So excited for this one!!! Enjoy!!

~~~~~~~~

Dana sat in front of a holodesk, watching as a small dot moved across the screen. An empty energy drink can sat next to the keyboard. Since the defeat of the Unbeatable Master, she'd been working and training nearly nonstop.

There was the smallest voice in her head with a hint of remorse for what happened to Shanai. It was unfortunate that such an incredible slinger had to die.

But that's just it, Dana thought to herself as she watched the dot finally come to a stop, right in the Dark Periphery where she'd expected. She had to die.

It had been necessary, and Dana wholly believed that. Letting someone with Shanai's skills live would mean a constant threat to Blakk's plans.

Footsteps sounded behind Dana, breaking up her thoughts. She quickly turned to face the newcomer, her hand moving for her blaster, but relaxed when she saw that it was just Twist.

"Did she stop?" he asked, looking at the screen over Dana's shoulder. She nodded, leaning back in her desk chair.

"In the Dark Periphery. I was right. She's had run-ins with the Shadow Clan before. She'll go to them with answers, and then as soon as she's out of their territory, we'll see where she goes and follow her," she said, running through the plan in her mind.

"Wouldn't it be more effective to go after her sooner? If you're right and she's learning about her family, then she's not going to be expecting anything. You can just get her as soon as she gets back on the move," Twist said. Dana rolled her eyes, looking up at him.

"You think the Shadow Clan would let me get close to their territory?" she asked. "I've had a run-in with them before and they made it very clear they don't approve of my existence. We wait until she's a safe distance from the Dark Periphery. Then my team and I go in."

~~~~~~~~~

The leader blinked, obviously taken aback by Alana's upfront attitude.

"I do not understand what you mean-" he began, but Alana cut him off.

"With all due respect, I think you do," she said, finding that, despite the storm of emotions going on in her head, her voice was calm. She knew that losing her temper with the Shadow Clan would get her nowhere. "You've acted like you met me before. You knew all about my energy. I know you know something, and I need to find out what that is."

The leader narrowed his glowing green eyes.

"The Shadow Clan knows far more than other Slugterrans when it comes to this world and its anomalies," he said. "But that does not mean we hold all the answers."

I don't want to do this, Alana thought, shifting her weight back and forth between her feet. She knew the Shadow Clan wouldn't tear her apart like Slugterrans feared they would, but that had no obligations to be kind. Standing in their presence could make the strongest cave troll feel silly and small.

"I know. But you do hold some of them," she said. "And I need to know whatever you know about me."

The leader's tail thrashed.

"We are not obligated to share knowledge with you," he said. "We have reasons for what we do. It is at one's request that our knowledge of you remain secret."

Alana frowned and perked up. Who would request something like that? Who would even know to request it, and who would have the courage to ask something of the most feared species in Slugterra? And, perhaps the most confusing question, who would be so highly respected that the Shadow Clan would follow their wishes?

Wait...

"Was... was it by Will Shane?" she asked. The leader glanced downwards, answering Alana's question. "He's the only one who would have contact with you. Why would he ask you to keep things away from me?"

A spark of anger was rising in Alana. She respected Will more than anything, and she missed him constantly. But why would he keep important things away from her? Hadn't he trusted her?

"Will Shane had many reasons for the things he did," the leader said carefully. "Everything he did was to protect these caverns and its inhabitants. That includes you."

Alana crossed her arms, growing more and more frustrated.

"So he kept secrets to protect me?" she asked. "That doesn't make sense. Wouldn't he want me to know the truth?"

"He apparently did not," the leader said, beginning to turn away. "We cannot help you."

Alana scowled and took a step forward, uncrossing her arms.

"I need to know," she said. "I need to know everything I can, so I can learn more about these powers and use them to defend Slugterra."

The Shadow Clan leader finished turning, his back to Alana, but he didn't leave. With a deep breath, she continued.

"Slugterra is in danger. Energy is being corrupted and a man who thinks he can conquer the world is bent on doing just that. If it's something that can help me with my energy, or even... even something that doesn't, I still deserve to know," she argued. "I keep learning little bits and pieces about my life but I don't get the full story, and it's going to drive me crazy!"

The leader's shoulders seemed to droop ever so slightly.

"It was the wish of Will Shane that you didn't-"

"Will Shane is gone!"

Silence rang out across the clearing. Alana's hands were in fists, and if she didn't have gloves, her nails would be digging into her palms. Sadness welled up inside her as she repeated the words she dreaded.

"Will Shane... is gone. Maybe if he were here, then he could help me get through this, but he's not. He's not here anymore," she said, relaxing her hands. "He's not here anymore and I need this. Please."

The Shadow Clan leader stayed silent for a moment. Then he turned back towards Alana and looked down at her.

"Fine. If this is what you wish, then so be it," he said. "But let it be known this was by your own request."

What's that supposed to mean?

The leader stepped forward and bent down, peering at Alana's bandoleer, holding out a hand. Alana's eyes widened as Cipher jumped into it without any prompting.

"The memories of what happened to lead up to you living here were blocked by this Hypnogrif," the leader explained, taking a few steps back. "If you are hit with it, he will be able to release them."

Alana vaguely wondered what kind of memories they had to be for them to be completely blocked off, but she pushed her worries away. She needed this.

"Are you sure about this?" the leader asked as Cipher hopped into his tail.

"Yes," Alana said confidently, taking a deep breath and preparing to be slugged. The leader nodded. He stretched his tail back and flung it forward, releasing Cipher. He sped forward and transformed with a flash.

The slug's eyes were spinning pink and white, and as Alana looked into them, she felt all of her muscles relaxing at once. The pink and white got closer and closer as Cipher neared her, until it completely consumed her vision. It seemed to surround her, blocking out all her senses.

It felt like she was disconnected from her body. She felt her knees hit the cold stone ground of the Shadow Clan's clearing, but it was like she felt it from a mile away. There was no ground beneath her feet, and the only sound was a faint ringing in her ears.

Then everything went black.

The ringing stopped. It was dead silent. Alana tried to move, but she couldn't. It felt like she was laying down- she could feel pressure all down her left side- but she was frozen in place.

What is this? Where am I?

There was a faint creak in front of her. The sound urged her to slowly open her eyes. She tried to open them faster, but she couldn't. It was like she didn't even have control over her body. Then it struck her- the Shadow Clan had said she would unlock memories, right? So was she seeing things through her past self's eyes?

Alana had guessed right. She was laying down, on an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. It was almost pitch black, so she could only see faint shapes of dressers and bookshelves. There was a circle of light on the carpet in front of her bed, letting in a deep blue Lumino glow.

It all felt hauntingly familiar.

Alana looked around slowly, but she still wasn't in control of her actions. There was another small creak, and Alana wanted to urge her past self to hide.

Come on, I know you're half asleep, but something must go wrong here-!

Finally, young Alana must have realized something was wrong. She reached out and pushed away her blanket, and Alana saw how small her arms were. She couldn't be older than five.

Young Alana slowly sat up and began to move for her lamp, but froze as footsteps fell.

Fear consumed both young Alana and her older counterpart. A dark figure stepped forward into the light, straight from Alana's nightmares. But this time, he was no longer cloaked in shadows. Alana could see every detail in the blue light.

He had an outfit of grays, blues, and yellows, with shoulder pads beneath furs. Black hair was pulled back into a bun with two strands reaching each shoulder. His skin was deathly pale, and Alana could faintly see some of the veins in his face and neck. His eyes were scarlet, and atop his shoulder sat a dark green ghoul that Alana recognized as a Goon Doc. It felt distant- her younger self's powers must never have felt dark energy before- but he radiated a chill.

Alana opened her mouth to scream, but before she could, the man lunged forward. He made a movement with his wrists that cause two blades to come out of his right forearm from what Alana had previously thought to be armor, but what she realized was actually a blaster. As he moved, there was the flash of the blades, and he pulled Alana from her bed with his left hand and one side of the blades to her neck, silencing her.

She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt that then had detachable long sleeves on it, shorts that had similarly styled shorts with detachable pant legs, and boots. She could feel her hair tied into two pigtails. The slinger effortlessly held Alana up by her collar, peering at her.

"How strange," he said with a grin. His voice sounded like it should have come from a more polite and proper man, not whatever monster that this was. "So young, but I can feel it deep down within you. Your energy is tremendous. Such immense power for a child."

Who is this? Alana thought, panicking. She was beginning to question her decision to see her memories. What's going on?

"I heard the rumors of your family, but I don't know if I'd believe them if I wasn't seeing you with my own eyes," the Dark Slinger said, turning away from the bed, still holding Alana. "Now to find the other and hopefully speed up my trip to this realm. Its energy is unsettling."

Young Alana struggled briefly, but it was futile. The slinger's grip was stronger than iron, and with those blades nearby... he didn't seem like the kind who would hesitate to hurt a child.

Before the man could reach the bedroom door, it flung open. He jumped back, startled, and gave a sickening grin.

"You've delivered yourself to me," he said, and Alana turned her head so she could see the new arrival. Immediately, hope flared up inside the young girl.

The woman in the doorway radiated power and authority that reminded Alana of Will Shane.

Her short brown hair looked almost wispy like feathers, and was streaked with light blue. Her narrowed eyes were the same light blue, identical to Alana's. A few cuts riddled her face, and a pair of what looked like ski goggles sat atop her head.

She was lightly armored with white shoulder pads, a chest piece, and plates on her dark brown boots. Her pants were light brown, sporting knee guards. Peeking from her medium blue short-sleeved shirt, lined with cyan, was a scar that stretched down to beneath the fabric. The shirt had longer sleeves attached, and she had fingerless gloves, one hand holding a blaster. Her bandoleer sported a glowing blue spark of light that resembled the sun, and atop her shoulder sat-

Ash.

The woman held up her royal blue and cyan blaster, narrowing her eyes. And one single word formed in young Alana's mind.

Mom.

That's my mom?

"Your marauders have been attacking the entire realm all night," she said, and if Alana could form tears at that moment, she would have at the sound of her mother's voice. "Firing corrupted slugs that are physically painful for me to bear, tearing up my caverns, hurting my people. And now you break into my home and attack my daughter. Of course I'd find you eventually."

Hearing the words 'my daughter' directed at her gave Alana a spark of happiness through the fear and confusion she felt as she watched the memories.

"I assume you're the one they call the Dark Slinger?" Alana's mother asked. "I can feel the dark energy radiating from you, but you feel hollow inside. Like something was taken out and a poor replacement was shoved in."

"Surprisingly close," the Dark Slinger laughed. "Yes, I am the Dark Slinger. My marauders and I have come from the Eastern Caverns to collect you and your heir, Evanlyn Caelum."

Alana ran the words through her mind over and over again. Evanlyn Caelum. Evanlyn Caelum. Her mother's name was Evanlyn.

And her last name was Caelum. Caelum.

But wait- the Eastern Caverns? What did he mean by that?

Evanlyn stepped forward, her finger hovering over the trigger of her blaster. Alana noticed that it had a smaller, second power core attached to it.

"There hasn't been contact with the Eastern Caverns in years," she said coldly. "I have a feeling it's partly because of you."

"Again, surprisingly close," the Dark Slinger admitted. He pulled his right hand away from Alana's neck, revealing to Alana that it was loaded with a Grimmstone, and pointed it at her. "When you and your daughter arrive in the East, you'll understand why."

Evanlyn hesitated, lowering her blaster a half inch. For a moment, Alana feared she would agree to go with the man, but suddenly a force rammed into her and the Dark Slinger from behind, sending them both to the ground.

Alana toppled out of the Dark Slinger's grasp, and without hesitation she sprinted forward, ducking behind her mother and spinning around to watch the Dark Slinger with fear. She now stood on a railed walkway, and a breeze ruffled her hair.

Wow, Alana thought as she caught sight of the outside of her room.

It was essentially a pod held up in a mushroom tree. The walkway led into a larger pod in another tree, which she immediately remembered was the main part of her house. It all seemed familiar and strange at the same time.

The force that had knocked over the Dark Slinger was a man. The Dark Slinger lay groaning on the ground, his Goon Doc now off of his shoulder, trying to regain his bearings after being tackled.

The man holding down the Dark Slinger had light caramel hair like Alana's, minus the blue streaks. He didn't have a full beard, but he had some stubble, and he had brown eyes. His gear was similar to Evanlyn's, white armor and light blue detailing, but where Evanlyn's was royal blue, his was forest green. His bandoleer also sported the glowing blue sun, and he had a sniper blaster strapped on his back. Burns and singes littered his gear, and as he got to his feet, Alana noticed soot on his face.

"We've got all the Aquabeeks we have going at those fires, but they're still spreading," he told Evanlyn. "You need to get Alana out of here."

"I know I do, Nathanael," Evanlyn began. "But I think I should- watch it!"

The Dark Slinger, now with his Goon Doc returned to his shoulder, scowled and got to his feet. Nathanael smirked and dropped down to his feet, and two slingers dove into the room. Both were armored in white and light blue, and the man also was clothed in violet while the woman had magenta. They tackled the Dark Slinger back to the ground, struggling to hold him down as he reared back.

A thought ran through young Alana's mind.

The other Paladins.

"We'll hold him off," the woman said, loading her blaster. "Get Alana out of here!"

Evanlyn and Nathanael needed no more prompting. Evanlyn holstered her blaster and scooped her daughter into her arms, sprinting across the walkway, her husband following behind her. They burst into the larger pod, which had the living room and kitchen, and headed for the door. Nathanael grabbed a pair of goggles from a hook next to the door, and when he put them on, they hummed to life. Alana could see faint holographic circles and charts on them. A thought quickly ran through young Alana's mind.

Dad uses them when he needs to make harder shots in a quicker time.

Evanlyn and Nathanael quickly entered a small elevator on the other side of the door that would lead down to the forest floor. Once the doors were shut, Alana began to cry silently, but just buried her face in her mother's shoulder to hide her tears.

She knew there were times when her parents could be parents, and there were times when they had to be defenders. She didn't understand what was going on, but she knew that right now, they were defenders.

"Nathanael, I think we need to consider our fallout plan," Evanlyn said quietly. Alana had no idea what her mother was talking about, but her father obviously did. He pushed up his goggles so he could look his wife in the eyes.

"Excuse me?" he asked, appalled. Evanlyn winced and sighed.

"We need to play it safe. Those corrupted slugs combined with that man- the reports are flooding in that he can control them, guide them like no other slinger," she said, her arms tightening around Alana. "And if that's true, it means that he's not just some Eastern slinger. Remember that visit I took to the Central Caverns to see the Unbeatable Master? She told me about the protector of her old cavern having the ability to control slugs. This might be him."

"I don't care who it is, this is not the end! We don't need to send her away-" Nathanael began to argue, but Evanlyn cut him off.

"Nate, this may not be the end at all. But if she stays here and we lose? Then it will be," she said. "I won't risk everything with this battle."

Nathanael looked upset, but he nodded.

"Whatever you say. I'll follow your lead," he said, a faint smile forming on his lips. "I love you, Evanlyn Caelum."

Evanlyn's eyes softened.

"I love you, too," she said, bending down ever so slightly to kiss her husband.

The elevator doors open and, to say the least, the romantic mood was shattered.

Green flames were approaching the house. Mushroom trees rose around them, a forest similar to Wild Spores. The smell of smoke filled the air, and the sound of slugfire could be heard from within the woods.

Evanlyn led the way from the house, heading for two Mechas parked side by side. One was a royal blue and cyan wolf, RN-GR model. Evanlyn's, newly arrived from her mechanic's, and hopefully with the speed boosts she had requested. Next to it was a HN-TR stag model, green and cyan with metal horns.

But before the couple could reach their Mechas, Evanlyn stopped dead in her tracks, gasping and tackling her husband to the ground, taking Alana down with her. A Thrasher shot through the air where Nathanael had been standing seconds ago. Tears were forming in Alana's eyes, but she still remained silent as Evanlyn tugged her to her feet, brushing grass and leaves from her daughter's hair and turning in the direction the ghoul had come from.

Was it possible to throw up while reliving a memory?

It apparently wasn't, because despite how sick Alana felt when the family turned to face their opponent, she still couldn't physically react to anything.

The Dark Slinger stood atop the mushroom tree, just outside the living room door. The house was being engulfed in green flames, and Alana's heart sank, but that wasn't the worst part.

What was the worst was what the Dark Slinger held in his hands.

Each hand held the collar of one of the slingers that had rushed into the house to allow Nathanael and Evanlyn to escape. With a sickening grin, the dark slinger jumped down from the mushroom tree, landing with ease despite the height, and the Caelums got a closer look at the Paladins.

Both of the slingers' armor and clothes were stained with splatters of red. One, the man in violet, still had a blaster holstered on his back, cracked and sparking. The woman in magenta still had tears on her cheeks. He released their collars, letting them fall to the ground. Their mirrored eyes stared lifelessly up at the cavern ceiling.

Nathanael let out a quiet, strangled gasp. He unhooked his blaster from his back, and little Alana looked up and saw tears in his eyes as he looked down at his fallen friends.

Evanlyn unclipped her blaster, sadness and pain on her face.

For a moment, young Alana stared at the two corpses and remembered the two.

Marcus Dorado. He had a son Alana's age. They played in the forests and rivers of Palida Cavern together.

Donatella Richmond. She had always been more stoic and silent, but she always smiled for Alana.

"The Paladins are the greatest slingers in the Western Caverns," Evanlyn said coldly, glaring at the Dark Slinger. "A team chosen by the protector of the realm to be guardians. They fight to protect the innocent and preserve justice, and you just cut them down," she said, loading Ash into her blaster. "Now, I don't know what you want with my daughter and me, or how the champion of the East turned into you-"

At this, the Dark Slinger's eyes narrowed.

"But I do know that I can't let you destroy everything my Paladins and I have worked to protect."

With that, she fired, and the duel began.

Nathanael immediately whistled and pushed Alana back. The two Mechas, now active, sprang to life and hurried forward, putting themselves in front of Alana, who watched the duel between their mechanical legs.

Instead of creating even more fire, Ash flew into the green flames in the trees around him, spinning in the air. The currents he created funneled the flames at the Dark Slinger, who hesitated for a moment before loading a dark-colored slug.

Alana's eyes widened when she saw the corrupted slug transform. It looked like Ash, but darker and with evil scarlet eyes. The ghoul collided with Ash, causing the fire to spiral up to the ceiling of the cavern. Alana could feel the heat of the flames from where she crouched behind the Mechas, and the power of the slugs filled her with awe.

"An Infurnus," Evanlyn noted as the Dark Slinger straightened out his shoulder pads. "So I was right. You are the champion of the East. Or least you were, once."

The Dark Slinger scowled and fired a Grimmstone. Evanlyn winced, but still dodged out of the way.

I don't think she's ever fought against dark energy before... this must be painful and confusing for her.

Evanlyn took a deep breath and fired her Tazerling, the Dark Slinger firing a Harmashelt. As the two slugs neared, Evanlyn closed her eyes and held out her hands. Her palms glowed faintly blue, and an identical glow formed around the Tazerling.

The slug released a blast of lightning that let out a roar of thunder as it traveled forward, reverting the ghoul back to protoform and sending a ball of electricity into the Dark Slinger's chest. Little Alana winced and covered her ears at the sounds of the thunder and crackling lightning.

The Dark Slinger collapsed to the ground, taking deep, rattling breaths. Evanlyn didn't hesitate, firing a Rammstone at him. At the last second, the Dark Slinger raised an arm and fired a Hop Jack. The ghoul exploded mid air and knocked Evanlyn's Rammstone down into the ground. Even though his clothes were singed and he should have been weaker after such a strong Tazerling attack, the Dark Slinger got to his feet.

"Impressive. But not good enough," he said, starting to run forward, but was stopped when a Vinedrill hit the ground in front of him. Alana gasped and looked up at where the slug was fired from. Nathanael stood tethered to a mushroom tree by an Arachnet web, lowering his sniper blaster.

"All yours, hon," he called down, and Evanlyn's hands began to glow again. She pressed them to the ground and Vinedrill vines erupted from the forest floor with extra power and speed, hurling toward the Dark Slinger. But he fired a ghouled Grenuke at the vines and in a split second, the ghoul reduced the vines to singed piles of ash.

"You just don't seem to understand," the Dark Slinger said as he approached Evanlyn. "You've already been fighting for hours. Your energy is powerful, but it can't withstand so much dark energy for much longer."

Evanlyn fired an Armashelt, but he fired a Grimmstone that knocked it away, and a ghouled Dirt Urchin immediately after.

"You're growing tired and weak. You cannot win."

Evanlyn held out her hands, and for a moment, a light blue shield of energy formed. But it was weak and flickered red before dissolving. A few of the Dark Urchin's spikes flew toward her, and little Alana gasped and looked away.

No, don't look away, I need to see what happens-!

There was a familiar flash and shower of sparks, and young Alana opened her blue eyes to see her mother waving away the sparks of a Thugglet's illusion, down on one knee. There was a gash on her arm, blood flowing from it. A pale green spike, stained with scarlet, lay embedded in the ground behind her.

"If you hand you and your child over, we can negotiate the future of this realm," the Dark Slinger said, coming to a halt twenty feet in front of Evanlyn. "Otherwise, my marauders and I will burn it to the ground if we must."

Evanlyn smirked wryly.

"You think if I tell this realm to stop fighting back they'll stop?" she challenged as she shakily got to her feet. "I may be the guardian of the West, but the people here have free spirits. They will never give in to you, even if I begged them to."

With that, Evanlyn pulled out a blaster modifier from her belt. Alana's eyes widened as her blaster widened and allowed for a double barrel to be hooked onto it. Ash and a Phosphoro jumped into the barrels. Nathanael, now on the ground next to his wife, adjusted his goggles and hit a button on them.

Evanlyn fired, and just as Alana recognized the move as a fusion, Evanlyn's arms were scooping her up and pulling her onto the wolf Mecha, grabbing another pair of goggles from a compartment and hurriedly strapping them on Alana just as the clearing exploded with light.

Everything was toned down a dozen shades with the goggles, but Alana could see Nathanael reach up and hold his wife's face in his hands as Ash and the Phosphoro wove around the Dark Slinger, who was blinded without the Western tech.

Little Alana clung to her mother's arms like they were the only thing keeping her from floating away, and through the heat and noise from the fusion shot, Alana heard her father say something to her.

"You stay strong, little spark. And remember that Dad loves you so much."

And then, to his wife:

"This isn't the end. He'll watch after her. And when this is all over, we'll go over there together to get her back. I love you, Evanlyn."

Evanlyn let herself take a moment and leaned forward, giving her husband one last gentle kiss.

"I'm so sorry about this," she said, her voice cracking. "I love you, too, Nathanael."

And then the light faded, and the last thing Alana could see through her mother's arms as she rode off into the forest was Nathanael raising his blaster at the Dark Slinger. She saw Ash and the Phosphoro fly back to Evanlyn, landing on the Mecha and looking down somberly.

I don't want to see this anymore! I want to go home!

But, at the same time, it was like a horror movie to Alana as she watched her memories. She couldn't look away. No matter how much she wanted to, no matter how much this night would plague her dreams, she just couldn't stop.

There was blood dripping down from Evanlyn's shoulder onto Alana's arms. Finally, the little girl let out one of her first real noises of the night, beginning to sob, but catching herself and clamping her mouth shut. Evanlyn looked down at her, and even though there were tears in her eyes, she still smiled at her daughter and pulled her in tighter, despite the severe pain she must've felt in her arm.

"I'm so proud of you, little spark," Evanlyn said. "You're so confused and you've been rushed around, but you've been listening to us the whole time and working with us and not causing any trouble. I'm so sorry you're going through this, but I'm so proud."

Alana kept crying, holding onto her mother's uninjured arm, simply nodding in response. What else could a five-year-old child say?

The mother and daughter continued their ride through Palida Cavern. They occasionally passed houses, all built to accomodate for the mushroom trees around them. The vegetation, Alana saw, was almost all bioluminescent, but it gave off deep blue and purple glows, with a few spots of lime green in the bushes and trees.

It's beautiful here.

After only a few minutes of riding, the wolf skidded to a halt in a large clearing. The gurgling water from a river just through the trees was the only source of noise. Alana looked up and saw the wall of the cavern, blue rock stretching up toward the ceiling. A stone circle was built up against the rock.

There were five symbols carved into it, and a few stairsteps that led to the empty inside of the circle. Evanlyn slid off the Mecha, wincing as she set Alana on the ground and rushed up to the circle, resting her hands on the stone within it.

What is that thing?

"Alana, come here," she said, lowering her head and closing her eyes. Her hands began to glow blue, and as Alana hesitantly approached her mother, the symbols on the stone began to fill in with blue light. Evanlyn sighed and pulled her hands away, suddenly breathing heavily and looking a little paler.

Alana carefully climbed up the steps and stood next to her mother, purposefully avoiding looking at the bloodstains on Evanlyn's arm and torso. Evanlyn loaded a Geoshard and fired it at the ground.

Lime green crystals began to jut up from the ground in front of the two, creating a half-dome that shielded them from the rest of Palida cavern. Evanlyn holstered her blaster, and Alana vaguely noticed that her breaths were becoming more and more shallow.

"Alana, do you remember the stories about the other realms I've visited?" Evanlyn asked, kneeling down so she was level with her daughter.

"Mhm," Alana said, worriedly shifting her weight back and forth. Ash gave her a small smile from Evanlyn's shoulder. "You use the gateway," she continued, pointing up at the charging gate, "to go different places."

Evanlyn nodded, glancing up at the stone circle. The symbols were now almost completely glowing blue, and blue light was forming at the edges of the inside of the circle.

"That's right. Well, now you're going to go visit another realm," Evanlyn said, looking like she was fighting to keep a smile on her face. "It's a little dangerous here right now, so I'm sending you away to a friend of mine in the Central Caverns. His name is Will Shane."

WHAT?!

"He's going to watch after you while Mommy and Daddy fix things here. And when we do that, I'll come back and bring you home," Evanlyn finished.

Tears formed in Alana's eyes.

"I don't want to leave!" she said, her voice cracking. "I don't want to go anywhere without you!"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Evanlyn said, resting a hand on Alana's cheek. "But I need to know you're safe. That man, the Dark Slinger, is looking for you and me, and I can't let him catch us. I'm going to use my Thugglet," she said, loading the slug into her blaster, "to make it look like I'm sending you to the Burning World to trick him. But you're going to be safe with Will."

That thing can take people to the surface?

Alana began to protest again, but before she could, cracks began to form in the Geoshard dome. Evanlyn gasped as it all shattered, raining down on her and Alana, riddling the duo with small cuts. A ghouled Slyren barked at them from the ground. There were clouds of dust left from the broken shield, and Evanlyn quickly fired her Thugglet. There was the familiar sound of sparks, but Alana didn't watch to see the illusion.

Instead, she looked up and saw her father's stag Mecha approaching the gateway. But it was different. Its eyes were glowing red, and atop it rode not Nathanael Caelum, but the Dark Slinger.

The next things that happened went by in a blur.

Alana felt Evanlyn shove her back so she was up against the activating portal, and she felt a slug jump on her shoulder.

The Dark Slinger fired his ghouled Infurnus at the gateway.

Evanlyn turned her back to the ghoul, holding out her hands and letting out a yell as her arms, eyes, and streaked hair glowed blue. A new dome, smaller and only encompassing Alana and the portal, formed out of pure energy as the Darkfurnus spat out green flames at Alana.

One of the flames reached her just as the energy shield went up, scorching her arm. Alana cried out in pain and dropped to the ground, immense pain and heat consuming her right arm. But that was the only attack that made it through. The ghouled Infurnus crashed into the shield and didn't even crack it, reverting back to protoform.

Evanlyn laughed hoarsely as she turned to face the Dark Slinger on shaky legs. Her skin was now deathly pale, and Alana saw that even the blue in her hair seemed to be fading slightly. But the shield glowed powerful blue, and the inside of the portal was almost completely filled with light. Alana could feel weak pulls of gravity tugging her toward the portal.

"I just put almost every ounce of energy I've got into making that shield," Evanlyn said, almost swaying on her feet. "I know when I'm beat, Dark Slinger. I may lose the battle tonight, but the hope of our caverns is escaping to fight another day."

With that, she pointed back to Alana, and then further up at something on Alana's shoulder.

Young Alana slowly turned to see the slug she'd felt jump onto her shoulder before the shield had shut.

It was Ash.

She's not planning on living if she's sending away her Infurnus.

"Mom, you need him!" Alana cried out, hitting the shield with her good arm. "You need him to win!"

Evanlyn winced, but didn't turn back to face her daughter as the Dark Slinger laughed and climbed off Nathanael's Mecha.

"I came here to make one final negotiation for your surrender," he said, and Alana noticed that he was dragging something behind him. "But if it's futile..."

He slung his cargo forward, and Evanlyn swayed, almost losing her balance at the sight of her barely-breathing husband.

Nathanael's hair was matted with blood, scarlet dripping down his cheeks from a gash on his temple. Cuts and bruises riddled his skin, and there were tears in his clothes and cracks in his armor. His tear-filled brown eyes were barely open, but they flitted up to see Evanlyn.

"Take down that shield and surrender yourselves to me, and he lives," the Dark Slinger said, loading a ghouled Geoshard into one of his wrist blasters. Evanlyn's breaths were shaking, and Alana saw tears streaming down her mother's face.

Please don't let this happen, please do something, please-

Nathanael lifted his head, and as he blinked, tears fell on his cheeks. His lips were trembling, but he tightened them and shook his head. Evanlyn took a shuddering breath and stared at the ground, her hands in fists.

"I... I can't," she said, forcing herself to look up at the Dark Slinger. "I can't give up the fate of an entire realm for one man, no matter how much I love him."

The Dark Slinger sighed, looking truly disappointed. His scarlet eyes looked down at the weaken man on the ground before him.

"A pity."

He tightened his wrist, firing the ghoul.

It didn't even crystallize his entire body. It didn't have to. The pale green gems just formed around each of his temples. Nathanael gasped and shuddered, writhing for a moment as the crystals entered his brain, and then slowly becoming still.

It was rumored that it wasn't necessarily a painful way to die. At first it was, but then the brain would just cease functioning. That didn't stop Alana from screaming out, or Evanlyn, poor Evanlyn, from falling to her knees and weeping as the light faded from her husband's warm brown eyes.

The feeling of grief that erupted in Alana was too much for her to even comprehend. She had a headache, and everything hurt, and she would never forget the look of the light fading from his eyes.

This is too much.

The Dark Slinger walked toward Evanlyn, glancing at Nathanael's still body as he passed.

"So much death and destruction," he said, not a single trace of remorse in his voice. "Chaos, uncertainty, pain, it's all almost beautiful. These caverns were beautiful as well. But the battle is over."

He raised his blaster at Evanlyn, who was still sobbing and staring at her husband. She slowly got ahold of herself, silencing her cries and catching her breath. She glared up at the Dark Slinger.

"You've killed my paladins, and you've killed the love of my life," she said, her voice coming out surprisingly steady. "But you won't get what you want. See..."

She glanced down at the Thugglet in her bandoleer.

"After tonight, she will be the only one with the energy you want."

And with that, the Thugglet dropped its illusion, and as little Alana collapsed to the ground in shock and terror, she remembered the Dark Urchin the Dark Slinger had fired before they'd made it to the gateway, and how she'd heard the sparks of a Thugglet illusion and looked up to see Evanlyn pierced in the arm.

She'd figured the illusion had been a slight change in location, something to throw off the Dark Slinger. But it had been to hide how serious her wounds actually were.

"N-no!" the Dark Slinger stammered, sounding for the first time completely surprised and distraught as he look at the wound in Evanlyn's stomach.

Red covered the lower half of her torso, staining her blue shirt. She must've been in pain this whole time, fighting and riding.

No, it can't happen like this, please no-

"No, no! I need your energy!" the Dark Slinger exclaimed. "Y-your healers! You must have healer slugs!"

"No," Evanlyn croaked, shaking her head. "I saw what you could do and I sent them away. I couldn't risk you turning them into monsters like that," she said, gesturing to the Goon Doc on the Dark Slinger's shoulders.

No no no!

Evanlyn gave the Dark Slinger a wry smile, coughing as he turned toward Alana and rushed up to the portal. He growled and banged on the shield with his fists as the inner area of the circle completely filled in with blue light.

Alana gasped as the gravity of the portal began to pull her back into the light. One of the symbols glowed yellow- the one displayed the Sun, part of the Thugglet's illusion- and the portal turned a brilliant golden yellow. The Dark Slinger laughed, sounding crazed as he turned back to Evanlyn.

"You're sending her to the Burning World? You'll let anyone suffer to save this realm, won't you?" he ran his hands through his hair. "First your Paladins, then your husband, and now your child! She'll be fine for a month or so, but with her powers, she'll be miserable without any slug energy!"

Evanlyn shrugged, turning back and watching as Alana was tugged into the portal.

"She's strong. She'll live, and when she comes back, she'll take back what we lose this day," she said confidently, looking her daughter in the eye. "Take care, little spark. Mama loves you."

Alana began to shriek and cry, trying desperately to pull out of the grasp of the portal, but she failed. She was being pulled away from her realm, and nothing would be able to stop it.

"No!" the Dark Slinger bellowed, slicing at the shield in futility, looking down at Alana with a look of pure, unbridled rage that made even watching her father die seem... small.

Ash chirped at her urgently, and with a sob, Alana stopped struggling. The light of the portal enveloped her, and the last thing she saw was her mother sighing in relief before collapsing to the ground.

There were only blurred images of what happened next flashing through Alana's mind. Landing in a black and green clearing, still in pain, surrounding by confusing and frightening monsters.

Please let it have been a bad dream!

A Hypnogrif keeping her company, keeping her fear at bay. A man with black hair and teal eyes coming, and, out of fear, running away from the black clearing.

How could things have been so good and turn so terrible?

Being found by Will in the jungle. And then looking into the eyes of the Hypnogrif one final time as he sealed away the terrible memories-

WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?

And then Alana's eyes flew open, and she sat up on the cool black stone of the Shadow Clan's clearing, gasping for breath, her hands shaking. Phantom pain seared on her arm where she'd been burnt.

With a deep, rattling breath, Alana held her head in her hands and began to sob.