Chapter Text
Nerissa stood still, eyes fixed as Shagon and Kor hauled Caleb into the dimly lit room that had once been her prison. Her voice sliced through the silence. "Easy, you idiots! I want him out cold, not gone for good." The pair winced but obeyed, dumping Caleb onto the bed. With a dismissive wave, she sent them away, her attention now locked entirely on her son.
When they were gone, Nerissa's expression eased, though her eyes stayed cold. She stood over, feeling the years pressing down. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Caleb?" she said softly, almost wistful, as her fingers brushed a strand of his messy hair. "What must you think of me now? The mother who left her child, only to return as the very enemy you've fought so hard against."
Her voice wavered for a moment, a brief crack in her frosty demeanor. "Do you hate yourself, knowing my blood runs in your veins?" she murmured. "You will, for now. But when you wake, you'll understand. You'll see the honor in being my protégé." She leaned in, her breath warm against his ear. "Rest now, my child. When you awaken, everything will have changed."
Her fingers drifted through his hair with surprising gentleness before she turned and left. Out in the hall, her thoughts were already spinning with schemes, yet one question stayed with her: What dreams would find him while he lay there, unconscious and defenseless?
Caleb's sleep was far from restful. Inside, a storm churned as his dreams tangled into fragments of memories, unanswered questions, and fears that clawed at him. Nerissa's revelation had rattled him to the core, and her attack only added to the chaos.
In the dream, he was back in the thick forest—a place he'd known forever but now felt strange and threatening. He pushed forward, fists tight, trailing his father. "Dad, enough! What are we even looking for? Just tell me the truth!" His voice shook with frustration, Nerissa's cryptic words about Mackenzie Falls and those relentless numbers spinning through his head. Why had his father stayed so quiet?
Caleb froze through a thicket of trees as his father, Julian, knelt by a grave. The sight twisted his gut. "Is that the Mage? How long has she been dead?" Caleb asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Julian didn't look up. His words came slowly, heavy. "Eighteen years. But it was seventeen years ago that we fell in love—and had a child." His gaze finally met Caleb's, but the regret in his eyes only deepened the weight of the truth. "I should have known, Caleb. I should have seen it then. How she wanted to keep you from the truth."
Caleb's chest tightened, his breath catching in his throat. "Wait... Are you saying the Mage was my mother?" The words felt alien, impossible, but Julian's haunted eyes told him otherwise.
Julian's voice broke. "No, Caleb. The Mage wasn't your mother. Nerissa is."
The world spun, and Caleb staggered back. "No," he gasped. "No way. That hag can't be my mother!" The denial burst from him, but even as he said it, his mind betrayed him—the sharpness in Nerissa's features, the fire in her eyes—it was there, in him, too.
Julian reached out, his hand finding Caleb's shoulder. "Son, I know this is a lot to take in—"
But Caleb couldn't hear him. The world around him began to dissolve. "This can't be true! It can't!" he screamed, his voice raw with pain. "Please, tell me you're joking!"
But his father's expression never wavered. "I'm not. I wish I were, Caleb. I wish I could make it all go away. But Nerissa is your mother."
Caleb's last bit of resolve crumbled, his world collapsing around him. A storm of rage, confusion, and despair drove him to his knees. Spinning away from his father's reaching hands, he bolted into the forest, tears blurring his sight as his father's voice faded behind him.
Hours later, he stumbled into the palace, a shadow of who he once was. Locking himself in his room, he curled up, sobbing until exhaustion claimed him. How was he supposed to handle this truth? His father had lied. And the woman who had destroyed everything he believed was also the one who had brought him into the world. Who was he now?
Eventually, his grief turned into raw fury. Caleb stormed into the kitchen, spotting Blunk hunched over a bowl of moss stew. Without a word, he smacked the bowl from Blunk's hands, sending it shattering across the floor. Blunk stared, wide-eyed, but Caleb's anger was too hot to notice.
"Blunk," Caleb growled, voice low and dangerous. "Fold me to the top of Mount Thanous. Now. Or I'll do it myself." Blunk's eyes widened in fear. Shaking, he gave a quick nod and used his Tooth to open a fold, vanishing into the space between worlds.
Caleb woke with a pounding headache that felt like a thousand hammers striking at once. Groaning, he lifted his head slowly and blinked at his surroundings. His muscles ached, and his breath hitched when he realized he was locked in a cell. Nerissa stood close, her gaze fixed on him with the sharp focus of a hawk.
A faint, almost cruel smile tugged at her lips. "My knights are readying for the Guardians' inevitable arrival," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "But I thought we might... catch up. You were in quite a hurry to get here, Caleb. I'm sure you have questions. Go ahead."
Caleb's fists tightened, his voice sharp and cold. "Just one question—how do you live with yourself after everything you've done?" Before she could answer, he lunged from the bed, slamming into the cell's energy bars in a wild bid for freedom. The jolt sent him crashing back, his bones aching from the impact. He groaned, pain radiating through him, but the fire in his eyes didn't fade.
Nerissa's gaze softened briefly, almost like a mother's, before her expression steadied. Her voice was calm, almost chilling. "I live with it, Caleb, because it's who I am. And it's time you learned who you are, too."
Caleb's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? What am I supposed to be?"
Nerissa stepped closer, her voice turning darker, almost hypnotic. "You're my legacy, Caleb. My blood runs through you. The power I've spent my life building—it's in you now." Her tone softened to a whisper. "All you have to do is embrace it. Let go of your fear. Let go of your hesitation. You've always felt it—that pull toward something greater. You just didn't realize it until now."
A sudden rush of energy surged through Caleb, blazing in his veins like molten fire. His body sparked with power, and for the first time, it didn't scare him. It felt… right. Deep down, he'd always known this power belonged to him, though he'd fought it, tried to be someone else—someone he thought was better. But now… now he understood the truth.
His hand curled into a tight fist, and the walls seemed to tremble with the raw power radiating from him. "I—"
Nerissa's grin grew. "That's it, Caleb. Feel it. Own it."
Caleb's breathing quickened, his heart thundering as the darkness beckoned, urging him to let it in, to wield it and shape the world to his will. For the first time, surrender didn't feel like defeat—it felt like liberation. "I… I choose this," Caleb murmured, his voice steady with resolve. "I choose to let go."
Pride shone in Nerissa's eyes, triumph radiating from her. "Good," she said, her voice heavy with satisfaction. "Now, nothing will stop you." In that instant, Caleb surrendered. Darkness closed in around him, claiming him entirely, and the world seemed to shift—softer, more pliable, bending to his will. He was no longer a boy caught between two worlds, but something far greater, beyond anything he had ever imagined.
Blunk had been watching it all with a lump in his throat, nearly jumping out of his skin from the shock. Nerissa was Caleb's mom?! This was bad. She'd worked some serious magic on him, and if Blunk didn't find the Guardians, he'd lose his best friend. Steeling himself, he let his Tooth slice open a fold leading back home—first stop: Meridian, then Earth.
"Well, it looks like that foul-smelling little herald has finally gone to deliver the message. Took him longer than I expected. Come on, we need to prepare for the Guardians' arrival, my son. Time is short, and there's plenty to do," Nerissa said, running her withered fingers through Caleb's hair. Both mother and son grinned darkly as she raised the Heart of Meriden, ready to grant her son his birthright. Everything was falling into place.
Meanwhile, Blunk emerged from the fold back at the castle, determined to find Julian. As a Passling, his sharp sense of smell made him better than any bloodhound at tracking. The only problem was he couldn't smell himself—and Blunk stank! His odor was so overpowering, even the dead would be rolling in their graves and gagging.
It turned out he didn't have to search for long. Julian had just returned to the palace, his mind still spinning from the shocking revelation. Lost in thought, he tried to make sense of the truth about Nerissa. He recalled that magical, moonlit night when he first saw her—the Mage, or so he believed. He remembered how quickly and deeply they had fallen in love, like something out of a fairy tale. How overjoyed they were when Caleb was born, and how she had insisted on his name. She had promised to protect him—and Julian too.
But now, as Julian climbed the last steps to the palace, doubt gnawed at him. Had it all been real, or just an illusion? Had Nerissa only given birth to their son to serve her own dark purposes? Was there nothing good left in the woman he once loved? And if there was a spark of goodness still, did it include their son? Did she even care for Caleb at all?
Julian's mind was spinning with questions, the inner chaos pulling him apart. He didn't notice Blunk until the Passling suddenly jumped into his arms, knocking them both down the steps. They sat up, rubbing their heads and ignoring the throbbing ache. "Caleb's Daddy! Caleb needs help! Caleb's in trouble!" Blunk blurted out frantically, almost hitting Julian with his Tooth as he flailed like a panicked chicken.
It took Julian a moment to steady himself. He gave Blunk a light slap on the cheek to calm him, then gripped his shoulders firmly. "Alright, start over—slowly this time, Blunk. What happened to Caleb? Where is he?" he asked, already dreading the answer. He'd hoped Caleb hadn't done anything reckless, but the fear in Blunk's eyes told him otherwise.
"Nerissa's got him on Mt. Thanous!" Blunk blurted. "Blunk saw her use magic on him!" Julian's face went pale as the weight of the situation sank in. What had Nerissa done? Could she really have gone so far for power that she'd harm her own son? Did Caleb mean nothing to her? Had she just tossed him aside like one of her pawns?
"Blunk, get us to Earth, now!" Julian ordered.
"On it! Next stop: the Guardians!" Blunk shouted, warping them through space as fast as possible. He prayed they'd reach the Guardians in time to save Caleb. Unfortunately, in his rush, he didn't think about where he was going, and suddenly, they were on stage in the middle of a concert. Thankfully, the crowd thought it was all part of the act.
Irma hurried to usher them offstage, her cheeks burning with a mix of embarrassment and anger. The other girls were upset too, but for a different reason—they felt snubbed after working tirelessly without recognition. Still, something was odd if Blunk and Julian had come from Meriden, especially without Caleb. Julian had dropped by Earth before, but Caleb's absence was suspicious.
"Why did you two have to barge in during the most important night of my life? Vance Michal Justin was talking to me about my expertise, and you ruined it! What was so urgent that it couldn't wait until after the show?" Irma demanded, steering them toward the exit.
"Nerissa's got Caleb and did something awful to him. Blunk doesn't know what, but I've got a bad feeling about it. I just can't believe she'd hurt her own son," Julian said, his voice thick with disbelief. The teens were stunned—never in their wildest dreams did they imagine Nerissa and Julian were a couple, let alone Caleb's parents.
"Nerissa is Caleb's MOTHER?!" Hay Lin exclaimed, her jaw dropping in shock.
"And I thought my mom had issues!" Will and Taranee said in unison, considering their own mothers' problems. Now, everything seemed so much smaller in comparison. So what if Will's mom was dating Mr. Collins and Taranee's mom overreacted constantly? At least they didn't try to take over the universe!
On the other hand, Irma was still upset that they had to leave her concert early. "I cannot believe we have to leave my concert!" she whined, smacking her big, fat head on the door as they rushed out.
Cornelia had had enough. She pounced like a lioness, snarling at Irma. "Listen, you ego-tripping, credit-stealing slave driver! I have a boyfriend in peril here!"
"Not to mention a universe in peril!" chimed in Will, holding up the Heart of Candracar.
"Just saying, it's lousy timing, that's all," Irma mumbled, still grumbling about the disruption.
The Guardians hurried to Caleb's aid, hoping they weren't too late. As Will, Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin kept the Knights of Destruction occupied, Cornelia slipped past Halinor and Cassidy, determined to reach him. At last, she stepped into the chamber and spotted Caleb in the middle, wrapped in shadows.
"Caleb! I'm so glad you're okay! I was worried Nerissa hurt you," Cornelia cried, wrapping her arms around Caleb and giving him a big hug.
Caleb ignored her, shoving her aside with unexpected force. "Caleb, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Cornelia's voice shook as the rest of the Guardians rushed into the room.
He now stood transformed, dressed in sleek black leather trimmed with light armor. Black-and-gold boots reached his knees, paired with skintight black pants and a sleeveless shirt marked with Nerissa's emblem. Gold gauntlets wrapped his wrists, and a wickedly ornate sword hung from a jeweled sheath at his side. Even his long coat had been replaced with one of matching black leather, completing the ominous look.
But the change went far beyond his clothes. His body radiated unnatural strength, enhanced beyond human limits. His once-soft brown hair now carried a bold streak of starlit silver, like lightning slashing through the dark. Most disturbing of all was his face—once warm and full of love, now a mask of cold malice. His eyes, once bright with life, now glimmered with an empty void, as if his very soul had been erased.
"I'm glad to see you all here. Makes taking you out so much easier. Quintessence!" Caleb shouted, unleashing a powerful energy blast. The Guardians barely had time to react before the explosion sent them slamming into the walls. Caleb laughed darkly as they struggled to get up. "Pathetic."
"Wow! Since when is Caleb packing heat? Has he been on vitamins or some secret steroid we don't know about?" Irma joked, pulling herself up with the others.
"Irma, your humor's as weak as your jokes. How about we freeze those quips for good?" Caleb sneered, eyes glinting with the deadly power of Quintessence. He yanked a massive icicle from the cavern ceiling and leveled it at Irma's chest.
"What, no witty comeback?" he taunted, hurling the frozen spear. Irma froze in terror, but Taranee's firewall flared just in time to save her.
"You think your little sparks can protect you from me?" Caleb sneered. "They say lightning is like cold-blooded fire—the purest form of flame. Let's see if your fire can stand against the true fire of the heavens!" A massive wheel of cobalt lightning shot toward the two Guardians. They tried to defend themselves, but it tore through them as if they weren't there, slamming into them with relentless force. Their screams echoed as pain ripped through their bodies, and within minutes, they collapsed, unable to go on.
"Two down, three to go. Who's next?" Caleb taunted.
"My turn, Caleb. Let's see how you handle a fight in the air!" Hay Lin called, summoning a fierce gust of wind. The twister yanked Caleb upward, holding him in place. "Got you!" she cheered, but her grin faded as he smirked, steadying himself. With a laugh, two huge, dark bat-like wings tipped with emerald flames unfurled from his back.
"Surprise, Guardians! You didn't think you were the only ones who could fly, did you?" Caleb taunted. "Oh, and I've picked up your special tricks, too. Let's see how I do with telekinesis!"
Hay Lin barely had time to react before she felt herself being lifted into the air. "No! Please, Caleb! Stop this—before someone gets hu—" she cried, only to be hurled violently into the cell wall, her wings nearly snapping in half. "Will… Cornelia… you have to stop him," she whispered before losing consciousness.
"I don't care if you're my boyfriend!" Cornelia shouted, her voice blazing with fury. "No one treats my friends like that! Earth!" she cried, unleashing a torrent of rocks toward Caleb, who had just landed, his wings fading away. Her chest tightened as the thought struck her—she could kill the man she loved. "Caleb, move, or you'll die!" she screamed, desperately trying to pull back her attack, but it was already too late.
Caleb paid no mind to her plea. Instead, he unsheathed his sword—a sleek blade reminiscent of Nerissa's hair, set with five jewels etched with elemental symbols. The golden hilt and the black diamond at its base glimmered with the combined power of the five elements. With a fierce cry, he swept the weapon in a wide arc, cleaving the boulders clean in two.
"Thanks for the concern, but you're the one who needs it more than me. Watch this!" he shouted, and with a flick of his wrist, energy vines burst forth, coiling around Cornelia and locking her in place so she couldn't move. "You were always such a control freak, Cornelia. How does it feel when the tables turn?"
"Caleb, stop! Why are you doing this? We're your best friends! We're only trying to help!" Will cried, charging a lightning blast. As much as she hated the thought of hurting him, she knew she had no other choice. She prayed the Heart of Candracar could break whatever spell Nerissa had cast over him.
"Think you can take me down with that little lightning trick?" Caleb scoffed. "Please. I've got the Heart of Meridian on my side! Let's see how a fight between two Hearts really ends." He unleashed a surge of blue energy from his fingertips, meeting Will's pink lightning in a violent clash. The two forces battled for control until an explosion tore through the air, hurling them both backward.
"He's strong… stronger than Phoebus… maybe even Nerissa herself. How can I beat someone like this?" Will thought, trying to stand but collapsing, pain shooting through her body. Every muscle screamed, and she feared something was broken.
"Enough games. This ends now. Hand over the Heart of Candracar, or die!" Caleb growled, raising his sword high above her, ready to strike.
"Caleb, no!" a voice cried out. Suddenly, a small, foul-smelling blur launched itself at Caleb, knocking him off balance. Startled, he dropped his sword and struggled to shake the Passling loose.
"Get off me, you filthy creature! How dare you touch the Soldier of Callous with your disgusting, rotting flesh!" Caleb yelled, but Blunk clung to him with an unyielding grip.
"No! Blunk won't let go! He won't let go of his friend! No!" Blunk shouted with determination as he and Caleb struggled in the freezing cavern. By now, the Guardians had regained their strength, fueled by anger and resolve. They had already lost Elyon, Matt, and the Council of Kandrakar, and they weren't about to lose another friend to Nerissa's evil.
"Come on, Guardians! All together—let's see how he handles the power of Five as ONE!" Will commanded with authority. The girls exchanged fierce glances, a fiery determination in their eyes, and rose into the air, ready to strike.
The Guardians hovered around Caleb and Blunk in five different positions. Will, directly above them, gave the signal, and in perfect sync, they unleashed their powers, channeling everything into one final, decisive strike.
"Quintessence!"
"Water!"
"Fire!"
"Earth!"
"Air!"
Their powers clashed in a blinding collision, sending shockwaves through the cavern. Caleb and Blunk, still grappling, looked up just as the Guardians unleashed their full attack. The air sizzled with raw energy, and the ground trembled beneath them. Cornelia squeezed her eyes shut as the blast struck Caleb, her heart breaking as the explosion ripped through the space.
"Caleb? He's not…?" she murmured, her voice quivering. Pulling Blunk close, her arms shook as she held on tight. Dust and smoke swallowed everything, and for a heartbeat, time seemed frozen. The Guardians, battered and breathless, stood in tense silence, fearing what might emerge.
Then, through the haze, two glowing eyes appeared, and Caleb's dark laugh echoed off the walls. The sound sent a jolt through the Guardians as searing rings of lightning pinned them to the ceiling, inching closer with each second, ready to tear them apart. Blunk trembled in a tiny cage, his whole body rattling with fear.
"So soon, you'll be nothing but a distant memory," Caleb said, his voice dripping with cruel amusement. "I'll relish never having to see your faces again. Goodbye, Guardians. I won't miss a single one of you."
As the energy rings closed in around the Guardians, Caleb's concentration wavered. The power that had felt so natural moments earlier suddenly began to slip from his grasp. From the shadows, a figure stepped forward, making Caleb freeze mid-attack and slacken his hold. It was Julian—his father—appearing without warning.
"Dad?" Caleb murmured, taking a step back, uncertainty flashing across his face. The mask of rage he'd worn so easily faltered, and the crackling energy around him weakened. He stumbled, his attention shifting from the Guardians to the man who had once been his father.
The Guardians, still stuck to the ceiling, shot each other baffled looks. They couldn't move, their bodies frozen in place under Caleb's crushing power. Their hearts pounded, unsure what Julian's sudden appearance meant. Was he here to help? Could he stop this chaos?
"What are you doing here, Dad?" Caleb sneered, his tone dripping with bitterness, the sharp edge of a wounded child. "Here to spin me more lies about who I am? Or maybe you've finally decided to join Mother and me in building a new universal order. Sound like your thing?"
Julian's voice stayed steady, though it wavered under the weight of the moment. "Caleb, what happened to you? Why are you turning on your friends? These powers—they're not meant for this. This isn't you."
A sly smile played on Caleb's lips. "I'm surprised you even know these are my powers and not something passed down from my mother. When were you planning to tell me I share the same abilities as the Guardians? You knew all along, didn't you? I could've ended this war with Phoebus years ago if I'd known! You lied to me, Julian—and now I want the truth."
Julian's expression softened with regret. "It was your mother's wish that you not learn about your powers until you were old enough to understand. I'm sorry, Caleb. The lie was never meant to hurt you—it was to protect you. I know you're angry, but that doesn't mean you should turn it on your friends."
Caleb's eyes blazed with renewed fury, hotter and more volatile than before. "The time for talking is over, Julian," he hissed. "It's time for action." From the shadows, a chilling voice drifted forward as Nerissa emerged, her cold smile widening in tune with the rising tension.
The Guardians recoiled as her presence seemed to fill the cavern, her aura heavy and suffocating. Standing beside her son, she spoke with a twisted blend of affection and control. "Our son has chosen to stay with me, Julian," she said, her tone calm, almost soothing, yet edged with dominance. "Together, our combined powers will reshape the cosmos until it's perfect. You've always known how I felt about you, Julian. But I won't force you to join us. Will you?"
Julian stood frozen, his face etched with pain, caught between the woman he once loved and the son he'd failed to guide. "I… I can't, Nerissa," he murmured, his voice low and heavy with sorrow. "I want us to be a family, but not like this. I've never stopped loving you, but what you're trying to do to the universe… It's wrong. I can't stand with you. Not now, not ever."
Nerissa's smile faded into a knowing, almost regretful look. "Very well, Julian. You, the Passling, and the Guardians can leave this time. But remember—next time we meet, be ready. And if you change your mind, there will always be a place for you by my side." Her words carried a finality that left no room for argument, and with a wave of her hand, she vanished. Caleb left soon after, his expression unreadable, a cold distance settling over him.
Before leaving, Caleb let a single delicate flower fall to the floor. The Guardians, still shaken from the chaos and aching from the earlier blasts, struggled to move. Julian was the first to reach it, lifting the fragile bloom with trembling hands.
"What's this?" Will asked, her voice unsteady. A lump rose in her throat as her gaze shifted between Julian and the flower.
Julian's eyes grew distant, shadowed by memories of better days. "This," he murmured, voice heavy with sorrow, "is the Tear of Meridian. It's a symbol of love, friendship, and hardship. It stands for undying love… but also farewell. Caleb's way of telling us… the boy we knew is gone."
Cornelia, her heart shattered, clutched the flower in her hands as sobs shook her to the core. "No… this can't be real… Caleb, how could you do this?" she whispered, her voice breaking under the weight of grief. The Guardians gathered close, their faces heavy with sorrow, realizing they had lost him—not in body, but in spirit. The friend they had fought beside and laughed with seemed gone, swallowed by something dark.
Julian stood apart, his eyes distant. "I knew this day would come," he said quietly, pain lacing every word. "But I never thought it would hurt this much. A part of Caleb still longs for his mother, and until that fades, I can only hope this battle ends in joy, not more pain." Silence fell, broken only by Cornelia's cries echoing through the cavern. Though they weren't ready to let go, they knew deep down the boy they loved might be lost forever.