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8/3/2019 Nik's Garion Book_0511

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The Universal War

Book 1: A New Beginning

by Nikhil Dhingra


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Table of Contents

Preface

1. Draktos Lives!

2. Garion, the Chosen One

3. Finding a Comrade

4. Preparing for Battle

5. Let the Games Begin

6. The Secret is Out

7. Back to the Basics

8. The Darkness Rises

9. No Way Out

10. More Bad News


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11. Uncovering the Evil Plan

12. Youre Under Arrest

13. The Master Plan Launches

14. Draktoss Secret

15. The End of Garion?

Sneak Peak: The Quest for the Double Star


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Preface

Nirem was just another normal kid doing everyday normal things, that is, until his life

changed completely in the middle of science class one day. Suddenly, he found himself

tangled in a web of intergalactic events no one could have ever expected in their wildest

dreams. Nor probably would they want to.

You see, Nirem was abducted by aliens.


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Chapter 1: Draktos Lives!

Huh, Nirem said, glancing down at his watch. Its 2:15 p.m. already? Time for

science. Nirem was the top student in his class and considered a teachers pet by all of

his classmates. Now you probably would think this is a good thing, but not at Steven Park

Middle School. People bullied him, made fun of him, and even shot rubber bands at him

when teachers werent looking just because he was smart. But today, everything was

about to change.

When Nirem and his fellow eighth graders arrived at science class, the teacher, Dr.

Evanston, was waiting patiently for them at the door. He greeted each student

individually as they walked into the classroom.

Four large, rectangular tables with metal legs formed two rows. There was a big stainless

steel sink in the corner of the room that had a showerhead; a giant periodic table was

taped to the wall above it. A fifth table was centered at the head of the classroom

presumably the teachers because of the messy stacks of paper on top of it. The items that

caught most of the students eyes, however, were the various glass test tubes filled with

different colored solution that stood upright in wire holders on each of the tables.

Before the students even got seated, Dr. Evanston, anxious to introduce them to their new

subject, closed the classroom door and got started. Now class, today we are going to mix


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some chemicals and see what you can create. Get in your seats quickly, class. Lets get

started!

The children hurried to find seats and immediately began rummaging through their

backpacks for their science books. Dr. Evanston seemed unusually excited and they

didnt want to disappoint him in any way.

Turn to page fifteen of your science manual and follow the steps on mixing chemicals.

Be careful and make sure to follow the instructions, the teacher warned. I had almost

forgotten about this project. Its a good thing one of the students reminded me about it.

Dr. Evanston started walking through the classroom to make sure that the students were

correctly following his instructions. When he reached Nirems table, he noticed Nirem

was slumping down in his chair. Little did he know, Nirem had just been hit in the back

of his head by a flying rubber band.

Dr. Evanston was a bit surprised to see Nirem all slumped down like that. Nirem was one

of his best students. In fact, Nirem not only could make any creation that Dr. Evanston

would invent, he also helped Dr. Evanston come up with entirely new concoctions that

always produced amazing results. Dr. Evanston was convinced that Nirem could one day

be a great inventor and make new discoveries.


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When Nirem realized Dr. Evanston was looking down at him, he quickly sat up and

began to work on the task at hand. At the same time, he nonchalantly twisted his body

toward Dr. Evanston so the teacher couldnt see his back covered with red marks from

the rubber bands. Dr. Evanston sensed something was wrong but understood Nirem

didnt want to call any attention to whatever it was. He moved on to the next table.

Nirem was relieved that Dr. Evanston didnt say anything to him, but he was fuming

inside. He knew that Quishow was the culprit. Quishow was the leader of the rubber

band-shooting army. He organized an army of people to shoot rubber bands at Nirem

everyday. Quishow was the one who started it in the first place. He always started it. But,

if he forgot, his right-hand man, Max, would remind him. But sometimes, Max protected

Nirem from the rubber bands when he realized just how much Nirem got picked on. Of

course, Max couldnt let Quishow know this, so he stayed quiet when Quishow was

around.

Only ten minutes remained until the bell would ring. Now, lets see what youve done so

far, Dr. Evanston announced. How about Max and Drake? Why dont you show the

class your findings?

Both boys groaned at the same time but stood up to present their results. Max started

reading the steps from the manual aloud while Drake demonstrated with the test tubes.

Drake took the lead in explaining the results of their mixture.


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While the students were busy sharing the results of their experiments in Dr. Evanstons

class, there were some other chemical reactions taking place in Abra Kadabra, Bam!!, the

magic shop across the street from Steven Park Middle School, too. The magician, Psychic

Paledia, whose slogan was All the magic, in a Crystal Ball was staging her 2:15 p.m.

show. There was nothing much in the shop, just a front desk with souvenirs; but in the

back, there was a mystic-like curtain. It was behind this curtain that Psychic Paledia had

her shows. But this show was going to go horribly wrong. She was working on her own

mixtures and performing tricks in front of a small audiencewho crowded around her with

wonder. She rhythmically moved her hands around in circle above her crystal ball,

attempting to show the crowd the legendary Draktos, from the Dark Dimension. They all

craned their necks to peer into the cloudy sphere.

They say Draktos was one of the first beings who ever existed. He used to be a God of

Light until he accidentally released the darkness into the containment chamber where he

was raised. His power was too strong and uncontrollable, as he was only a baby back

then. Thus the shadows were born. Since the damage was irreversible, Draktoss dad

made a decision that Draktos would only be allowed to stay on a remote side of space,

which he named the Dark Dimension. But today Draktos would escape.

Now, said the magician, I will reveal the life of Draktos! The magician started

chanting random, incomprehensible words to himself. The nervous crowd waited.

Nobody moved. But suddenly, the magician took a step back. His face went blank and his


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eyes filled with horror upon realizing what she had accidentally done. He had recited the

wrong spell!

A tiny white object quickly twisted and spun around in the crystal ball. As each second

passed, it grew bigger until it was in full view for everyone to see. Its the soul of

Draktos! the magician cried, raising his hands up to protect himself. Run for your

lives! Everyone panicked and stampeded out of the magic shop into the street.

Back in the science lab, Dr. Evanston had just mixed a green chemical with a purple

chemical. The reaction produced a small white cloud of smoke. Then, a barely visible

white smoke with a certain texture went into the cloud of smoke. Within seconds, Nirem

recognized the texture and screamed, Its the soul of Draktos!

Yeah, yeah . . . shut up, Quishow muttered from the back row, rolling his eyes. Nirem

and Quishow, along with all the other kids, had heard the legend of Draktos and his quest

to spread darkness and destruction to the entire universebut thats all it was to them, a

legend. Right? Nirem sat frozen with fear in his seat.

Dr. Evanston jumped at Nirems scream, let Nirems information sink in, and cautiously

sniffed the chemical reaction before him. A bright, white light shined out from the

mixture. It was so blinding that the class had to look away.


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At that moment, a blood-curdling scream ripped through Dr. Evanstons body. The light

started penetrating through his flesh and bones, ripping him into millions of tiny atoms.

Almost immediately, he disappeared.

When the bright light cleared, the children slowly opened their eyes and looked toward

the front of the room where Dr. Evanston had been. Instead, there stood a black-skinned

man, with no legs, wearing a long, black cape. The cape was draped over his face,

making it difficult to see what he really looked like.

He pointed at Nirem. You are the chosen one! he said solemnly.

Nirem, ignoring the comment, was mostly worried about the safety of his classmates.

Catching his breath, he knew he had to get his classmates out of there. Run, everybody!

Its the soul of Draktos! he cried. With that, he grabbed a few of their arms and led the

way out of the building. Everyone left but Quishow. Lets go! Nirem snapped at him.

For once, he listened.

But Draktos followed close behind, not letting Nirem out of his sight. Right as Draktos

was about to catch him, a flying saucer appeared out of nowhere. Shocked, Nirem looked

up as it hovered directly above him. It sucked him up. Nirem fainted.


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Chapter 2: Garion, the Chosen One

When Nirem woke up, he was surrounded by aliens with thick strands of orange and

green strings hanging all over them. He was strapped into a machine with his head under

a steel metal cap. Nirem was terrified. He pinched himself, wondering ifhopingthat

it was all a dream.

This is not a dream, Garion, a voice said.

Whos Garion? Nirem asked, in complete shock.

It is you, the voice replied. The voice called to another one of the aliens. Push the

button, it instructed.

Nirem heard a click and then felt strands of orange and green strings swarming all over

him and actually growing out his skin. He screamed but no one was there to help him.

And then he blacked out.

Eventually he came to. Dazed, he immediately recognized he was still in the nightmare.

He couldnt move. What did you do to me?! Nirem demanded.

The alien spoke again. We have just revealed who you are. Now let me explain to you

what is going on. Nirem wasnt so sure he wanted to know. He just wanted to go home.


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The alien moved closer to him.

There is life on every planet. Humans just havent figured it out, it sighed. We are

some of the creatures from that other life form. Draktos, the person chasing you, was

from the Dark Dimension that is filled with villains from around the galaxy .

What did he mean when he said that I am the Chosen One? asked Nirem.

You are the Chosen One. It says so in the Prophecy, the alien stated. He continued,

The Prophecy says one human named Garion will save us from Draktos.

But Im not Garion, Nirem insisted. Im really not. My name is Nirem. The alien just

watched him in awe. Nirem wanted to take the attention off of himself. What is your

name?

My name is King Rebolto but you may call me Rebolto. I am the ruler of Mars, the

alien said, bowing its head down slightly. Your real name is Garion. Nirem was just an

alias. In the Prophecy, it says the Chosen One will make an army and destroy the evil god

of darkness, Draktos.


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Nirem couldnt believe what he was hearing. He tried to think back to the days

unfolding. Rebolto interrupted his thoughts. You lost all the memory ofyour past. So, in

this quest, you will uncover your memory piece by piece.

Wait a second, what Prophecy are you talking about? asked Nirem.

The Prophecy of Shabithi, replied Rebolto. Shabithi is our god on Mars. While I was

in the temple praying to Shabithi, a message appeared on a stone tablet. The message

said: Your planet is doomed unless you find a person who will save your kind. He will

gather an army and set forth to find the shadows that live in the North. He will destroy

Draktos and then he will see that he will not need to flee. His name is Garion, never a

threat. He will save everybody. But dont forget: he needs to find his own kind. He must

find his memories and everything will be fine.

Nirem hesitated before he spoke. Well, okay, I think Im up to saving the world . . . but

wait! What about my parents? he asked. Panic started to set in. Were they looking for

him? Did they know he was missing?

Your parents are also Martians, Rebolto said calmly. You will get to visit them after

you gather your team. But right now, since you are the Chosen One, you must focus on

saving us from Draktos. You have the power to go to any planet you want.


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I choose Venus, Nirem said, still amazed at the story he just heard, Ive always

wondered what it looks like there. But wait, how do we breathe on Venus?!

Martians dont need air. We have a special kind of chemical in our bodies called

prethemenes, Rebolto replied. This chemical allows our bodies to breathe without air.

Now that you are a Martian, you have prethemenes in your body. Nirem, or Garion,

blinked his eyes. He was speechless.

Rebolto smiled. Okay, now that thats all settled, were off to Venus. Get on the

meteor. The meteor? Garion asked. They got into a meteor that was covered with

different colored gadgets and buttons. This is just like an elevator, Garion realized.

Rebolto pressed the yellow button with a V on it. Garion heard the engines roar and they

took off.


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Chapter 3: Finding a Comrade

The first thing Garion noticed when they landed on Venus was a huge gate and two

guards standing on each side of it. The guards were in red uniforms but it was apparent

that they were aliens due to their purple texture.

Password? barked one of the guards.

Muta, Rebolto said. The gate creaked opened slowly and they went inside.

When Garion got inside, he saw a little purple room that was no bigger than his bedroom

back home, except this room was much different. It was filled with aliens, all of whom

had purple skin, which made it difficult for Garion to see them clearly. Rebolto led him

into another room that looked like a huge wrestling arena with an empty ring in the

middle. Of course, the place had purple walls. An alien stood quietly next to the ring,

watching him.

Whats your name? Garion asked, approaching the new alien.

My name is Purstan, the alien answered. Whats yours?

My name is Garion, Garion replied, still getting use to saying that. Apparently, I just

became an alien. He smiled weakly.


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I also just became an alien and . . . wait a second, Garion? You mean the Garion? From

the Prophecy? Purstan asked in disbelief.

Yes, Garion answered, a little surprised.

That is so cool! Purstan cried. It said in the Prophecy that you have to build a team to

help you fight Draktos. May I join your team? Please?

Um, sure, Garion said, shrugging.

Awesome! Purstan replied excitedly. Then his face got serious. We should probably

practice using our powers.

Purstan led Garion into the ring. It was a large rectangular platform with a dark purple

floor and rope railings on each side. Heavy steel posts stood at each of the four corners.

They positioned themselves diagonally on opposite sides of the ring. Purstan called

another alien into the room and instructed him to ring a metal bell when they were ready.

Purstan glanced over at Garion. Garion nodded.

The match started. Garion stretched his tentacles and threw Purstan against the ropes.

Wow! Im unstoppable! Garion laughed, admiring his new powers. But suddenly

Purstan threw him to the ground without even touching him.


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You were saying? Purstan grinned.

The fight went on for about two hours until Rebolto finally came in to see the progress.

He immediately saw Purstan panting on the floor and Garion standing next to him. I see

that you won, Garion. Purstan quickly got to his feet.

Yep! Garion said proudly.

Okay, said Rebolto, now show mewhat you have learned.

Sure, Garion said with confidence. Since Rebolto was still standing near the door as he

spoke, Garion quickly transformed into an alien liquid and reappeared in his normal form

right next to Rebolto. Rebolto laughed, amused by Garions creativity. They both quickly

moved into the ring and began.

Garion tried to throw Rebolto but Rebolto threw him first. Nice, said Rebolto. He

turned to Purstan, who was watching from the inside corner of the ring. Now lets see

you, Purstan.

Im ready! Purstan said. He made a purple ball out of his hands and threw it at Rebolto,

but Rebolto blocked it with an invisible force field-like shield.


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Energyball, Rebolto nodded. Nice.

Purstans on my team now, Garion said.

Oh, good, said Rebolto. Youre getting a head start on building your team. Now lets

go. You two need to quicklyfinish building your team.

Garion smiled. Well just need a lift to Earth.

Rebolto nodded. Get in the meteor. But dont tell anyone whos not on your team that

you are aliens, he warned. If you do, they will think you are trying to take over the

world like Draktos. They will want to get rid of you. Garion and Purstan said they

understood. They got in the spaceship and took off.


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Chapter 4: Preparing for Battle

The spaceship landed in the middle of a narrow, dark alley in Garions former

neighborhood, Lower Manhattan of New York. Just as quickly as it landed to drop off

Garion and Purstan, the meteor disappeared again. Garion and Purstan quickly changed

shape so that theyd blend in with the human population. Within seconds, they looked

like normal kids again, wearing worn baseball caps, torn jeans, and basic t-shirts. No one

would have second-guessed them.

The first thing we have to do now is look for a place to build our team base, Garion

said, taking charge. Well need an area to build our training ground and then search for

the right team to assist in helping us defeat Draktos.

Agreed, said Purstan. Lets look around for an available lot of land. They both

looked at each other from head to toe one last time to make sure they looked normal and

then headed out of the alley into the city streets.

The city was busier than ever. There was a huge line of traffic that stretched so far that

Garion thought it ended out of town. People were everywhere, walking up and down the

sidewalks and back and forth across the streets; cars were honking for the people to stop

blocking traffic. For some strange reason, it seemed that almost everybody had a copy of

the newspaper in his or her hands. Some were huddled together reading while others were

walking and talking so fast that it was hard to make out what they were saying.


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Whats going on? Garion asked Purstan, confused. Purstan shrugged. They crossed the

street to get closer to the action. Garion found a copy of the newspaper, left on top of an

outdoor caf table of a restaurant, and picked it up. He started scanning the headlines.

There was a lengthy article about Tom Granger, ex-CEO of a major computer company,

and known billionaire, and his plans to build a majestic mansion, surrounded by a moat,

on a large, private section of land in the heart of the city. All Garion and Purstan had to

do was somehow get access to Granger and negotiate with him directly to give them the

mansion and land, which would be a key part in building their plan to eventually defeat

Draktos.

When they reached the construction site for Grangers new mansion, they saw workers

with hardhats, heavy machinery, and dust everywhere. They asked one of the

construction workers if Granger was around.

Hes probably inside his mansion right now attending to some business, said the

worker. Hes been spending a lot of his time here lately. The man pointed toward the

main entrance. If you ask me, I dont even know why hes building another mansion. He

already has around twenty of them.


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Garion got the feeling that this worker seemed to know Granger and decided to test his

theory with him. Do you think Tom would consider giving us this land? Garion asked,

hopefully.

The worker burst out in laughter and was barely able to speak. In a million years

maybe! He looked squarely at the two boys in front of him. He aint never gonna give

this valuable land up. If you came here just for that, you can just go back to where you

came from. He wiped the tears of laughter out of his eyes and sighed before picking up a

shovel and getting back to work.

Still not totally convinced, Garion and Purstan thanked the man for his time and

pretended to leave the premisesbut snuck inside the almost-completed mansion instead.

It was easy to do with everyone walking in and out of the building.

The inside of the mansion was absolutely gorgeous with shiny white marble walls and

matching marble floors. Surprisingly, there, in the center of the main hallway, stood

Granger, one of the richest men alive. He was talking to two of his staff members.

Garion was so excited that he couldnt move. So Purstan took charge and went up to Tom

to start a conversation. Hey Tom, Im a huge fan. Can I talk to you for a second? he

asked casually.


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Um, yeah, sure. Anything for a fan, Tom replied, a little startled, but smiling

nonetheless. He turned to the staff members. Hey, give me a second. I need to talk these

boys.

Tom led Garion and Purstan to a little room off to the left of the hallway that also had

shiny marble walls and floors. The three of them sat down at a large solid oak table; the

two boys sat on one side and Tom sat on the other. Tom folded his hands on top of the

table and smiled again. So, what can I do for you boys?

By now, Garion had gotten over his initial shock and got straight to the point. He

remembered they didnt have a lot of time. Would it be okay if we have this land? Tom

didnt answer for a second, probably wondering if they were playing a joke on him.

When he realized they were being serious, he spoke. Sorry, guys, but no. I need this land

to build my new mansion and use it as a tax shelter.

The hopeful boys frowned. Tom tried to lighten the mood. Unless you have $500

million to offer for it? he joked. This wasnt going to be as easy as Gario n and Purstan

first thought.

Can you give us a minute? Garion asked. Tom, still dumbfounded as to why the two

boys were there and why he was wasting his time even talking to them, obliged. They

excused themselves and went outside to talk.


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Okay, Garion said. If we cant negotiate with him, were going to have to fool him

into wanting to give us the mansion.

And how are we going to do that? Purstan asked, totally confused.

By finding the creepiest animals and putting them in the mansion, scaring everyone,

including Granger, away, Garion smiled.

Still puzzled, but not finding much point in arguing about it, Purstan sighed, Okay .

Garion and Purstan snuck back inside the mansion into one of the partially completed

bathrooms so they could plot out which creatures they were going to put in the mansion.

How about we put rats in here and see how that goes? Purstan said.

Yeah, replied Garion. Great idea! He flung his arms up toward the cathedral ceiling

and, magically, dozens of rats began to scurry out of his palms. Then, they waited.

Before they knew it, Garion and Purstan heard screaming from the hallway. Toms voice

echoed through the hallways. Rats! Filthy rats! In my mansion?! Who knows how many

more rodents there could be in here!? Garion and Purstan quickly ran back outside.

Tom came storming out shortly after. His face was beet-red. You can have this land if

you still want it, he muttered. It is infested with rats and will probably cost me more to


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deal with this problem than its worth. Plus, I picked it up for practically nothing to begin

with . . . and now I know why. Tom and all his men packed up their construction

equipment and left. Garion and Purstan did it; they got the land!

Okay, now we should start building our team and making our base, Purstan said.

And we should somehow show people that this is ourland, just to be safe, Garion said.

Thats when they overheard Tom speaking to his throng of fans in the distance.

Sorry, but Im not going to build the mansion here. I found rats everywhere, Tom said.

A few diehard fans cried out in disappointment. I gave the land to two people who really

wanted it. The deed is on their lawn. Boy, were they really getting lucky today!

Garion located the deed and found a new bathroom cabinet in the mansion to keep it safe.

He shut the cabinet door and brushed his hands together, pleased with the work they had

already accomplished back on Earth. That ought to do it, He smiled.

He then stood in the center of the hallway and stretched out his hands, palms up. Within

seconds, he sucked the rats back into his hands. They were now really ready to build their

team.


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Well need at least one thousand people on our team, Garion calculated. And I have

an idea. I think if we gather all sorts of television heroes then we could create a solid

team in no time!

And thats exactly what they did. They gathered every hero from every television show

one could imagine. It took them two full weeks to build their team but when they were all

done, they had exactly 1,000 people eager and ready to help Garion and Purstan however

they physically and mentally could. Coincidence.

But theres one part you should see. Its the part where Garion and Purstan get a

superhero named Crasher to join their team. Theres some important information about

Crasher you should know.

When Garion and Purstan got to Crashers house, they left a note saying to meet them in

the back of his house at 7:00. He met them there and they had a little talk.

Listen, Garion said. An evil god named Draktos was imprisoned in a crystal ball.

Now, he has escaped so we formed a team to stop him. We want you to join that team.

Okay, Crasher said. Sounds good sowait did you say, Draktos!? I have an ancient

ring on my finger and inside this ring is an ancient soul named Muta. Muta has fought

Draktos before with the people of Venus and can give you some very useful information

on him.


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That explains Venus password, Garion said, Then its settled. You are now on our

team.

Garion and Purstan invited the entire team to the mansion, noting that it was still under

construction, but when they all gathered at the house Garion and Purstan realized they

had a big problem. They had their land but they never built a team base!

Suddenly, the teammates began to fight. They thought they were wasting their time.

Dont worry! Purstan shouted, trying to calm everyone down. We can use our powers

to quickly build a base. All of you can give us ideas, and then Garion and I will use our

powers to create the strongest base ever. The massive group stopped arguing and looked

at Purstan.

You have their attention, Garion whispered to his friend.

Purstan took a deep breath. Now, if everybody could just form a single file line . . .

Somehow, they did as they were told. Purstan managed to write down all of the ideas in a

massive notebook he had found on the construction site. Then he handed it to Garion.

Garion read through each idea, worked through them in his mind, and then used his

Martian powers to build the team base. The result was a big, rectangle-shaped mansion


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with alternating purple-and-gold bricks on the outside. Inside, he created an

entertainment room with a giant plasma TV, a virtual room, and other high-tech rooms.

When the team saw what Garion and Purstan were capable of, everyone involved agreed

to stay.

At the same time, Draktos had just finished building his secret hideoutunderGarions

base. Attention! Draktos called out to his team of villains as they gathered around their

leader. Now that our base is built, we can do a surprise attack on Garions team

tomorrow. We just need to go outside and find some secret doors we can enter and attack

from.

Draktoss teammates started eagerly whispering amongst themselves. Draktos continued,

Ill make blueprints of the mansion and write where the secret doors are so we can enter

through them. The team will be divided into four groups. One group will go on one side;

another group will go on another side. Sound good? The team unanimously agreed to

the plan.

Draktos and his team found lots of secret doors in the mansion by searching with their

supernatural powers in the middle of the night. But when Draktos left, he tripped over

something, and accidentally dropped the blueprints on the ground. As soon as he realized

the blueprints werent in his hands, he whipped around to go search for them. Thats

when one of his overenthusiastic teammates, who had been following close behind,


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tripped and knocked over a metal paint can. The can made a short but high-pitched

sound.

Garions eye shot open. Whos there!? he called out into the darkness. Nobody

responded and so he assumed he had just been dreaming. A few minutes later, he was fast

asleep again.


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Chapter 5: Let the Games Begin

The next day, Garion was outside for some fresh air when he saw blueprints lying on the

ground.Hmmm, thought Garion.I better show this to the team.

Garion picked them up and ran back inside the mansion. Hey, guys! he shouted. I

found some blueprints on the ground out front. Everyone turned to face Garion and

waited for him to continue. And Idont think they were left by the contractors.

Garion carefully scanned the blueprints on the table while everyone but Purstan crowded

around, trying to figure out what exactly they were for. There was only one logical

answer: a surprise attack lead by Draktos! The room was silent as everyones eyes darted

around the room. What were they going to do now?

Just then, Purstan walked into the room. Everybody looked at him. Hey, whatd I miss?

he asked casually. Garion looked at him and stretched his tentacles to a red button on the

wall: DRAKTOS ALERT:FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY! Garion pressed the button.

Bright lights and sirens suddenly sounded off everywhere. Get in your positions now!

Were going to destroy Draktos today! Garion yelled. We need our armyready. Cmon,

move it, move it, move it!


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Purstan held up his hands. Wait a second! Whats going on? he cried, trying to keep

from getting trampled while everybody around him was running all over the place.

We found a copy of Draktoss attack plans, Garion filled him in. Where were you

before!? Draktos is going to lead a surprise attack at our base today so we need to be

ready. He quickly folded up the blueprints and took a deep breath. Im about to

announce our battle plans.

Garion walked upstairs to one of the bathrooms and took a long look in the mirror. Not

long ago he had just been a regular kid getting picked on in science class and now, here

he was, a Martian and the leader of an army that was about to go to war. He hoped

Rebolto was right about everything. More than anything, he hoped they would all make it

out alive. He took another deep breath and headed back downstairs toward the

commotion.

Everybody stop! he shouted at the top of his lungs. The rushing and running instantly

ceased but the flashing lights and screaming sirens were still there. We are going to get

in our battle positions but pretend that everything is normal. So, I want us all then to sit

down and eat breakfast. There was confusion amongst the teammates and some of them

started to chatter again.

Shush! Purstan hissed. The noise stopped again. Go on, Garion.


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Garion nodded. Ill put the blueprints on the ground so it seems like we never knew

about them. Since Draktos doesnt have the blueprints anymore, hel l probably just

charge the base. Thats when we will jump out and attack first.

The nervous chatter began to pick up again but this time everyone was excited, too.

Finally, it was almost time for battle.

Draktoss army was more than ready to attack Garions base but Draktos was silently

cursing himself for having lost the blueprints. He decided it was time to approach his

team and make an announcement. Everyone was becoming restless, talking so loud and

running around so much that Draktos couldnt even hear himself think. He was getting

more and more agitated by the minute.

Everybody quiet! he screamed. Everybody silenced at once and turned to their leader.

Now that I have everybodys attention, Draktos began, we have a problem. We dont

have the blueprints therefore we wont remember where the secret doors are. The

teammate who had kicked the paint can tried to be invisible in a corner of the room.

Draktos glared at him before continuing. So, we will just have to charge Garions base

as a surprise attack. They will never see it coming. We leave in ten minutes. Get ready

now!


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Everybody started running around and yelling at once. Garion was right. They were

going to charge at his base.

When Garions team finished setting up, Draktoss army still hadnt stormed in so they

carried on business as usual. But suddenly, Garion heard the sounds of the shadows

moving. Then everyone heard a low rumbling noise in the base, almost like distant

thunder. Garion and Purstan exchanged glances. Purstan nodded.

Now! cried Garion, raising his fist in the air. Everyone moved at once with Garion

leading the giant pack and Purstan right beside him. It was time to fight.

At first everything was still. But suddenly Draktos popped out of nowhere and hit Garion

with a powerful shadow ball. Garion fell to the ground but quickly regained his

composure and got back up. Draktos then immediately produced a ball of smoke from his

hands and threw it directly at Garions army. When the smoke cleared, Draktoss entire

force was standing right behind him. Waiting.

Attack! Garion cried out. That was the signal. Everybody went for a member of the

opposite team. Garion set his eyes on Draktos.

Do you actually think you can stop me? Draktos snarled. He made a cage of darkness

around Garion. Garion easily jumped out of the cage of darkness.


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I dont think it; I know it! Garion growled back, stretching his hand out to try and

squeeze Draktos to death. Draktos broke free.

Garion lunged at his opponent, all the fear and shyness he had possessed in school was

entirely out of his system. It was a freeing and exhilarating feeling. Its over Draktos,

Garion said. Ive got you cornered.

Draktos found himself standing at the edge of the moat. The water below was dark and

murky and jagged rocks uninvitingly speared the top of it. Garion held out his left hand

and a huge sea monster flew out of it, twisting and thrashing about in the air. Its teeth

flashed right before it disappeared down into the cold, black water. It was hungryvery

hungry.

The sea monster had startled Draktos and at that very moment, Garion pushed him with

all his might over the edge and into the sea monsters new lair. Bone-crunching sounds

filled the air; the sea monster ate him up in seconds! Satisfied, Garion slowly looked

around. There was bloodshed everywhere. Draktos and his army were dead. The war was

over. Sadly, Garion lost around 150 members from his heroic team.

Exhausted, Garion and his remaining army trudged back inside their base to recover and

tend to their wounds. Well, Garion said softly once everyone was safely inside, that

was intense. But now Draktos is dead and we can all finally feel relieved.


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No, said a loud voice out of nowhere. Draktos is not dead. The wars are not over. In

fact, it has all just begun. Garion lifted his head and looked around.

A man pushed through the crowd. It was King Rebolto. Everyone gasped.

Rebolto! Garion cried. He ran over to the king and hugged him.

Hello, Garion, Rebolto said solemnly. Garion stepped back.

The sea monster ate Draktos! he insisted. I saw it. Purstan nodded in agreement. Im

afraid you are wrong, King Rebolto replied. Draktos teleported to his secret hideout

right before the sea monster could eat him.

Then what? Who? Garioan interrupted.

He used his magic to put one of his men in his place at the last second; the sea monster

ate himup.

But . . . Garioan began.

Rebolto raised a hand to stop Garioan from talking. Draktos built a secret hideout under

your team base.


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Rebolto motioned for everyone to come around him as he waved his hands in the air. A

foggy mist appeared before him and suddenly the whole army could see Draktos and his

remaining team, laughing and talking about how good of a trick they had pulled off. In

the background, Garion noticed a dartboard with a picture of him on it. The picture had

rubber bands nailed to his head. He remembered Quishow and shuddered.

So it hasjust begun, Garion whispered.

See? Rebolto said. Consider todays battle practice for what is to come.

Garion sighed. Guess we better start training, guys. The team grunted. We can start

tomorrow but for now well take a break.


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Chapter 6: The Secret is Out

The next morning, Garion was up extra early for training. But when he went outside to

grab the newspaper, he almost fainted. On the front page was an article about the war

Garion and his team had fought. The article said that at 4:00 p.m. today, the president was

going to personally visit Garion to show his gratitude.

When he finished reading the article to his team, one of the members asked, So, whats

the big deal? I would think this is a good thing. Now the whole world knows about us and

well be famous.

Garion shook his head vigorously. The big deal is King Rebolto told us that if we show

everybody that we are aliens, they might think were harmful and try to kill us.

But they just saw us fight a war toprotectEarth, the confused member said.

You dont understand, Garion replied. Ill just work something out with the president

on my own. The whole team agreed to this plan.

When 4:00 p.m. rolled around, Garion had everything set up for the presidents arrival.

He checked the bathroom mirror to make sure he looked like a human. The doorbell rang.

Come in! Garion said.


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The door opened and Garion saw two Secret Service personnel dressed in black suits

standing in the doorway. A tall, skinny man, also wearing black, stood behind them. The

tall man was the president, Tim Carter.

Hello, Garion, The president said.

Hello, Mr. President! Garion said excitedly. Please, call me Tim. Also, you dont have

to hide it.

Hide what? Garion asked nervously.

Your alien form, Tom replied, smiling. Everybody knows youre an alien.

Garion hesitated but then morphed into his alien form. It was quiet for a second but then

Garion spoke. Tim, would you like to join me in the conference room?

The president nodded and the two of them, along with the Secret Service members, went

inside a big room with an oversized table and numerous chairs surrounding it. When

everyone was comfortable, it was the presidents turn to speak. So Garion, what was that

war all about?


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Garion told the president everything. He told him about Purstan, and, of course, Draktos.

While he told the president everything, he also talked about how friendly Martians really

are.

When Garion finished, he pleaded, Please dont try to kill us. We are friendly aliens and

we wont hurt anybody. Honest. He almost sounded like the young, innocent boy he had

once been not so long ago.

The president laughed. Why would I try to kill you?

Because everybody thinks aliens are harmful, Garion said matter-of-factly. A lot of

people think aliens are evil and want to take over the world.

The president nodded. Well, when I first heard about the war, thats what I thought, he

admitted. But when I looked into it a bit more, I discovered you were fighting the evil

god, Draktos. I knew you were the good guys, but theres just one thing . . . he said

cautiously.

Oh? Whats that? the president asked.

But now Ive decided, I am going to make you famous like your idol, Tom Granger.

Starting tomorrow everybody will be begging for your autograph, too.


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Unfortunately, there will be more wars like yesterday, Garion explained. My team and

I are going to do our best to keep Earth safe so we need some training time. Could you

just stall them until the day after tomorrow?

The president pursed his lips together and thought a moment. I see, he said. Well,

sounds good. If theres anything you need from the United States Army, then let me

know.

Thank you, Mr. President! Garion said excitedly. But I thinkI hopewell be all

set.

Sounds good, the president said. He and his two guards stood up. Well, I have to get

to a meeting but it was nice meeting you, Garion. He extended his hand to shake

Garions tentacle. Escorted by his secret service staff, he quickly exited.

It was nice meeting you, too! Garion called out.

The next time Garion saw the city streets, there was an unusual amount of traffic and

people all over the place. Once again, everyone had copies of the newspaper in their

hands. The only difference was that this time Garion knew what was going on. He didnt

feel the need to be alarmed.


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Back home, as soon as Garion went into the main room, Rebolto teleported inside. What

have you done!? Rebolto cried. You are a fool!

Its okay, Garion said, trying to reassure the king. The president knows were the

good guys.

But what If he double-crosses you? Rebolto asked. Then what are you going to do?

Hes not going to do that, Garion said.

Dont come crying to me when the SWAT team arrives at your door, Rebolto muttered.

With that, he teleported back to Mars. Suddenly a sinking feeling l ingered in Garions

chest. Had he done the right thing? He shook the negative thoughts out of his head. This

was no time to second-guess himself.

But Rebolto was right, as he always was. The president had gone straight out the door

and under the team base. I did it! he said proudly to his audience. Garion really

thought I was the president! Everybody in the room laughed. Then the imposter slowly

peeled off his skin to reveal his true identity: Draktos! The two Secret Service members

took off their disguises to reveal Draktoss right- and left-hand men.

The day after tomorrow, Draktos laughed wickedly. Garion dies!


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Chapter 7: Back to the Basics

The next morning, Garion woke up early to set up the virtual room. But when he entered

the virtual room, he had no idea how to work anything. He thought there would be some

kind of instructions for him but all he saw was a big empty room with a mechanical

texture. Garion decided to call the president and ask for instructions, after all, the

president had told him to call if he needed anything. Because of that, training was

delayed until 2:00 p.m.

At 2:00 p.m., Garion finally got the instructions by teleporting to a fake office that

Quishow made. The instructions were there, and read:

Whatever you want the virtual room to turn into, just think it and touch the wall. The

virtual room will read your thoughts and turn the room into those thoughts. NOTE: Only

one person can use the room at once. When the person who put his hand on the wall first

leaves the virtual room, the next person who touches the wall can do whatever they want

until they leave.

Seems easy enough, Garion said. Lets go. The team followed its leader to test out

the high-tech room. Garion thought about the top of the virtual room being a chair with

an enormous control panel. On the bottom he would make training coursesfor the team

with the control panel. He touched the wall and all that happened instantaneously.


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Crasher, now would be a good time to tell us what you think Draktoss weaknesses are,

Garion suggested. He looked to his partner.

Hmmm, Crasherthought for a moment. One of Draktoss major weaknesses is light,

he said. We should probably practice throwing balls of light from our hands. He

volunteered to go first. Garion pressed some buttons on the control panel. Darkness came

out of nowhere. In about a minute, the bottom of the virtual room was shrouded in

darkness.

Okay, Crasher, you know what to do? Garion asked.

I think so, Purstan said confidently.

The room fell silent. At first, everybody thought that the darkness got Purstan. But then a

big ball of light broke the mist and Purstan was unharmed. I did it! Purstan yelled. I

did it! He high-fived a few of his teammates.

Great job, Purstan. Next? Anothervolunteer stepped up.

The team practiced for the next two hours. After that, different team members started

guessing some of Draktoss armys weaknesses, based on the first war. Garion would

create various virtual scenarios and members from his army would take turns conquering

each situation.


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They practiced for the entire day. Given that Draktoss most fatal weakness was any form

of light, Garion and his team figured that his next plan would be to block out the sun,

perhaps with a hybrid machine. This time theyd be even more ready than before.

Okay, Crasher said. First thing tomorrow we should set up security cameras in

Draktoss hideout, just to see if he really is building a machine to block out sunlight, then

we can . . .

Absolutely not, Garion interrupted. We are not going to his hideout. Ever. Its too

dangerous.

The teammates face flushed with embarrassment. Okay, sorry, he said.

Tomorrow everybody will know about us and they will be begging for our autographs

and to hang out with us.

But afterward we can

There is no afterward! Garion yelled. Once we get recognized, there is no way well

have time to execute our plan against Draktos. In the meantime, lets hope that Draktos

doesnt finish his machine. The room grew silent.


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So now we just wait? Purstan asked nervously.

Garion hesitated. I dont know. Ill have to sleep on it, he said. Man, Im still just a kid,

he anxiously thought. There was so much pressure on him, well, to save the world. He

knew he was smart but his earlier insecure days were still tugging at the back of his mind.

He pushed the thoughts away again.


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Chapter 8: The Darkness Rises

The next day, Garion awoke to a swarm of people at his door. They were holding

notebooks and pens. Oh great, must be the fans!

The sound of the fans woke up everyone else, too. How do we calm them down? asked

one of teammates.

I think the only way is to give them what their looking forour autographs. Garion

said. He went up to the door and opened it. A stampede of people came inside. Garion

was close to getting crushed. They are going to ruin all our work, worried Garion. Just

then he had an idea.

He went outside and made a small piece of land with a tiny body of water and then

created a replica of their mansion. Garion used his wristwatch to communicate to his

team. He instructed his team to act like robots and pretend their mansion was made only

for tours.

He-llo, one of the teammates said, Wel-come-to-the-ex-act-re-pli-ca-of-Gar-i- ons-

man-sion.

Another teammate picked up, Ev-ery-thing-looks-like-the-real-man-sion-next-to-this-

one.


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Hey, one of the people shouted, this isnt Garions team. These are robots. And the

real mansion is next to here. Lets go to the real one! Everybody rushed out of the base.

Glad thats over, Garion said.

But what if they come back? Crasherasked.

Dont worry, Ill think of something by then, Garion said.

While all of this was happening, everybody forgot about Draktos. Garion was right.

Draktos was building a machine to block out the sun. And he had just finished.

I must wait for the perfect moment to successfully launch my machine, he snickered.

He started pressing buttons on the machine and then stopped with a grin on his face.

Garion will be destroyed and I will rule the world!

He decided to incorporate the element of surpriseto activate the machine when Garion

and his army least expected it. He knew they were aware of his base under the ground. To

mix things up a bit, he decided to teleport to the one of the Earths most feared places:

The Bermuda Triangle. He then planned to turn on the machine from there.


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Draktos attached a flag from the Bermuda Triangle on top of his contraption. A huge

white light came up all over the island.Then he started the countdown. Now that The

Flag of Power is ready, which is the reason this place is haunted, I can start the

countdown. Ready to launch in 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1. Go!

He pressed a big red button on the machine. A huge red-and-black light shot into the sky.

The light began spreading all over the world. My machine works! Draktos cried out.

The world is now mine!

Garion was headed to his room to reflect on the upcoming battle when he saw a huge

white light through the window. Immediately, the sky turned red and black. Draktos is

probably behind this, he thought right away.

As soon as the dark-colored sky hit the base, his entire army morphed into zombies.

Quick-thinking Garion used his powers to create a shield around himself and Purstan so

they wouldnt turn into zombiesand so that they couldnt attack him. It took him a

minute to figure out what was going on. In the end, he decided that he had been right

about Draktoss machine. Draktos had just launched his machine to block the sun and it is

spreading all over the world.

Garion stuck out his hand and a tiny spray can came out of it. The label on the spray can

read INVISIBLE SPRAY. Garion shook it vigorously and sprayed its contents all over his

shield so he could see and be protected at the same time. The zombies thought Garions


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shield was gone and charged at him again. No matter how hard they tried, they couldnt

break through.

Where is all this is coming from? Garion wondered out loud. He carefully took the

footage of the white light in the security cameras outside of the mansion and put it in his

tracking device. Upon reviewing the footage, he was able to track the white light to place

where almost no one would dare go to: The Bermuda Triangle.

When he got there, he expected to see something enormousbut what he saw was a tiny

island part of the Bermuda Triangleplus Draktos and his machine with a flag in the

middle of it. Draktos whipped around and locked eyes with Garion.

Well, well, well, Draktos sneered. If it isnt Garion trying to stop my plan. This time

youre too late! Draktos stuck out his hands and then two bigger, black hands stretched

out and grabbed Garions shield. The hands rubbed the shield all over until the Invisible

Spray wore off. They crumbled the shield and it immediately turned into dust. Draktos

retracted the giant hands and trapped Garion in a dark energy ball.

Whats going on? Garion demanded angrily. Why are you doing this?

Isnt it obvious? Draktos replied. Ive been trying to take over the world and I finally

did it! This flag thats stuck in my machine is the Flag of Power. It controls Earth from

the Bermuda Triangle. Why do you think half of the planes and ships that crossed


49/97

through here have mysteriously disappeared? Too much power! And now that this power

is stuck in my machine, I control Earth! And now Im about to control you. He took the

dark energy ball off of Garion and grimaced.

You just made a big mistake, Garion warned him. He charged for Draktos.

I dont think so, Draktos quipped. While Garion was charging for Draktos, he stopped

dead in his tracks and fell to the ground. He suddenly felt very weak and tired.

What have you done? Garion cried out in a panting voice.

Simple, Draktos answered. Whoever is under the dark sky becomes my zombie

minion. Thats how I programmed my machine. Oh, and by the way, I was the president,

you imbecile.

Garion gasped. King Rebolto had been right all along. Why hadnt he listened to

Rebolto? Will the real president eventually come?

Just so you know, I made you famous for a reason: So a bunch of fans would charge for

your house and that would give me time to launch my machine , Draktos hissed at

Garion. The only reason I gave you an extra day to train is because I needed time to

finishmy machine. Now rise, minion. Rise!


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When Garion got to his feet, he, too, was a zombie. Master, what is your command?

Garion asked, hating every word that was coming out of his mouth.

Redesign your team base to make it look like this, Draktos said proudly. He held up a

hand-drawn picture of a big, dusty haunted mansion with a big BEWARE sign on the front

lawn. On the top of the mansion, there was a sign that read: DRAKTOS MANSION:THE

DEATH MAKERS.

Garion nodded, having no energy to argue. He had no other options; he was a defeated

soldier. Ill get to work on it, he said slowly. With that, he barely managed to teleport

back to his base.

Things went smoothly in the city of Darktopolis (Draktos renamed New York) for

approximately two years. Draktos put a force field around Earth so the Martians couldnt

come in and destroy his machine. But one day, when Draktos was holding his weekly

Freaky Festival, a new hero flew to save Earth from Draktoss dark wrath. His name was

Nightblader. He was a swift soldier who spread light everywhere he went. He works

alone and is known for his dark clothing, eye mask, and a picture of an eagle that adorns

the middle of his shirt.

Draktos was in the middle of Draktos Stadium, making an announcement. Hello,

people!Draktos said excitedly. Welcome to this weeks Freaky Festival! The crowd

started screaming. This week we will be featuring . . .


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Draktoss watch started to beep.Huh? Thats strange, he thought. SHIELD DISABLED, the

watch blinked. SHIELD DISABLED.SHIELD DISABLED.SHIELD DISABLED.

Excuse me for a moment, Draktos said, clearly distracted. While Im gone, please

enjoy my friends, Mr. and Mrs. Blood, perform their act. A group of vampires stood up

and flew onto the stage.

Draktos quickly slinked inside a little room in the coliseum. When he got there, he

switched the watch to the communicator function and called the government. The

watchs screen displayed an image of a big, burly man who looked like a security guard.

Draktos could see people running all over the place in the background.

What is going on!? he whispered.

Someone passed through the shield and now its broken, the security guard answered.

Whoever did this is moving at the speed of light. And get this: wherever this person

goes, the light goes. If he runs across China, the sky will be bright only in the exact path

that he travels.

Thats absurd! Draktos cried. So what are we doing about it?


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The security guard continued. Unfortunately, he already destroyed your machine at the

middle of the earth. But this machine has given so much energy to Earth that the planet

can fully power itself now. Thats not what were worried about though. Were worried

that this man is going to run all over the Earth to change it back to normal.

Draktos gasped and glared into the screen. We cannot let that happen now, can we? he

warned.

The security guard shook his head. Dont worry, sir. Were already hunting him down.

Draktos sighed.

Call me if anything bad happens, he said. Just then a man approached the security

guard and handed him some papers. The security guard scanned them and looked

amazed. What? What is it? Draktos asked, reading his concerned face.

Well, the security guard said. He turned to his computer and started typing like a

madman. Looks like I was right. This guy is literally running around the world. We have

to stop him quick. Waitwhats that noise? He heard his men screaming and suddenly

disappeared from the screen. What is going on over there?! Draktos demanded. Tell

me! Come back!


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The security guard returned, visibly flustered. Draktos, you have to stop this person at

all costs. You must . . . The screen went blank. Draktos turned off his watch and went

back outside to the coliseum.

Attention, people!Draktos said urgently. First of all, I hope you enjoyed the Bloods

act. The Bloods stood up and the crowd started cheering. But . . . The crowd went

silent. Theres a little problem. It seems that the shield protecting Earth broke.

The crowd gasped and started to panic. Draktos raised his hands to calm them. If

everybody could just form a quiet, single-file line and leave for shelter He didnt have

to tell them twice. The crowd rushed out of the stadium screaming.

Draktos could see flashes of light from far away. I have a very bad feeling about this,

said he mumbled. And thenhe, too, ran for shelter.

Meanwhile, Garion was going off to defend Draktos base. He saw the flashes of light

outside and his heart began to beat wildly. Run! Garion shouted to his army. But it was

too late for them. Flashes of intense, bright light came from all over the place. Garion

fainted.

When Garion came to, he was in front of his team base. A wooden bucket sat at his feet.

The sun was shining again so Garion knew everything was back to normal. He cautiously


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looked inside the bucket at a purplish kind of water. Then he noticed a handwritten note

attached to the handle:

Dear Garion,

My name is Nightblader. I am the person who saved you. Inside this bucket is dark

energy. I took this dark energy out of Draktoss machine before I destroyed it. If you mix

this with some light energy, the results wont be disappointing. Theres more about

myself but I cannot yet reveal it. Well meet again . . .

From,

Nightblader.

What was that all about? Garion wondered. He stood up but felt a little woozy still from

passing out. Ugh, Ill think about it tomorrow. For now, I need some rest.

He heard Purstan calling out to him. Come on, Garion! Were about to shut down for the

night!

Im coming, Garion responded, rubbing his head and picking up the heavy bucket of

dark energy. He went inside the team base and informed everyone about the bucket, its


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contents, the note, and the latest on Draktos. By then he was so exhausted t hat he didnt

even remember falling asleep.


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Chapter 9: No Way Out

Garion woke up at 11:00 a.m. the next morning. He was really tired from being Draktoss

slave for a little over two years now and it was wearing on him. He decided to let his

team sleep in, too. He washed up, ate a light breakfast by himself, then went to the stage,

which was set up in the middle of the room, and set everything up for the energy mixture.

He prayed that it would do something, anything, to make him and his army feel better.

He put three matching buckets on the stage: two were empty and one had the dark energy

inside it. It took him about fifteen minutes to get everything organized. He grinned a

little, remembering the days when he used to mix food coloring-laced solutions in school.

Life was much simpler then. At least he didnt have to dodge rubber bands anymore.

Now it was balls of deadly energy. He shrugged.

When he was all set, he sat on the stage and waited for the rest of his team to wake up.

Well, Garion thought. Itmay be a while before these guys wake up. Perhaps Ill take a

little nap. Garion got comfortable on the stage and was fast asleep in seconds.

When Garions team finally woke up and went into the meeting room for breakfast, they

noticed Garion lying down on the stage outside. Great! Let me get the bullhorn,

laughed Purstan. He went to a cabinet and opened it. He took the bullhorn out of the

cabinet and everyone tiptoed outside to the stage. He counted to three silently with his

fingers and then blew the horn in Garions ear. Garion woke immediately and jumped a


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mile. You jerk! Garion grumbled. I guess I must have fallen asleep. But now that

were all awake, I can get to the mixing. Lets start. Everybody crowded around the

stage.

First, Garion made a little light ball in his hands. Then, he gently lowered the light ball

into one of the empty buckets. When the light ball touched the bucket, Garion let go of it.

The light ball turned into a yellowish kind of water. Then Garion put the bucket with the

purple water into the other empty bucket and put the bucket with the yellow water into

the bucket that held the purple water. Half of the water was purple and half of it was

yellow. Garion formed a ball out of that water and shot himself with it.

There was a huge white light reaction but it only lasted a couple seconds before it

disappeared. After the white light wore off, Garion was half-yellow, half-purple, and had

a little spiky hair do. Ill call this form of me . . . Plaskin! Garion joked. Everybody

clapped at the transformation.

Right after that happened, a quick flash of light came into the base. After the light was

gone, a note appeared at Garions feet. Garion picked it up and read the note to the team:

I will join your team, if you want. But first, I want you to see my base.


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Did somebody send me this as a prank? Garion asked, slightly annoyed. The team

stayed silent. A few seconds passed and then another quick flash of light appeared. This

time, Garion was gone when it cleared.

The next thing he knew, Garion was flying through space at light speed. In less than a

minute, Garion was at one of the highest points in space. He was in a little laboratory

with computers and all kinds of high-tech gadgets. Garion immediately changed back

into his alien form.

Whats going on? he asked, taking in the strange and unfamiliar surroundings. A

person dressed in a black costume with a hawk symbol on it approached him.

My name is Nightblader, he said. I am the one who sent you that note and gave you

the dark energy. This is my laboratory. He extended his hand out as a peace offering but

Garion didnt move.

Nightblader continued. Like I said in the second note, I will join your team if you see

my laboratory. Now, come over here and stand by this wall.

Why? Garion asked cautiously.

Because you might activate the security system if your DNA isnt registered into my

laboratory, Nightblader informed him. The only reason the alarms didnt go off already


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is because I turned them off. If you stand by that wall and stick your hands up, I can press

this button and my laboratory will scan and save your DNA. He held up a remote

control with a big red button.

Okay, Garion hesitated but he wentover to the wall. Now what? Nightblader smiled

wickedly. Now I laugh since you fell for my evil plan! He pressed the button and the

wall spun around quickly in one full revolution. Suddenly, Garion found himself cuffed

to the wall. Someone he didnt recognize was also cuffed to the wall but that person

refused to make eye contact with him. A small black stain separated Garion and the

prisoner next to him. Garion wasnt sure what it was but he knew he was about to find

out.

Nightblader ripped off his skin to once again reveal the evil Draktos. Nightblader was

actually Draktos! Let me explain whats going on, Draktos said. I pretended to be

Nightblader this whole time. The first note was sent by the real Nightblader, but I sent the

second one.

Garion shook his head, confused. What was going on? He tried to move his arms but he

was frozen in the restraints.

After Nightblader sent the first note, I uncovered it and came up with this brilliant plan.

First, I captured Nightblader and trapped him here in his own lab. But why ruin anymore

surprises? Draktos laughed. The rest of my plan you will find out later. Garion started


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violently shaking in his cuffs, trying to free himself, but it was no use. The second

prisoner made no efforts to move whatsoever. Oh, one last thing, Draktos grinned.

Say hello to the realNightblader right next to you.

This time Garion turned his head all the way to look at the form next to him and he

couldnt believe what he saw. It was his classmate, Max! Max had helped Quishow fling

rubber bands at him.Max is being pretty quiet now, Garion thought, rolling his eyes. But

he was torn. Seeing him silent and obviously in pain made him want to help him but the

anger and resentment from their schooldays just made him frustrated.

But while he was wrestling with his emotions, he suddenly saw the black stain on the

wall start to grow bigger. Soon enough, it turned into black ooze. As it began to slowly

cover Garion and Max like quicksand, it formed a big face of its own. The face growled.

Meet Synthesis, Draktos said. I told you youd find out most of my plan later. Soon

youll know the ending and I promise you, itll go off with a bang! With that, Draktos

pressed a button and bright red lights began flashing all over the laboratory. Then he

disappeared.

A robotic alert sounded over a nearby computer: Self-destruct in five minutes.

Self-destruct?! Garion yelled. Max, we have to get out of here quickly!


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Max, or Nightblader, slowly looked over at Garion. It was obvious he was a bit

disoriented. How do you know my name? he asked.

Its me, Nirem, from school! Garion cried. Considering the circumstances, I think its

time we put aside our differences and just be friends.

Nirem? Max asked incredulously. Is it really you?

Yes its me, Garion answered. Theres no time for small talk now though. Right now

we have to get out of this mess or well be someones breakfast tomorrow morning!

I know, Max said. What should we do?

We have about three minutes left to get out of here before this place explodes. Are you

ready, Max? Garion asked, looking straight into his eyes.

Ready, Max replied.

Ill try first and if I get out, Ill get you out, Garion said.

Okay, hurry! Max responded anxiously. Garion tried hard to slip into the wall but he

couldnt. Synthesis growled.


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I cant do it, Garion exclaimed. Synthesiss melting into my skin! Hes draining all

my powers. I cant even move!

Max also tried to move but he couldnt. Neither can I! Max shouted.

Self-destruct in thirty seconds, the computer announced.

Well, Garion whispered. If were going down, at least were going down together.

Max gulped. Yep, he replied. Both boys squeezed their eyes shut and waited. Self-

destruct in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . .

Wait! A gigantic boom shook the laboratory. The boom was so loud that Garions

teammates could hear it from far, far away. Garion slowly opened his eyes and realized

he was still alive. His plan had worked. He looked over at Nightblader who was staring at

him in total disbelief. Wow, the two boys said in unison.

What Draktos didnt realize was that Synthesis didnt only trap Garion and Nightblader,

he protected them. Synthesiss thick, oozing body acted as a shield for the two warriors.

Not only that, after Synthesis was eliminated, Garion turned into Plaskin, which used

Synthesis dark energy to create a bigger shield. Their chains had been shattered in the

blast and they were free againbut now they were floating in space with no sense of

direction!


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At the last minute, Garion had also attached his Plaskin form to Nightblader so they

wouldnt lose each other during the blast. Two days passed as they continued to float

together in the quiet darkness. It was eerie but almost peaceful in a way; they drifted in

and out of consciousness and survived on the food and water Garion could make in his

alien form.

Martians found them on the third day and took them back to Mars.

When Garion and Nightblader woke up, they were in the Martian hospital. When their

eyes opened, everyone started clapping. A figure approached Garion. It was Rebolto. He

smiled.

Last time I saw you, you busted out the door, talking about how I would get arrested,

Garion muttered.

I know. Sorry about that, replied Rebolto, feeling bad for somewhat deserting his

protg. But can you just stay here one more night so we can make sure you dont have

any serious injuries?

Alright, agreed Garion. He was very groggy. Are you taking care of Max? He had

been with me. Are his powers okay?


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His powers are fine, Rebolto assured him. Hes actually a few beds over from you.

He, too, should also stay another night.

Okay, Garion said weakly. Garion looked across the way. He saw Max receiving some

shots and stitches. Max? murmured Garion.

Max turned around and saw Garion. He smiled. Max, when we get back to the base, you

have some serious explaining to do about your powers, Garion said. Max smiled again

and nodded, then he closed his eyes.

The next day, Garion and Nightblader were released from the Martian hospital. On the

way out, they heard Rebolto calling them. They stopped and turned for a moment.

Garion, I almost forgot to tell you, Rebolto said, catching up to them. I scheduled an

appointment for you to visit with your parents tomorrow. The spaceship will pick you up

from Earth at about 11:30 a.m.

Seriously? Garion asked. It seemed like he hadnt seen his folks in ages. Thank you. I

cant wait! Garion and Nightblader thanked Rebolto for his kindness and flew back to

the base.


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Chapter 10: More Bad News

Garion woke up very excited the next morning. He was finally going to meet his Martian

parents. But first, he needed to talk with Max. As soon as he and Max were alone in the

conference room, Garion began questioning him. So, tell me everything, he said. He

was eager to learn as much as possible.

Well, Max started, I should start by telling you that Im not from this planet. I came

from a planet called Garlock. Garlock was created when Pluto froze up.

Wait a second, Pluto was once warm? Garion asked, trying to recall his mental notes

from all of his science and social studies classes, but nothing jogged his memory.

Yeah, but then an ice comet hit it, Max said., Anyway, the Plutonians fled Pluto and

found another planet with no life on it. The Plutonians figured that the planets life must

have been destroyed in a huge battle. So they claimed that planet as their own and named

it Garlockafter their chief leader, Garlock.

Go on . . . urged Garion.

Well, thats not the point, Max said abruptly.

Okay, then what isthe point? Garion asked, extremely confused.


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The point is, I was actually born when a He was interrupted by loud sounds of

rockets in the backyard. It was time for Garion to go visit his parents. He stood up

quickly.

Time to go! he grinned nervously. Finish your story later!

Garion ran outside and boarded the meteor. He was headed for Mars. When he finally

arrived, Garion saw two additional aliens standing next to the regular guards at the large

gate.

Mom, is that you!? Garion cried. Tears welled in his eyes. Dad?! Garion ran up to

the aliens and hugged them tightly.

Yes, responded his mother between sobs.

Weve missed you, son, his father whispered.

Everybody went to the conference room in the Martian capital to talk. Mom, Dad, I

cant believe youre aliens, too! Garion said. How didyoubecome aliens!?


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Well, Garions dad began slowly. Weve always been aliens. Since your birth, we

decided we wouldnt tell you. But then, when Draktos showed up, we decided it was ti me

you knew the truth. Thats why I told the Martians to quickly get you away from Earth.

That was you!? Garion shouted in disbelief. Couldnt you have at least told me that

you were going to put me through all that confusion?

Sorry, Garions dad apologized. It was all so sudden and we didnt have much time.

His mother interrupted. Theres one more thing you should know, she said, glancing at

her husband. We realized what Draktos new plans were. Draktos is planning to

The ceiling crashed down. Garions parents screamed with terror. When Garion wiped

the dust from his eyes, Draktos was already flying off in the distance with them.

Mom! Dad! Garion cried. He shot up into the air and chased after Draktos. Give me

back my parents, Draktos! he screamed. They have nothing to do with this!

Actually they do, Draktos snapped back, clutching the couple with all his might. He

flew to the Martian torture chamber in another building. If you dont give me the Time

Freezer, Ill blow their heads off!

No! Garion screamed.


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Dont test me! Draktos warned. He strapped Garions parents in the seats and taped

their mouths shut. If you ever want to see your parents again, youll give me that Time

Freezer! He started up the laser guns. There was a moment of silence.

Fine! You win! Garion gasped. Ill tell you where it is.

Garion walked Draktos down the path toward the Time Freezer. But Garion treaded very

carefully, attempting to lead Draktos directly into a booby trap. When Draktos stepped in

it, he was instantly tied up to a chair. The chair was no match for his strength though and

he quickly broke free.

So you want to play dirty, huh? Ill show you dirty! Draktos charged for Garion at

sonic speed. Garion quickly shot a beam from his hand. A huge explosion erupted. When

the smoke cleared, Draktos was flying away with Garions parents againand he also

had the Time Freezer!

Garion teleported back to his team base and searched for King Rebolto. Once he found

him, he demanded that they meet in the conference room at once. Garion and King

Rebolto entered the empty conference room and Garion slammed the door shut.

How could Draktos have found the Time Freezer? he cried angrily.


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The guards told me they overheard Draktos wanting to steal i t and tried to hide it in

another place, Rebolto explained calmly. But while they were moving the Time

Freezer, Draktos saw it and snatched it.

But what does Draktos want with it anyway? Garion asked.

Your parents were about to tell you that beforeDraktos came, Rebolto replied.

Max was also about to tell you that before the spaceship came to pick you up.

How did you hear that conversation? Garion asked with surprise.

I looked in the security camera I installed in your base to see if you were ready, and then

I heard it all. Also, when Max was about to tell you, the rockets suddenly sped up.

You installed a security camera in my base? Garion said incredulously.

For emergencies only, of course, Rebolto replied, taking a step back.

Buthow was that an emergency? Garion asked angrily.

Well, okay, maybe its not always for emergencies . . .


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Rebolto! Garion barked. Why were you spying on me?

Thats not the issue right now, Rebolto said, changing the subject. How about we go

back to the base and put it on lockdown so Draktos doesnt hear us? Then I will tell you

Draktoss full plan.

Garion was fuming but took a deep breath to try and calm down. Fine. But I dont want

you spying on me anymore! he snapped.

Fine, replied Rebolto, crossing his fingers behind his back.

Garion was suspicious, so he nonchalantly used his X-ray vision to see through the king.

Hey! Garion yelled. Youre crossing your fingers! When we get back to Earth, I am

destroying those cameras!

Okay, okay, Rebolto said flippantly. I promise I will only use the cameras for

emergencies.

Good, Garion said, not exactly satisfied. He didnt know who to believe anymore.


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Are we good? Rebolto asked, raising his brow. Garion nodded and looked away.

Rebolto smiled and pressed the EARTH button in the spaceship. They headed toward

Earth to tell everybody the news.


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Chapter 11: Uncovering the Evil Plan

Back at Earth, everybody gathered in the conference room to hear about Draktos evil

plan. Okay, is everybody here? Rebolto asked.

Yes, everyone sighed. The army wanted to do away with Draktos once and for all. He

was causing way too much damage to the planet.

Good. Now, before I start I think one of our guests should help explain. Come on up

here, Max. Max walked onto the conference room stage.

Max? Garion asked surprised.

Yep, replied Max. I was trying to tell you about Draktoss plan before when the

spaceship showed up. Now I can finish.

Max walked up to the front of the stage. Everybody, please pay attention. This whole

thing all started in Garlock, the minute I was born. Suddenly a huge shadow storm came

out of nowhere.

Whats a shadow storm? Garion interrupted.


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A shadow storm consists of tiny purple raindrops that can melt even steel in a second,

Max explained. Anyway, my mom thought I was a bad omen so she tried to get rid of

me. But before she could, the storm killed her. Somehow, I was protected from the storm

by a shield.

Garion nodded. He was familiar with magic shields. Continue, he urged.

Max nodded. The storm lasted for three weeks and when it was over, the survivors of

my planet thought thats how the life that used to live there ultimately met its demise. So,

to make sure this didnt happen again, they threw me into space.

After I traveled in space alone for quite some time, I realized that I wasnt an omen , I

was a sign. I learned that when the universe was created, a big argument between the

Light and Dark gods ensued. Both gods wanted to rule the universe, Max said. He

paused and looked at the faces of his audience, making sure they were still following

him. They were.

When the Light God won, the Dark God cursed the universe so that a shadow storm

would fall on a different planet every year. Depending on which planet was being

affected at the time, all the villains who lived there would gain infinite power for a single

minute. And I knew, since I had a magical shield that day, I had to be sign that I will

someday defeat or help defeat the god of Darkness, he said.


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Hmmm, I think I get it now, Garion responded. Draktos stole the Time Freezer so he

could stop time entirely when that minute happens, right?

Now I will take the story over from here, Rebolto stepped in.

You are right, Garion. This year, the shadow storm strikes Earth. Draktos is planning to

stop time in that one minute so the villains will gain infinite power.

Garions team began to whisper. The whispering turned to panicking. What, exactly,

were they going to do?

Suddenly, King Reboltos wristwatch started beeping. Rebolto answered the call. He then

raised his arms for order again. We have learned that Draktos has stolen a device that

can duplicate and transport items. We think he plans to put a shadow storm and Time

Freezer on each planet.

Max nodded. We better get our battle strategy down soon because the shadow storm will

occur in approximately two weeks.

Everybody, get a good nights sleep, Garion said authoritatively. We definitely have a

big day tomorrow. His team agreed in unison; everyone anxiously went to his or her

sleeping quarters.


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That night, Garion lay wide-awake in his bed, thinking about everything that has

happened to him in the past few days. Suddenly he remembered something Draktos had

said. He said he pretended to be the president. If that was true, the real president was

probably going to arrest each and every one of them!

Id better warn the team, Garion thought. But he was too tired to move. Besides,

everyone else was probably sleeping by now anyway. Why upset them twice in one

night?Ill do it first thing in the morning, he thought. Then he drifted fast to sleep.


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Chapter 12: Youre Under Arrest

When Garion woke up the next day, he completely forgot about his thoughts from the

previous night. He was ready to stop Draktoss evil plan, once and for all. When

everybody finished eating breakfast, there was a sudden knock on the door. Ill get it,

Garion offered.

Wonder who would visit us this early in the morning? Purstan said.

Probably Rebolto ready to give more commands, a teammate answered.

Garion opened the door to have several FBI agents and numerous police officers

stampede inside. A tall man in a black suit followed them in. Garion looked long and

hard at the man but his worst fears were confirmed. He was the presidentthe real

president.

Get him. the president ordered in a calm but serious tone.

Two FBI men ran toward Garion, grabbing him and handcuffing him to the wall. The

handcuffs were electric and, when they were activated, imprisoned Garion in electric

shields against the wall so he couldnt get out.

Now, listen up, the president said to the FBI agents and the police officers.


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We need to capture all the aliens here. Every single one of them!

Wait a second, Garion yelled,Whats going on?

Youre under arrest, the president responded with authority, for thre

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