Jet and Nadreen were exploring the castle, looking for the throne room. Jet had guessed that would be where the Emperor was. As they crept through the empty halls, the castle began to rumble. Jet could feel the Elemental energy seeping around the walls. It was the Emperor. Jet could see the green silhouette of him sitting in the room in front of them. It had to be the throne room.

"I think he's in there," Jet whispered.

"Does he know we're here?" she replied.

Before Jet could answer, the doors of the throne room were kicked open.

"I thought I sensed something familiar," the Emperor bellowed out, purple trailing around him.

Jet began to panic as he began to replay that night in his mind.

"I saw you the day you arrived," the Lord of Souls began to say as he slowly walked towards the two of them, "I told myself that there was no one way you could have survived that fall. And now, you're here. You helped me build my machine after all."

"You're using my brother as a core for it!" Jet spat back out, his fear fading away.

"It wasn't until after I killed him and you that I realized that even in death a Spirit Elementalist provides a substantial amount of Elemental energy. At least, your brother did. I believe it is a rare case, but it is exactly what I needed."

Jet frowned. He hated knowing how his brother was being used now.

"Now I'll finish what I started that night," the Emperor laughed. Both Jet and Nadreen readied themselves, their Spirit Element flaring along their hands and arms. "I see you made a replacement Elementalist then?" the Emperor continued to mock Jet. Little did the Emperor know that Jet had trained and honed his Element as much as he could.

"It's over Wrathel," Jet stated. "The Queen's army will push into the city and stop you and that machine."

"Well you see, I've spent too much time to be stopped now. I'm on my way to use it right now, and I'll use it to stop that army."

Wrathel began to walk towards the two. Jet decided to make the first move. He charged the now massive Lord of Souls. The Emperor chuckled a bit before he readied his own Element to intercept Jet. Before Jet ran into range, he used his Element to enter the Spirit Plane.

The Spirit Plane was much different than the previous times. This time, the Plane was a whole new world. People walked the streets, buildings towered above. It was like any other capital city.

The people around Jet looked at him strangely. Jet gave them a nervous smile and stepped back into the real world. Now Jet was behind Wrathel. He quickly blasted his Element out at the Emperor. The armor that Wrathel wore seemed to take the brunt force of it, but it still did something.

Wrathel spun around, looking at Jet. "I see you've learned a few new tricks." The Emperor then pulsed his Element, waving his arms downward. The Element became a wave that knocked Jet off his feet. The armored Emperor leapt at the boy.

Jet reacted in enough time to avoid getting pummeled by the Emperor. He sank into the floor back into the Spirit Plane. Now there were several dozen observers to Jet's location in the Plane. They murmured the words 'planes walker.' Jet didn't take any time to reply. Any time he wasted in the Plane, the more time Nadreen was facing the Emperor alone.

This time, Jet appeared on his feet. Wrathel's attention was now on the desert girl.

"You Spirit Elementalist have a strange way of fighting your battles," Wrathel muttered as he opened both his hands, ready to rip Nadreen's soul out. Nadreen blasted him with her Element. The green aura fought against the purple counterpart.

"We are just getting started," Jet called out, making the Emperor turn to look at him.

"I always knew Spirit Elementalists had moving abilities, but you're something else entirely kid."

Jet moved at the Emperor. He swung his fist full of Element. Wrathel caught the fist in his own gauntlet covered hand. The Emperor had more physical strength than Jet, but the Element made up for it. Jet pushed at Wrathel with all his might. Elemental energy appeared in between them to block any punches the Emperor would throw Jet's way.

"Pathetic boy!" the Emperor shouted. He pushed Jet away and disappeared.

Jet and Nadreen looked around. "Is he...?" Nadreen began.

Jet wasn't sure what to think. He hadn't seen much of Soul Elementalists use their Element, but the Emperor disappeared similarly to when Jet entered the Spirit Plane. "He's a Planes Walker too!" Jet exclaimed. He could feel it. It was the same feeling he had around Irina.

Wrathel reappeared and gave Jet a blast of his Element, knocking the desert boy to the ground. "Is that right? That's how you lived that night?" Wrathel asked.

"I didn't know you were one too."

"Well, here I thought you had told all my secrets. You know the machine would be useless to anyone who can't access the Planes."

Nadreen shook her head. "But it would allow anyone access to them."

"That is true, but what could they learn? A Planes Walker holds the key to taking the power from any Plane they choose with the help of the machine."

It made more sense to Jet now. How he was seeing the Planes before would probably be how anyone else accessing them through the machine would see them. A Planes Walker could see the Planes in their true powerful state. It didn't change the fact to stop the Emperor. A Planes Walker might be the answer to a successful machine.

Jet stood up and charged the Emperor. With his Element building behind him, Jet punched Wrathel into the Spirit Plane. The large Soul Elementalist fell to the ground with a thud. The people of the Spirit Plane began to run away. Jet frowned as he realized how frightening a Planes Walker might be.

"Brat!" the Emperor yelled as he pushed off the ground to stand back up.

Jet knew if he could keep Wrathel in the Plane long enough, Heyvl and Irina would arrive. He wondered if Irina could end up here to help him somehow.

"Whichever Plane, I'm going to enjoy ending you like I did your brother."

The Emperor blasted his Element at Jet, but Jet managed to send his Element out of the way and switch places. Jet felt more energized in the Spirit Plane. He had wondered why he felt pain during his previous visits, because now he felt nothing but strength.

Nadreen watched as the two had disappeared before her eyes. She knew they entered the Planes. If the Emperor was a Planes Walker, there was little she could do here. It was up to Jet to stall him long enough. She decided that she had to do something else. Nadreen remembered there were horses outside that the General probably had ridden with.

Running out of the castle, Nadreen let out a sigh of relief to see a couple horses still tied up near the entrance. She quickly mounted one of them. It seemed to not care that she wasn't Imperial. Perhaps it thought she was with how long she had been in Calbar. Nadreen knew that if she could reach Heyvl and Irina, she could get Irina to aid Jet.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The ride was quick. She avoided the Imperials with ease because the Ahrurians were distracting them in the streets. The sun was nearing evening by the time Nadreen met the forward party, just a few miles out of Calbar now.

"Halt!" the head of the party shouted.

"I'm looking for Heyvl and Irina!" Nadreen shouted, not wanting to waste any time.

The lead looked to a girl near him. He held a sword that seemed to glow the color of Spirits and Souls. "Who's asking?"

"I'm Nadreen. I'm a friend of Jet's. He needs Irina's help."

The girl stepped forward. "We are Heyvl and Irina. We are on our way to rescue Jet and stop the Emperor."

Nadreen smiled. She could already see how Jet grew close to these two. She dismounted her horse and approached the two. "Jet is currently fighting the Emperor. His cover was blown. We both figured we had to stall the Emperor until your army reached the city."

"And you decided to run away?" Heyvl questioned, his tone filled with anger.

Nadreen shook her head. "I couldn't help him. I'm not a Planes Walker like they are. But she is," Nadreen explained while she looked at Irina.

"A what?" Heyvl asked as he too looked at his friend.

Irina's eyes widened. "Is that what Jet was trying to tell me? I thought that was a dream!"

Nadreen shook her head. "No you were in the Crystal Plane. Only Planes Walkers can access them and Jet is in the Spirit one fighting the Emperor. He'll last much longer if you can aid him."

"But...I don't know how. I just barely started to use it myself. I thought it was just a Crystal Elementalist combat maneuver."

"Jet said he got to your Plane by concentrating on it and you. If you could try, he needs your help."

"Then what do we do?" Heyvl asked.

"We have to get to the machine. If we hurry, your army can take up the Empire's."

Heyvl smirked. He liked the sound of that. He needed more action and that was the perfect solution. He turned to Irina. "Do you think you can do that?"

The Crystal Elementalist hesitated but gave Heyvl and Nadreen a nod. "I'll do my best." With that, Irina disappeared.

"We have to believe she'll do it. We need to get going now," Nadreen told Heyvl.

The boy nodded and waved his hand. A rider in golden armor approached them both.

"Rujar, I need you to command the rest of the way. Jet needs us to ride ahead," Heyvl told the man.

"Of course. Go make sure our hero gets saved."

Heyvl gave the pink haired man a smile and then cautiously joined Nadreen on her horse. He was glad that she was the one in control and not him.

The two rode ahead, the flurry feeling colder than ever as they moved. "Hero, huh?" Nadreen asked.

"Well if it wasn't for Jet, we all would be slaves to the Emperor or dead. Now we have to repay the favor."

Irina loomed around the Crystal Plane. It all seemed more real to her than ever before. She began to think of Jet and his Element. Slowly but surely, the area around began to change. Before she knew it, Irina was in a city. She could tell it was the Spirit Plane, but it felt like she was in a strange new capital.

Her purpose became apparent when she heard a loud crashing noise from a nearby building. Jet's body came crashing through into the street. The boy looked up to her with a smile.

"Irina! You're here!" he exclaimed.

The Crystal Elementalist was surprised to see he was okay. She knew that Elementalists could take a beating, but she didn't realize how much of one.

"I am...but where's the-"

Irina's questioned was answered when the Emperor stepped through the hole that Jet's body opened.

"Getting really tired of your games boy. Stop toying around and...who are you?"

Wrathel's eyes glared at Irina. She shifted uncomfortably. "I'm a friend of Jet's, a warrior in the Queen's army, and a Crystal Elementalist Planes Walker," she stated with confidence.

"I'll enjoy killing both of you."

"You can certainly try," Jet replied with a smile.

Wrathel let out a growl. He held his hands open and ready for an attack. Jet was already standing when Wrathel neared them.

"Feel free to join in at any point," Jet said to Irina before he charged back at the Emperor. She was almost surprised to see how battle-ready he was. The past several months, she figured Jet had been readying himself for this moment.

Jet swung a wave of Spirit Element at the Lord of Souls. Wrathel braced the front of the Element. The Spirit Element seemed to scratch the Emperor's armor.

Irina raised her hand to send a wave of Crystal Element to follow up on Jet's. Wrathel managed to dodge the Crystals. Souls seemed to appear and struggle against the Spirits from Jet's Element.

"Can we stop him?" she asked.

"We have to try," Jet replied.

Wrathel chuckled. "You both are weak. Annoying, but still weak."

"You keep saying that and I'm still standing here."

Wrathel frowned. His Element flared along his armor and eyes. "I can end you at any point."

"You can try," Jet smirked while giving Irina a glance.

Irina decided to rush the Emperor. Her fists were covered in her Element. She swung her fists at the menacing Emperor. Wrathel tried to block it. He was rusty in combat. He hadn't fought anyone with any semblance of power in many years. Most of the people he faced in his reign were defenseless Calbar citizens. The girl's pink covered fist crushed into his arms, causing him to fall back.

As Wrathel fell, the world of the Spirit Plane changed into the smooth and sharp world that was the Crystal Plane. Jet looked around bewildered. He wondered how powerful Irina's attack was to send them all into another Plane. The pink crystals of many shades created the world around them. Unlike the last time, there were people walking around. Large towering crystals formed buildings that people were walking in an out of.

Just like the Spirit Plane, the inhabitants stopped to stare at the three of them. Wrathel was also looking around curiously. Unfortunately, Irina continued staring at the others longer than Wrathel. The Emperor took the opportunity to punch Irina away from him. She was sent towards Jet, and landed a few feet away.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied as she rubbed her chin where the Emperor hit her.

"You two brats are getting on my nerves," Wrathel spat at them.

"Well it seems you aren't as powerful as people are led to believe," Jet replied with a smirk.

Wrathel simply scowled at Jet as he began to get up. Jet helped Irina up and already began to ready himself to attack the Emperor.

"I don't need to fit your expectations when all the power I need is waiting for me in that tower," Wrathel explained.

"We won't let you get there," Jet replied.

Irina readied herself with her Element next to Jet. The Emperor's body exploded with Soul Element. The purple aura burst around him. It started to crack the crystal floor that he stood on. "I'm not going to let either of you stop me!" Wrathel began to run at the two.

Both Jet and Irina reared back with their Elements, waiting for Wrathel to get close enough. The Emperor reached them within seconds. Jet and Irina attempted to attack him but Wrathel caught both of their fists in his hands. He grabbed their fists, but continued to run between them.

Jet began to look panicked as he was once again in the Emperor's clutch. Suddenly, his bravery and courage had drained in a second. He waited for the Emperor to rip his soul out. Instead, Wrathel pushed between them without letting go. One step passed Irina and Jet caused the world to change to a dark purple variant of the Spirit Plane. It didn't take long for it all to go away as Wrathel continued to walk.

Was that the Soul Plane? Jet wondered. Before he could think more about it, Wrathel threw him and Irina to the floor. Jet thudded as he impacted the floor of the tower. He breathed heavily as he was glad it wasn't over just yet. Wrathel had brought them to the machine.

"Jet!" Nadreen's voice called out.

Jet looked up. Nadreen ran into the entrance of the tower. She moved over and knelt next to Jet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so," Jet said as he calmed his breathing. "We have to stop him!"

Nadreen looked up. Wrathel was preparing the machine at a console. "You're too late Wrathel," she called out.

The Emperor didn't pay her any attention. "The Ahrurians fight from behind and the Queen's army is charging their frontlines as we speak! You've lost!" Nadreen continued.

Jet looked around. He looked back at the entrance and saw Heyvl. Heyvl was wearing armor similar to the one he had seen Rujar wear. It was golden, but lacked the pink crystals that Rujar's held. To his side, he held the purple and green crystal sword.

"Heyvl!" Jet called out, hurrying to get up to greet his friend.

"Jet, you're okay!" Heyvl said with a smile. Jet could immediately sense the Soul Element within him. He was sad that the general's blast did it to him, but he could tell Heyvl had handled it well.

Wrathel's cackling began to echo throughout the tower. They all turned to the Emperor. "You think your army will help you now? I've already won! I have my machine and all the power of the Planes belongs to me!"

The tower began to hum lowly causing the floor to rumble. Beyond the console, in the center of the tower near where Dustan's body was, a large portal opened. More memories came back. It was just like when Dustan stood on the platform and the sphere-like opening appeared.

The portal looked to be an opening to the Soul Plane. Without another word, and before anyone else could react, Wrathel entered the portal. "Do we follow him?" Irina asked.

"It can't be too late..." Heyvl mumbled.

They all held their breaths. Jet began to blame himself. He could have reacted and stopped the Emperor from entering the portal. It was the memories that held him back. The four all stood together, staring at the portal.

"We have to go in there and stop him," Jet finally said to break the silence.

The other three just readied themselves. Jet smiled as he knew his friends were willing to do whatever it takes, even if it took entering an Elemental Plane. Together, the four walked into the portal.