Chapter Text
Nerissa stood motionless, watching as her minions, Shagon and Kor, dragged Caleb into the dimly lit room that had once been her cell. Her sharp tone cut through the air. "Be careful, you fools! I want him unconscious, not dead." The two brutes flinched but complied, unceremoniously depositing Caleb onto the bed. Nerissa waved them off with a flick, now focused solely on her son.
Once they had left, Nerissa’s expression softened, though her gaze had no warmth. She stood over him, the weight of time pressing on her. "It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Caleb?" she murmured, almost wistfully, her fingers brushing a lock of his messy hair. "What must you think of me now? A mother who abandoned her child, only to resurface as the very enemy you’ve fought so fiercely against."
Her voice faltered momentarily, a flicker of vulnerability beneath her icy exterior. "Do you despise yourself, knowing my blood runs in your veins?" she whispered. "You will, for now. But when you wake, you’ll understand. You’ll see the honor in being my prodigy." She leaned closer, her breath warm against his ear. "Rest, my child. When you awaken, everything will be different."
Her fingers lingered in his hair, almost tenderly, before she turned and left the room. As she stepped into the hall, her mind was already whirling with plans, but one question lingered: What kind of dreams would haunt him while he lay there, unconscious and vulnerable?
Caleb’s slumber was anything but peaceful. The storm inside him raged as his dreams twisted into a haze of fragmented memories, unanswered questions, and fears that clawed at his mind. Nerissa’s revelation had shaken him to his very core, and the attack she had unleashed only deepened the turmoil.
In the dream, Caleb found himself again in the dense forest—a place he’d known all his life but now seemed foreign, hostile. He was marching, fists clenched, after his father. "Dad, enough! What are we looking for? Tell me the truth!" His voice trembled with frustration, the cryptic words Nerissa had spoken about Mackenzie Falls and the numbers circling relentlessly in his mind. Why had his father been so silent?
Caleb froze through a thicket of trees as his father, Julian, knelt by a grave. The sight twisted his gut. "Is that the Mage? How long has she been dead?" Caleb asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Julian didn’t look up. His words came slow, heavy. "Eighteen years. But it was seventeen years ago that we fell in love—and had a child." His gaze finally met Caleb’s, but the regret in his eyes only deepened the weight of the truth. "I should have known, Caleb. I should have seen it then. How she wanted to keep you from the truth."
Caleb’s chest tightened, his breath catching in his throat. "Wait... Are you saying the Mage was my mother?" The words felt alien, impossible, but Julian’s haunted eyes told him otherwise.
Julian’s voice broke. "No, Caleb. The Mage wasn’t your mother. Nerissa is."
The world spun, and Caleb staggered back. "No," he gasped. "No way. That hag can’t be my mother!" The denial burst from him, but even as he said it, his mind betrayed him—the sharpness in Nerissa’s features, the fire in her eyes—it was there, in him, too.
Julian reached out, his hand finding Caleb’s shoulder. "Son, I know this is a lot to take in—"
But Caleb couldn’t hear him. The world around him began to dissolve. "This can’t be true! It can’t!" he screamed, his voice raw with pain. "Please, tell me you’re joking!"
But his father’s expression never wavered. "I’m not. I wish I were, Caleb. I wish I could make it all go away. But Nerissa is your mother."
The last of Caleb’s resolve broke. His world had shattered. His emotions—a twisted mixture of rage, confusion, and despair—brought him to his knees. He turned, bolting away from his father’s outstretched hands. He fled through the forest, tears blurring his vision as his father’s voice faded into the distance.
He reached the palace hours later, a broken shell of the person he had been. He locked himself in his room, curling into a ball, sobbing until exhaustion took over. What was he supposed to do with this new truth? His father had lied to him. And what did it mean that the woman who had torn apart everything he believed in was also the woman who had brought him into the world? Who was he now?
Eventually, his grief morphed into fury. Caleb stormed to the kitchen, finding Blunk hunched over a bowl of moss stew. Without a word, Caleb slapped the bowl from his hands, shattering it against the floor. Blunk stared at him, wide-eyed, but Caleb’s anger burned too hot to care.
"Blunk," Caleb growled, his voice dangerously low. "Fold me to the top of Mount Thanous. Now. Or I’ll do it myself."
Blunk’s eyes went round with fear. Terrified, he quickly nodded and used his Tooth to open a fold, disappearing into the space between worlds.
When Caleb woke, his head throbbed with the force of a thousand hammers. He groaned, slowly lifting his head and blinking at his surroundings. His body ached, and his breath caught as he realized where he was—trapped in a cell. Nerissa stood nearby, her eyes locked onto him with the predatory intensity of a hawk.
She smiled faintly, the expression almost cruel. "My knights are preparing for the Guardians’ inevitable arrival," she said, her voice laced with venom. "But I thought we could... catch up. You were in quite a rush to get here, Caleb. I imagine you have questions. Ask them."
Caleb’s fists clenched, his voice cold as ice. "Just one. How do you live with yourself, knowing the horrible things you’ve done?"
Without warning, Caleb leaped from the bed, slamming his body against the cell’s energy bars in a desperate attempt to escape. The impact sent him sprawling back onto the bed, the force of the blow rattling his bones. He groaned, his body screaming with pain, but the defiance in his eyes remained unchanged.
Nerissa watched him, her gaze softening for a fleeting moment, almost maternal in its tenderness. Then, she spoke with an unnerving calm. "I live with it, Caleb because it’s who I am. And it’s time you learned who you are, too."
Caleb’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? What am I supposed to be?"
Nerissa stepped forward, her tone shifting to something darker, more hypnotic. "You’re my legacy, Caleb. My blood runs through you. The power I’ve spent a lifetime acquiring... it’s in you now." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You only need to embrace it. Let go of your fear. Let go of your hesitation. You’ve always felt it—the pull toward something greater. You just didn’t know it yet."
Suddenly, Caleb felt an overwhelming surge of energy rising inside him, thrumming through his veins like molten fire. His body crackled with power, and for the first time, it didn’t terrify him. It felt... right. A part of him had always known this power was meant for him, but he had resisted and fought it. He had always tried to be someone else—someone better. But now... now he was realizing the truth.
His hand clenched into a fist, and the walls around him vibrated with the sheer force of his energy. "I—"
Nerissa’s smile widened. "That’s it, Caleb. Feel it. Embrace it."
Caleb’s breath quickened, his heart pounding in his chest as he felt the darkness calling to him, urging him to let it consume him, to use it to shape the world as he saw fit. For the first time, the thought of surrendering to it didn’t feel like a loss. It felt like freedom.
"I... I choose this," Caleb whispered to himself, his voice heavy with conviction. "I choose to let go."
Nerissa's eyes glittered with pride as she watched him, and a sense of triumph radiated from her. "Good," she said, her voice thick with satisfaction. You’ll be unstoppable now."
"I... I choose this," Caleb whispered to himself, his voice heavy with conviction. "I choose to let go."
Nerissa's eyes glittered with pride as she watched him, and a sense of triumph radiated from her. "Good," she said, her voice thick with satisfaction. You’ll be unstoppable now."
And in that moment, Caleb gave in. The darkness wrapped itself around him, claiming him fully, and the world seemed to shift—more malleable, more under his control. He was no longer a boy torn between two worlds. He was something far greater, something beyond the limits of everything he had ever known.
Blunk had been watching all of this unfold with a frog in his throat, and he nearly wet himself from the bolt of shock. Nerissa was Caleb’s MAMA?! This wasn't good. She had done some hocus-pocus on him, and if he didn’t get the Guardians, he would lose his best friend. Taking a deep breath, he quickly let his Tooth slice open a fold leading back home—first stop: Meriden, then Earth.
"Well, it seems that malodorous little herald has gone to deliver the message. It took him longer than I thought. Come, we must get ready for the arrival of the Guardians, my son. We don’t have much time, and there’s so much to do," Nerissa said as she ran her ancient fingers through Caleb's hair. With both mother and son smiling wickedly, she held up the Heart of Meriden, ready to bestow her son’s birthright. Everything was going according to plan.
Meanwhile, Blunk exited the fold back at the castle. He had to find Julian. Being a Passling, he had a highly acute sense of smell, which, for some reason, made him better than a bloodhound when it came to tracking. However, he could never smell himself—and Blunk reeked! Oh, he reeked so severely that even the dead would be turning over in their graves and gagging!
Turns out, he didn’t have to search for long. Julian had just returned to the palace, his mind still reeling from the shocking revelation. He was lost in his thoughts, trying to understand the truth about Nerissa. He remembered that magical moonlit night when he first saw her—the Mage, or who he thought was the Mage. He’d committed to memory how passionately they had fallen in love, like a fairy tale romance. How euphoric they had both been when Caleb was born and how she insisted they name him Caleb. She had sworn to protect him—and Julian as well.
But now, as Julian climbed the last few steps to the palace, he was doubtful. Was it all genuine or just a dream? Had Nerissa merely given birth to their son to use him for her own nefarious plans? Was there no good left in the woman he loved? Or, if there was still a glimmer of goodness in her, did it extend to their son? Did she even care for Caleb at all?
His head was spinning with these questions, the turmoil tearing him apart. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t sense Blunk approaching until the Passling leaped into his arms, sending both of them tumbling down the steps. They rubbed their heads for a moment, ignoring the headache.
"Caleb's Daddy! Caleb needs help! Caleb is in trouble!" Blunk spoke frantically, nearly smacking Julian with his Tooth as he rattled on like a chicken with its head cut off.
It took Julian a few more moments to regain his composure. He slapped Blunk lightly on the right cheek to calm him down, then placed both hands firmly on the Passling’s shoulders. "Okay, explain again. Slowly, this time, Blunk. What happened to Caleb? Where is he?" he asked, though he already feared the answer. Despite everything, he had hoped that Caleb hadn’t done anything rash. But seeing the panic on Blunk’s face, he knew his hope was in vain.
"Nerissa has him on Mt. Thanous!" Blunk exclaimed. "Blunk saw her perform magic on him!" The color drained from Julian’s face as the gravity of the situation hit him. What had Nerissa done? Had she gone so far for power that she would harm her own son? Was Caleb’s life meaningless to her? Had she discarded him like one of her pawns?
"Blunk, get us to Earth NOW!" Julian barked.
"Already on it! Next stop: the Guardians!" Blunk cried, folding them through space as quickly as he could. He hoped they would make it to the Guardians in time to save Caleb. Unfortunately, in his haste, Blunk didn’t think about where he was folding, and the next thing they knew, both of them were on stage in the middle of a concert. Luckily, the audience thought it was part of the show.
Irma quickly rushed to get them off stage, her cheeks crimson with embarrassment and anger. The other girls were angry too, but for a different reason—Irma hadn’t given them credit for their hard work, and they’d been working non-stop like slaves. Still, something was up if Blunk and Julian were from Meriden. It was strange that Caleb wasn’t with them. Julian had visited Earth on occasion, but Caleb’s absence was odd.
"Why did you two decide to drop in the middle of the most important night of my life? Vance Michal Justin was talking to me and asking about my expertise, and you had to ruin it! What was so important that it couldn’t wait until after the show?" Irma demanded, guiding them toward the exit.
"Nerissa has captured Caleb and done something horrible to him. Blunk isn’t sure what, but I fear it can’t be good. I can’t believe Nerissa would intentionally harm her own son," Julian explained, his tone heavy with disbelief. The teenagers were shocked—never in a million years would they have guessed that Nerissa and Julian were both a couple and Caleb’s parents.
"Nerissa is Caleb’s MOTHER?!" Hay Lin exclaimed, her jaw dropping in shock.
"And I thought my mom had issues!" Will and Taranee said in unison, considering their own mothers’ problems. Now, everything seemed so much smaller in comparison. So what if Will’s mom was dating Mr. Collins and Taranee’s mom overreacted constantly? At least they didn’t try to take over the universe!
On the other hand, Irma was still upset that they had to leave her concert early. "I cannot believe we have to leave my concert!" she whined, smacking her big, fat head on the door as they rushed out.
Cornelia had had enough. She pounced like a lioness, snarling at Irma. "Listen, you ego-tripping, credit-stealing slave driver! I have a boyfriend in peril here!"
"Not to mention a universe in peril!" chimed in Will, holding up the Heart of Candracar.
"Just saying, it's lousy timing, that's all," Irma mumbled, still grumbling about the disruption.
The Guardians rushed to help Caleb, praying they weren’t too late. While Will, Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin kept the Knights of Destruction busy, Cornelia slipped past Halinor and Cassidy, desperate to find him. Finally, she entered the chamber and caught sight of Caleb, standing in the center, shrouded in shadows.
"Caleb! I'm so glad you're okay! I was worried Nerissa hurt you," Cornelia cried, rushing to him and wrapping him in a desperate embrace.
Caleb ignored her completely, his arm shooting out with alarming speed to shove her away, his strength beyond human. "Caleb, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Cornelia asked, her voice trembling as the rest of the Guardians rushed in.
The Guardians rushed off to help Caleb, praying they weren't too late. While Will, Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin kept the Knights of Destruction busy, Cornelia slipped past Halinor and Cassidy, searching for signs of her beloved. Eventually, she entered the cell and spied Caleb standing in the center, cloaked by shadows.
"Caleb! I'm so glad you're okay! I was worried Nerissa hurt you," Cornelia cried, wrapping her arms around Caleb and giving him a big hug.
Caleb ignored her, shoving her away with surprising strength. "Caleb, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Cornelia asked, her voice trembling as the rest of the Guardians flew into the room.
Caleb now stood transformed, clad in sleek black leather accented with light armor. His black-and-gold leather boots reached his knees, complementing skintight black pants and a sleeveless shirt adorned with Nerissa's emblem on his chest. Gold gauntlets encased his wrists, and a wickedly crafted sword rested in a jeweled sheath at his side. Even his long coat had been replaced with one of matching black leather, completing the menacing ensemble.
But the transformation extended far beyond his clothing. Caleb's body had been enhanced to exceed human limitations, radiating an unnatural strength. His once-soft chocolate locks now bore a striking streak of starlit silver, like a bolt of lightning cutting through the night. The most unsettling change, however, lay in his face. The boyish charm that once lit his features had twisted into a mask of pure malevolence. Once warm and full of love, his eyes gleamed with a chilling void as though any trace of his soul had been extinguished.
"I'm glad to see you all here. It makes eliminating you much easier. Quintessence!" Caleb shouted, firing a powerful energy blast. The Guardians had no time to react as the force of the explosion sent them crashing into the walls. Caleb laughed cruelly as they struggled to get back up. "Pathetic."
"Wow! Since when is Caleb packing? Has he been taking vitamins or some other steroid we don’t know about?" Irma asked, struggling to her feet along with her girlfriends.
"Irma, your humor is almost as lame as your jokes. Now, how about we ice those annoying quips permanently?" Caleb sneered, his expression full of malic the life-giving power of Quintessence. He removed one of the giant icicles from the cavern ceiling and aimed it at Irma’s heart.
"What, no clever comebacks?" he taunted as he hurled the icy dagger toward her. Irma froze with fear, but Taranee's firewall saved her at the last second.
"You think your little sparks can protect you from me?" Caleb sneered. "They say lightning is like cold-blooded fire—the fire of the purest form. Let's see if your flames stand up to the true fire of the heavens!" A massive wheel of cobalt lightning shot toward the two Guardians. Both tried to defend themselves, but the wheel tore through them as if they weren’t there, striking them with unrelenting force. They screamed as pain raked through their bodies, and within minutes, they collapsed, unable to continue the fight.
"Two down, three to go. Who's next on the chopping block?" Caleb taunted.
"My turn, Caleb. Let’s see how well you fight in mid-air!" Hay Lin cried, summoning a massive gust of wind. The twister sucked Caleb into the air and held him suspended. "Got you!" she shouted triumphantly, but her face quickly fell as he smirked, righting himself. With a laugh, two giant wings erupted from his back—dark, bat-like wings with emerald flames trailing from their tips.
"Surprise, Guardians? You didn’t think you were the only ones who could fly, did you?" Caleb taunted. "FYI, I also have your special gifts. Let’s see what I can do with telekinesis!"
Hay Lin had no chance as she felt her body lifted into the air. "No! Please put me down, Caleb! Stop this, please! Before someone gets hu—" she shrieked, only to be flung violently into the cell wall, her wings nearly breaking in half. "Will… Cornelia… you have to stop him," Hay Lin whispered before passing out.
"I don't care if you're my boyfriend!" Cornelia shouted, her voice filled with rage. "No one manhandles my friends like that! Earth!" she cried, sending an avalanche of rocks crashing toward Caleb, who had landed back on the ground, his wings vanishing. Her heart ached as she realized that, at any moment, she could kill the guy she loved. "Caleb, move, or you’ll die!" she screamed, frantically trying to call back her attack, but it was too late.
Caleb ignored her warning. Instead, he drew his sword—a slender blade resembling Nerissa's hair, adorned with five jewels carved with the elemental symbols. The golden handle and black diamond at the end of the sword shimmered with power, charged with the five elements' energy. With a mighty yell, he swung the weapon in a wide arc, slicing the boulders in half.
"Thanks for the concern, but you're the one who needs it more than I do. Observe!" he shouted, and with a flick of his wrist, energy vines shot out, wrapping around Cornelia and binding her tightly so she couldn’t fight anymore. "You were such a control freak, Cornelia. How do you like it when the tables are turned?"
"Caleb, stop this! Why are you fighting us? We’re your best friends! We’re only trying to help you!" Will yelled, charging up a lightning blast. As much as she hated to attack him, she knew she had no choice. She hoped the Heart of Candracar could counter whatever spell Nerissa had used on him.
"Do you really think you can take me down with your little lightning blast?" Caleb sneered. "Please. I’ve got the power of the Heart of Meridian backing me up! Let’s see how a battle between two Hearts ends, shall we?" With that, he sent a surge of blue energy darting from his fingertips, which collided mid-air with Will’s pink lightning blast. The two forces struggled for dominance. Finally, an explosion erupted, sending Caleb and Will flying through the air.
"He’s powerful… more powerful than Phoebus… maybe even stronger than Nerissa herself. How do I defeat someone like that?" Will thought to herself, struggling to rise to her feet, only to collapse in pain. Her whole body screamed in agony, and she feared something was broken.
"Enough of these petty games. It’s time I ended this once and for all. Give me the Heart of Candracar, or prepare to die!" Caleb declared, raising his sword above her head, ready to strike.
"Caleb, no!" shouted a voice. A small, smelly blur suddenly leaped onto Caleb, knocking him off balance. He was so startled that he dropped his sword, trying vainly to shake the Passling off.
"Get off me, you rancid beast! How dare you defile the Soldier of Callous with your contaminated, putrid flesh!" Caleb screamed, but Blunk refused to release his death grip.
"No! Blunk, not let go! Not let go of his friend! No!" Blunk declared firmly as he and Caleb struggled in the sub-zero cavern. By now, the Guardians had regained their strength, furious and determined. They had already lost Elyon, Matt, and the Council of Candracar. They would not lose another friend to Nerissa's evil.
"C'mon, Guardians! All at once, let’s see how he handles the power of Five as ONE!" Will declared in an authoritative tone. The girls looked at each other, a fire burning in their eyes. They rose into the air, ready to strike.
The Guardians hovered above Caleb and Blunk, positioned in five different directions. Will, who was directly above them, gave the signal. In a synchronized move, they summoned their powers, focusing everything into one final strike.
"Quintessence!"
"Water!"
"Fire!"
"Earth!"
"Air!"
The combined forces of their powers collided, sending shockwaves through the cavern. Caleb and Blunk, still locked in their struggle, looked up in time to see the full force of the Guardians' attack. The air crackled with raw energy, and the Earth shook beneath them. Cornelia's eyes squeezed shut as she saw their combined blast hit Caleb. Her heart shattered as the energy tore through the space, creating a massive explosion.
"Caleb? He isn’t…?" Cornelia whispered, her voice trembling with fear. She pulled Blunk closer, her arms shaking as she clung to him. The dust and smoke obscured everything, and for a moment, time stood still. The Guardians, breathless and beaten, waited silently, dreading what might emerge from the haze.
Suddenly, two glowing eyes pierced through the smoke, and Caleb’s menacing laugh echoed through the cavern. The sound jolted the Guardians, their bodies pinned against the ceiling by rings of searing lightning. Each passing moment brought the rings closer, threatening to tear them apart. Blunk was trapped in a small cage, his tiny body rattling with fear.
"So soon, you'll be a distant memory," Caleb’s voice oozed with cruel delight. "How I will enjoy never having to see your faces again. Goodbye, Guardians. Can't say I'll miss any of you!"
Just as the energy rings tightened around the Guardians, Caleb’s focus faltered momentarily. The weight of his power, which had felt so natural moments before, seemed to slip. A figure emerged from the shadows, causing Caleb to halt mid-attack, his grip on his power loosening. It was Julian, Caleb’s father—his presence a sudden, unexpected interruption.
"Dad?" Caleb whispered, stepping back, his expression flickering with uncertainty. The mask of rage he had worn so effortlessly slipped briefly, and his grip on the crackling energy around him weakened. He stumbled, his focus shifting from the Guardians to the man who had once been his father.
The Guardians, still pinned helplessly to the ceiling, exchanged confused glances. They couldn’t move, their bodies locked in place by Caleb’s overwhelming power. Their hearts raced with anxiety, wondering what Julian’s arrival meant. Was he here to help? Could he stop this madness?
"What are you doing here, Dad?" Caleb spat, his voice laced with bitterness, the cold venom of a betrayed child. "Come to tell me more lies about who I am? Or maybe you’ve finally decided to join me and Mother in creating a new universal order. Does that sound like your kind of thing?"
Julian’s voice was calm, even as it cracked under the moment's strain. "Caleb, what has happened to you? Why are you attacking your friends? These powers—they’re not meant to be used this way. This isn’t who you are."
A snarky smile twisted Caleb’s lips. "I’m surprised you even know these are my powers and not something my mother gave me. When were you going to tell me I had the same power as the Guardians? You knew, didn’t you? I could’ve used that knowledge to end this war with Phoebus years ago! You lied to me, Julian. And now I want to know why."
Julian’s face softened with regret. "It was your mother’s wish that you didn’t know about your powers until you were old enough to understand. I’m sorry, Caleb. But lying to you… it was never meant to hurt you. It was meant to protect you. You’re angry, but that doesn’t mean you should take it out on your friends."
The anger in Caleb’s eyes flared anew, hotter and more volatile than before. "The time for talking is over, Julian," he hissed. "It’s time for action." As he spoke, a sinister voice slithered from the shadows. Nerissa stepped forward with an air of finality, her cold smile widening in response to the growing tension.
The Guardians gasped in horror as Nerissa’s presence seemed to saturate the cavern, her aura oppressive and suffocating. She stood beside her son, her words dripping with a twisted sense of love and control. "Our son has chosen to stay with me, Julian," she said, her voice calm, almost soothing, but unmistakably laced with dominance. "Together, with our combined powers, we will reshape the cosmos until all is perfect. You’ve always known how I feel about you, Julian. But I can’t force you to join us. Will you?"
Julian stood motionless, his face a portrait of anguish, torn between the woman he had once loved and the son he had failed to guide. "I… I can’t, Nerissa," he said, his voice barely a whisper, thick with sorrow. "I want us to be a family, but not like this. I’ve never stopped loving you, but what you’re trying to do to the universe… it’s wrong. I can’t join you. Not now, not ever."
Nerissa’s smile slowly faded, replaced by a knowing, almost regretful expression. "Very well, Julian. You, the Passling, and the Guardians can go this once. But remember this—next time we meet, be prepared. And remember, if you change your mind, there will always be a place for you by my side." Her voice held a finality that brooked no argument, and she transported out of the room with a wave of her hand. Caleb followed moments later, his face unreadable, a chilling coldness settling over him.
Before he left, Caleb dropped a single delicate flower on the floor. The Guardians struggled to move, still reeling from the chaos, their bodies aching from the earlier blasts. But Julian was the first to make it to the floor, picking up the fragile bloom with trembling hands.
"What is this?" Will asked, her voice shaky with uncertainty. A lump formed in her throat as she looked between Julian and the flower.
Julian’s eyes were distant, his gaze haunted by memories of when things had been different. "This," he said softly, his voice heavy with sorrow, "is called the Tear of Meridian. It is a symbol of love, friendship, and hardship. It represents undying love… but also goodbye. Caleb’s way of saying… the boy we loved is gone."
Cornelia, her heart breaking into a thousand jagged pieces, cradled the flower in her hands. Her sobs wracked her body, each breath a sob of loss too great to bear. "No… no, this can’t be real… Caleb, how could you do this to us?" Her words were a broken plea, her body trembling with the weight of grief.
The rest of the Guardians gathered around her, their faces etched with sorrow, their hearts heavy with a weight they had never known. They had fought for him. They had loved him. But at this moment, they were forced to accept a bitter truth—that Caleb was gone. Not physically, but emotionally. The boy who had once been their friend, who had laughed with and fought alongside them, seemed lost to them now.
Julian stood back, his gaze distant, his face full of sorrow and regret. "I always knew this day would come," he said quietly, his voice thick with pain. "But I never thought it would hurt this much. Caleb… has a part of him that still wants to be with his mother. Until that part of him fades, I can’t do anything. All I can do is hope… that when this battle ends, it will end in joy, not sorrow."
The Guardians stood in stunned silence, the weight of their loss pressing down on them like an unrelenting storm. Cornelia’s sobs echoed in the cavern, a heartbroken wail that seemed to reverberate through the very walls. They had lost their friend but weren’t ready to let go. Not yet.
Yet, they all knew the truth: Caleb was lost, and his dark side consumed him. The boy they loved seemed gone forever.