"So you guys are just hanging out at Stalagmite 17 until things cool down?"

"Yeah. It's not so bad when you're not in an actual cell," Alana noted. She was walking down the main hallway of the prison with Eli, heading for the entrance, where they'd gotten word that C.C., John Bull, Locke, and Lode were stationed at the banks of the island. In her earpiece she had a connection through to Sam, who was on break at Bonnie Springs.

"What are you up to right now? Just guarding Blakk's cell?" Sam asked.

"Actually, we're heading up front. Some of Blakk's lackeys are here to break him out," Alana said breezily. For a moment, Sam was quiet.

"Umm... you're not worried about that?" Sam asked.

"It's the ones like C.C. and Locke and Lode," Alana explained. "Not exactly the biggest threats, you know?"

"Ah, I see," Sam laughed. Then there was a small bit of static on her side of the line, and a new voice spoke.

"Is that Alana? Tell her I said hi!" Max called.

"Max says hi," Sam laughed. "She's been repainting some of the hallways in the kids areas. It's really nice to have her here."

Alana smiled. "I'm sure it is," she noted as she and Eli rounded a corner and approached doors leading to a balcony just above the prison's front doors.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Oh, nothing, hey we're at the front doors gotta go take care of these losers bye!" Alana said quickly before hanging up. Eli glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Max is at Bonnie Springs, and Sam's pretty happy about it," Alana said cheerfully.

Eli frowned. "So?"

Alana rolled her eyes as the two opened the balcony doors. "I'll tell you when you're older," she joked, before directing her attention to the edge of the balcony. Trixie, Kord, and Pronto stood up against the railing with a half dozen Stalagmite 17 guards.

"For victory!" a voice called down below. Alana looked over the rail and watched as C.C. charged the prison, rapidly firing ghouls from atop his yellow horse Mecha. A Grimmstone and Harmashelt knocked two guards back i to the prison's wall. Alana felt a little sorry for them- they were used to controlling the prison and monitoring prisoners, not facing ghoulfire.

C.C. rode up to the front door, almost directly below the balcony. "I'm here for Doctor Blakk! Hand him over, or there will be consequences!"

Eli smirked and stepped forward, leaning over the side of the rail and loading his blaster. "We'll take the consequences," he said, firing a Hoverbug. The slug picked up C.C., flying him up into the air and dropping him at the bank of the stone island, where Alana could briefly see John Bull, Locke, and Lode.

"Haha! And stay out!" Pronto exclaimed.

"We're lucky they're too greedy to work together," Kord noted, turning back to the two security guards who got knocked back by C.C.'s ghouls.

"Stalagmite 17 may be nearly impossible to break out of, but it's not completely impervious to someone breaking in," one of the guards said.

"Never worry!" Pronto said. "Nothing can get thrown at us that Pronto and his merry band of heroes cannot stop!"

Alana snickered and rolled her eyes, and Kord turned to her and Eli. "We've got things covered here, you two. Better get back to your post."

"Fine," Eli said, his shoulders dropping. Alana knew he didn't want to go back just as much as she did. "Call us if you need any help."

He and Alana walked back into the prison, and Eli glanced over at her. "You hungry? Should we stop by the food court?"

Alana raised an eyebrow. "We just ate, like, an hour ago. We need to get back."

"I know," Eli sighed as the two walked further into Stalagmite 17, passing guards and rooms holding prisoners. "It's just not exactly my favorite place to be."

"You're telling me," Alana laughed as they reached a tall metal door. Alana typed a passcode into a control panel next to it, then stepped aside. Eli raised his hand to the panel. It beeped, scanning his fingerprints, then the door swung open.

The gang had decided that two of them would stay at Doctor Blakk's cell unless they were needed up front. Even though he was locked up, none of the slingers felt really at ease yet, even Alana. Nobody wanted to leave him alone, especially with his final warning about not knowing what was coming.

Eli was chosen for obvious reasons- he was the best slinger and the Shane, not to mention he had the most experience fighting Blakk (even if past duels hadn't ended well). Alana was the second-best slinger, and partnered with her powers, Eli figured she would be the best to have in case Blakk tried anything with dark energy.

Alana stayed by the door as it closed and locked, her blaster preloaded with a Hop Rock. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that the door locking meant nothing. She wasn't the prisoner here. Blakk was.

While she hung back, so she could feel any approaching ghouls, Eli walked up to Blakk's cell. The man turned toward Eli, looking amused.

"Let me guess," Blakk said as Eli walked up the steps to the glass wall of the cell. "Some of my associates are outside, attempting to rescue me?"

"They're wasting their time," Eli said.

Blakk laughed and shrugged. "Loyal to a fault," he said. Eli glanced away, frowning as Blakk continued. "Usually when we meet, you're running from my ghouls. Now we have a chance to talk, face-to-face."

Eli tensed and took a step back. "I'll pass," he said coldly.

Blakk crossed his arms. "Oh, come now. You mean to tell me you have nothing to ask me?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah," Eli said, turning back to Blakk and stepping up to the cell. "You could be anything you want. Why be evil? Why not use your power for good?"

Alana frowned and leaned against the door. She had thought of that before, what had happened along the way for Blakk to turn out the way he did. She couldn't help but think about it after what happened with Dana. Alana had seen firsthand what could twist people into something that seemed a little less than human. But she'd always forced herself to stop thinking about it. She didn't have any pity for Doctor Blakk- she couldn't afford to.

But now that the question was in the air, she was with Eli. She wanted to know.

Blakk sighed. "Not everyone can be the hero, Eli. And if you want to know the answer to that question, to understand who I am, we need to go back to where it all started. After my father stood up to a gangster, I was taken away from him and forced into servitude in Slag Rock Cavern- in its day, you wouldn't find a more wretched place."

Alana nodded vacantly- she had heard about gang issues in rougher caverns like Slag Rock. They had mostly been taken care of when Will had taken his position as the Shane, but when Blakk was a child, the Shane would have been Jimmo. He'd done his best, but he had been in power during a bad time, and he couldn't be everywhere at once.

"We had our own brand of justice," Blakk continued. "Only the strong could survive. And if you were quick and clever, you'd do even better. And lording over it all, the gangster Viggo Dare."

Eli didn't have much of a reaction- he wouldn't know of Viggo- but Alana grimaced. He wasn't the kind of person Will would have told a little girl about, but she had still heard of the crue crime boss. Viggo Dare had been in complete control of Slag Rock, until one day his kingdom came crumbling down. There were still rumors that he had descendants, a granddaughter somewhere in the caverns.

"I learned quickly how to take care of myself, in more ways than one. To get ahead, you had to be a good slugslinger. And even as a young man, I was very good," Blakk continued. "After awhile, it caught the attention of Viggo, who offered me a position working for him- with little choice. And so I began my employment with the same man that ran my worthless father out of town and pressed me into servitude. It wasn't entirely unpleasant. For the first time in my life, I never wanted for anything, materially speaking. I learned the ways of commerce, and how fear could be a tremendous motivator."

This sounds too much like Dana, Alana thought suddenly. The whole story was too familiar. Having one too many examples of how fear led to power combined with a drive to not let anyone use their power against you- Dana saw the world in the same way Blakk did.

Alana almost wanted to stop listening, but she couldn't help herself. She didn't care for Blakk, but after everything that had happened, after everything he had done, this was the closest he would ever get to explaining himself.

"In no time, I had more than proven my worth," Blakk continued, a proud smirk on his face. "But I also learned a valuable lesson. No matter how loyal you are, no matter how hard you work, you're always expendable. On a shipment run, I had my first real run-in with Jimmo Shane. The result, of course, was what you'd expect. My mistake wasn't challenging a Shane. It was thinking that if I held my ground, it would prove my loyalty. Six months in prison, and not a word. I was left to rot. And upon my return, I was run out of Slag Rock. It was the best thing that could have happened to me. It set me on the journey that would end where I al today."

Eli smirked. "Back in jail?" he asked. Alana laughed, quicky putting her hand over her mouth to silence herself. Ash snickered from her shoulder.

Blakk scoffed and ignored Eli. "I learned something from that two-bit gangster. Power is everything," he said. "To have power, you must be feared. And the best way for me to become feared was to become a better slugslinger than anyone else. For years I trained in secret, preparing myself for a reawakening. Only one person would stand in the way of that- your father."

Alana straightened up at the mention of Will, glancing at Eli. He looked tense, his eyes narrowed and arms crossed tightly over his chest, but he remained silent.

"Slugs are power," Blakk continued. "The more you have, the stronger you are. But you have to know how to use them, how to bend them to your will. I would duel anyone who would accept my challenge. And many who did not. I did lose, but increasingly less. Then, one day, a stranger walked out of the mist."

"The Unbeatable Master," Eli said, and Alana's heart sank slightly at the mention of the slinger. "I know how this part of the story goes. She told me herself."

"Surely you know there are two sides to every story, Eli," Blakk said. "It took multiple duels during the Winnowing. Your father won, and I insisted to keep going. Then, I got the upper hand one round. But the Master decided I took it one shot too far. Both of us worthy, but she could only choose one. The Master dismissed me, instead choosing to train Will Shane."

Alana hadn't known Blakk had initially won a duel in the Winnowing, though it made sense that he would be dismissed because of his aggressiveness. Will had told her that, especially when he was younger, he could be reckless. But he never would have let himself get lost in the action like that.

"After the Winnowing, I continued my work. Finally, I returned to Slag Rock Cavern to confront Viggo Dare. The duel was almost easy," Blakk noted. "I'd come a long way. I took control of the cavern and gathered my own followers. I finally had his power and status."

"So, you beat Viggo, captured his cavern, made yourself rich. You had everything you wanted," Eli said. "Why create ghouls?"

"Not yet. Not even close. My forces were growing, and so was my ambition," Blakk said. "I took a broken-down cart line and turned it into the backbone of commerce in Slugterra. Many were more than willing to provide me the rights of way I needed. Others needed more convincing. Meanwhile, Jimmo Shane had grown old and weak. He was of little consequence- until there was a changing of the guard. The new Shane was more of a complication."

Both Eli and Alana came to more attention as the story returned to Will. Alana had to admit, hearing about him was the one good part of this discussion. She really only ever spent a lot of time with the gang now, and none of them were eager to bring up Will when it was a touchy subject to both her and Eli.

"And then, one day, my slugslinging was ruined with just a few words from Will Shane. He turned my own slugs against me and the rest of my men. They would no longer work with me, and I was left powerless," Blakk scowled, glancing at Burpy. "It was infuriating. I had to find a way to bend the slugs to my will. So for years I studied, learning everything there was to know about slugs- except how to make them loyal to me. Then, I began to study their energy, and had an interesting discovery. At random intervals, at least once a year, there would be an incredible burst of slug energy in the western part of the realm, made by a being unlike anything in these caverns."

Then Blakk went silent. Alana, who'd been staring at the ground, looked up. Both Doctor Blakk and Eli were staring at her. She blinked a few times, exchanging a glance with Ash.

"That couldn't have been me, I would've been a little kid," she said. But she remembered what Shanai had said- her mother had been to this realm several times. Blakk must have picked up on his portals.

"Yes. But a decade ago, there was one final burst of energy, the last that I know of," Blakk said. "And then a new form of energy appeared, quickly repressed, I assume for your safety as a child."

Eli looked at Alana, confused. She hadn't explicitly told him she came from the West- at first, she hadn't been sure if she could. Now, she felt comfortable telling him, but they hadn't exactly had much free time lately.

Alana cleared her throat and shrugged. "You're the last person in Slugterra I would confide in with my energy," she said. Blakk sighed and shrugged.

"Either way, the energy anomaly was in the Dark Periphery, far too dangerous to venture after. Will Shane quickly reached you, and I dropped the issue, returning to my work and delving into slug research," Blakk said. "I found something interesting. The ancient texts spoke of the primal forces that made the slugs, about good and evil, and about darker forces that lurk beneath us, waiting to be unleashed. And then I found it, the well spring of ghouling- dark water."

The topic of the conversation had changed, but Alana knew by the confused look on Eli's face that they would discuss the energy anomalies later.

"I would need more than what little seeped up through the cracks- much more," Blakk said. "I began a series of dark water experiments. Through trial and error, I knew I was on to something never before seen. Then it happened. A portal to the Deep Caverns opened, and I was pulled in. The effects of this trip would wreak havoc on my body, but it was well worth it."

Alana frowned and spread out her senses. She'd always felt an aura of darkness around Blakk, and assumed it was residual from his ghouling. But it must've been because of passage to the Deep Caverns without the safety of the Guardian Gate.

"The Dark Bane supplied me with dark water. In exchange, I agreed one of them to disguise itself and return with me- Diablos Nacho," Blakk said.

"You know how dangerous dark water is!" Eli exclaimed. "And the Dark Bane? I've met them. They want to conquer Slugterra, and then-"

Burpy let out a quiet gasp. Alana stepped forward, but Eli stopped himself. He took a deep breath and glanced downward. Alana tensed when she saw Doctor Blakk eyeing Eli curiously, but the man didn't mention anything more of it.

Alana had heard Eli describe how the Dark Bane had a throne with the sun on it, and called Slugterrans "midlanders," like they knew there was something else past the caverns. But Eli couldn't know if Blakk had picked up on the hints, and it was too dangerous to assume.

"They may be strong, but the Dark Bane are backwards and naive," Blakk laughed. "They'll agree to anything when the hint of escape is dangled in front of them."

"You're being played, Blakk," Eli said. Blakk shrugged, unfazed.

"We'll see," he said icily. "Once I had the dark water, it was a matter of trial and error. And then, success was mine. My first test subject was obvious. My rival, Will Shane."

Alana tensed, and Eli uncrossed his arms. Blakk looked back and forth between them, knowing he was about to strike a nerve and enjoying every second.

"The first ghoul went into action, five years ago, and it worked better than I ever could have imagined," Blakk said. "Tremendous power, creating a portal- well, you know, don't you?" he asked Alana, but she turned away, screwing her eyes shut.

She rested a hand on her stomach, feeling nauseous as she remembered the portal the Tempesto had created. She could hear Will's voice like she was standing back in that forest, listening to him desperately yell as he fell into the portal. Blakk! Stop this! You have to stop it. Blakk!

BLAKK!

"It took me a while to perfect the rest of the ghouls. But the rest, as you say, is history," Blakk said.

"No!" Eli yelled, and Alana's eyes flew open as she turned back to face him and Blakk. Eli slammed a fist into the glass wall with anger and grief that Alana had never seen in his blue eyes. "What happened to my father? You're the only one who knows! Where did he go?"

Blakk didn't respond, only laughing quietly at the sight of the Shane looking so emotional.

"You're beyond twisted, you know that?" Eli yelled, hitting the glass again. Alana hesitantly stepped forward.

"Eli-" she began, but he ignored her.

"You tell me everything, everything except the one thing I need to know most!" he bellowed.

Alana started forward again, but stopped. She knew how Eli had felt. But she'd spent years after Will's disappearance trying to find answers, and always coming up short. She was used to this disappointment. But the pain in Eli's voice tore at her.

"Perhaps you would consider sharing a few stories of your own in exchange," Blakk offered. He first glanced at Alana. "There has to be a story behind why you're here, and where the others like you have gone." Then he turned to Eli. "And the Shanes do have a few secrets. This so-called Burning World, for example?"

Alana's jaw dropped. She and Eli exchanged a glance, remembering the map Diablos Nacho had tried to find in Molemound, and how it had marked the Drop.

"Forget it. The Shane secrets are gonna stay that way," Eli replied coldly.

Blakk shrugged. "Pity," he said.

Alana wanted to know more about what happened to Will more than anything. But she knew that Will would never want her or Eli to help Blakk just to get answers, no matter how tempting it was.

Eli and Alana both perked up when they heard a voice through their earpieces.

"Blakk's men are gone. It's over," Kord said.

Alana relaxed. Finally some good news, she thought, exchanging a glance with Eli. "Got it. Thanks, Kord," she said, while Eli turned to Blakk.

"Sorry, but your lackeys' plan to bust you out tanked," he said. Blakk stepped away from the center of his cell, sitting down on a bench.

"They mean well. But this situation calls for a somewhat different approach. And only two of my associates are prepared for that," Blakk said, and Alana tensed and spun towards the door.

"What?" Eli asked her.

"It's far away, they haven't gotten into the prison. But there's a lot of dark energy coming," Alana said. She could feel it, the swell of darkness. It was far away, but whatever it was, it was packing a large amount of dark energy.

"Nacho's here, with Dana!" Trixie called from Alana's earpiece. "On a Titan, with a gattler! There's a bunch of ghouls flying above the prison!"

Then it cut to static. Alana gasped as the walls of the room suddenly shook, bits of the walls and ceiling crumbling. She could feel the mass of dark energy above her and grabbed her blaster, backing up so she was next to Eli.

"As a matter of fact, I'm expecting some new associates," Blakk called. "Ah, they seem to be arriving now!"

Alana turned and gasped. A red glow was forming in Blakk's cell, and a headache formed. Spots danced in her eyes, but she ignored them, running up to the cell with Eli.

The red glow turned into a frothing red and black mass of energy, bathing the entire cell in scarlet. Bolts of white lightning flashed, and Alana remembered the portal Will had been pulled into. It was similar, but instead of Blakk being pulled in, several figures began to climb out.

"I've only begun to unleash my power on Slugterra," Blakk said. "The Shanes will soon be no more! Slugterra will be mine, and there is nothing you can do to stop it!"

"No!" Eli yelled, watching in horror as the figures took form.

Alana hadn't been to the Deep Caverns, hadn't seen the Dark Bane before. But she saw them now, hulking ple creatures with pale skin, pointed teeth, and red eyes. Her arms were shaking with chills, but instinct took over, and she rested her hands on the glass wall and focused on releasing energy to contain the portal.

The edges began to glow blue, but the portal didn't shrink. It just stayed contained in the cell. There were already four Dark Bane in the cell with Blakk, but she felt more pressing to emerge before the portal shut.

No, no, I can't let that happen, she thought, her hands shaking with effort and glowing bright blue as she willed the portal to shut, to take the Dark Bane back. But she could feel another force keeping it open, just as powerful as her own, but this one had the advantage. It was one with the dark energy, able to manipulate it.

Dana.

Alana watched as Eli fired a Rammstone at the glass next to her, but the cell was the strongest in Stalagmite 17. There may have been a tiniest hairline fracture, but that was all the slug did.

Obviously, if a Rammstone couldn't even crack it, Eli didn't stand a chance. But he pounded at the wall anyway, yelling at Blakk.

Alana felt the portal changing, but could do nothing to stop it. She just used her light to keep the darkness from growing, from swallowing her and Eli up as the portal inverted.

"I enjoyed our little chat," Blakk said.

Then he and the Dark Bane were swallowed up into the darkness, and the portal faded.

"No!" Eli yelled, turning and sprinting out of the room. Alana got up, stumbling. She was disoriented from the massive amount of dark energy, but she forced herself to move forward, running after Eli despite her head pounding. She couldn't think about what had just happened.

Security guards gaped as they ran by and out to the balcony overlooking the front of the island. Eli reached it first, Alana a solid fifteen seconds behind him. The run hadn't been that far, but she was still panting and tired.

By the time she got there, Eli and the rest of the gang were watching from the rail. Alana just barely caught sight of a Titan disappearing into the waters around Stalagmite 17.

She dropped to her knees, trying to take deep breaths. She'd exerted a lot of energy, but it had been like trying to move a brick wall. That weariness combined with the cold left from the dark energy made her want to sleep for a week.

But the anger from losing Blakk kept Alana awake. She scowled and slammed her fist into the metal floor of the balcony. It dented. She got to her feet, leaning up against the rail next to Eli.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop the portal," she said bitterly, crossing her arms on the rail and laying her forehead on her forearm. "Dana wanted that thing open just as much as I wanted it closed, and she has control over dark energy. I couldn't stop her."

A second terraportal that she'd been useless against. First she'd lost Will, and now Blakk had slipped right through their fingers.

"It wasn't your fault, Alana," Eli said levely, staring out at the cavern sea. "No one could have been ready for a portal like that. After all you guys did," continued, looking at Trixie, Kord, and Pronto, "I'm sorry he got away."

"Don't worry," Trixie said, resting a hand on Eli's shoulder. "We'll go after him again. Find another way to hold him."

"No," Eli said quietly. Trixie pulled her hand back. "Doctor Blakk is not a man that can be jailed. He'll have to meet his fate another way."

~~~~~~~~

Dana collapsed into one of the Titan's chairs in the cab, taking deep breaths. She had kept the portal under control, guiding the dark energy and reining it in, but Alana had definitely put up a good fight.

The cab was crowded now, with Nacho steering the vehicle and Blakk and the new Dark Bane sitting around Dana. She looked around at them, taking in their dark auras. They were absolutely teeming with power, and she couldn't wait to see it unleashed.

She glanced up at Doctor Blakk. He looked worn, but as intimidating as ever. "Welcome back, sir."

Blakk nodded. "You did a fine job with the terraportal," he said, and Dana nodded her thanks. "The second we get back to the citadel, we start making plans. Until the drill is complete, I want to start taking these caverns one by one."

Perfect, Dana thought, almost giddy. She cleared her throat. "I wanted to talk to you about that. I think I just proved I've come a long way with my powers, and that when it comes down to it, I can stay in control-"

"What do you want?" Blakk asked, cutting her off.

"Antimony Cavern," Dana replied. She smirked, and the scar on her right cheek ripples. "I'm glad the Dark Bane are starting to arrive. But if they tear apart Slugterra, they'll get there before I can. There's plenty of wild slugs there to take for ghouling. Just let me lead a team there."

"How do I know you won't try to leave once you get what you want?" Doctor Blakk asked. Dana noticed how he said 'try.'

There was no leaving. Not this far in the game. The thought didn't scare her at all. Why would she leave? Lording this power over others gave her a thrill unlike anything else. What was her life if not fighting and conquering for Blakk Industries?

"Because I have nothing else to go to," Dana said simply. "And the drill will be complete soon. I'd hate to miss all the fun."

Doctor Blakk remained silent for a moment. Then he nodded. "Very well. Tomorrow night."

Excitement flooded through Dana's veins, quickly encouraged by the darkness in her body. Yes, she would go there and rip that town to shreds to find them, and when she was done, maybe her head would be a little more clear and she could focus on the terraportal drill.

She still saw them when she slept, plaguing her dreams. She still woke up at the sounds of footsteps down the citadel's halls, her heart pounding at a threat she'd left behind years ago.

Now it was time to go back.

Guardian slugs be with them.

~~~~~~~~

Alana was laying down on the couch, huddled under a blanket. Ash was curled up just beneath her chin, and the two were watching Max Jackson's 2000 Furious Punches, despite it being midnight. Alana wasn't really watching, but having something to distract her was nice. She had gone to sleep early, but three hours later she was wide awake when a nightmare of Will falling into the portal woke her up. Being back in the hideout calmed her down, but she was still wound up from today.

Apparently too wound up, because when she heard footsteps behind her and felt a hand on her shoulder, she bolted upright, one hand reared back to punch with a faint blue glow around it.

Eli rapidly stepped back, putting his hands up. "Whoa, just me, just me!" he whispered. Alana sighed and relaxed, lowering her hand and laying back down, pulling the blanket back over her.

"You're gonna get slugged doing that one day," she noted, pausing the movie. He walked around the coach and sat in a chair next to it.

"Didn't know you were so focused on Max Jackson," Eli said.

"Just watching some mind-numbing action before going back to bed," Alana yawned. Eli nodded, glancing down at her.

"Still thinking about today?"

Alana was silent. Then, "I didn't tell you everything about my parents."

Eli didn't say anything as she sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her like a cloak.

"My family is like the Shanes. The energy is passed down through the generations, so we can be better defenders. But not defenders of the 99 Caverns," she explained quietly. "Eli... Slugterra's a lot bigger than you think. There are whole other realms. This one is in the middle, but I come from the West. And the reason the West fell is because ghoulslingers from the East invaded."

Eli was silent, looking over at her looking like he regretted ever asking her about it. "How come I haven't heard of these other realms? This is crazy, how can nobody else know?"

"I don't know," Alana replied. "I don't know if it had to do with the East suddenly going bad, or if things have always been like that."

"I'm so sorry. Your entire realm... I thought I finally understood everything you've been through," Eli said quietly, shaking his head. "But it was even worse. I'm sorry, Alana."

"It's okay. I feel better after getting it off my chest," she admitted. "At first, I didn't know if it was supposed to be a secret, like the surface. But I think I've reached the point where I don't care. I know Will knew about it. This realm and the West had contact before the West fell."

"So when Blakk mentioned the energy showing up here every once in a while, you mean-?" Eli began.

"My mom. She used her energy to create terraportals, kind of like the one Blakk made today. She visited here," Alana said. "She was friends with Will. That's why she sent me here when the West fell. So he would take me in."

Eli leaned back, running a hand through his hair. "Wow." Then a brief moment of silence. "We don't really talk about him a lot, do we?"

"I'm scared you'll get upset," Alana admitted, looking over at Eli. "And it looks like I was right."

Eli's face flushed. "I was upset at Blakk," he corrected. "I just... got so angry. It's been so hard without him."

Alana nodded, turning to her left. She could see the portrait of Will and Eli, hanging in the dark hall by the kitchen.

"I don't want to make you upset, either. But I have to ask," Eli began, and Alana knew where it was going. "Do you have any idea where he is?"

She shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I spent years after he went through that portal trying to find answers. But I never found anything that would help."

"Okay. Thanks. I just... had to ask," Eli said.

"I get it," Alana said. "I would've asked the same thing if I were in your shoes. Probably sooner. I stopped the search a while ago, I couldn't keep going. It was tearing me apart." Alana paused to take a deep breath, refusing to let her tears fall. "Who knows- after all this stuff with the ghouls is over, we could start looking again."

"Well, you're right, we have to take care of the ghouls first," Eli said, getting to his feet and walking over to the television. He shut it off and turned towards Alana. "Come on. You tried to reverse a terraportal today, you must be tired. I know I am, and all I really did was punch some glass," he added, shaking his right hand. His knuckles were still red.

Alana sighed and scooped Ash up in her hands before getting to her feet and following Eli up the staircase. Will's disappearance still seemed surreal, unthinkable. But it had happened, and now she had to deal with it.

She felt her heart sinking as she said good night to Eli and shut her bedroom door behind her. She hadn't been completely truthful.

Alana didn't tell Eli that now, after today, she actually did get one single bit of information about Will's disappearance.

The terraportal to the Deep Caverns, the one that had brought up the Dark Bane and aided Blakk's escape, had looked almost exactly like the one Will fell into.

But how could she tell him that, after everything else he'd been through today? Seeing him so angry, yelling at Blakk fearlessly and pounding at the cell wall... it didn't scare Alana by any means. She knew Eli. But it made her sad to see him so distressed. She couldn't add something else to his plate when it was obviously already full. She didn't want him doing anything rash. Any journey into the Deep Caverns would jeopardize all of Slugterra by providing the Dark Bane with a way into the 99 Caverns.

Besides, if she was wrong, she didn't want to get Eli's hopes up for nothing. She could be entirely wrong- maybe all portals created by ghouls looked like that.

Regardless, that night, she dreamt of the Deep Caverns, a wasteland of dark water and ferocious creatures, and Will Shane wandering the caverns alone. When she woke up in the morning, she took a few minutes to calm her breathing and push away her fears before getting up to start another day.