Adam, Jackie and Eclipsa walked down through the entrance into the catacombs where Mina and Star where. The steps were old and in almost mint condition from lack of use. They were covered in dust and spiderwebs which showed that more than a couple of beings had walked down the steps not that long ago.

The group walked down the stairs until they found themselves inside the underground catacombs. They walked past carvings of ancient beings and forgotten histories that decorated the walls. Some stone carvings showed cloaked man playing a golden trumpet as bony hands reached out for him, a woman covered in bandages holding a golden sword on her left hand and a scale on the right one. And then there were carvings of lizard-like people like in the Evil Eye Monastery. Adam narrowed his eyes as the memories came back to him. A faint green glow caught their attention, they were on the right path. Just then the ground shook with them in the underground catacombs.

"We need to keep going," Jackie said, stepping down the pathway.

"This has got to be something that Mina and Star are doing," Eclipsa added before they ran deeper into the catacombs.

The group ran faster down the path until the faint glowing green light became brighter. The air grew colder and damper the deeper they went down. There was also a nasty smell that spread through the catacombs. They came across the path that led to a deeper part of the catacombs. It was dead quiet and all that echoed was their steps.

"I'm pretty sure that's what turned Mina and her knights into monsters," Jackie said, looking at the green goo that flowed on the ground.

"And what turned Ludo into-" Adam began when a couple of pebbles fell down from the wall.

The group stopped on their tracks. They heard something slithering above them.

Adam narrowed his eyes before he reached for his sword. Just as he grabbed hold of Caliburn, Rasticore dropped down from above. Adam jumped out of the way of its claws, forcing him to throw the veiled cloth to Eclipsa.

Jackie pulled out her daggers and ran after Rasticore just as Adam drew out Caliburn.

Rasticore jumped at them with his claws drawn for the kill.

Adam snarled before he and Jackie charged at the reptilian monster. Jackie slashed at its right eye, blinding it while Adam cut off the creature's left arm. Rasticore landed with a thud before letting out a savage roar at the group. Adam rushed in and slashed at the lizard creature's chest pushing it backwards. Rasticore roared as the green blood came out of his wounds. Adam stood ready with his sword, expecting a counter attack from the lizard monster.

"You helped start all this, Ludo. All the people that have died from this madness demand justice," Adam said, pointing Caliburn at Rasticore.

Rasticore growled at Adam once more. It seemed that whatever was left of that twisted mind was reacting to the words. But the creature reacted with the only emotion it still recognized, rage.

"I think it's about time you finally get put out of your misery," Adam added, as Rasticore charged at the trio with murder in his remaining eye.

Before Adam or Jackie could strike down the reptilian monster, a blast of purple energy with purple butterflies struck Rasticore. The attack sent the monster backwards into one of the catacomb walls, causing large rocks to fall from the ceiling and crush him under their weight.

Adam and Jackie turned around and saw Eclipsa holding out her right hand as it was coated in purple energy. She lowered her hand before looking at the two youngsters with a confused look.

"What? I may have been a former queen but I don't like to be left to the side," Eclipsa said, as she walked towards them. "I'm not just some pretty face, you know?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Adam said, putting Caliburn away.

"We completely forgot about that," Jackie added, blushing while putting her daggers behind her back.

"You two'll make it up to me later," Eclipsa winked as she gave the wrapped cloth to Adam.

Eclipsa took the lead, leaving the two young adults slightly behind.

"She scares me," Jackie whispered to Adam.

"I think she was flirting with us," Adam whispered back.

"Come along you two, we're on a tight schedule aren't we?" Eclipsa called out.

Adam and Jackie picked up the pace and caught up to Eclipsa before finding themselves in front of a large entrance. The entrance looked like the mouth of a monster. Two pairs of fangs stood out from the four corners of the entrance and in the upper part there was a pair of eyes with with slit irises and a grotesque nose in between them. The trio stepped into the mouth of the wolf and found themselves in another dark corridor. At the end of the corridor there was a strange glowing yellow light which made the group rush towards it.

Adam grabbed hold of Caliburn once more and drew it out to be ready for whatever may be in front of them.

But what appeared before the trio was something that none of them was expecting to come across.

Meteora was held against the wall with iron nails on her hands, pinning her in place. Her eyes were white and unfocused. Purple lines with yellow accents flowed from her body up to a large spiraling yellow portal.

The gate had been opened by Star and Mina.

"Meteora!" Eclipsa cried out, rushing to her daughter along with Adam and Jackie.

Eclipsa reached her daughter and picked her face with her hands.

"Meteora, please honey, I'm here," Eclipsa said on the verge of tears.

Jackie tried to grab hold of one of nails holding Meteora, but she felt the burn of the iron.

Adam grabbed hold of the other nail and pulled it off of her. He grabbed hold of the other nail and pulled it off, freeing Meteora into the arms of her mother.

Eclipsa held her daughter near her chest hoping to comfort her as her eyes closed. Meteora blinked herself awake before seeing her mother.

"Mom, where? What happened?" Meteora asked.

"Meteora, I'm so glad you're safe," Eclipsa cried of happiness, hugging her daughter. "Tell me, are you alright?"

Meteora screamed in pain as the two holes in her hands finally registered.

"Damn it, Star! I swear I'll get even with you for this," Meteora growled.

"Where did they go?" Adam asked, causing Meteora to finally look at him.

Meteora's face lit up at the sight of Adam's new self.

"Hello there, handsome. I don't believe we've met," Meteora flirted.

Eclipsa giggled as Adam blushed from the cat call.

"Actually, I'm Adam, the human from the monastery," Adam introduced himself.

Meteora blinked a couple times unsure of what she heard. She narrowed her eyes at him before she finally recognized him.

"Whoa, you look good in red," Meteora mumbled as Jackie wrapped some bandages on her arms.

"Meteora, where did Star and Mina went?" Jackie asked, causing her to snap out of her stupor.

"After nailing me to the damn wall, they entered that portal," Meteora pointed to the strange portal. "They said something about waking The Darkness."

"Then that's where I'll go," Adam said walking towards the portal.

Adam glared at the portal, feeling the power that came from the swirling mass of energy. He gripped Caliburn tightly, knowing that something would come out from that place. He looked down at Hekapoo's crystal prison.

"Is that where The Darkness is?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, good thing you got Caliburn and your arrows," Hekapoo said.

"You know that's going to be a trap, right?" Jackie said, joining the conversation.

"If that's the case, I'm going too," Meteora said, trying to get up. "I owe Star being turned into a pin cushion," She winced, being caught by her mom.

Eclipsa's eyes turned purple using a spell to see the state of her daughter's health.

"She's weak. Making that damn portal has drained a lot of her energy," Eclipsa said. "She needs some rest. Don't you sweetie?"

"Mom," Meteora hissed, blushing in embarrassment.

"It's alright, I'll go in and stop them," Adam said.

"You can't go alone in there," Jackie replied. "We've come all this way, I'm not going to leave you now."

Adam smiled. He turned to Jackie and kissed her on the lips. They melt into the kiss a a minute before they broke it.

Meteora's eyes widened in surprise. She then understood their relationship was a lot deeper than she had believed at first.

"I need you two here to close the portal if Star or anyone else tries to get out," Adam explained.

"I understand, just be careful," Jackie begging him to stay with them instead of going to wherever the portal took them.

Jackie nodded as Adam turned to the portal. He took in a deep breath before he stepped through the portal.

Adam stepped into the other side of the portal. The ground under his feet was wet. He looked down and saw that his feet were covered with a golden liquid. He saw that the sky was pitch black and there were no creatures nearby. He spotted purple crystals around him and a path of purple crystal steps appeared before him and far at the end of the path laid a great blue fire. He could hear a chant coming from the fire was, not far from where he stood. Adam unveiled the cloth that he was carrying before he pulled out the bow and the three arrows.

"Marco, I'll be sure to use these arrows right," Adam said, preparing an arrow on the bow.

Adam walked up the path. He felt the wind strike his body but it wasn't like the winds that he'd felt before.

This wind was foul, it carried a stench that he could only describe as a rancid meat stew being boiled inside a smelly boot over a fire that was lit using garbage. Every breath he took, the more he wanted to vomit his lunch.

But as the stench grew worse in smell, Adam noticed that the chanting grew louder. He growled as he recognized the voices that were making those chants.

"Oooma Chota, Rien Dark! Awaken Darkness for your time is nigh!"

"Bring on your master, Glossaryck! The bringer of chaos and madness! Na-Mung Garroth Amma-Ra!"

Adam walked on and on until he finally got to the end of the path. A small tower stood before him and at the very top there was a blue fire burning bright. He spotted both Star and Mina chanting right in front of the flame.

"Oooma Chota, Rien Dark! Awaken Darkness for your time is nigh!"

"Bring on your master, Glossaryck! The bringer of chaos and madness! Na-Mung Garroth Amma-Ra!"

"I Star Butterfly call you! Your way is ready!"

Adam narrowed his eyes at the sight of the two women. He could tell that Star was holding up the Gospel of Glossaryck while Mina danced like a madwoman. A growled pulled his sight to the two monstrous knights standing guard.

"Looks like we've got some company," Hekapoo said.

"Good thing I've got more than one arrow," Adam replied, climbing up the stairs. "So, you two want to go first? Come and get me."

The two monstrous knights growled and charged at Adam.

Adam aimed the first arrow at the knight at the left. He took in a deep breath before firing the first arrow. The arrow through the air flew from Adam's bow and struck the first knight on the right pectoral.

The knight stopped on his tracks as a crimson flare erupted from the arrow and spread through its body. The dark magic inside the knight was used as fuel for the arrow to purge. The flesh and blood of the knight was burnt off, leaving by a pile of charred bones where the soldier once stood.

"I may have pretty bad aim but I only need to hit you once to destroy you," Adam said, firing the second arrow at the remaining knight.

The second arrow struck the second knight in the lower abdomen, turning him into another pile of scorched bones.

The roar of pain of the fallen knights caught the attention of both Star and Mina. They turned around and got a clear view of Adam as he walked past the scorched bones.

"Well, what do we have here? A Fablefolk looking to see the rise of the new queen?" Star asked.

"Maybe he wants to bow down to us first and get special favors," Mina suggested.

"Ooh, that is a good thing," Star said before turning to Adam. "Well, go ahead, start groveling for your new queen."

Adam narrowed his eyes at Star.

"You don't recognize me, do you?" Adam asked.

"Not really," Mina replied before looking at Star. "Should we, though? His voice does sound a little familiar."

"I really don't think he's that important, so no," Star added, shrugging him off.

Adam narrowed his eyes at Star and gritted his teeth. He gripped the bow and the last arrow so tight that he could feel the wood slightly crumble by the force.

"You mean to tell me that you don't recognize the person that you stabbed in the back?!" Adam asked, aiming the final arrow with a snarl. "My name is Adam Lakestone, and I'm here to stop you both. I've got one final arrow, and it has your name, Star!"

Star's eyes widen in surprise.

"You?! You're the human?!" Star asked, pointing to Adam. "You should be dead!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha! It doesn't matter, princess," Mina laughed, pointing to Adam with a mocking finger. "You're too late, boy! This is beyond your potty brain's understanding! Look down and behold..." She said, pointing to the ground below them.

Adam looked down by the corner of his eye and saw that the golden liquid was turning pitch black. Deep below the surface of the dark liquid a monstrous green silhouette moved towards them. It resembled a dragon with large bat-like wings where its arms should be, a long neck, a fierce reptilian face with a pair of green glowing eyes, but it had tentacles on its lower body. The tentacles reached out, coiling around the crystals that stretched below the surface. Each tentacle had green eyes with diamond shaped irises. They moved around, taking in the world around them.

"Take a good look at The Darkness!" Mina cried out. "Take it all in and lose your marbles!"

Adam gazed upon the monster that was down in the depths of the liquid. He felt his body become stiff. His grip loosened as his eyes lost focus.

"Adam!" Hekapoo called out, hoping to get his attention.

"You waste your breath, flame whore," Mina said. "He's down for the count."

"Yeah, what else could you expect from a pathetic human," Star added, hoping that it would rub salt on Adam's pride.

Adam's vision began to fade, but he then remembered that he had to do this. He remembered that the people that he loved were waiting for him, and that he needed to remain strong.

"I'm no longer human," Adam growled, steeling himself back. "And your madness doesn't hold any power over me!" He said as he aimed the final arrow at Star.

Star's face turned pale as she gazed into Adam's burning orange eyes. How could this being fight against the will of something bigger than himself. She was doing what was right, and yet this human was standing there trying to stop her.

A thip snapped Star out of her thoughts. She saw the arrow fly directly towards her.

"Princess!" Mina called out, snapping Star's instincts.

Star placed the only thing that she had on hand to protect herself, the Gospel of Glossaryck. The arrow pierced through the cursed book like a heavy rock would go through the surface of the water.

The book was engulfed in red flames, burning Star's hands.

Star screamed in rage as her hands became bloody by the burns before glaring at Adam. If looks could kill, her eyes would be a death sentence.

"You will pay for that, freak!" Star said. "Rainbow Death Flame!" She screamed as she fired rainbow-colored flames from her hands.

The flames struck Adam. He held up his right arm to block as much of the fire as possible, but the rainbow colored flames burnt away the bow and the cloak that Adam had been wearing.

"Die! Die! Die!" Star cried out. "You and every human in this damn place will be used as foundations for my new kingdom!"

Adam struggled against the flames. He stepped forward, feeling the blazing heat against his body. It was powerful, but it wasn't hurting him as badly as he'd thought. He grabbed hold of Caliburn. He drew it out with a powerful slice, knocking Star away from him. Adam saw that Caliburn was now coated in a crimson flare.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else," Adam said, holding up Caliburn with both hands.

Mina roared as she charged against Adam, forcing him to turn and block her sword.

"You fool, no matter what tricks you have you'll never stop The Darkness or Glossaryck!" Mina claimed as she pushed him with her sword.

Mina swung her blade against Adam, forcing him to roll under the swing. He swung Caliburn against the mad woman, clashing once more. She sliced high while he blocked her attack. He jumped back as Mina charged at him once again. She raised her sword above her head before bringing it down. Adam quickly blocked the attack by holding his sword horizontally.

"You're a fool Mina, you and Star are nothing more than pawns in this damn game," Adam grunted, holding back the blade. "Glossaryck is probably laughing his ass off as we speak."

"Then I'll join him when I laugh over your dead body," Mina growled, before raising her sword once more and bashing it against Caliburn.

Adam held his ground against the attacks of the mad woman. He was forced onto one knee almost as if he had been brought down by a landslide. He could feel the legendary sword was digging into his skin. He looked up as Mina prepared her final strike.

"This is justice!" Mina screamed like a mad woman.

Adam remembered a move that Buffrog showed him back when he trained him. He held up until the strike landed. He side-stepped to the right, letting the force of the attack go all the way down. He then spun in a circle before slicing the side of Mina's body. Mina screamed in pain, holding her bleeding side. She turned around, growling at Adam. Adam looked at Mina, growling with a snarl.

"Stay down," Adam said.

"May Glossaryck see me through to the end!" Mina cried out, charging against Adam once more.

Adam jumped back as she slashed at him. The slice managed to knick the crystal that had Hekapoo inside, causing it to break just a little bit.

"Die scum!" Mina bellowed, slashing at Adam.

"Pawn!" Adam roared back, dodging the attacks and blocking with Caliburn.

As Adam and Mina clashed their blades against one another, Star reached to the Gospel of Glossaryck.

"Damn, that guy," Star mumbled. "How dare he attack me of all people," She said, trying to grab the cursed book as it burned with the arrow.

She tried to grab hold of the book but the flames were too strong for her to grab it.

"Starfish Water Blast!" Star said, firing a blast of water in the shape of a star.

The water struck the burning book, but the flames weren't extinguished.

Star grew frustrated. She tightened her fists and reached for the book, but she only burnt herself some more. Star recoiled in pain as the flames crawled up her arms. The flames that spawned from the book and the arrow of St. Tom went up her face, scaring her with burn marks.

"ARGH!" Star screamed, holding the right side of her face.

The right side of her face was now charred black, her heart mark now resembled a broken heart and her eye was now black with the iris glowing red. Her now black and red eye watched everything with a ghostly glare of pure hatred. She fixed her sights on Adam as he battled off Mina.

"You did this! You couldn't just lay down and get out of my way," Star growled as she glared at Adam.

Just before Star could do anything, the platform shook violently. She fell from the side, holding on to the edge of the platform.

Adam lost his balance and fell on his butt. He looked down and saw the tentacles of the Darkness crawling upwards. Just as Adam was about to get up, Mina ran up to him and kicked him in the stomach, sending him back. Adam rolled, losing the grip on his sword and landing next to the burning cursed book. He reached for Caliburn, but Mina stepped on the blade pinning it to the ground.

"Now, die on the ground like you deserve!" Mina cried out, holding up her sword for a final strike.

Adam felt the fire behind him. He glanced back and saw the arrow within his reach. As Mina smiled like a mad woman, he grabbed hold of the arrow. He lifted it along with the burning remains of the Gospel of Glossaryck. He jabbed the arrow and the book deep into Mina's heart. As soon as the arrow dug into Mina's black she bursted into flames, screaming in pain. Adam stepped back as Mina turned into a screaming pile of ash along with the gospel.

"Go to Hell," Adam said before picking up Caliburn.

The ground shook under Adam's feet as he saw the tentacles of the Darkness rising along with it. He looked at the beast, holding Caliburn ready to fight.

Star was snatched by one of the tentacles, pulling her high.

The Darkness roared a vengeful roar that shook the ground and the rest of the realm.

"Adam, you need to free me now!" Hekapoo said, getting his attention.

Adam pulled the crystal off of his necklace to look at Hekapoo.

"How?" Adam asked, looking at the crystal.

"We're in the realm where my stupid brother was born, just smash it and I'll do the rest," Hekapoo explained.

Adam held the crystal in his left hand before smashing it against the ground. The crystal shattered against the ground. A burning warmth enveloped Adam's hand, forcing him to pull back his hand. The flame grew tall until Hekapoo was standing before him.

"AW, YEAH! I'm free at last," Hekapoo said. "Here's Hekapoo baby!"

"Good to have you back Hekapoo, but now how do we take care of this thing?" Adam asked, holding Caliburn ready to fight.

"I did promise you that if you survived you'd see me in my full glory," Hekapoo said as her hands reached for the flame in her crown. "Hey, old man, take a good hard look at this flame! This is the embodiment of the wrath the gods left on earth to ward against you and your pet! I've carried this for centuries as penance for my crimes as your daughter! Now you take!" She explained.

The flame in Hekapoo's hands began to grow and grow and grow until it became an inferno. Adam stepped back as the fire was becoming to much for him.

"Now, back to oblivion where you belong!" Hekapoo cried out as the inferno struck the Darkness.

The flames illuminated the realm, striking at the Darkness. They pushed the great beast back down to the depths from whence it came. Taking Star along with it.

"I curse you, Lakestone!" Star cried out as the flames took her down.

The flames spread through the realm burning everything.

"Now, we get out of here!" Hekapoo said.

"No need to tell me twice," Adam replied as he pulled Hekapoo away from the flames.

The two ran as fast as their legs could take them. The flames that consumed the realm were bitting at their heels. They spotted the portal and rushed towards it.

"Jump out!" Hekapoo said before they both jumped through the portal as the flames caught up to them.

Adam and Hekapoo jumped through the portal, landing at the feet of Jackie, Eclipsa and Meteora.

"Adam! You're alright-" Jackie said before Adam tackled her to the ground.

"Get down all of you!" Adam screamed, causing the others to drop to the ground.

Flames bursted out of the portal and flowed out through the catacombs beneath the city. But the flames didn't stop there. They continued spreading and rising. The ground began to shake causing bits and pieces of the ceiling to fall down.

"We need to get out of here!" Meteora said.

"Right behind you," Adam said as they all ran out of the catacombs.

The flames broke through the ground through the sewers of Echo Creek.

Back in the awaiting battlefield, the armies felt the ground violently shake under their feet.

"What is going on?!" Moon called out, looking out from her camp.

Just then a massive wall of fire cut the field in two, separating the two armies from one another.

The soldiers used this chance to run back to the city to help as many as they could.

Amongst the trees near the lake, Janna, Kelly, Duncan, Mariposa and the rest of their families watched in horror at what was happening.

"To save the city and those that you love, you'll have to cut out the dark heart of the city,"

The fires burnt for a whole day, which allowed Adam and his group to regroup with Janna and Kelly. They stuck to the shadows and when the families weren't looking, they left them.

Once Janna and Kelly were far enough, they regrouped with Adam and the rest of the group.

"So glad you guys are alright!" Janna said, hugging Adam and Jackie.

"Don't worry, we're ok," Adam said.

"Yeah, we need to breath a little, girl," Jackie said, patting the witch on her back.

"Don't count victory just yet," Hekapoo said, getting everyone's attention. "We need to make one last stop."

Adam nodded in understanding.

At the Fablefolk camp, Moon and her war council were wondering what had happened.

"We've yet to understand what happened earlier today, but it appears that it wasn't a trap," Moon said.

"I say we attack now and get our daughter back," River said, banging his fist against the table.

Moon sighed at her husband's actions.

"You always were one to go for the neck, River," a voice called out.

Moon turned to the source of the voice and spotted Eclipsa, Meteora and Hekapoo standing at the entrance.

"Eclipsa, you've returned," Moon said, hugging her cousin.

"And I'm not alone," Eclipsa said, gesturing behind her.

Adam, Jackie, Janna and Kelly stepped forward.

"Who are they, and what are they doing here?" Moon asked.

Adam pulled out Caliburn, and held it up. Everyone in the war council took a step back. All save for Moon and River knelt down at the sight of the sword.

"Eclipsa, what's happening?" Moon asked.

Eclipsa looked at Adam, who stepped forward.

"Queen Butterfly, we need to tell you something," Adam said.

Six months later...

The city of Echo Creek was slowly being repaired. After the Fablefolk army left as soon as it arrived, the citizens were able to focus on fixing their city. Everyone took this as a sign from a higher power that the war was not to take place.

Duncan was helping his father forge tools and pieces to put the city together.

"We're all done with the pieces that the next building will need," Duncan said. "I'll take them to Mariposa and other the knights so they can use them."

"Take care, Duncan," His father said. "I just wish your brother was here to see how much you've grown," He said with a sad look in his face.

"I know dad, I know," Duncan replied as he loaded the tools and nails into the wagon. "But I think he's looking out for us in his own way."

Far from Echo Creek, Adam gazed upon the city he called home from the top of the royal tree.

"They are waiting for us," Jackie called Adam.

"Is everyone there?" Adam asked, looking back at her.

"Yes, you're the last one," Jackie said as she wrapped her arm around his own.

"Ready for another adventure?" Adam asked.

"Lead the way," Jackie said as they walked to the royal court where everyone else was waiting for them.