will did just that as she turned off her cell phone as the show began.

Central Park

Jade, along with the Nephorcers, were laying on their stomachs within some foliage, looking through their binoculars at the area in front of them.

"When Dragon Leader said this merit badge would be something 'in the wild', birdwatching wasn't exactly what I had in mind." Jade said.

"Yeah, I'm all seeing are a bunch of lame pigeons." Frank agreed.

"I'm seeing a guy who's selling fried chicken, does that count?" Charlie said for the sake of amusement.

"Mmmm, fried chicken." Rocko was already drooling.

Jackie happened to be nearby the leader of the scout troop as the former addressed all the scouts nearby. "Keep your focus up, Dragon Scouts. You will only see the likes of a hawk if you have the eyes and focus of a hawk. That means no distractions, such as cell phones and…"

Dragon Leader was however interrupted by the sound of a cell phone ringing; he looked around to see which scout it may have been coming from. Only for Jackie to realize it was actually his phone as he quickly pulled it out.

"Sorry! I will take this! Thank you!" Jackie said with embarrassment as he walked away and answered his phone. "Hello?"

"Jackie! Oh, thank God!" Hay Lin said in a panic on the other line. "I got Cornelia and Irma, but I can't reach anyone else!"

"Hay Lin, calm down. What is happening?" Jackie asked.

"Blunk and Alchemy just showed up! The Knights of Vengeance busted out Phobos and gave him the Fire Demon Chi!" Hay Lin revealed. "I'm with Captain Black and the J-Team, but we need everyone in on this! You guys have to get back here now!"

"Um… not that I wouldn't love to be fighting the Forces of Darkness right now…" Cornelia responded. "No, Mom! The black boots and the red pumps! But I'm like a billion miles away!"

"Yeah, and with Uncle still out of it, who can suck away the Demon Chi?" Irma asked.

"Tohru could, but like with Cornelia, he is all the way at the Ben-Shui Temple." Jackie responded.

"So how the heck are we supposed to all get back to Heatherfield?" Irma questioned.

"I don't know! Just be ready! We'll think of something!" Hay Lin told them all as she was currently inside Section 13 along with Captain Black, Yan Lin, Blunk, Alchemy, El Toro, Paco, and Viper. She hung up before looking towards everyone. "Well, think of something! Cause I'm drawing a major blank right now!"

"I have each of their locations." Captain Black said as the large monitor he was at pulled up satellite footage of their friends' location across the planet. "But even with Section 13 fastest transports, it'll still be hours before we can gather everyone."

"What about this guy?" Viper gestured to Blunk. "Can't he Fold and get them?"

"Uh… Blunk can Fold, but Blunk need to know where to Fold." The Passling said. "Blunk not know much of Earth outside Heatherfield."

"What about the Rabbit Talisman?" Paco suggested. "Jade said she used it to run from San Francisco to Florida that one time to fight the Moon Demon."

"That would still take too long as only one person can use the Talisman and they'd have to gather one of our friends at a time, with two in particular being on two separate continents." El Toro countered. "Perhaps a teleportation spell?"

"Yeah, except I don't know any teleportation spells!" Alchemy stated.

"Ahem!" Yan Lin coughed to get their attention. "Funny you should mention that…"

Meridian

The castle was currently under siege as the transformed Phobos led the attack alongside his Knights and his small army of Lurdens. He threw out his hands to send a wave of flame to blast away the front-most guards. Stepping out of the smoke was Gargoyle, along with Frost who rode Crimson. The giant used his mace-hand to smash his way through the soldiers with ease, while the hunter rode his rhino-like steed, all while swinging an axe, to break through the line of soldiers easily.

"Yo we can't let Phobos have all the fun!" StrikeMaster Ice grinned as he generated an ice-ball in his hand, which he threw at a group of guards, the ball exploded to blast and freeze them all in their tracks while MC Cobra threw a lava ball for the same effect. DJ Fist ran into a group of guards, his steel-coated skin easily protected him from their weapons as he threw out punches and kicks to knock them all back.

"Dragon Slays Inferior Army!" Hak Foo was a blur of strikes that no soldier could defend against. Raythor's fire sword cut down the weapons of any soldier that stood against him, while Tracker spun his mace around to knock down any and all soldiers with Sandpit blowing away any that got too close, leaving the Lurdens to pick up the rest.

"Ha! It is as it was!" Frost proclaimed, riding Crimson. "They fall before the might of the prince's warriors! Soon, the palace will be yours once again, Prince Phobos!"

"Never!" Aldarn exclaimed defiantly as he stood at the top of the wall alongside Caleb, but the former leader of the rebellion didn't seem convinced.

"No, he's right." Caleb said with great reluctance as they continued to watch the onslaught. "Phobos has Shendu's power. Between that, and everything the Knights have… the most our forces can do is slow them down. We can't hold the gate. Not without Elyon."

"So, what do we do?!" Aldarn questioned.

"We need to fall back inside!" Caleb told him. "You go to Enforcers in the meditation chamber and protect Elyon. I'll take some men and go to the throne room to lure Phobos away. Hopefully that'll buy us more time till Jackie and the Guardians show up."

Seeing how they didn't have any other options, Aldarn followed his friend into the castle while the remaining guards did their best to hold off the invading forces.

Gargoyle stomped his way towards the main gate, with Drake and several men guarding it. But as the giant raised his club hand, Drake and his men were unable to block it and dove off the bridge and into the moat to avoid getting crushed as the giant smashed the gate to pieces.

"Gargoyle has secured the entrance!" Raythor told Phobos, pointing his sword toward the now-open gate.

"Frost, Ice, take command of Gargoyle and the Lurdens and hold this gate!" The transformed Phobos ordered.

"Master, it shall be done!" Frost proclaimed joyously.

"The rest of my Knights, follow your prince! To victory!" Phobos led Raythor, Hak Foo, Tracker, Sniffer, and Sandpit into the palace.

The minute he was gone, Ice and his gang exchanged glances and nods before the leader of the Ice Crew spoke to Frost. "Yo, we're gonna check the inside of the gate to make sure no stragglers get out. You and the big guy keep things covered on the outside."

"Fine with me." Frost didn't see any problems as Ice, Cobra, and Fist walked inside, the three of them smirking.

Meanwhile, Elyon and Trill were still in their trance as they saw the memories of the young queen's parents along with the infant Elyon as she cried in her mother's arms.

"Ugh, the brat never stops crying! Where is Trill!?" The memory of Queen Weira questioned, much to the real Elyon's shock, as she forcibly handed the crying baby to her husband.

"But she wants changing! I can't do that, I'm the king!" The memory of Zaiden protested.

"You are the consort! You do as I say! Now!" Weira still tried to give the crying baby to him.

"I will take her!" A new voice spoke up, drawing the real Elyon's attention. Despite his young age, being about as tall as her, she recognized him instantly.

"Phobos…?"

"Fine. You want the brat, then you change her! Be a good brother!" Weira demanded as Phobos took the crying Elyon. The baby seemed to calm down a bit while in her brother's arms.

"Mother… she's only a child. You should…" The young Phobos tried to speak only to get slapped in the face by his mother.

"Did I ask you for your opinion?" She questioned. "No. Now do as I say!" She ordered as she and her husband walked away, leaving the young Phobos to hold the baby in his arms while the real Elyon looked in confusion, even more so as the memory of Trill approached him.

"I don't understand…" He confessed to the maid. "Mother has always been distant, but she's never been this harsh before."

"My prince, as you know, Meridian has always been ruled matrilineally." The memory of Trill told him. "Your sister, once she is old enough, will not only have the throne, but all the magic power of her family line. I can't imagine the queen is too happy about giving all that up."

The young Phobos looked with fear at that. "You don't think she'd actually try to harm Elyon?! She is her daughter!"

"I… I fear the worst." The memory of Trill confessed as she looked away, much to the real Elyon's concern, even more so as a determined look formed on the young prince's face.

The environment soon began to change as Elyon appeared to be greeted with a different memory, this one seemed to have Weira and Zaiden sleeping in a bed.

"What's going on? What's happening?" She wondered, but she soon saw the young Phobos approach his sleeping parents, holding a knife in his hand, causing her to look with great worry.

"I won't let anyone harm my sister… Not now… Not ever!" He declared as he raised his knife and brought it down onto them.

Elyon covered her mouth in horror, her eyes shaking with fear as tears were already flowing down her face, both in the trance, and in reality.

Just outside the meditation chamber, Aldarn, Finn, Ratso, Chow, Alborn, and Miriadel stood with a handful of guards, weapons at the ready.

"The queen has never been more vulnerable." Alborn said with great concern.

"Don't worry, Caleb will lead Phobos away." Aldarn assured.

"Yeah well, dear 'big brother' is one smart cookie. He could figure it out and track the kid, here." Chow said.

"If that happens… I will lay down my life to protect my little girl!" Miriadel vowed.

"Not just you." Ratso said as he held his hammer. "We got your back."

"Yeah, nobody's touching Little E with us around." Finn swore.

At the same time, Caleb stood in the throne room with a line of guards, all of whom were more than ready for a fight. But the doorway in front of them was blown away by a blast of fire, which was followed by another powerful inferno to blast away Caleb and all his forces, scattering across the chamber.

The Demon Chi infused Phobos stepped in first with Raythor, Hak Foo, Tracker, Sniffer, and Sandpit. "My throne… At last."

Caleb was the first to get up, drawing his katana as he tried to go on the attack, only for Hak Foo to clap the sword in between his hands and kick him in the stomach to knock him to the wall.

"Fall back!" Caleb ordered the guards. "Rendezvous with the queen in the Infinite City!" However, the guards didn't get a chance to retreat as Sandpit used his fluent body to gather up all the guards and pin them to the floor.

"So, my sister hides beneath…?" Phobos didn't seem convinced. "In a place that could take weeks for us to find her. A liable excuse. However, my Knights have told me that in more recent days, Elyon has been one to take the charge in a fight, never once running away. So, I find it highly unlikely that she would retreat." He loomed over Caleb who glared at him. "Something has happened to her, hasn't it? She's vulnerable. And more importantly… she's close. Tracker?"

The zombified hunter pointed towards the throne, prompting Sniffer to walk over and sniff the seat. Once it had Elyon's scent, the mutant hound scratched the floor in a gesture for downward.

"Below." The Tracker said.

"No!" Caleb tried to get up and fight, but Hak Foo slammed his fist into Caleb's stomach to knock the wind out of him and knock him unconscious.

"The leader of the rebellion." Raythor had his fire-sword drawn and hung it over Caleb's neck. "Shall I dispose of him, master?"

"No, not yet." Phobos shook his head. "My sister may be vulnerable for capture, but I doubt it will remain that way. We must get there quickly before the situation changes."

However, none of them seemed to notice, just outside the throne room, the Ice Crew were eavesdropping on everything they said.

"The kid's in the basement." MC Cobra whispered.

"The perfect place to throw down." Ice grinned as the trio quickly made their way from the throne room to their destination.

Earth – Section 13

"Wow, Grandma. What else don't I know about you?" Hay Lin asked her grandma, after she and her friends and allies had been told of Yan Lin's suggestion.

"Oh, lots of things, so many things." Yan Lin said with a laugh.

"Abuela, you are incredible." Paco smiled.

"Just when you think you know someone, they wham you outta nowhere." Viper commented. "You'd be surprised at how many I've met in old line of work." She said to Captain Black.

"Yet, that itself doesn't surprise me." Black replied.

"So, it's like Folding mixed with teleporting?" Alchemy asked.

Yan Lin opened her palm to project two small transparent forms of two separate planets. "Folding, is for crossing between worlds." She explained, pointing between the planets for demonstration one vanished. "Teletransporting, is for the fast break within a single world."

"And any Guardian can do it?" Hay Lin asked with excitement, wondering if she was capable of this.

"Sure, with a decade of practice." Yan Lin replied. "Otherwise, you'd metalize inside solid rock, or a glacier, or even a mud wrestling match. Ugh, I was grubby for weeks."

"We do not have a decade." El Toro said. "But as a former Guardian yourself, can you not 'teletransport' as you say, to gather our friends together?"

"I'm not hooked into an Auramere." Yan Lin responded. "Using an advanced technique like teletransporting would drain my life force."

Hay Lin thought for a second before snapping her fingers. "What if you use the Talismans?"

"Pardon?" Yan Lin wondered.

"The Dog Talisman is supposed to be immortality, right?" Hay Lin explained. "And immortality, means infinite lifeforce! And if it doesn't work, you can use the Horse Talisman to heal yourself! Take both, and you can go get everyone together! While you're gone, I'll try and text Will again since she can Fold herself here."

"Huh…. That's actually a really great idea." Alchemy smiled.

"Not bad, kid." Viper gave an impressed smile as she ruffled Hay Lin's hair.

After a quick trip to the Vault, Yan Lin held both the Dog and Horse Talisman in each hand as she accessed her powers. As per Hay Lin's prediction, the Dog Talisman's power had given Yan Lin essentially infinite lifeforce for her to use, allowing a magic aura to form around her before she vanished in a flash of light.

"Alright, while she's gone… Blunk, I want you to Fold over to Jade's place and get some things." Hay Lin told the Passling.

Meridian – Elyon's Castle

The Ice Crew had already arrived at the entrance to the meditation chamber and were currently engaged with the forces that were guarding it. Aldarn tried to slash his sword against DJ Fist, but his steel-coated skin easily protected himself before the silent fighter threw a punch to knock him and send him crashing to the wall, right before DJ Fist went to engage several more guards to break all their weapons and knock them all.

MC Cobra threw a lava ball at Finn, who tried to block it with his shield, but the intense heat not only melted the shield, but even threw the man back. Ratso and Chow tried to come at MC Cobra from both sides with their spear and hammer respectively, but MC Cobra ducked and dodged all their attacks before slicing his lava-hands to cut down their weapons, leaving them open for him to do a roundhouse and knock them both down.

Alborn lunged his sword at StrikeMaster Ice, who swerved to the side and raised his arm to bring his elbow onto Alborn's back just as he raised his knee into Alborn's stomach to strike him hard and then pulled back a kick to the face to send him flying. Ice turned around to see Miriadel attempting to rush him, but Ice blew his frosty breath to freeze her in her tracks from the neck-down, leaving her immobilized.

StrikeMaster Ice gave a whistle. "Dang, you one hot mama." He gave a flirtatious grin as he leaned on Miriadel's frozen form all cool-like. "Think maybe you can warm the ice man up?"

"Not even if I were to die!." She glared in disgust.

"What is this?!"

All eyes turned to see the Demon Chi infused Phobos step into the chamber, Raythor, Hak Foo, Sandpit, Tracker, and Sniffer right behind him, the zombie bringing in Caleb, who was currently bound in chains.

"Ice, what are you doing here?!" Raythor questioned.

"Indeed. I had ordered you to hold the entrance with Frost and Gargoyle!" Phobos stated.

"Yeah, well we sorta changed our minds about how it's all gonna go down." StrikeMaster Ice said as he and his crew stepped forward to face the transformed Prince and his Knights.

"Is that so?" Phobos narrowed his glowing red eyes.

"Figured, since you already got Fire Demon powers, why should you also get your OP sister's powers on top of that?" MC Cobra said.

"So, you want some of Elyon's power, is that it?" Raythor asked as his own eyes narrowed with suspicion, grabbing the hilt on his sword.

Ice, Fist, and Cobra exchanged nods as the former answered. "Nah, dog. We want all of it!" Ice blew frost at the ground beneath the transformed Phobos feet just as MC Cobra threw a lava ball and DJ Fist ran and leapt up, both him and MC Cobra's attack struck Phobos dead on in his enlarged chest, leading him to slip on the icy ground and fall back hard.

"Treachery!" Raythor exclaimed as he drew his fire-sword. Him, Tracker, who had thrown Caleb to the side, Sniffer, and Sandpit rushed the Ice Crew, who charged back to engage them in battle. Ice used his frozen hands to catch Raythor's fire-sword; Sniffer lunged at DJ Fist who grabbed the mutant dog and threw him away, only to get ensnared by the mace of Tracker's chain; MC Cobra threw a lava ball at Sandpit, who opened a hole in his body to let the lava ball pass through before blasting Cobra back with a sand twister from his arms.

"Wait… they're… fighting each other…?" Aldarn groaned in surprise as Chow helped him up.

"It's a classic bad-guys-team-up-only-to-stab-em-in-the-back, scenario." The former Enforcer said. "Speaking of bad guys…" He and Aldarn saw Hak Foo walking toward the chamber.

"The child-Queen is vulnerable… Soon, her power will be mine to command!" Hak Foo looked ready to break his way in, only to get blasted by a stream of fire, courtesy of the recovered demonic Phobos.

"Why is it that I am always surrounded by imbeciles or turncoats?!" He shouted before unleashing an inferno from his mouth, breaking up all the fights between his Knights and the treacherous Ice Crew. "Raythor! If you and your men have any sort of loyalty to me, then prove it and execute these traitors here and now!"

"With pleasure, master." Raythor went on the attack again, gunning straight for Ice, who ducked under the slice of his fire-sword and delt a kick to his stomach.

As the in-fighting continued, the unfolding battle happened to be watched by none other than Drago and Miranda, both sitting at a window-sill near the ceiling and out of sight from everyone else.

"Hmm, an unexpected but enjoyable development." Miranda commented.

"Yeah. Between loyal lapdog like Raythor and thrill-seeker like Ice, Mom and I actually saw this coming a mile away." He reached into his coat to pull out a bag of unready popcorn, which he heated within his own grip, causing the bag to expand as the colonels inside were all popped. "Popcorn?" He offered the open bag to Miranda.

"Don't mind of I do." She picked a piece and ate it alongside Drago as he did the same, the two continuing to watch the fight unfolding below.

Earth – Central Park

"I'm sorry, Dragon Leader." Jackie bowed his head apologetically toward the head of the Dragon Scouts, Jade standing beside him. "It's a family emergency. We have to go."

"I understand. Go on." He told them.

"Thank you." Jackie said as he and Jade proceeded to leave the area, which didn't go unnoticed by the Nephorcers.

"Hey, if it's a magic mission, can we come along?" Frank asked.

"No. You three will stay here." Jackie insisted.

"But…" Charlie tried to protest.

"Sorry guys, this one's pretty big." Jade told them. "Like final boss type big."

"Ah, but I love the final boss fights!" Rocko complained.

"Can't we at least come to watch?" Charlie asked.

"No." Jackie affirmed with crossed arms while Jade just shrugged toward them, silently saying she was in agreement.

"Ah man!" All three whined.

Suddenly Yan Lin had teleported in-between them, much to the surprise of all five. "Come on! Time to hit the inter-dimensional road!" She grabbed Jackie and Jade by their hands and teletransported away with both of them, much to the shock of the Nephorcers.

"Did they just teleport?" Charlie questioned.

"Sure looks like it." Finn nodded in surprise.

"Cool." Rocko smiled. "I wanna get beamed up too!"

Paris

Cornelia sat by herself at a table outside a café, a waiter bringing her some tea, when Yan Lin suddenly appeared at the seat next to Cornelia, causing her to gasp.

"Sssh. Let's go." Yan Lin quickly pulled the blonde in close and used Teletransporting to zap them both away.

That very same waiter just stared at the spot where the two females once were, the tray in his hand sliding off.

East Coast

Irma paced back and forth impatiently on the sandy beach, holding the cell phone in her hand. "Come on Hay Lin, what's going down?"

She would soon get her answer as Yan Lin teletransported in front of her, much to her startle. But the older woman quickly grabbed her and teleported away.

Rockies

As her mom, dad, and older brother hiked on ahead down the trail, Taranee was lagging behind somewhat. Fortunately, she was enough at a distance that her family didn't notice Yan Lin appearing behind the tree that Taranee was just about to pass by.

"Hike over!" Yan Lin pulled the young girl in and used her ability to zap both of them away.

National History Museum

"Now that was fun." Dean said as he, Susan, and Will had exited out of the Planetarium, the show having just ended.

"Not bad special effects either." Susan commented as her daughter had turned her cellphone back on, only to stop as she read all her notifications. "What do you think, Will?"

However, Will didn't answer right away as she not only saw all the missed calls from Hay Lin, but even read all the multiple texts sent by her.

'Will! Get back here now!'

'Phobos is out! Has Fire Demon Chi!'

'Need you here now!'

'I repeat: NOW!'

"This all sounds rather urgent." Ed, Will's own cell phone, commented.

"Will?" Susan got her daughter's attention.

"Eh… sorry. Gotta use the bathroom!" Will ran towards the nearest restroom, with one just appearing around the corner fortunately.

Doing a brief check to make sure nobody else was in the public bathroom, Will had pulled out the Heart of Kandrakar and used it to open a Fold.

Ben Shui Temple

Yan Lin had just suddenly appeared before Tohru and Halinor, both standing outside Uncle's chamber as the monks continued to tend to his unconscious form.

"Yan Lin? You're teletransporting?! But how…?" Halinor stuttered.

"Immortality means infinite lifeforce." Yan Lin quoted her granddaughter, while also brandished the Dog Talisman for emphasis. "And some healing for good measure." She showed the Horse Talisman as well before looking to the big man. "Tohru, Phobos is free, and he has the Fire Demon Chi, please tell me you can perform an removal spell."

"Yes, I can." Tohru confirmed. "Though… not as fluent as Sensei."

"Good enough. It's time go." Yan Lin gently grasped Tohru's hand, but glanced passed him to see Jin still laying on his bed, no change in his state since the moment he arrived. However, her worries were dissipated as Halinor put a hand on her old friend's shoulder.

"I'll keep watching over him. I promise." She smiled.

Yan Lin smiled back with a nod before using her teletransporting to zap herself and Tohru away.

Section 13

Will had just arrived via Folding to find nearly everyone had already assembled. After Yan Lin had grabbed one person (or two in the case of Jade and Jackie), she would teletransport back to Section 13 to drop them off before going to get the next person. By the time Will had arrived, Yan Lin had also zapped herself back with Tohru in toe.

"Everyone's here!" Alchemy smiled with joy.

"Ah, that was fun. Like old times." Yan Lin smiled as she handed the Talismans back to Captain Black, but Hay Lin quickly took them while also holding a bag in her hands.

"Um hold on… we might still need those, and we're not all here yet." The young girl said.

Just as she said that Blunk had also arrived via Folding, carrying Scruffy in one hand and the Super Moose doll in the other. "Blunk return! Mission complete!"

"Scruffy!" Jade found her beloved dog leaping at her, whom she caught as he licked her face.

"Wait, you had Blunk get Scruffy?" Taranee asked Hay Lin.

"Yeah. If Phobos has Shendu's power, we're gonna need to pull out all the stops." She explained as she reached into the bag she had and pulled out the Monkey Talisman before tying it and the Dog Talisman to Scruffy's collar. "A little immortality for our precious little doggy, and some shapeshifting for him to kick some tail. Right boy?"

Scruff barked before using the Monkey Talisman's power to shapeshift into a wolf and gave a howl.

"As for everyone in the J-Team…" Hay Lin then began to pass out specific Talismans to certain people. "We got the invisible snake for Viper, super strong Ox for El Toro, the speedy little rabbit for Paco, combustible dragon for Captain Black, heat-beam piggy for Alchemy, and finally a little motion-to-the-motionless for…" She placed the Rat Talisman on Super Moose, bringing the stuffed animal to life.

"Du-du-du-dulu! Antler action!"

Everyone looked towards Hay Lin with surprised smiles or impressed smirks. "Go Hay Lin." Jade said.

Will also smirked as well as she pulled out the Heart of Kandrakar and said the magic words. "Guardians Unite!"

Meridian – Elyon's Castle

Tracker unleashed a swarm of bats from his jacket onto DJ Fist, who covered his face as he swung his arm to brush them away. MC Cobra super-heated his body and threw another lava ball at Sandpit, keeping the walking pile of sand back. Raythor swung his fire-sword to cut apart the ice-ball that StrikeMaster Ice threw at him before closing the distance to bring his sword down, which Ice caught in-between his frosty hands with a clap.

"You swore a blood oath! Yet you dare to betray us?!" Raythor questioned.

"Dog-eat-dog, world old man." Ice replied. "Get used to it!"

"Dragon Child Slays Outdated Parent!" Hak Foo called out as he dashed at the transformed Phobos, using his speed to maneuver past the streaks of fire that he threw at him and once he got close, he leapt at him with a flying double-kick, only for Phobos to catch him and slam him to the ground.

"I've tolerated enough backstabbing's to last a lifetime! But no more!"

"Should we come back later, then?" All eyes looked to the side to see the Guardians had arrived, alongside Jackie, Tohru, and Scruffy in his wolf-form. "Because it seems like you guys got some issues to work out." Will commented.

"But by all means, keep fighting and save us the hassle." Jade cracked.

"Grrr… the Girls and of course… Chan!" Phobos set his eyes specifically on Jackie, causing him to blast a stream of fire onto them; but Jade raised a wall of shadow-fire to block it.

"I'll need time to cast the removal spell. So Phobos has to be distracted." Tohru said.

"Leave that to me, you just focus on the Knights." Jackie responded.

"Wait, Jackie let me help!" Hay Lin stated. "I have an idea…"

The wall of shadow-fire dissipated as the heroes went on the attack, going straight for the Knights. Taranee blasted her own stream of fire at StrikeMaster Ice, while Jade generated her own shadow-katana to attack Raythor, clashing her weapon against his fire-sword. Irma and Cornelia both flew towards MC Cobra and Sandpit, the former spraying water at the enemy pair while the later grew a large cluster of vines and flowers to entrap them. Will flew down at high speeds to land a double-kick on DJ Fist to send him crashing to the wall while Scruffy took the form of a charging elephant to gun straight for Tracker and Sniffer, the two rolling out of the way to avoid the charge, leaving Tohru to clash with Hak Foo.

"Chan…" Phobos growled as Jackie and Hay Lin faced him. "You and these spiteful children have been the biggest thorns in my side for far too long!"

"You know Phobos, your new appearance suits you." Jackie told him. "Now you look every bit as monstrous as you are." Phobos growled before unleashing his fire-breath at Jackie, who ran towards the nearest wall, then jumped to run up the wall vertically and leapt from said wall to deliver a punch to the transformed Phobos' face and knock him down.

"So, you got some Fire Demon power, now you think your hot stuff?" Hay Lin hovered over his downed form. "Honestly, the real Shendu can put up a decent fight!" She avoided the claws that he tried to swipe at her as he pushed himself back up. "Heck, even back when you still had magic you weren't all that strong."

"Silence!" Phobos exclaimed before blasting letting lose his fiery breath at her, but Hay Lin coated herself in a tornado, causing all the flames to blow around her, leaving herself just fine, while also leaving Phobos himself open for Jackie to run at Phobos from behind and deliver a hard kick to the back of his left knee, bringing him down again and allowing Hay Lin to strike him with a cyclone to once again push him to the floor.

'Hak Foo became more like the Thunder Demon when he had his chi. And if Phobos' got Shendu's Chi, his life force, then it looks like he has his temper too.' Hay Lin smirked.

Meanwhile, back outside at the gateway, Frost continued to hold the position with Gargoyle and their Lurden forces, but he was growing more impatient as he continued to sit atop his rhino-steed.

"Grr, what is taking those fools so long? And how come we haven't heard back from Prince Phobos, yet?" Frost questioned. "The castle should be ours by now!"

"Kinda too early to be calling it a victory." Viper suddenly appeared before him and Gargoyle, turning visible thanks to the Snake Talisman with a taunting smirk on her face. "Don't you think?"

"What?!" Frost questioned while Gargoyle roared as he raised his club hand to try and bring it down on her.

"Heyoo!" The monster looked forward to see both El Toro and Super Moose flying at him at high speeds and slamming their fists into him with enough force to send Gargoyle tumbling back.

"Oh yeah! I'm bad, you're sad!" Super Moose pumped his fist while El Toro hovered beside him, thanks to the Rooster Talisman in addition to the Ox Talisman in his hand.

"So, you're a hunter, huh?" Viper got Frost's attention again before using the Snake Talisman to turn invisible. "Think you can catch this snake?"

Frost growled. "Crimson! Catch her scent! We can…" Suddenly, the sounds of explosions and roars of battle erupted from the Lurdens, causing him to turn his attention toward them.

Captain Black stood alongside Alchemy as they used the Dragon and Pig Talismans respectively to blast streaks of fire and heat-beams at the Lurdens, blasting several away.

"And this little piggy went to town on all of you!" Alchemy said as she blasted more beams from her eyes, while Captain Black formed up on her six to confront the Lurdens that were coming at them from behind.

"Say cheese, boys!" Black brandished the Dragon Talisman to blast them all away with a wave of combustion power.

In addition, a speedy blur moved across the horde of remaining Lurdens, and this blur was none other than Paco, who used the Rabbit Talisman, in conjunction with his own wrestling moves he learned from his beloved mentor to bring down each and every one he came across. Paco leapt at one Lurden to wrap his legs around its neck and pulled it down before speeding to another to grab it by its legs and flip it over before speeding to a third and grabbing at the waist before using his super speed to ram that Lurden into a group of ten, knocking them all down, complete with the sound of a bowling ball striking its pins.

"El Toro Fuerte may be the strongest, but none of you can catch El Paco Rapido!" He declared as he continued to make short work of all the Lurdens.

"Where are you? Where are you!?" Frost called out as Crimson continued to sniff and search for his invisible foe.

"Closer than you think." Viper turned visible behind Frost, having hitched a ride on his rhino, much to his surprise, even as she kicked Crimson in the rear, causing the rhino to run out of control and straight towards the moat. As Frost tried to swing his axe at her, Viper had jumped up and fell back down to land both her feet into his face, pushing Frost into Crimson and knocking both the rider and his steed into the water of the moat, the former thief landing gracefully on the ground.

Gargoyle roared as he continued to swing his hand and club at the flying El Toro and Super Moose, but he was unable to strike either of them, even as the pair flew back a bit to strategize.

"Keep him busy and lure the beast toward the moat." El Toro told the animated stuffed animal.

"You got it!" Super Moose saluted as he flew straight towards Gargoyle. "Hey, ugly! Over here!" That got Gargoyle's attention as the beast ran towards the flying toy, who lured him closer to the moat, leaving him vulnerable for El Toro to flying directly for Gargoyle's left leg, grabbing it and using the strength of the Ox Talisman to lift and push the beast up and over.

Frost and Crimson had just recovered, only to look in shock as they saw the massive Gargoyle about to fall and crash on top of them with a mighty splash.

"Evil on the loose? Here comes Super Moose!" Super Moose declared as El Toro landed beside Viper as they shared a fist-bump.

Back inside, Will blocked and parried all the punches that DJ Fist threw at her, but a kick from him was still enough to knock her back towards the wall and toward a curtain, though this gave her an idea. As DJ Fist charged at her again…

"Quintessence!" Will activated her powers, a pink aura forming around the curtain as it lunged out to completely wrap around and ensnare DJ Fist, immobilizing him.

"Man, talk about a wardrobe malfunction." She joked.

Tracker tried to use its flail on the right leg of Scruffy in his elephant from while Sniffer bit down on said leg, only for Scruffy to transform into a gorilla, smacking Sniffer away and grabbing the chain of the flail to pull in Tracker, grab him and slam him into the ground hard.

As the heroes continued to fight, Blunk noticed the unconscious Caleb, still in chains and on the ground and ran toward him. "Caleb. Must snap out of it." He tried to shake Caleb awake but was unsuccessful. Blunk then opened the sleeve to his right armpit and stuck it into Caleb's face. That was enough to awaken him, the young rebel cringing in disgust. "Thank Blunk later."

"Who wants a bath?" Irma blasted a stream of water onto MC Cobra and Sandpit, the water causing the latter's body to partially solidify into mud and steam to form all over the former's body as his lava-skin was rapidly cooled.

"Ugh! I can't see!" However, both he and Sandpit were suddenly ensnared as Cornelia had used the same vines that she had used to trap them to enclose and bind them both together hard before growing the plants at a face pace straight towards the ceiling with a crash before she snapped her fingers, causing the plants to loosen, and both villains to fall back down.

"What's wrong, can't take the heat?" Taranee grinned as she had a ring of fire form around StrikeMaster Ice.

"Maybe it's time for you to cool off, four eyes." Ice blew his frosty breath at the flames to extinguish them, but this served as a good enough distraction for Taranee to fly up and straight down, her right foot sticking out, as it struck him in the face with enough force to crack the ground he was smashed into.

"Yeah, cool it, why don't ya?" She snarked.

Jade clashed her shadow-katana against Raythor's fire-sword, but she grinned at him as her katana expanded and changed into a sheet of shadow-magic to wrap around the whole sword, extinguishing its flames, much to Raythor's shock as Jade stuck her foot in-between his own legs and pulled him forward to trip him up, where she followed with a spinning kick to his back to knock him toward the nearest wall.

The Shadow Guardian then noticed Tohru fighting off Hak Foo, she looked towards Will, both spirit sisters exchanging looks and nods as they came to the same conclusion.

"Dragon Charges Mountain!" Hak Foo sped directly for Tohru, who took a stance similar to that of a professional sumo wrestler and allowed him to close the gap. But just as Hak Foo came in, Tohru opened his arms to grab and trap Hak Foo in a bear-hug.

"Tohru! Keep him there!" He heard Will call to him as she and Jade both flew side-by-side, the two clasping their hands together as Jade used her shadow powers to create a rope to further bind their arms as they flew as fast as they could. Tohru saw what they were doing and pushed Hak Foo up just in time for Will and Jade to slam their combined arm into his face, bashing him away and knocking him out.

The three also noticed how Jackie and Hay Lin were keeping Phobos occupied, the large man pulling out the Chi-Omatic and a blowfish with a smirk, the two girls smirking toward him in response.

Hay Lin dodged another fire-blast with ease. "Come on, my grandma has better aim than you! Really, she's awesome at darts."

The transformed Phobos roared as he ran towards her, but she dodged the punch that broke a hole through the wall, allowing Jackie a chance to leap on top of his head.

"Hello. How's that new depth perception, Phobos? Must be hard to see clearly when all you're seeing is red." Jackie smiled. The transformed prince tried to slam his claw at him, but when Jackie leapt off, Phobos only succeeded in striking his own face, causing him to stumble back.

"Hey, why are you hitting yourself, Phobos?" Hay Lin called out, to which he shot flames from his mouth at her, but she flew over and around them easily enough.

"Might I recommend a therapist for that hot temper of yours?" Jackie offered as he faced the transformed Phobos directly. "It's not particularly healthy."

"The only thing that will bring me satisfaction… is your execution!" Phobos raised both his hands, flames forming around both, just as he slammed them down onto the ground. This sent a wave of flame with enough force that it knocked Jackie and Hay Lin back, both slamming into the wall. "Do you think your pathetic taunts are enough to truly defeat me?!"

"Oh, we are not trying to defeat you, Phobos." Jackie told him as he and Hay Lin stood up.

"Yep, we're just the distraction." Hay Lin smiled.

Before Phobos could even react, he was struck in the back by a green Chi-Spell as a dark aura formed around him. "Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai DI Zao." Tohru chanted as he held the blowfish in one hand, and the Chi-Omatic in the other. The dark energies of the Fire Demon Chi were forcibly pulled out of Phobos' body via his eyes and mouth as his stature shrunk down to its natural form, the last of the Demon Chi being extracted and sucked into the Chi-Omatic. Once it was all contained, the Fire Demon Chi took the form of a transparent sword in the containment jar, and Phobos was returned to normal.

"No! No! My power!" He looked towards his hands in shocked, which left him open for Jackie and Hay Lin to charge and deliver a double-punch to his face, sending him skidding across the floor to where all his defeated Knights lay.

"It's over, Phobos." Jackie told him as the Guardians, Tohru, and Scruffy all regrouped around him. "You've lost."

"Again." Jade grinned.

The defeated prince growled as he tried to push himself up. "I… Will not… lose… again…!"

"Phobos!"

He turned to see Elyon had emerged from the Meditation Chamber, with Trill by her side, along with Finn, Ratso, Chow, Alborn, and Miriadel, the young princess had an angry look on her face, her eyes red with tears and anger.

"Who said you could leave your room, brother?!"

Before he could even have a chance to protest, Elyon had thrown her hand out to cast a stream of energy that enveloped him and all his Knights.

"Looks like this is the end for the Knights of Vengeance." Miranda commented as she and Drago remained hidden in their spot, nobody noticing them in the slightest.

"Ah well, it was fun while it was lasted." Drago said. "But before I forget…" Drago opened his hand, a hole forming in his palm as a stream of fire was drawn to it from the defeated forms of Raythor and Hak Foo, their bodies turning back to normal as the Fire Demon power he leant them was reclaimed, just as Phobos, and the Knights of Vengeance all vanished. Once that was done, Drago quickly opened his other hand out the window that led outside, fire was drawn to that one as Frost's defeated form too had its borrowed Fire Demon power extracted and returned to its original user.

Just as Frost, Gargoyle, and all the Lurdens were all enveloped by the same light and were about to vanish, Drago and Miranda both exchanged nods as they retreated into the shadows.

Phobos blinked in surprise as he suddenly found himself back in the very same cell he was imprisoned in, and it wasn't just him. Every single one of the Lurdens, and all the Knights of Vengeance; Raythor, Frost and Crimson, Sandpit, Tracker and Sniffer, even Hak Foo, StrikeMaster Ice, DJ Fist, and MC Cobra, all of them were placed in the same kind of cells with magic energy bars rematerialized to keep them imprisoned once again. Even Gargoyle had his own cell suited for his own size. All no doubt thanks to Elyon's power.

Vathek and the guards in the prison, having recovered, all cheered in victory and relief, for not only Phobos was imprisoned once again, but even the Knights of Vengeance were finished.

The former prince gave a defeated sigh as he retreated deeper into his cell.

Earth – Section 13

Tohru attached the containment jar to the larger unit and pulled a lever, allowing the Fire Demon Chi to leave the smaller jar and into the bigger chamber, where it circled around and with the other seven Demon Powers.

"Eight down, none to go." Jade dusted her hands as she, Will, Jackie, Irma, Cornelia, Taranee, Hay Lin, Scruffy, Alchemy, Captain Black, El Toro, Paco, Viper, and Yan Lin were all gathered together inside the vault.

"Um… it's not gonna turn out like last time with the Oni Masks, and all blow up in our faces and turn into some kind of super demon, right?" Cornelia asked.

"No, the Demon Powers are all thoroughly contained." Tohru confirmed. "We've won."

"Are you kidding?! We triumphed!" Irma pumped her fist. "Phobos and the Knights of Vengeance are toast!"

"All thanks to Hay Lin." Will put an arm around her shoulder, but Hay Lin pushed her away.

"Me? I practically blew it." The girl was surprisingly unenthusiastic as she walked off the side.

"What?!" Alchemy questioned.

"Where's that coming from?" Taranee questioned as well.

"Is this about a boy?" Yan Lin asked with a knowing smile.

"What?! No!" Hay Lin exclaimed. "Well… I did meet this really cute… but that's not the point! I… it was up to me to bring everyone together! I was hoping we could end this whole thing today!"

"And you did bring everyone together." Viper pointed out.

"Grandma did that, not me." Hay Lin shook her head.

"But it was your idea to use the Talismans to help her do so." El Toro said.

"And to use them to take down the bad guys, too!" Paco added.

"But Drago wasn't there!" Hay Lin pointed out. "He's still out there, somewhere! And we still don't know who the sorceress is that he's working with, and Uncle's still out of…"

"Hay Lin." Jackie put his hands firmly on the girl's shoulders. "We did win. Yes, it's true that we weren't able to resolve everything today, but rarely does it all get resolved at once. Yes, Drago and the sorceress may still be at large, but look at what we have accomplished. All eight Demon Powers are successfully contained, Phobos and the Knights of Vengeance are all imprisoned, none of them can do any further harm."

"Don't forget, it was also your idea to distract Phobos, which let me extract the Fire Demon Chi from him." Tohru added.

"And you had a direct hand in all of this." Jackie continued. "If you want to get stronger and improve yourself, that's fine, we'll help you along the way. But that does not mean that you're not good enough, because you are."

"And Uncle's gonna pull through just fine. He's too stubborn to keel over." Jade put in.

"You guys… I…" Hay Lin wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Listen to your friends, Hay Lin." Her grandmother told her. "Nobody's perfect, but working together you find true power, in others and in yourself." She put a hand on Hay Lin's arm. "You are a jewel, granddaughter. In the rough, perhaps. But a jewel, all the same. We all see it and soon… you will as well."

Hay Lin smiled emotionally as she hugged her grandmother, who embraced her back as everyone else shared celebratory high-fives and hugs with one another as well.

"I uh… hate to spoil the greeting card moment but, how do we get back?" Cornelia questioned.

"Up for another teletransporting run, Grandma?" Hay Lin offered her the Dog Talisman once again.

"See? A jewel." Yan Lin smirked as she kissed the girl on the forehead.

Meridian

With Elyon's power, repairing all the damage to the castle was little trouble. As the wounded were tended to, and the soldiers all rested and celebrated in the halls below, Elyon herself was at the dining chamber along with her adoptive parents, and the Enforcers, most of them seemed to be enjoying the celebratory meal that Trill was serving them, including Blunk who ate a whole mutton on the floor.

Trill noticed the Tonga Tooth hanging from Blunk's back and held it to get a closer look. "Oh, this trinket is.." She noticed however that Elyon hadn't so much as taken a bite from her food as she looked down. "Queen Elyon, what is wrong?"

"Yeah, you okay, Little E?" Finn asked with concern. "You've been pretty quiet."

"Not feeling hungry? Does your stomach hurt?" Ratso asked.

Elyon looked up toward Alborn and Miriadel with a glare. "How could you all lie to me about my birth parents?"

"What?!" Alborn questioned in shock while the Enforcers looked just as surprised.

"Elyon, we'd never….!" Miriadel tried to tell her.

"How could you say such a thing?!" Trill questioned.

"Weira and Zaiden, were horrible people!" Elyon stood up from her chair. "They were worse than Phobos ever was! Oh, and turns out, he lied too. He did kill them. But you know what? I'm glad that he did!"

"Whoa! That's a bit dark, don't ya think?" Chow stated as Miriadel and Alborn looked nothing short of mortified and confused.

"My own mother hated me the moment I was born!" Elyon exclaimed with fresh tears in her eyes. "I was going to inherit all that power and she would have hurt me to keep that from happening!"

"Your mother loved you! She left you that jewel!" Trill told her, gesturing to the jewel that was still around Elyon's neck.

"Take it back!" She ripped it away with disgust. "I don't want it!"

But when she threw it back to Trill, the maid caught it with a sinister laugh before the Glamour spell lifted and her true form was revealed.

Nerissa.

Immediately everyone stood from the table, while Blunk gave a startled scream as he ran to the corner of the room. The adults all had their weapons drawn, only for all their weapons to get snatched away by strands of webbing, courtesy of Miranda as she entered through an open window in her spider-form, leaving all of them open for Drago to rush in and throw multiple punches, kicks, and tail-strikes to send all five adults crashing through the table and to the other side of the room, where Miranda proceeded to finish it by spraying enough web to completely cover all of them from their necks down and stick them to the wall, unable to move.

"Hello, Elyon." Miranda hissed.

"Hope you don't mind us crashing your little victory party." Drago sneered, both standing alongside Nerissa.

Elyon glared as she outstarted her hands to unleash a blast of magic power…

Only for nothing to happen. She tried harder, but still got nothing. Taking a second to feel inside, the young queen was beyond shocked to discover that all her magic was gone.

"M-my powers… What have you done…?!"

"This jewel…" Nerissa held the jewel in her hand. "A true jewel from Weira's crown, has been draining your power for months. That's why I gave it to you."

"You lie! The real Trill gave me that! Where is she?!" Elyon demanded.

"There is no Trill, there never was." Nerissa answered. "For over a decade, have I served your family in humility, waiting for this day…"

"Good thing patience has always been your strong suit, Mom." Drago said.

That caused Elyon, as well as Finn, Alborn, Chow, Miriadel, Ratso, and even Blunk to all gasp and exclaim in shock, none of them saw that coming at all.

"'MOM'!?" They all shouted.

"Old lady dragon-boy's mommy?!" Even Blunk was beyond surprised.

"Don't worry, I was just as surprised as you are." Miranda said in fake sincerity. "None of the Knights knew."

"Nor did they know that while you were all busy fighting them during their little siege…" Drago began. "I made the necessary preparations… to give Dad his wake-up call, which should be happening any second now."

That earned true gasps of terror from everyone present.

Surely, he didn't mean…?

Back within the prison of the Infinite City, the delayed reaction of the Dragon Teeth spell had just been activated. The sharpened fangs had all been placed in a circle just below Shendu's stone form as the dark black and red bolts of Drago's Quintessence power forcibly activated the spell that would have normally only worked on the stroke of Chinese New Year.

Streams of sickly green energy shot up towards the stone statue, which soon caused the entire area to shake as what was once stone became flesh, the circular-like posture of the imprisoned demon unfurling like a snake as he gave a low growl.

The shaking could also be felt throughout the whole prison, much to the concern of the guards and other prisoners, including the imprisoned Knights of Vengeance. Vathek, being at the center platform, noticed large cracks forming where he was standing and was immediately alarmed.

"Move! Everyone back! Now!" He ordered as he and the other guards moved back towards the gateway just in time to see an enormous, clawed hand break out from the floor. From there, all could only gaze as they saw the massive form of the dreaded Fire Demon smash and climb his way out of the hole that he was trapped in and stand tall, breathing once more through his newly formed lungs as he gave a loud demonic roar.

"I LIVE AGAIN!" Shendu proclaimed loudly.

Everyone, be it prisoner or guard, could only look in genuine terror at the Ultimate Evil that stood before them all. Even Phobos felt his face grow pale.

"Shendu…" Daolon Wong muttered.

"Impossible…" Hak Foo stated.

Though this was the first time he had seen him, Raythor had heard the stories of this creature. And suffice to say, none of them did this monster justice as just being in his presence alone made him feel completely helpless.

"Drago's father…" The commander of the Knights of Vengeance gulped.

"Yo, that thing is Drago's Pop?!" Ice exclaimed.

Vathek and all the guards backed away in fear. They had only just recovered after Phobos' imprisonment just a short time ago, but now an even worse monster has been freed?!

"No finer way to emerge from a slumber…" Shendu said as he loomed over the guards. "…Then to a nice hot cup of revenge!"

Elyon tried to back away, only for Drago to jump over and land behind her, grabbing her in a bear-hug and keeping her from escaping.

"Let me go!" She struggled in his grip.

"Don't think so, little lady." The half-demon sneered.

"Oh, you should know something else, Elyon." Nerissa began. "Your brother spoke the truth to you. He didn't kill your parents… I did." She revealed with a smirk.

Elyon's pupils shrank at that revelation, while the Enforcers, Miriadel, Alborn, and Blunk all continued to listen in absolute shock themselves.

"As you already know, the queen is the most powerful being in all of Meridian, and that power… the Heart of Meridian itself… is passed down from mother to daughter." The sorceress explained. "When I first came into your family's service under my disguise as Trill, I had initially intended to steal your mother's power, only to soon find that she was already pregnant with you. So I decided to wait it out until you took your first breath. My initial plan was to slit your parents' throats in their sleep and take you, raise you myself, and drain your power as I did so. However, someone else had heard the rumors of your parents' attempt in assassination and stole you before I had the chance to do so. But I'm nothing if not prepared, for in my initial plan, I would frame your dear brother for the deed. It made the most sense, an elder child who is forever unable to obtain the throne? Seemed like the perfect motivation for a usurpation. After you're disappearance, I would serve both your brother and the ensuing rebellion, playing both sides of the war and utilizing both of their resources to find you and return to your home. The Knights of Vengeance? The Demon Chi? All but a distraction. And finally… after so long… my time has come! I saw that the jewel had completed its work the previous night of draining your power. All that remained was for you to give to me willingly." She sneered. "Which is why I fed you false visions of your family."

"Hear that little queen?" Miranda hissed with sadistic joy. "You've been played." She then laughed, followed by Drago who still continued to hold Elyon tightly as he laughed too, even Nerissa cackled along with them.

That laughter! That horrid and sickening laughter! It all just hammered in everything she had just been told! Phobos really was framed? Her parents were killed by this old hag standing in front of her, who orchestrated the entire war just to steal her power!? She even tricked her like this! Elyon loved Trill! She loved her like family! But that person never existed?! She was just a ploy for this sorceress, her horrible son, and the same spider who tricked her before into thinking she was her friend!? They even gave her false information about her parents, thinking she was never loved by them, and that itself was all just a set up!?

"You… You…" Tears of sorrow and fury were flowing down her eyes as he looked to all of them with an expression of pure and unbridged hatred. "YOU MONSTERS!"

Before she could even react, Nerissa held the jewel in front of her as a light shinned around it and Elyon herself right before she disappeared from Drago's grip and reappeared inside the jewel itself, completely trapped.

"Too late, foolish welp!" Nerissa declared. "The Heart… Of Meridian… IS MINE!" She laughed in insane jubilation once more before opening a Fold, allowing her and Miranda to enter inside.

Drago was about to step in as well, but he turned around one last time to smirk at the restraint Enforcers, adoptive parents of the young queen, and the Passling.

"You lose." He said before stepping into the Fold, which closed soon after.

The entire dining hall became deathly silent as they all processed what had just happened. Elyon was gone. Her power taken by the sorceress. Shendu was free. Everything had taken a turn for the absolute worst… and there was nothing they could do about it.

Done.

So… that all happened.

On the bright side, the heroes were able to defeat the Knights of Vengeance once and for all, and acquire all eight batches of Demon Chi. But it was all just a distraction as Nerissa, Drago, and the newly recruited Miranda had made their move, taking Elyon (AKA the Heart of Meridian) and all her power.

Shendu is back, having been resurrected by the Dragon Teeth his son and mate acquired, along with some of Drago's Quintessence power. But even that pales in comparison to the biggest bomb that was dropped at the end.

Nerissa was the one who killed Elyon and Phobos parents!

As she said, she infiltrated the royal family to steal Queen Weira's power, but she was already pregnant with Elyon and that power would soon go to her daughter. So, Nerissa planned to assassinate both parents in their sleep (framing Phobos as a fall back) and take the infant for herself to raise and steal her power, but Mrs. Rudolph (also known as Galgheita) had caught wind of the assassination plot, thinking that it was Phobos based on some rumors that 'Trill' had let spread as cover for herself, and taken baby Elyon away, using the Seal of Phobos to escape to Earth. So, Nerissa played both sides of the war in an effort to utilize both their resources to find Elyon and eventually take her powers as she always intended.

And now, she has succeeded.

Up next is a very special chapter that I'm sure you'll be quite excited to see… an original chapter of my own creation… one that deals with the origins of Nerissa's fall from grace, and how she ended up the way she did. I've been wanting to write that for a long while, and let me tell you, it is going to be an emotional roller coaster.

Until then, stay safe. I'll see you all next time.