The briefing room at B.U.D.D.I.E.S. HQ felt too small for what was happening inside it. Maps of the Elemental Domain flickered across the curved holo-walls, warping, expanding, twisting into shapes that violated geometry. Sigil readings pulsed like living hearts. Dimensional hazard warnings overlapped in angry red ribbons.
It was the kind of room where universes were saved, or lost.
Danny stood at the center of it—jaw tight, fists trembling, eyes smoldering gold. Across from him, Shadeclaw paced like a caged predator, claws twitching with sharpened impatience. Swift was typing furiously on his tablet, Jake stood stiff with nerves, and Jade rolled his shoulders like a fighter waiting to be called into the ring.
Jimmy, holding a half-eaten waffle and a data slate covered in dotted signatures, sighed deeply.
"When I said the training arc would escalate, I did not mean this." He flicked a crumb off his coat. "Now listen up—because even I can't waffle my way through this briefing."
Soren planted himself beside him, arms crossed, towering with drill-sergeant menace.
"Alpha Team: Danny, Swift, Jake," Soren barked. "You follow the sigil trail. You're the only ones who can navigate the unstable field."
Jade raised a brow. "Why those three? We're all strong."
Soren snorted. "Because if anyone else attempts to follow a creation-tuned vector, they'll fold into four-dimensional string cheese."
Jake blanched.
Shadeclaw stopped pacing. His voice came out low. "And us?"
Jimmy tapped the hologram. The map shifted to a pulsing crimson thread twisting through black nothingness.
"You two are Bravo Team," he said. "Your job is to follow Mira's tether."
A hush settled in the room. Even the hum of the holograms seemed to dim.
Shadeclaw's expression darkened, shadows curling around his pupils. "I can feel her. Faint. Hurt. But she's alive."
Danny swallowed hard. "Good. That means we still have time."
Jimmy shook his head. "Time is the one thing I don't have. Literally. I could stop it, technically speaking, but that would cause nineteen multiversal paradoxes and three broken printers."
Swift frowned. "Wait—printers—?"
Danny cut him off with a quiet laugh, one that sounded exhausted. "Jimmy. What do we need to know?"
Jimmy slapped the table. "The Elemental Domain shifts every seven seconds. You can't just fly into it. Danny will anchor the path for Alpha Team." He nodded toward Shadeclaw. "Mira's link anchors Bravo Team."
Jade cracked his neck. "So we split up and hope nobody dies."
"That is a surprisingly accurate summary," Jimmy replied.
Shadeclaw turned to Danny, eyes hard but honest. "Before we go…"
Danny faced him.
Shadeclaw stepped close—wolf to dragon, warrior to warrior.
"You keep saying you won't hold back later," Shadeclaw said. "Good. Because if you freeze when it's time to burn through those Lords, we lose her."
Danny didn't flare up. Didn't growl. He simply nodded.
"You bring her home," he answered softly, "and I'll make sure there's a home left to bring her to."
Shadeclaw stared at him for a long moment… then nodded once, sharp as a blade drawn.
Jade clapped Jake on the back so hard the bronze dragon kid nearly face-planted.
"Don't die, kid," Jade said. "You're the only one who laughs at my jokes."
"I don't laugh at—okay, maybe once—" Jake protested.
Swift slid up beside them, tablet in hand. "We're all coming back. All six. That's the goal."
Shadeclaw muttered, "Make it happen," and strode toward the hangar doors.
Jade followed.
The room felt emptier the moment they left.
Danny turned to his remaining teammates. "Let's get to the WhistleDawn hangar."
Soren grunted. "Move. Wheels up in five."
The hangar bay stretched farther than the eye could track, filled with organized chaos—technicians bellowing orders, B.E.A.R. suits stomping across the deck, Switchblades powering up with shimmering arcs of energy.
Two ships were prepped on separate decks:
A dimensional-tuned Scout Switchblade for Alpha Team—sleek, sigil-threaded, its hull traced with glowing runes that pulsed in time with Danny's heartbeat.
And a stealth drop-cruiser for Bravo Team—its hull absorbing ambient light, wrapped in shadow inscriptions drawn by Shadeclaw himself.
Jake whispered, "This place never stops being insane."
Swift nodded, thumb flying over screens as he recorded new readings. "We're one station. There are twenty-six more like this."
Danny didn't respond.
The sigil stone pulsing in its containment chamber had grabbed all his attention.
He drifted toward it unconsciously, drawn by a thread he couldn't cut.
As he approached, the stone—previously dormant—flared bright enough to blind.
A burst of sigil-light shot out, fracturing into a holographic star map.
Swift grabbed his arm. "Danny—Danny, it's reacting to you!"
Jake shielded his eyes. "What does that mean!?"
Jimmy, appearing beside them with a clipboard, answered flatly:
"It means everything is worse than we thought."
The map was incomplete—missing chunks like pieces torn from a puzzle.
But the parts still visible…
…showed sigil shrines going dark across the cosmos.
One.
Two.
Three.
Seven.
Danny's breath went still.
"They're draining them faster."
"Correct," Swift whispered. "At this rate—"
"We're out of time," Danny finished.
But even as fear tightened his chest…
He felt Mira.
A tremor.
A plea without words.
A warning.
Shadeclaw, boarding his darkened dropship, felt it too—his head jerking toward the same direction Danny was staring.
He didn't speak. He didn't need to.
They both knew the storm was sharpening.
Bravo Team launched first.
Their drop-cruiser vanished into a tearing curtain of darkness, Shadeclaw guiding it with predatory certainty. Jade stood behind him, cracking his knuckles, staring into the void with the expression of someone eager for violence.
Inside the shadow corridor, the ship shuddered as reality bent. The floor rippled. The shadows whispered. Mira's tether pulled at Shadeclaw's heart like a hook.
But something else moved through the corridor.
Something crawling. Watching.
Shadeclaw growled low.
"Umbrakrell," he muttered. "The bastard is twisting the path."
Jade grinned. "Good. Let him try."
The corridor snapped into a ripple of impossible geometry as they were pulled toward something enormous.
Alpha Team launched next.
Their Switchblade streaked into a shimmering tear of sigil-light, Danny stabilizing the rift with his creation aura. Swift wrestled coordinates as the ship pitched at impossible angles. Jake clung to his straps, praying internally.
The rift distorted around them—time looping, sound reversing, shapes folding.
Danny's eyes glowed brighter.
"Hold it steady," Swift gasped. "Almost through—just a few more seconds—"
The ship burst into a vast celestial graveyard.
Ruined sigil architecture floated across infinite space, shattered by elemental force.
Jake whispered, "What happened here…?"
They didn't have time to ask further.
Something twisted and massive turned toward them—an elemental distortion, its body a storm of writhing stone, fire, and shadow stitched together.
Danny stepped forward, flame rising along his arms.
"We're not too late," he said.
"We're early."
The monster roared.
And Team Alpha braced for impact.
Bravo Team emerged from shadow—
into a valley of stalking, many-limbed beasts woven of night and elemental fury. Their eyes gleamed with Umbrakrell's influence. Their breaths shook the ground.
Shadeclaw stepped off the ramp before the ship even landed.
"Good," he growled. "Something to kill."
The moment Shadeclaw's boots hit the cracked obsidian ground, the valley seemed to inhale.
The beasts—shapes of shadow laced with the raw elements of the Domain—stiffened as if sensing an intruder who did not fear them… who welcomed them.
They were massive, each the size of a small transport pod, their limbs bending at angles that rejected biology. Their bodies flickered between forms—sometimes wolf-like, sometimes serpentine, sometimes nothing but clawed silhouettes tearing through the air.
Umbrakrell's mark was unmistakable.
The largest creature—its skull a floating mask of shifting darkness—snarled and stepped forward, light bending around it.
Jade hopped down beside Shadeclaw and cracked his knuckles. "So… how do you wanna do this? Half and half? Or you take the big ugly one and I handle the cheer squad?"
Shadeclaw didn't answer.
He dropped into a stance so natural it looked like violence given posture.
When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.
"Follow my lead."
The lead beast lunged.
Shadeclaw moved.
He became motion, a flicker of shadow crossing impossible distance. His claws sank into the creature's face before it could react, ripping through its unstable form like paper. The thing shrieked, its entire body unraveling into a burst of shadow-smoke.
Jade let out a low whistle. "Alright then."
Five more creatures leapt toward him.
Jade stomped the ground.
Chi detonated outward, cracking the valley floor as he surged forward with fists glowing like twin shotguns being cocked. He blasted the first creature across the clearing, its shape warping into fragments.
Shadeclaw was already in the middle of three others.
He tore through one, pivoted, ducked under a shadow-spear of a limb, then sliced upward with a crescent slash that disintegrated the monster's torso. His movements were faster than normal—sharper, more primal.
The more danger he smelled, the more complete his shadow-wolf instincts became.
Jade dodged a hoof the size of a boulder and punched upward into the beast's jaw.
BOOM.
The creature exploded into crackling violet dust.
Jade grinned. "Man, I love field trips."
A shadow streak sliced across his arm.
Jade hissed. "Okay, less love—but still good!"
Shadeclaw didn't turn—didn't need to. He could smell Jade's blood, could track his teammate without sight.
Three beasts converged on him in a synchronized attack.
A narrow smile crossed Shadeclaw's lips.
"Come."
He leapt upward, body twisting midair, claws slashing a triple arc of darkness. The three creatures split in half before they realized they'd been cut.
Jade pointed dramatically. "Hey! Save some for—"
A creature tackled him mid-sentence.
Jade hit the ground, rolled, and blasted two chi-shots into its ribs, launching it skyward before Shadeclaw speared it midair with a shadow-strike.
Jade exhaled. "Thanks."
Shadeclaw wiped shadow from his claws. "Stay focused. Something bigger is coming."
As if summoned by his words, the entire valley trembled.
The beasts froze.
Then backed away.
Retreating into the shadows.
Jade blinked. "Wait… they're leaving?"
Shadeclaw's fur prickled, the air thickening with a scent he despised.
"No," he whispered. "They're making room."
A crack formed along the valley floor.
A single column of darkness speared upward.
And from its heart stepped a tall, lean figure draped in hooded shadow, bow slung across his back, a crescent blade in his hand.
Eyes glowing silver-white.
Umbrakrell.
His voice was quiet as snowfall.
"Shadowchild."
Shadeclaw's growl deepened. Jade glanced between them, unsure if he should intervene or run.
"You came," Umbrakrell continued, stepping closer. "As expected."
"Let her go," Shadeclaw snarled. "Now."
Umbrakrell tilted his head, almost amused. "She is not harmed. Not yet."
Shadeclaw's muscles coiled. "Say something useful before I rip your head off."
Jade tapped Shadeclaw's shoulder. "Hey, uh… maybe don't threaten the recently materialized death-god hunter just yet?"
Umbrakrell's gaze slid to Jade. "You brought a mortal with you. Charming."
Jade bristled. "I'll knock that hood off your face, shadow boy."
Shadeclaw held out an arm, stopping him.
Umbrakrell raised a single hand.
The shadows thickened.
The valley darkened.
The air itself froze.
"You may try," Umbrakrell whispered.
Shadeclaw snapped. "ENOUGH."
His roar tore through the valley, shattering the shadow freeze.
Umbrakrell blinked once. Barely impressed—but not dismissive.
"You have grown," he murmured.
Shadeclaw stepped forward, fangs bared. "Take me to her."
Umbrakrell's smile was thin and cruel.
"Win, and I may."
He spread his arms.
The valley fell quiet.
Jade whispered, "Oh. Oh, this is bad."
Shadeclaw dropped into a fighting stance that wasn't taught—
it was instinct.
Inherited.
Ancient.
"I'm not here to win," he said.
Umbrakrell's eyes brightened. "Good."
"I'm here to kill you."
Across the cosmos, Alpha Team was about to face their own nightmare.
The Switchblade rattled violently as the elemental distortion turned its massive head toward their ship. Its body was a swirling amalgamation of stone shards, burning plasma veins, and shadow-thread tendrils coiled around a hollow core.
Swift whispered, "That's… not in any manual…"
Jake swallowed hard. "We're fighting that? Like—today?"
Danny stepped forward, creation-fire rising along his arms.
The distortion roared, collapsing asteroids with the force of its voice alone.
Danny didn't flinch.
"Open the hatch," he said.
Swift's eyes widened. "Danny—"
"Open it."
Jake fumbled for the controls. "Uh—Swift? Decision help?"
The ship shook again, harder.
Swift sighed, threw his hands up, and slapped the hatch release.
The doors blasted open.
Danny stepped into the roaring void without hesitation.
Golden flame spiraled down his arms, eyes glowing brighter than the dead sigil ruins around them.
"Time to clear the way," he said.
The distortion lunged.
Danny met it head-on.
And creation crashed into corrupted element.
The valley split open with the force of Shadeclaw's charge.
Umbrakrell flowed backward—not stepped, not dodged, but flowed, like his body was smoke deciding to momentarily resemble a man. Shadeclaw's claws met only a ripple of darkness as Umbrakrell dissolved and reformed behind him.
"Faster," the shadow-lord whispered.
Shadeclaw spun, slashing a crescent arc that sliced the air clean in half. It carved a fissure in the ground where Umbrakrell had stood, but once again, the Elemental Lord dissolved into nothing, reappearing at Shadeclaw's flank.
"You carry potential," Umbrakrell murmured. "But potential without restraint becomes waste."
Shadeclaw snarled and lunged again.
Umbrakrell extended two fingers.
A shadow-thread speared Shadeclaw in the chest and sent him flying backward into a jagged stone pillar. The impact shook the entire valley, dust pluming outward like a volcanic blast.
Jade sprinted forward. "Shadeclaw!"
Shadeclaw staggered upright immediately, claws digging into the rock as he pulled himself free. Blood trailed down his side, but his eyes glowed brighter—wild, feral, locked on the enemy in front of him.
"Jade," he growled, voice ragged, "stay back."
"Nope," Jade answered without hesitation. "That's not happening."
Umbrakrell lowered his hood slightly, that faint almost-smile curving his lips. "How touching."
He stepped lightly across the cracked ground, his footsteps silent, but each one warping the shadows around him.
"This realm answers to me," he said softly. "This darkness—the air, the stone, the creatures who fled—is mine. What do you offer, little wolf?"
Shadeclaw spat blood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "A reason to fear the dark."
He blurred forward.
This time, Umbrakrell moved to counter—
and Shadeclaw vanished.
Jade gaped. "What the—?"
Shadeclaw reappeared above Umbrakrell, claws descending in a brutal arc.
The Lord of Shadow actually widened his eyes.
Shadeclaw struck.
The impact sent both of them reeling backward, shadows exploding outward in a violent burst. Umbrakrell skidded across the stones, sliding to a halt with a hand pressed against his chest—where Shadeclaw had actually drawn blood.
Thin, dark ichor seeped between Umbrakrell's fingers.
He stared at it, almost intrigued.
Shadeclaw exhaled, shaking with adrenaline. "That's right. Bleed for me."
Umbrakrell lifted his gaze. The temperature of the valley seemed to drop ten degrees.
"You are not ready to kill me," he said. "But you are ready to try."
He raised one hand.
The valley trembled.
Shadows spiraled upward like smoke columns rising from hell.
Jade held his fists up. "Well, this is gonna get stupid."
"Stay alive," Shadeclaw growled.
"No promises."
The shadows surged.
And the real fight began.
Light-years away, Team Alpha didn't have time to watch a fight—or breathe.
Danny collided with the elemental distortion in a blast that shook the Switchblade off orbit. Swift fought the controls, teeth gritted as the violent turbulence tried to pitch the craft into the remains of an asteroid.
The distortion's form writhed unpredictably—a vortex of stone shards grinding like teeth, molten rivers twisting around a hollow core, and shadow-tendrils flailing like the arms of something drowned and desperate.
Danny slammed a fist of creation flame into its head.
The creature's body cracked apart—
then instantly reformed, twisting into a new shape.
Swift shouted from the cockpit, "It's adapting! Danny, it's analyzing your energy!"
Danny dodged a molten swipe and blasted upward in an arc of golden flame. The distortion followed, its body unraveling and spiraling after him like a living storm.
Jake leaned over Swift's shoulder, panicking. "Uh—Danny might need backup!"
Swift didn't look away. "If we open the hatch again in this turbulence, the ship will turn into confetti!"
Jake made a face. "Then we won't open it! I'll go out the other way!"
"There is no other way!" Swift snapped.
Jake pointed at the emergency hull aperture. "What's that?"
Swift froze. "That is not a—Jake, that's a—WAIT!"
Too late.
Jake sprinted for the aperture, slapped the emergency release, and jumped.
Swift screamed, "THAT'S A GARBAGE VENT!"
Jake spun into open space, yelling on the way, "THEN I'LL BE RECYCLABLE!"
He stabilized mid-tumble, bronze wings bursting from his back just before he collided with a chunk of frozen debris. He soared upward, adrenaline firing through his veins, aiming for Danny.
The distortion lunged at Danny again, forming a jawlike maw of molten teeth.
Danny's foot ignited with creation fire as he spun a back kick into the maw.
The explosion rattled every nearby asteroid.
Jake reached them just in time to get clipped by a shockwave and spun into a somersault.
"OW—HEY—SOME OF US ARE NOT FULLY INVINCIBLE YET!"
Danny didn't look back. "Then stop getting hit!"
Jake coughed. "I'm TRYING!"
The distortion retracted, its shape flickering, scanning Danny's energy again.
Swift's voice crackled through Danny's com:
"It's learning from you. You need to fight unpredictably—use creation in ways it hasn't—DANNY MOVE LEFT!"
Danny whipped to the side as a blade of shadow lashed out where his spine had been.
Jake dove down and blasted the tendril with a concentrated jet of bronze flame.
Danny glanced at him. "You okay?"
"No!" Jake yelled. "But I'm HERE!"
Danny cracked a smile.
Then the distortion roared so loudly entire chunks of debris disintegrated from the vibration.
Jake swallowed hard. "I'm starting to think we should run."
Danny's eyes glowed brighter.
"No."
The distortion charged.
"So we end it."
He surged forward, flame erupting around him—
But a surge of distorted energy slammed into him mid-flight, sending him crashing into a shattered sigil pillar.
Swift's voice screamed through the com. "DANNY!"
Jake dove after him—
Then froze.
He felt it.
A presence.
A chill.
A voice.
The Lords were watching.
Jake shivered. "Uh… Swift? I think someone's tracking us."
Swift cursed in draconic and yanked the controls. "Of course they are! We broke their front door!"
Danny rose from the rubble, eyes burning harder, the distortion spiraling above him like an enraged storm.
"Jake," Danny said quietly.
Jake hovered inches behind him. "Yeah?"
"Stay behind me."
"Oh thank God."
The distortion dove.
And Danny tore into it with everything he had.
Back in the valley, the shadows parted just long enough for Jade to see Shadeclaw trading blows with Umbrakrell—each impact echoing like two titans colliding. He'd never seen Shadeclaw fight like this. Never seen him so close to losing himself.
Jade stepped forward—
—and a wall of shadows cut him off.
"Great," he muttered. "I guess I get the mini-bosses."
Dozens of smaller shadow-beasts circled him.
Jade rolled his shoulders.
"Gimme your worst."
They sprang.
And Jade's fists answered.
Deep in the swirling darkness, Umbrakrell met Shadeclaw claw for blade, shadow for shadow, whispers for growls.
"You seek her," Umbrakrell said, voice like silk wrapped around a blade.
Shadeclaw roared. "I'll FIND her."
Umbrakrell parried, spun, cut.
"You will. But not whole."
Shadeclaw's eyes flashed with murderous fury.
And the shadows closed in as the chapter neared its breaking point—
two battles
two fronts
two destinies tightening like snares—
and both teams hurtling toward the Elemental Lords' waiting trap.