The moment Alana opened her eyes that morning, she knew something was wrong.

Pale yellow Lumino light drifted into her room from her window. Her slugs were scattered around her room, all still asleep. It looked completely peaceful, but Alana felt cold despite the three blankets she was buried under.

It was close to what she'd felt like when the failed fusion shorted out her energy, but she didn't feel exhausted. She felt... blank. Like her own light was retreating, and just leaving behind a hollow void. A million thoughts were running through her head - was this just a normal thing that would happen when she got really sick? Had she been hit by a certain kind of ghoul? How long would this last? And would it get worse?

Then she saw Ash, and all worries about her own wellbeing faded away.

He was curled up on her pillow like usual, but he was paler than usual and his eyes were half open. Alana quickly bolted upwards and scooped him up in her hands, ignoring the painful head rush that followed the rapid movement. The Infurnus, usually rather warm to the touch, felt cool. His normally energetic red eyes were now drowsy and dull, but Alana could still feel him breathing, and her shoulders sagged with relief. Being so far from Mage was difficult, but losing Ash was unthinkable.

"Is anyone else sick?" she wondered out loud, and she winced when she heard her voice, shaky and hoarse.

Her slugs began to stir around her, looking up at their slinger with concern. None of them looked like they were ill. Whatever was happening, it was just affecting her and Ash.

"Do you know what's going on?" Alana asked Ash as she forced herself to stand up, shivering and swaying on her feet. She steadied herself on her nightstand and looked down at Ash. The Infurnus shook his head, laying down in Alana's hand and coughing weakly. Alana's heart sank at the sight of her signature slug so weak and ill.

She could feel Ash's energy flickering like a flame in the wind. And just as the thought crossed her mind that she should try to get herself around to see if any of the other slugs were sick, Alana heard voices from downstairs.

"Never seen one sick..."

Alana glanced down at Ash worriedly. It couldn't be a coincidence that she and Ash were sick, too, and it sounded like it was another slug that had fallen ill.

With a shaky breath, Alana slowly made her way across her room. Her other slugs, now awake and watching their slinger warily, followed after her, chirping encouragements along the way that she couldn't understand but still appreciated.

By the time she swung open the door and grabbed onto the railing that lined the second floor, Alana felt like she'd run across the cavern. Still shivering, she looked over the rail to the first floor, where the rest of the Shane Gang was gathered around a pillow on the coffee table. Burpy was laid down on it, looking just like Ash- sickly, pale, and fading. It broke Alana's heart to see yet another slug so ill.

"But none of us have any idea what to do," Kord was saying to Eli, who was staring down at Burpy. The Shane's eyes were wide with obvious fear for his slug.

"What about Alana?" Trixie asked hopefully. "If she can feel the slugs' energies, maybe she could tell us what's wrong with him."

Alana sighed, a sad smile on her face as she rested her arms on the rail. "I wouldn't count on it."

The rest of the gang looked up, and all of their shoulders sagged when they saw Alana.

"Guardian slugs, Alana, what happened?" Trixie asked. Alana shrugged, shivering as a chill ran down her spine.

"I don't know, but it's the same thing that's affecting Burpy. And Ash," she added, nodding down to her hand. Ash's white markings made him look even more pale compared to Burpy. "Our energies are really weak. It's like a fire that's slowly going out, and I don't know how to fix it."

Suddenly, Alana's slugs began to chirp down to Eli's down below. After a few moments of conversing, Joules looked up at Eli and nodded determinedly.

"But they do," Eli said, a hopeful smile on his face. "We need to follow the slugs."

"Can you gear up?" Trixie asked Alana, who scratched the back of her head.

"Honestly, not fast enough," she admitted. Trixie nodded and climbed up the stairs, glancing back down at the boys.

"Get the Mechs around. We'll be ready in five," she said. Then she turned back to Alana and held out a hand. "You really don't look good."

"I don't feel good," Alana said, taking Trixie's hand and letting her teammate support her as the two walked back into Alana's room. "I've been sick before, but never this bad."

Once in her room, Alana glanced at her mirrored closet doors, looking at her reflection. Her skin was pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Everything about her seemed more dull than usual- even her bright blue eyes seemed more desaturated, and so did the blue in her hair.

The single red streak seemed okay. She tried to ignore it.

"It's not that bad," Trixie said when she saw what Alana was looking at. "You'll be fine."

Alana nodded, and the two began to gather up her slinging gear. But she didn't fully believe Trixie. She could feel her own energy weakening, pulling away, and it was scary. She didn't know what would happen if she lost her bond to the light, if that was even what was happening.

She didn't want to know.

~~~~~~~~

The second Alana got to the garage, trying not to hold onto Trixie for support but failing, the gang took off, pointed in the right direction by the slugs. Alana laid down on Midnight, resting her head on the control panel. She had brought along a small blanket that she kept over her back, but it didn't stop the chills. It was like they were coming from inside her.

She kept Ash in her gloved hands, trying to keep him warm. Every once in a while, one of the healthy members of the Shane Gang would ask Alana if she was okay. She would simply shrug and nod. She wasn't really okay, but there wasn't anything the rest of the gang could do.

The nearly silent ride was unsettling. Alana wasn't exactly a chatterbox, but she could definitely fill the blank space when she needed to. But now she couldn't bring herself to waste her breath, and the rest of the gang didn't seem to know what to say.

After a while- the ride could have been a half hour, or four hours, the mushroom forests around the gang grew darker and thicker. The slugs on Lucky's control panel- Joules and Spinner- seemed to get more excited, chirping and nodding encouragements to Burpy, who had retreated to a slug tube on Eli's bandoleer. Eli slowed down Lucky, driving in line with Alana.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. Alana sighed and sat up, rubbing her forehead.

"Bad," she said, having to find the strength to speak. "I don't know what's going on, and it feels so bad. Like my light is... retreating. Ash and Burpy feel the same," she added, reaching out and feeling their energies.

"Well, hang in there," Eli said, glancing at the forest around the gang. "We'll get there soon. Wherever 'there' is."

"It's getting darker," Trixie noted.

"And scarier. This place is giving me the heebie-creepies," Kord added. Alana looked around, and sure enough, spiderwebs crisscrosses between leaves in bushes, and she had the distinct feeling that she was being watched.

"Ah, that is because we have just entered the territory of the Shadow Clan!" Pronto said, glancing down at the map on his Mecha's screen. Alana was unsurprised. Of course the Shadow Clan would be involved in any crazy energy things. After Eli yelling at them the last time they'd met, she wasn't eager to see the creatures again.

Finally, the Shane Gang rode into a large clearing of dark gray and black stone, detailed with glowing green marks. Black rock pillars jutted up from the ground, each one donned with a glowing glyph. Alana sat up, looking around for the Shadow Clan warily, knowing they would show up soon with trespassers in their territory.

The slugs leading the way excitedly hopped off of Eli's Mecha, gathering around a small hole in one of the walls of the clearing. Eli jumped down from Lucky, and Alana rode up to him on Midnight.

Eli peered down at the tiny opening, and Alana frowned. It was obviously meant for slugs to enter, not humans.

"We're supposed to go in there?" Eli asked. "Me and Alana won't ever fit through there. There must be a bigger opening."

The gang looked around the clearing with uncertainty. There didn't appear to be any other openings to whatever was behind the dark stone walls.

"But how do we find it?" Trixie asked, getting down from her Mecha.

Eli thought for a moment, then unhooked something from Lucky- the shadow talker. "We ask."

When Eli placed the shadow talker on his head, Alana noticed that he had no reaction to the powers of the circlet. The first time he'd worn it, it had nearly fried his brain. Even when he'd worn it when the Shadow Clan confronted him about the failed fusion, he'd obviously been in distress. Now he seemed completely at ease. It was a milestone in how far he'd come, and Alana wanted to point it out, but when she opened her mouth she simply broke into a coughing fit.

A few moments passed. There was no sign of the Shadow Clan. Alana pulled her blanket in tighter around her as another round of chills plagued her. Kord sighed and shrugged.

"Never around when you want 'em, huh?" the cave troll asked.

Pronto rolled his eyes and waved a hand. "Bah! Who ever wants them around?"

As he spoke, several Shadow Clan began to materialize around the Shane Gang. Pronto, however, didn't seem to notice, and continued his rant about them. If Alana could properly laugh, she probably would have.

"They're always so serious and spooky! You know, it's like they enjoy being frightening! Not, of course, that Pronto is ever afraid," the molenoid quickly added with a chuckle, hopping down from his Mecha. Trixie snickered and finally grabbed Pronto's shoulders and turned him around. When he saw the Shadow Clan surrounding him, he let out a piercing shriek and ducked behind Trixie's legs.

Kord hesitantly reached for his blaster, but Eli raised a hand and stopped him.

"It's okay, Kord," the Shane assured, looking up at the leader of the Shadow Clan, who towered before him, looking down curiously. "I got this."

The leader thrashed his tail, blocking to way to the small entrance in the wall. "This is sacred ground. Leave now."

Eli didn't retreat, instead holding a hand out to Alana and helping her down off Midnight. She reluctantly left the blanket on the front seat, and tried to block out the chills she felt prickling at her arms. Alana set Ash into a tube on her bandoleer, and couldn't help but notice how strange she felt without Mage, and now Ash, on her shoulder.

"We need your help," Eli said, looking pointedly at Alana as she coughed a few times. "Alana and our two Infurnus slugs went down sick this morning."

Alana wanted to talk, to tell the Shadow Clan about how she felt like her energy was weakening. But the thought of having a full conversation seemed too daunting. It was taking a lot of her focus to just keep the connection with their energy so she could understand them.

The leader of the Shadow Clan stooped down, his glowing green eyes observing Ash and Burpy. He shook his head sadly, and Alana was shocked to see how sympathetic he looked when he straightened back up.

"These slugs' fires will go out soon. Once they do, they will be no more," he hissed, and a wave of dread crashed into Alana when he glanced at her. "The same can be said for your energy."

Alana wanted to ask him what part was the same- her energy going out, or her being no more, or both- but he continued before she could form the words.

"I see now why your slugs have brought you here, to the Lightwell."

Alana's eyes widened, and she straightened up. The Lightwell? If that's really where Eli's slugs were going, then there was still plenty of hope for her and the two Infurnus slugs.

"Lightwell? What's that?" Eli asked, and Pronto jumped forward excitedly, his fear of the Shadow Clan apparently forgotten.

"The Lightwell is fifty percent legend, fifty percent lore, and fifty percent mystery!" he exclaimed. Nobody pointed out that his math was more than a little off, but Trixie nodded.

"Supposedly, it's where slugs go to get a recharge," she explained. Eli's eyes lit up.

"That's perfect," he said, looking back up at the Shadow Clan's leader. "If you show me the way, I can take Burpy, Ash, and Alana."

"Paths to the Lightwell are not meant for humans," the leader said dismissively. "It may not be possible for you to survive the journey."

Eli looked down at Burpy in his bandoleer, then over at Ash and Alana. His blue eyes were filled with confidence, and he looked back up at the leader and shrugged.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. One way or another, I'm taking my friends," he insisted. Alana focused on not breaking out into any more coughs, then found her voice.

"Please. We can't let the only Infurnus slugs in..." she hesitated for a split second, momentarily thinking about the ghouled Infurnus the Dark Slinger wielded. "These caverns die. And I can't, either. There's still too much I can do to protect the 99 Caverns."

And now, so much more beyond that, she thought vaguely, before pushing thoughts of the West out of her mind.

The leader of the Shadow Clan thought for a moment, then he closed his eyes and turned toward the opening in the wall. He held out a shadow walker, but instead of teleporting away, he pressed a button on its side and a portion of the black stone wall began to glow brilliant green. The glyphs carved in the pillars around the clearing also glowed, and with a rumble, the stone wall split and created an entrance big enough for Eli and Alana.

"Remember later, slingers, that it was you who asked for this," he said.

Alana wished she wasn't undergoing the feeling of her life force ebbing away, because otherwise, she would be jumping up and down excitedly. The Lightwell was rumored to be the heart of Slugterra's energy. She was thrilled to be able to see it and feel so much light energy gathered in one place, but the circumstances were less than desirable.

The Shadow Clan wouldn't let the rest of the Shane Gang through, so Eli and Alana said their farewells to their friends, promising to return with Ash, Burpy, and Alana back to normal.

Leaning on Eli to keep herself from falling to the ground and occasionally murmuring encouragements to Ash, Alana put all her strength into simply moving forward as she and Eli started down the path to the Lightwell.

The winding stone path cut through several terrains. Barren tundras, cool caves, and rich jungles with aquamarine waterfalls. Normally, Alana would have appreciated the beautiful scenery, but now she didn't let herself look around too much. Every once in a while, things would go blurry.

"Are you good to keep going?" Eli asked as the path narrowed down into yet another dark tunnel, lined with glowing blue and green mushrooms.

Every muscle in Alana's body begged her to say no. Ash and Burpy got to stay in slug tubes, but Alana's legs were shaky and her eyelids felt heavier and heavier. But she knew that the sooner the group reached the Lightwell, the sooner she'd feel better.

"You bet," she croaked. "I'm fit as a Fandango."

Eli glanced at Alana. "What do you think caused this?"

"Dark energy? Or a certain kind of ghoul recently that got us? I don't know," Alana said, pausing to cough. "But it's not good. There's no treating this with medicine, or- or Boon Docs, even if we had them. We need the Lightwell."

"Well, don't worry," Eli said encouragingly, looking around as the tunnel opened up into a cave. "We'll be there soon. But first..."

His voice trailed off as he and Alana reached a steep cliff. The dark stone dropped off to a sea of green water that stretched across the cave. Several floating stones hung in the air, creating a bridge to the opposite end of the sea where the path to the Lightwell started again.

"We need to cross this thing."

He and Alana walked up to the edge of the cliff, and Alana swayed slightly at the sight of the drop to the green water. Heights didn't normally bother her, but when she felt like she could pass out at any second, a floating bridge over an ocean of who-knows-what was frightening.

"Don't worry, I've got an idea," Eli said, raising his blaster. His Bubbaleone, Suds, jumped in.

Alana nodded and got her own blaster, but there was a noticeable tremor in her hand. She gritted her teeth and quickly unclipped her own Bubbaleone, Bubbles, and loaded her blaster.

"We'll just float across, we don't need to worry about the floating bridge, okay?" Eli asked. Alana nodded, raising her shaking arm and firing her Bubbaleone. The recoil of her blaster, which hadn't bothered her for years, made her stumble back a step. Eli looked at her worriedly, but firing his own Bubbaleone up in the air.

The two pink slugs transformed and turned back towards their slingers, swallowing them up into their bubbles. Alana tumbled down to the bottom of the hollow space, which was filled with the faint smell of rose petals, and watched as she and Eli floated across the green ocean.

Then a creature screeched and dove down from the stalactites at the ceiling of the cave.

It resembled a bat, but had full arms and legs. It's eyes were bright red, and it was completely encased in silver-gray metal. With another screech, it flew toward Alana's bubble.

Alana tried to get to her feet, but couldn't keep her balance, so she just dove to the side and knocked her Bubbaleone to the right. The bat missed, and then decided to go for Eli, who was watching with wide eyes and loading his blaster. When the bat flew toward him, he tried to dodge like Alana, but the monster had learned. He anticipated the dodge and clawed at the bubble, popping it.

Alana gasped as Eli fell down to the floating stones. In midair, he fired a Tormato that released a gust of wind. It knocked Alana all the way to the other side of the green sea, and her Bubbaleone popped and dropped her off where the path to the Lightwell restarted. She couldn't get to her feet- she just didn't have the strength- so she watched from the ground as the metal bat slammed into Eli's chest, knocking him down from the floating rock he'd landed on.

"Eli!" Alana tried to cry out, but it was more like a hoarse whisper. Spinner, who'd apparently been knocked away from Eli when he fell, spat out a web from the small floating rock he stood on. It caught Eli's boot and suspended him in the air just before he hit the green water. For a moment, Alana thought he'd be fine. Then the water began to ripple.

A large fish, easily bigger than Alana, erupted from the surface. It resembled the magma monster the gang had faced when they tried to get the Forgesmelter to open Will's chest. It was green and teal, and lunged up at Eli with razor-sharp teeth. Alana's shoulders sagged with relief as Eli reached up, grabbing the web and pulling himself upright, out of the fish's grasp.

Eli took a deep breath and fired his Rammstone at the metal bat as it began to swoop back down toward him, but the slug seemed to simply annoy the monster. It wasn't even dazed as the Rammstone punched it in the chest. Instead, it shook off the blow and continued approaching Eli.

After dodging another hit from the bat, Eli let go of the web, letting himself fall backwards as he grabbed the double barrel mod from his belt, already loaded with a Tazerling and a Dirt Urchin, and attached it to his blaster, firing at the bat as he fell. Alana's eyes widened as she felt the burst of energy released when the two slugs transformed in unison, taking a moment to savor the light energy before it faded.

The fusion shot spikes all over the bat, embedding them into its metal skin. Then bolts of electricity ran between the spikes, electrocuting the bat and sending it spiraling into the green water.

But Eli was still falling toward the water, which began to bubble as the fish emerged for another try. With a scowl, Eli reared back, and Alana's jaw dropped as he punched the creature in the jaw, sending it back into the water. With lightning fast reflexes, the Shane grabbed onto the fish's tail as it swam away, stretching out the Arachnet web he was tied to. When he let go, he was propelled back upwards, and landed on one of the floating stones.

"Did you see that?" he called out as he hurriedly crossed the rest of the floating stones. Alana laughed as he reached the cliffside and helped her up.

"Don't know how I could've missed it," she croaked. Eli winced, and his smile wavered.

"You're looking paler. Come on, let's get moving," he said, holding out an arm for Alana to grab onto and starting down the path once more. "We've gotta be getting close to the Lightwell."

Alana nodded and focused on putting forward all of her strength to keep walking forward. She didn't want to say anything to Eli, but every step was getting more and more difficult. A few times, her eyes shut without her even noticing, and she had to force herself to stay awake. It felt like she was slowly beginning to shut down.

After a while- Alana couldn't tell how long, because she had long since retreated to her mind to block out the chills creeping up on her- the group got another change in scenery. But this time, it was a terrible smell in the tunnel, which was beginning to get shorter and narrower.

"What is that?" Eli gagged, holding his nose. "Smells worse than a bunch of Flatulorhinkus slugs!"

Alana nodded, holding her own nose and glancing down at Ash. The Infurnus, who was looking horribly gray, shook his head and stuck his tongue out. Alana couldn't help but crack a small smile.

"Hang in there, bud," she whispered as she and Eli continued down the tunnel. The ceiling quickly became too low to continue standing up, so Alana and Eli resorted to crawling on their hands and knees. As they continued, the odor continuously got worse.

"I wonder what this-" Eli began, but before he could, the tunnel took a sharp drop, sending both him and Alana tumbling down an incline and into another section of the tunnel.

But their surroundings weren't dark stone anymore. Instead, the walls were shaking, and made up of bright reds and pinks. Alana gagged when she saw that they were glistening, and the ground beneath them was covered in a layer of thick pink slime. Alana was suddenly extremely glad she wore gloves.

While Alana broke into a coughing fit, Eli looked around, looking like he was trying not to throw up. "This tunnel smells like the inside of a..."

He fell silent as the tunnel shuddered, and let out a noise that sounded an awful lot like a burp. Alana and Eli exchanged a glance.

"This isn't a tunnel," he said. As he spoke, the walls trembled again, and one opened up, revealing a large clearing. Eli and Alana were thrown out of the opening and sent crashing to the ground.

Alana stayed down, suddenly plagued by more chills, but she turned so she could see the creature that just spat them out.

It was an enormous yellow and purple worm, rearing into the air and letting out a screech that caused dust and small stones to shake down from the cave's ceiling. Eli got to his feet, and both slingers wiped off as much of the pink goo as they could onto the stone floor.

"Wait," Eli said as he grabbed his blaster. "If we got spat in through its mouth, that means we crawled in through-"

"Don't!" Alana groaned, coughing. "Just don't!"

"Heads up!" Eli called as the worm suddenly sped forward, jabbing at the ground where they were standing. He pushed into Alana, the two of them toppling to the right. "I am not going back in there!"

Once again, Alana stayed down, but Eli stood and fired a Rammstone at the worm. The creature was so large, the slug had little effect. The worm hissed at Eli, and with its attention off of her, Alana began to edge behind a stalagmite to keep herself out of the fight. As exciting as fighting that thing would be, she was feeling more and more drowsy, and she knew she'd only get in the way.

"I know you're not in a great state, but any ideas?" Eli called as the worm lunged for him and dislodged a stalactite from the ceiling, which Eli just barely avoided.

Alana thought for a moment, then mustered up energy to call out, "Frostcrawler!"

Eli nodded and fired his Frostcrawler, Chiller. The slug flew down the length of the worm, releasing a blast of cold air that froze the creature solid. It fell to the ground with a tremendous THUD, and Alana sighed, sitting up against the stalagmite.

"That was gross. We're all taking long showers when we get home," Eli noted, jogging over to Alana. His face fell when he saw her leaning against the rock, shivering and trying to keep down coughs. "Can you keep going?"

"Yeah," she said immediately, glancing down at Ash. He was laying against the side of his slug tube, eyes nearly shut, and Burpy was doing the same. "We... we need to keep moving."

"Maybe we should take a break," Eli suggested uncertainly, watching as Alana began to cough again.

Alana wanted to rest, but she had a feeling that if she did, she may not get started back up again. Her legs felt like rubber, and she felt like she'd been dunked into the Underriver. She was coughing and was dizzy, but one look at Ash and Burpy and Alana knew she had to keep moving forward.

"No. We're close, I can feel it," Alana said honestly. She could feel the light energy of the Lightwell getting closer. Eli still looked unsure, and Alana sighed. "Eli... we need to keep going. We don't have a lot of time."

Eli nodded and held out a hand, pulling Alana to her feet. He put his left arm under her right arm, which she wrapped around his shoulders, and the two started down the path once more. Alana's head hung down, and her breaths were becoming more and more shallow.

Then, the atmosphere around the two slingers began to warm up. It was a strange sensation, because Alana still felt chills, but it was better than nothing. Golden flecks began to appear on the tunnel walls, and Eli looked around curiously.

"It's warmer. And it smells... sweet?" he noted. Alana nodded, looking around as more golden flecks appeared in the stone. The hall smelled faintly of honey.

Then Eli stopped in his tracks and scowled. Alana looked up and saw a winged scorpion flying around them, buzzing around Eli's face.

"Get out of here," he said, waving it away. But the insect sped forward and latched onto Eli's arm, jabbing its stinger down. Eli winced and Alana swatted the bug to the ground with her free hand.

"You okay?" she croaked, and Eli nodded, stretching out his arm. It was red where he'd been stung, but otherwise, it looked fine.

"Yeah," he said breezily, and the two continued walking down the tunnel. "Good thing it was just the one, though, and not a..."

He trailed off as the sound of buzzing suddenly grew behind the two. Eli and Alana turned, and both groaned as they saw a swarm of winged scorpions flying down the tunnel, heading right for them.

"Floppers. Come on!" Eli urged, grabbing Alana's forearm. "We need to run!"

Alana let herself be half dragged and half guided by Eli, but trying to get her legs to sprint was like moving through Jellyish slime. She felt like everything was going in slow motion, and the sudden movement was giving her head rushes.

"There's an opening!" Eli said, coming to a halt and pushing Alana in front of him. Sure enough, there was a narrow crack in the wall, just big enough for a person to squeeze through. "You first!"

Alana hurried through the hole, falling down a few feet into a talk chamber that was golden brown. Honeycombs lined the walls, and she was on a walkway suspended over golden yellow liquid at the bottom of the cave. Eli jumped onto the walkway after her, quickly followed by the swarm of scorpions. They circled at the top of the chamber, regrouping.

"I can't outrun those," Alana whispered. It was taking everything she had just to stay on her feet. Eli loaded his blaster with a Slyren.

"Hopefully, you won't have to," he said, firing the slug up at the swarm. "Cover your ears!"

Alana did as she was told, covering her ears as the Slyren let out a piercing cry. She could feel the vibrations running through the walkway she and Eli stood on. The winged scorpions began to drop down to the ground, lulled to sleep by the Slyren's song. Once the slug returned to protoform, Eli and Alana lowered their hands.

"That went surprisingly well," Eli laughed, but Alana sank to her knees as another wave of cold swept over her. She put her hands to her head as black spots danced in her vision, and coughs shook her shoulders.

"Come on," Eli said, pulling her to her feet, fear evident in his face. "Come on, we need to hurry. You'll be fine."

Alana nodded, her hands shaking with chills. The two slingers put an arm around each other, but now Eli was practically dragging Alana down the walkway as they left the scorpion chamber and returned to a dark tunnel.

But this one had bright blue Lumino shards sticking out of it, and Alana suddenly felt a mass of warmth approaching. Not the kind that the nest had been giving off, but a warmth that started to drive away some of the chills she felt in her chest.

"Getting close," she managed, and as she spoke, the tunnel in front of them opened up into a large chamber.

The stone was dark gray-blue, with a lighter walkway leading up to the center of the chamber. Stone pillars lined the path, each marked with a glowing green Shadow Clan glyph. Vines grew up the sides of the stones and at the bottom of towering stone statues of the Shadow Clan that were on either side of the cave. Small blue circles of light drifted through the air, circling around the center of the cave, where the Lightwell sat.

It was a circular hole in the ground, with stair steps leading down to the walkway. Alana's eyes widened as she felt the tremendous amount of light energy radiating from it. A bright pillar of cyan light rose up from the well, all the way to the ceiling of the cave, tinting everything blue. This was the heart of the 99 Caverns' light energy.

"It's incredible," Alana breathed, a smile on her face. Eli nodded, glancing down at his bandoleer.

"See that, Burpy? We made it."

Ash and Burpy both looked up from their slug tubes, chirping happily at the sight of the Lightwell. Eli and Alana started to walk down the path, but didn't even make it halfway to the Lightwell before a voice sounded behind them.

"We certainly did."

Alana's blood turned to ice. She and Eli both spun around, and she tried not to let the terror on her face show when she saw Thaddius Blakk walk into the Lightwell chamber. Doctor Blakk brushed one of the dozing scorpions off his shoulder, smirking when he saw the two slingers in shock.

"Thanks to you," he added. Eli stepped forward, and Alana edged behind him. If she was going to be useless in a fight against some flying bugs, she knew she'd be worthless in the fight that was about to happen.

"What now?" Alana breathed, wincing as another rush of chills ran up her spine. For a second, everything went blurry, and she thought she would fall, but she stayed standing. She had to get to the Lightwell, or she would shut down for good.

"Get you and the slugs to the Lightwell," Ell whispered. Then he raised his voice. "What do you want with the Lightwell, Blakk?"

"Simple. What I want is to destroy it," Blakk said, raising his blaster. Eli reached back and grabbed Alana's arm, pulling her to the side of the walkway as Blakk fired a Hop Jack. The two dove behind one of the stone pillars, and Eli fired his Tazerling before ducking behind the stone.

"How'd he get here?" he asked. Alana offered no answer, leaning against the rock and closing her eyes as a head rush hit her. She looked down at her hands and noticed how pale and gray her skin looked.

"I can answer that," Blakk said, momentarily lowering hus blaster. Eli took advantage of the ceasefire, grabbing Alana's arm and dragging her to her feet. The two sprinted across the walkway and dove behind another stone pillar. Now they were only one stone away from the Lightwell.

"First of all, the tracking ghoul C.C. hit you with helped quite a bit," Blakk said, firing a Grimmstone that crashed into the pillar, shaking it but not destroying it. Alana didn't know what ghoul Blakk was talking about, but Eli did.

"The dud," the Shane muttered, shaking his head and looking at the Lightwell. Alana could practically see the gears in his head spinning as he tried to figure out the plan.

"But you deserve the lion's share of the credit," Blakk continued. "I don't think I could have made it here if you hadn't taken care of every obstacle in the way. You certainly seemed quite... motivated."

At that moment, another rush of cold hit Alana, and she felt the world turn upside-down. She shivered and fell to the ground, her head throbbing and her hands shaking from the chills. Eli gasped and lowered his blaster, looking at Alana, then down at Burpy and Ash. Both Infurnus slugs looked unconscious.

"Alana, come on, you gotta snap out of it!" Eli said, shaking her shoulders. "We're so close! Come on!"

It was like Alana heard his voice through water. It was distorted, and she couldn't make everything out. But she could hear the panic in his voice, and she forced herself to take a deep breath and blink spots from her eyes. Despite the immense head rush she got from it, Alana forced herself to sit up.

"We're gonna get you to the Lightwell," Eli said, unclipping the slug tube that held Burpy and peeking around the side of the stone pillar. Blakk saw him and sneered.

"You'll never make it," he warned. Eli ignored him, turning to Alana.

"You will. Let's go!" he said, grabbing Alana's arm and pulling her out from behind the stone. The two sprinted down the walkway, closer and closer to the Lightwell. Blakk's ghouls explode at their sides, missing by only inches. Then Blakk fired a Thrasher at one of the Shadow Clan statues. It sawed off one of the stone arms and sent it plummeting towards Eli and Alana.

Eli reared back and threw the slug tube with Burpy into the Lightwell. If Alana wasn't simultaneously blacking out and running for her life, she would have complimented the running throw.

"Go!" Eli called, pushing Alana forward as the arm fell down on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

Alana didn't turn back, sprinting up to the Lightwell and stumbling up to the steps. Her arms were shaking, but she unclipped Ash's slug tube from her bandoleer and tossed it into the blue light. As she reached the edge of the stone ridge around the Lightwell, she felt another explosion behind her, and she was sent toppling in.

Alana felt herself fall for a moment, and then stop, as if time had come to a halt. She felt energy rushing all around her like water, but she could still breath, and when she opened her eyes, all she could see was blue and white. She looked down at her arms and saw her skin returning to normal, and she felt the chills and aches that had been plaguing her all day dissolve under the force of the light energy around her.

She felt warm and energized, and more powerful than ever. Alana felt like she could run a marathon, win a slinging tournament, anything. The light filled her and she felt completely at peace.

Then the Lightwell shook, and she felt chills of dark energy attacking the light. Alana scowled and, acting on instinct, manipulating the energy around her, propelling herself upward.

She emerged from the depths of the Lightwell, floating in the pillar of light that shone up from it. Eli was no longer pinned down by the statue's arm, and Blakk had his blaster pointed at the Lightwell. But at the sight of Alana, they both stopped, Eli whooping with excitement and Blakk staring up at Alana in fear.

Her hair still flowed around her like she was underwater, the blue streaks in it glowing, along with her eyes. The single red streak had been washed away, replaced once more by light blue. Alana glanced down at the base of the Lightwell, twenty feet below her. Ash and Burpy sat on the stone steps, looking up at her in awe, back to their normal colors and looking completely rejuvenated. A small smile formed on Alana's face.

Then she turned her gaze to Blakk, and it disappeared.

"The Lightwell won't be destroyed by the likes of you, Blakk," Alana called, her voice echoing across the Lightwell chamber. Blakk took a hesitant step backward, and Alana raised her hands, channeling the Lightwell's energy. Immediately, each of Blakk's ghouls began to glow blue, and with a small flash, they were all cured. Now normal slugs, they quickly hopped out of their slug tubes and away from Blakk, leaving him defenseless.

"No-!" Blakk began to say, cut short as bursts of black and green began to form around him. Two members of the Shadow Clan appeared, each grabbing on of his arms and hissing furiously. "NO!"

In a flash of black and green, the Shadow Clan teleported away, Blakk in tow. Just like that, the threat to the Lightwell was gone.

The leader of the Shadow Clan appeared in front of Eli, who got to his feet and watched as Alana lowered herself back down to the steps of the Lightwell. The blue glow faded from her hair and eyes, but she still looked radiating, especially compared to what she'd looked like before she'd reached the Lightwell.

"Alana, that was... wow," Eli managed as she walked towards him, Ash and Burpy in her hands. Burpy hopped onto Eli's shoulder, and Ash onto Alana's, both Infurnus slugs chirping happily.

"Yeah. I feel so much better," she said with a smile. "That energy... it was like a thousand Fandangos. But Blakk," she said, turning toward the Shadow Clan leader. "Blakk's gone, where did you take him?"

"So close to the Lightwell, our powers are limited," the leader said. "We could only send him elsewhere through the shadows. I fear those abominations you called ghouls are what caused this illness to occur."

Alana had figured that was the case, but it was still difficult to hear. Dark energy was rooting its way into problem after problem in her life. But, she thought, this at least gave her more motivation to stop Blakk.

"The energy that binds the slugs to Slugterra is weakening," the leader continued grimly. "If the ghouling does not cease, the Dark Bane will come."

"Well, you can count on us to stop Doctor Blakk," Eli said confidently, glancing at Burpy, then at Alana and Ash. "Thank you for letting us go to the Lightwell."

"Now is not the time for thanks. It is the time for action," the leader of the Shadow Clan said, gazing at the Lightwell. "The struggle for all of Slugterra has only just begun."

With that final cheerful note, the Shadow Clan began to teleport away until only Eli and Alana were left in the Lightwell chamber.

"I take it you're feeling better?" Eli asked as he and Alana looked at the Lightwell. It was so beautiful, it never got boring to see.

"Better than I have in a long time," Alana replied. "I feel like I've just had a whole package of energy drinks. The Lightwell's magic is so strong."

"Yeah, I saw! You were all glowing and telling Blakk off, and then you used the Lightwell's energy and cured his ghouls- that was awesome," Eli laughed. Alana smiled.

"It was," she agreed. "And I feel like being in the Lightwell got me closer to my energy. I might be able to try out some new stuff. But for now," Alana said, pausing to stretch her arms, "I skipped breakfast and need to eat. How about we meet up with the rest of the gang and run over to Lolla's Diner?"

~~~~~~~~

The man sat in a desk chair, stationed in front of several holoscreens. Each ran footage of slugslingers- Eli Shane, Kord Zane, Trixie Sting, and then the final one, last name recently discovered, Alana Caelum. There were circles under his eyes from long, sleepless nights, but he didn't feel tired. If anything, he was excited as he looked at the blueprints on one of the screens.

A train car, suspended over magma. A room of spare parts and a situation of extreme pressure. A carnival tent hall with taunting targets. And finally, an empty black room, monitors in each corner to release energy signatures.

"It looks like my game is finished! Time to call in the contestants!"