In the serene quiet of her private chamber, Queen Ahalya sat in a high-backed chair, her gaze lost in the dancing flames of the hearth. The peace was shattered by a familiar, psychic touch in her mind.

'Your Majesty?'

Ahalya’s posture straightened instantly. 'Angela? Are you alright?' The tension in her mental voice was palpable.

From her hiding spot deep within the enemy cave, Angela smiled, touched by the concern. 'Yes, I'm fine. Is Amanda well?'

'She is. She's strong, just like her mother. What is happening there? You feel... tense.'

'I overheard something,' Angela reported, her mental tone turning grim. 'They spoke of the girl becoming the key for something called the "Darkhold." Do you know what that means?'

The Queen's psychic presence recoiled in shock. 'The Darkhold?' she repeated, the name a dreadful echo from the past. 'It is the name of the seal my brother created to bind my father. It exists at the nexus between dimensions, a prison forged against the very laws of nature. To break it...' She paused, the weight of the revelation crushing. 'It requires the combined essence of an Original Vampire, the power of Lycan, and a witch. A witch of immense power must act as the key to turn the lock. And it demands a cataclysmic surge of magic to fuel it—like that of a solar eclipse. This is why they need the twins, Torfyn, and Amanda. They are not just ingredients; they are the very catalysts for the apocalypse.'

Angela felt a chill that had nothing to do with the cave's damp air. The pieces of the horrific puzzle finally clicked into place.

'There is no more need for you to stay,' the Queen commanded, her tone leaving no room for argument. 'Return home, Ann. Immediately.'

'But if I leave, we lose our only way to track their ceremony!'

'You will not learn its location from inside their den. They will guard that secret with their lives. If you stay, you will be discovered. This is an order.'

Angela took a deep, resigned breath. 'Yes, Your Majesty.' With a final surge of her unique blood magic, she dissolved her form into the ambient energy of the cave and vanished.

---

On the vast training ground, a new phase of their preparation began. Torfyn, Amanda, and Wei stood facing their mentors.

Lena stepped forward. "This is your next trial. You have touched the depths of your power. Now, we return to the surface. The foundation of any combat, regardless of how magical, is the body." Her eyes settled on Wei. "Even a wizard must know how to throw a punch and how to take one. From today, half the day will be dedicated to pure, hand-to-hand combat. The other half, to honing your unique abilities."

With a wave of her hand, a shimmering, translucent dome encased one half of the field. "Inside this barrier, magic is nullified. Here, you will rely only on strength, speed, and skill. Outside, you will push the limits of your power. Understood?"

The three teenagers exchanged determined glances and nodded as one.

Dylan stepped forward. "Your task is simple. Fight your respective mentor. Use only your physical power. Do your best."

The trio split off to their corners. This time, there was no reckless charge. Torfyn watched Dylan, his body coiled, waiting. Dylan gave an approving smirk and lunged. Torfyn evaded the first punch, but a second, devastating blow he never saw coming slammed into his gut, driving the air from his lungs.

How did he move like that? he thought, gasping. His eyes flickered to the others. Amanda was a blur of motion, but Siya was a phantom, always a step ahead, her attacks forcing Amanda into a desperate, flailing defense. Wei was faring the worst; he was purely outclassed by Lena's speed and experience, unable to even land a block.

"Concentrate on your own fight!" Dylan barked, his fist connecting squarely with Torfyn's jaw, snapping his head back.

Meanwhile, Amanda managed to string together a combination of strikes. Siya flowed around them like water, then leaped forward with a punch aimed at Amanda's face. Instinct took over; Amanda jerked back just in time, her heart hammering.

"Good instinct," Siya commented. "But instinct without technique is just luck. Steady your posture. Breathe."

Wei, meanwhile, was using his mind as his primary weapon. He watched Lena's every micro-movement—the shift of her weight, the tension in her shoulders. According to her stance, she'll feint low, then strike high. A kick to the face. His theory was perfect. He predicted her exact moves. The problem was, his body couldn't react in time. The feint came, he flinched, and her real strike—a punch to the chest followed by a spinning kick to his face—sent him sprawling to the ground, blood trickling from his nose.

He looked up, dazed, to see Lena smiling down at him, not with mockery, but with genuine surprise. "You predicted my entire sequence just by observing my physiology. That is an incredible gift. But a prediction is useless without the physical attributes and technique to act on it. We will build that for you."

Wei wiped the blood from his lip, a new fire in his eyes. He would become strong in every way. He had to.

---

As Roger patrolled the deeper tunnels of the cave, a faint glint on the stone floor caught his eye. He bent down and picked up a small, perfectly formed blood-red crystal. Panic seized him.

'Leader! She was here! Angela was here! She's been spying on us!'

The leader, Valantine, summoned the others instantly. "Find her! Tear this cave apart! She cannot return to the Queen!"

But their search was in vain. "She's gone," Alice reported, her voice tight with frustration.

Valantine's furious contemplation was interrupted as a dark, oppressive aura flooded the cavern, sucking the warmth from the air. The Generals snapped into fighting stances.

"It's been a long time... isn't it, Valantine?" a smooth, female voice echoed from the shadows.

Valantine's face twisted with anger and confusion. "Why are you here?"

A woman emerged, her hair the color of flame and her eyes burning like embers. "Why? Can't old friends say hello?"

Arlong stared, stunned. "Heiri... the Fire Queen. Why is a Fire Elemental here?"

Heiri's orange eyes flicked to him. "Oh, isn't it little Arlong? How you've grown." She turned her dangerous smile back to Valantine. "So, Valentine, I heard you and your... boys... are planning a resurrection. And I heard Ahalya is less than pleased. I've come to help."

"Help?" Valantine scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. We all know you have your own motives. The last time we trusted you, you betrayed us. Why should I trust you now?"

Heiri's smile didn't falter, but it grew sharper. "I had no choice then. But now, I come bearing a gift." She clapped her hands.

A figure clad in silovet, draped in a red dress, dragged a bound woman into the chamber. A black bag was pulled from her head, revealing a bruised and battered Angela.

"I caught her fleeing your hideout," Heiri said sweetly. "Thought you might want her back."

Valantine eyed her warily. "I don't know what game you're playing, Heiri, but as long as you don't stand in our way..." He grabbed a sword from a wall mount and strode toward Angela. "This is for Edger."

He swung the blade in a clean, merciless arc.

Angela met his gaze, her eyes filled with defiance, and closed them.

Clink!

Instead of flesh and bone, the sound was of shattering crystal. Angela's head didn't fall; it dissolved into a crimson mist that exploded outwards. The red fog swirled through the air, ignoring the stunned Generals, and shot into the adjacent room, streaming directly into the nostrils of the unconscious Liang Mei.

Mei's eyes flew open, no longer cold and controlled, but wide with childlike terror. "Wei! Mother! Where are you? Help me! Where am I?"

Valantine stared, understanding dawning. "It was a decoy... a blood clone!"

The remaining red mist coalesced, forming a hazy, spectral image of Queen Ahalya's face. Her voice, cold and absolute, filled the cave.

"So, Uncle Val... I will never let you release my father. I will stop you." The spectral eyes turned to the Fire Queen. "And you, Heiri. This means the Fire Elementals have chosen to stand against my throne. Consider this your only warning. Cease this folly and surrender, or face the consequences."

Valantine shouted, his voice raw with fury, "I will NEVER surrender!"

Heiri smirked. "Do your worst, Ahalya. We will bring him back."

The misty image of the Queen solidified her gaze. "Then from this moment forth, I declare war upon you all."

With those final, fateful words, the apparition vanished.

A stunned silence gripped the cave, followed by a murmur of fear and anger. Valantine, swallowing his own trepidation, puffed out his chest. "We knew a confrontation with the Queen was inevitable! But now, with the Fire Elementals at our side, victory is within our grasp! We will fight, and we will achieve our goal!"

A ragged cheer rose from the eleven Generals. Heiri stood apart, her fiery eyes glinting with a secret, triumphant smile. Everything was proceeding exactly as she had planned. The war for the world had officially begun.