Deep within the heart of the East-Western Skylands, in a small kingdom largely abandoned by the sands of time, there resided a castle. The castle itself was a bit worn in some places. A stray large cobweb or two covered its towers, and dust and bits of rocks crumbled from a few of the weaker structures, but it still withstood the test of time otherwise. Its blue-tinted bricks were no weaker than they were the day it was built, its roofs were just as strong, their decor was just as shiny…

It was an eerie sight in an otherwise overgrown, abandoned place, but it wouldn't be abandoned for too long.

"Alright, Baldie’s castle is in view!" Flynn cried as he spun the wheel of the bird's eye, swaying it closer within the breeze with that single turn. "So this is the place where he grew up, huh?"

Chihiro hummed as she sat in the center of the bird's eye, and kicked her legs against its side.

"Seems like something some creepy royal family would have," Chihiro remarked as she caught a glance of the castle. "Just look at all those spiderwebs and weird rings! The whole place practically screams 'We're evil dictators and this is our secret lair!'"

Beside her, Spyro chuckled and took a seat, wrapping his wing around Chihiro.

"No kidding," he remarked as he scooted a little closer to Chihiro. "Not surprised this is where Big-Head grew up."

The two of them chuckled together, gasped, and ducked down as a powerful gust slapped their faces. Underneath them, the bird's eye curved around the castle.

A turn behind them showed Flynn, who whistled at the wheel while Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy, Stealth Elf, and Cali all clung to whatever they could for dear life. Soon, they loosened their grips and sat up as the breeze subsided. Its chills warmed as the bird's eye lowered itself towards a nearby cliff on a small island.

"Alright, the big ancient guys should have wiped out most of the forces there and got Baldie distracted enough—so here's where you all come in!" Flynn shouted as he parked the bird's eye. "You're going to get his attention while we find the others, and snoop around this castle place to keep him from goin' to that secret vault thingie! You ready?"

"You bet we are!" Spyro cried back, jumping to all fours as he splayed his wings.

Chihiro nodded and raised a fist, something Flynn chuckled at.

"In that case, I'll leave the cronies to you guys!" Flynn spun the wheel of the bird's eye and beamed. "Just leave the rest to your awesome pilot!"

Everyone hopped off right as the bird's eye unhooked from the island and flew off, scaled the cliff and frowned as they sat up.

Before them laid the castle's front yard, which, true to Flynn's word, was completely void of any traces of evil minions or the ilk, save for some flattened and severed robot parts. Its stone paths were charred and streaked with tire marks in some places, the grass singed away to leave nothing but burnt earth, and the cool blues of the stone had warmed a little. Yet, despite the clear signs of a battle around it, the tall, wooden front door that laid before them, and the crimson flags bearing some strange, crown-like symbol remained unscathed. Faint burning smells lingered in the air. It traveled along the wind with the singed bits of metal that crumbled in the wind like withered leaves, and left only the tension of what laid up ahead.

"I wouldn't worry about Kaos too much," Chihiro said as she clenched her fist. "Remember, he doesn't even know we're coming, and Tree Rex's group already tore through a ton of his forces. Besides, we've always got backup at the Dread-Yacht!"

Even though she said that to reassure the others, Chihiro couldn't help but wonder if it was to reassure herself more than anyone. Here was the culmination of her biggest mistake, of Kaos's return—and more importantly, the opportunity to fix it. Gulping down her fear, she leaped down from the cliff and stormed up to the doors, the sound of footsteps behind her the sole indication of companionship.

As she drew closer to the doors, she lifted her hand, preparing to blast or push them down. Just before she could, blasts of golden light burst from her sides and completely blew down the doors! Chihiro stumbled back and gasped as Trigger Happy rushed ahead, guns blazing and coins shooting everywhere as he cackled!

"Alright, this is a raid!" Trigger Happy cried as he pointed his guns to the front. "Gimme all your gold!"

"And while you're at it…" Chihiro cried as she ran up to Trigger Happy's side and held up glowing hands.

"Surrender right now! The Skylanders have you cornered!" Spyro finished.

Inside the manor's polished floors and balcony-laden walls, several organic and robotic guards alike gasped, clutching their weapons tight as they could! Compared to the masses of mutated guards and armed forces from Kaos's prior fortress, Chihiro had to admit, these guys were a downgrade. The soldiers that were obviously Arkeyan in origin seemed polished and powerful enough, but the rest of them were sparse. They were no more than a few stray greebles, spell punks, goblins, and maybe the odd cyclops. They dressed in simple, kind of rusted armor, and only held some worn broadswords and polearms. It was almost disappointing to look at—not that Chihiro complained.

Chihiro cried out as she charged in fists raised, and several of the spells punk swerved out of her way instead! They chattered as they cast blasts of leaves and ice in her direction. Chihiro flicked out both her hands, crafting a ring of shields that swerved around and reflected the blows right at the spell punks! Their own attacks knocked them into the ground and cracked the tile, but the shields themselves disappeared and left Chihiro to catch her breath.

A chill ran down her spine as cackling echoed around her at a faint volume. Chihiro teleported away right as a burst of fire seared the place where she once stood! The flames died as a spell punk clad in warm-colored robes teleported where she once stood and cackled. She rolled her eyes as she cast out a burst of magic and blasted it right into the wall. The wall cracked while the spell punk rolled off and groaned, its body splayed across the floor while it rested seemingly unconscious…

That is, until Spyro stomped on it and it let out a pained squeal!

Spyro himself swerved away as a string of crackling lightning bursts zipped just over his wings. He slammed into a robot behind him, turned around and snarled. His eyes locked on a quartet of floating blue and gold robots that listlessly swayed from side to side, their undersides crackling with lightning as hot and blue as the blasts they fired.

He charged right into one robot, but as he made contact, it burst into a puff of periwinkle smoke while the others around it did the same! Spyro skidded to a stop and coughed, hanging his head and fanning away the smoke with his wings. A ring of crackling, popping noises burst around him as the smoke finally cleared, and once more, four robots surrounded him!

Spyro grunted and jumped into the air as one of the robots tried to slug him, flapped his wings and backflipped away from another. His paws hit the floor, and he slipped from side to side as a pair of robots jabbed at him in succession, but he jumped back before they could punch him right in the snout. Skidding backwards once more, his eyes drifted towards a robot that bounced and jostled a bit faster than the others.

A ring of red formed in his eyes as he spat out a fireball that hit the jumpier robot square in the chest! The other floating robots burst into smoke as the flaming robot slammed into the ground and exploded. They burst into flames for only a moment, for a wave of water washed over it and quenched its fires.

Gill Grunt stepped back and grimaced as the water fell over and slicked the floors. His hands held tight to his water cannon as he hosed down a round of oncoming greebles. The greebles squealed as they flew through the air, pushed forward by the oncoming torrent. As they crashed into the wall, Gill Grunt sighed and released his grip on the trigger.

Water dripped from the barrel of the cannon as he rested it by his hip, but as the ground below him rumbled and shadows fell over the battlefield, he snarled and heaved it back up! Gill Grunt whipped around and got ready to pull the trigger. Right as he did, a giant robot leaped from the balcony and onto the floor!

Parts of the ceiling fell down around Gill Grunt; they forced him to roll out of their range before he spun forward and fired away! His blasts of water washed over the robot's chest, and dripped down in puddles at its feet, so he snarled. Another pull of the trigger and a trio of harpoons shot forward. They aimed towards a glass window that concealed the cockpit, but the robot swatted them away on sight!

Gill Grunt leaned away as the harpoons shot back for him, winced as they ricocheted off the wall, turned back and held the trigger tighter. Light formed at the cannon's barrel, swirling in a blue vortex as the faint shape of a harpoon began to form. Right before it could solidify, however, the robot shot off a laser and knocked him aside! As Gill Grunt rolled aside and slammed into the wall, the front of the robot yanked open, and a tiny goblin leaped from it with a cheer.

Stealth Elf popped behind a pillar where Trigger Happy hid, and narrowed her eyes. A soft, low growl of irritation came from her as the goblin's cheers rang in her ears. She dug her fingers into the pillar a bit tighter as Trigger Happy glanced up at her and grinned.

Grabbing Trigger Happy by the hand, Stealth Elf zipped from side to side. She swerved around the floor with such speed that she was little more than a blur there, a blink here… Stealth Elf neared the robot's side as the goblin's cheers started to quell, and vaulted Trigger Happy across the room!

With one swing, Trigger Happy knocked the goblin right out of the cockpit, and Trigger Happy himself into it!

"Alright!" Trigger Happy cheered as he grabbed control of the steering wheel. "This is more my speed!"

Trigger Happy's cackles turned to squeals of unadulterated glee as he squeezed the handles tight as he could. His tongue slapped against every button on the control panel and then some before it zipped back into his mouth! The robot spun around while Trigger Happy's laughter grew even louder, and missiles flew from every angle of the robot's spin before they crashed into the world around!

The guards screamed and ran off as missiles tore holes in the floors, knocked balconies off the walls. Even parts of the ceiling caved in and crashed, taking a few robotic guards with them!

The robot slowed as a droning groaning noise came from it. Finally, it clunked as it stopped and tipped over, knocking Trigger Happy from the cockpit. He squeaked like a dog's chew toy as he fell out and bounced across the floor, rolling right up to Chihiro's feet. He groaned as she picked him up, but as she held him in her arms, they both chuckled.

"Man, he must've been really desperate if that's all the help he could get," Chihiro remarked as she let Trigger Happy go. She cracked her knuckles and scoffed. "And that means our job's gonna be easy-peasy!"

Chihiro chuckled and dashed off with a bit more spring in her step. "Now, if we wanna keep Kaos's attention, the best way to do it is to get to the man himself! So, we'll need to figure out where he is…"

A few hums came as everyone scanned the halls, peering across the ruined remains of the room. There were still a few balconies and passages that remained intact despite the wreckage left by Trigger Happy, but none of them looked particularly suspicious or befitting of Kaos's aesthetics. It was all humble, kind of run-down wooden doors as far as the eye could see. Where to start was the next question, so maybe they should split up?

"Hello, friend!" said a voice beside Chihiro!

Chihiro lifted her head, turned to her side, and bit back a scream.

Standing beside her was a wilikin man, kind of like the ones she’d seen in the Wilikin Village, but painted to wear a butler's attire instead and with more of an eerie feeling to him! His wood seemed scarred and patchy in places, and a chilling air wafted around him, cooling the area by a few degrees. Heck, she was even sure that frost formed underneath his feet, yet he seemed perfectly oblivious as he stumbled up to her and held out a hand. For that matter, when did he even show up?

"You must be here to see royal family, aren't you?" the wilikin asked.

Chihiro nodded and hesitantly reached to grab the wilikin's hand… Only for her own to phase right through his!

Behind her, Spyro and Trigger Happy's eyes grew wide as they walked up. Spyro seemed to narrow his eyes as he wrapped a wing around Chihiro—just in case, she supposed.

"Royal family is very, very, busy right now." The wilikin nodded his head in a sort of solemn tone, oblivious to the nasty looks Spyro shot him or the worried looks held by everyone else. "Heard they are playing in ballroom!" The wilikin turned and gestured up to a large door in the center of the halls up ahead. "Will have to unlock switches to enter ballroom, though!"

Wait, so Kaos was in the ballroom? Well, that solved one thing, she supposed—though they seemed a little odd, wilikin weren't exactly inclined to lie. Looks like this was easier than she thought!

"Hey, thanks!" Chihiro replied as she smiled and nodded. "So, where are these switches?"

"Oh, I have to go! The King says I need to go to sewing room!" The wilikin cried as he skipped ahead. His body faded from view, and seemingly grew a bit redder in tint as he did? Either way, he just faded off the moment he hit the stairs.

"Yippee, I bet King wants me to make him a new cape!"

The wilikin disappeared in tiny puffs of red sparks, and Chihiro frowned as she crossed her arms.

"Well, guess we're going switch-hunting," Chihiro said. She took a step forward, but stopped midway of another as something gripped her shoulder.

"Are you sure this a good idea?" Stealth Elf retorted as she gently pulled Chihiro back. "That puppet thing seemed kind of suspicious to me."

"It's our best lead, isn't it?" Chihiro shrugged and wiggled herself free of Stealth Elf's grip. "'Sides, we'd be searching the place anyways, so might as well."

Stealth Elf frowned, raising a brow as she drew back from Chihiro. In her place, Trigger Happy hopped up and leaped on Chihiro's back! Chihiro grunted, stumbling forward from the sudden weight before catching herself and standing back up. Trigger Happy climbed up her shoulders and jabbed out an arm.

"Look, look, over there!" Trigger Happy cried as he pointed ahead. "That place seems kinds suspicious to me!"

Chihiro frowned as she followed Trigger Happy's gaze to a particularly worn door attached to a half-broken balcony, and raised a brow as a faint red light pulsed from underneath its broken end.

"Well, that's as good a place to start as any," Chihiro remarked. Trigger Happy shimmied his way off her back, and Chihiro stretched out before she wandered over to the balcony. "Better get searching!"

Chihiro hupped as she grabbed onto a particularly sturdy stone that stuck out from the balcony's broken edge, heaved herself up, and grunted as her hands and knees planted on cool marble. She pushed herself up and trudged towards the door, pushing it open with only the slightest touch and frowning as the light from around poured inside.

The room within was filled with all sorts of trash, from scattered, yellowing papers and tattered notebooks, to waterlogged barrels that leaked out some kind of glowing green liquid—the exact contents of which she wasn't keen on finding. Something akin to musty water wafted in the air, drenching the room in its damp stench. As she walked in, the scent grew so bad that Chihiro plugged her nose. Crafting a sphere of light with a snap of her hand, Chihiro's attention first fell on one tattered notebook that rested by her foot. It came to her front and flipped open with another snap of her fingers. Chihiro claimed it from the air, and frowned as its cold, wet cover nestled itself in her palm. Maybe this would give her a clue or two about those switches.

Dear journal, it read in faded, bleeding ink, Harmonia's funeral was today, a day of mourning nationwide. I tried my hardest to keep face as the country needed, as my boys needed, but it was hard not to cry—the light of my life, my radiant sun, my flower as bright as the seven stars of Skylands, is finally gone. I hadn't seen her up until now, as per funeral rites… But now, it truly has sunk in that her illness has taken her. She fought so hard, and the court doctors and mages did everything they could, but nothing we, what I could've done was enough! Lady-in-waiting Kaossandra assured me that I couldn't have made her a happier woman—

Wait, Kaossandra? That name sounded awfully familiar. Wasn't she that lady who owned the security system to this place? Chihiro frowned, and flipped a few more pages ahead with a snap of her fingers.

Dear journal, it has been a few days since Harmonia's funeral, and business has returned to the kingdom as usual. It's been tedious trying to rule between mourning, but having Kaossandra by my side has eased my pains. She's always been there with the kindest of words to keep me warm, and just the right things to sooth my worries. I daresay she almost comes close to Harmonia in how quickly she earned my heart, but it would be scandalous to remarry so soon. Maybe in a few moons' time.

Nope, nothing there.

Dear journal, today Kaossandra has given birth to a healthy… If not incredibly ugly, baby boy. We've decided to name him Kaos, and though he might not be the most charming in terms of looks… Or smells… I do believe he'll grow into his position. In fact, I think his birth is the best thing that could have happened to the kingdom, a symbol of a new era.

"Wait, so this belonged to Kaos's dad?" Chihiro whispered, gripping the old book tighter. Raising a brow, Chihiro flipped a few more pages and buried her nose deep in the book—this was starting to get a bit interesting!

Dear journal, oh how it pains me to write this. Just thinking of these words makes me stomach churn as hard as the seas on the Stormiest Night, but my Kaossandra was but a fraud! The courthands caught her scheming to poison us at mealtime, and everything came to light: she had poisoned my sweet Harmonia with malevolent magic, watched her slowly die… And bewitched my heart, all to bear an heir to take the throne in her lieu! She was swiftly exiled, but what am I to do? The peasants are still ruminating over Harmonia's death, and the whispers are starting to make their way out of the royal courts. Who knows what they'd think if they knew the truth? Just covering up that is enough, and I'm still unsure of what to do about Kaos. He may have been her pawn, but he's only an infant, and he shouldn't be held at fault for the actions of a mother he couldn't control. Yet, every time I look at him, all I can feel is a seething rage at the actions that led to his birth! What am I to do?

Some juicy stuff, but nothing about a switch—yet Chihiro was entranced all the time. Her flipping and skimming continued, painting a story on its worn pages with every word.

Dear journal, Kaos grows older with every passing minute, and with those minutes, I find it harder to keep his existence secret from the kingdom.

Dear journal, today Kaos has done the most utterly insolent thing he could and showed himself to the kingdom! If that brat hadn't run away, I'd have eviscerated him, but he has, and I am left to deal with the mess he made. The peasants are demanding answers, whispers of adultery and worse are spreading…

Dear journal, with every day my heart aches to write in your pages. The peasants' trust in me has been severed, and with that, I find it harder to keep going. The first love of my life is dead, the second betrayed my trust, my sons bicker with every passing day over their status and whether or not they'll inherit the throne, if the throne will even exist still… I find it harder to press on…

And after that, nothing. Even with several more page flips, the pages remaining blank, until she reached near the back and paused.

I suppose this journal is the one that Father would spend so much time penning away in while we were oblivious, and I guess it is my secret now. I, Prince Augustus, almighty son of King Konkord and Queen Harmonia and the rightful heir to the throne, mind you, have been driven into hiding by my brother's petty squabbles. Francis has already fled the country with his wife and child, Dominic's been murdered in his own sleep by Benedict, and I fear I will be next. Benedict always knew that I, as the eldest, would get the throne as I so deserved, but believe you not, he thinks he's entitled to the throne! He claims that it was what Father has said, but who would listen to a man that was dying of heartbreak, of all things?

Either way, he's gone on a murderous spree. I've locked myself away in the storage chambers until the guards dispose of him, but my resources are running low. I've had to resort to these awful attempts at making soft drinks for nourishment, and I haven't eaten in days! Maybe that awful half-brother of mine has the right idea, running away from his regal responsibilities… Surely being king can't be worth all this…
"Hey, I think I found something!"

Spyro's voice rang in Chihiro's ears as she pulled herself away from the journal and dropped it to the floor. Warm, red light like blood sprayed against Chihiro's face, and she drew closer to its source: a mostly-barren spot at the back of the room, where an orb of blood-red light pulsed and shuddered like a heart. Spyro, Trigger Happy, Stealth Elf, and Gill Grunt gathered around it as it shuddered, humming a tune, or maybe, no, it sounded more like a shuddering, vibrating sort of noise? Whatever it was, something about it entranced Chihiro, whose feet moved towards it without even thinking!

"I think this might be the switch we're looking for!" Spyro shouted, turning towards Chihiro with a smile. "Care to do the honors, Chi?"

Chihiro slowly, slightly nodded. She reached out her hand towards the orb as it pulsed, wavered, shuddered with some kind of strange heartbeat. Her fingers brushed against its tip, and it burst out in moments! Its blood-red light splattered around the room while the blood in Chihiro's body all rushed to her head, even though she stood upright. The blood spread into her ears, muffling the shouts and cries of those around as the world around her blurred. The floors turned to jelly, and her feet started to stumble and sink within its gooey grip. She finally collapsed to the floor, forced to shut her eyes as her head pounded so hard that it nearly exploded…

And then, it stopped.

The dizzying sensation faded from her mind, and she opened her eyes to the gentle touch of sunlight and the birds singing in the breeze. The worn floors of before became a soft dirt path, and all around her rested simple buildings, tall trees and lush, green grass, as if she were in a village! How could she have gotten here? She was in that room not seconds ago!

"Where are we?" Spyro groaned as he sat up.

"I don't know," moaned Stealth Elf as she rubbed her head. "I can still hear the blood rushing through my ears."

Trigger Happy moaned and twitched his legs. Beside Trigger Happy, Gill Grunt stumbled back to his fins and rubbed his eyes.

"Wherever we are, it seems like there's a town ahead," Gill Grunt remarked as he pointed up to the buildings ahead. "Let's ask around. Maybe we'll find some answers."

Chihiro nodded, taking a moment to help Spyro back to his paws. Beside her, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf staggered back to their own full grip. With everyone back to their senses, they trailed across the path.

The grass and trees made way for huts, small stone buildings, and food stalls, the birdsong for the hustle and bustle of town life. It was a bit enchanting, watching the residents of this strange, small town chat about their day. An elf manning a food stall offered fruit to a human dressed in ragged clothing with a few small children clinging to their robes, two mabu in worker's garb leaned against a building as they split a drink, a few children of varying species chased a ball down the way…

Chihiro chuckled for a moment, but frowned as the sounds of jeering and shouting hit her ears. A cold, familiar chill ran down her spine, and her legs started to lock up almost on instinct. Something about that voice's tone felt familiar to her, and not in a good way. Despite the shaking feeling in her legs, Chihiro sprung ahead; her feet pounded against the dirt as the jeers and laughter grew louder and more coherent.

In the distance, she could spot some gangly-looking kids with wavy blond hair dressed in stuff way fancier than half these people wore, who laughed as they shrouded someone else from view with mocking, teasing laughter. Just the sight left Chihiro's blood boiling, and before she knew it, she stormed in!

"Come on, just admit it—there's no way you'll ever really be one of us!" crooned one of the kids, the tallest one of the group.

"Yeah!" chimed in a second as they crossed their arms. "You're too ugly and smelly to be a prince! Father might say otherwise, but—"

"Hey, what d'you think you're doing?" Chihiro cried, teleporting into the scene!

The sounds of sniffling and crying came from behind her, and she snarled as she balled her hand into a fist. "What business do you have, going around picking on someone like that?"

And then, she met with the bullies’ faces. They were all long, wavy, golden blond hair, blue eyes, and button noses—reminded her of her bullies at school. Chihiro's stomach churned with anger at the sight, even more so as they scoffed and held up their noses.

"And what business does a commoner have, speaking to us like that?" the tallest kid, probably the head of the group, scoffed. "Don't you know who we are?"

"'Sides, why're you sticking your neck out for some ugly little goblin like that?" jeered a shorter kid who stood next to another kid identical in appearance, save for slightly longer hair.

"Yeah, don't you have anything better to do?"

The sobbing behind her grew louder, and Chihiro gritted her teeth, barely keeping herself from punching their faces in.

"What does appearance have to do with it? You don't have any right to go around picking on others! Can't you see how upset they are?" Chihiro spat, thrusting herself right in the head of the group's face until her eyes locked with his.

Though she shuddered at the sight of eyes on her, that guy at the head shuddered right back and backed away. It was as if he wasn't used to someone speaking back to him!

"You can talk about how ugly they are all you want, but the only ugliness I see is your attitude! You may think you're hot stuff, but anyone who picks on someone who can't even fight back is more hideous than that!" Chihiro thrust a finger in the kid's chest, and for a moment, magic seemed to spark at her fingertip before she quelled it. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

The boy gulped for a moment, however, he quickly scoffed and turned tail. "Whatever, this just got boring. Come on, I'm sure there's better things to mess around with than him."

The other three scoffed in turn and walked off, and Chihiro crossed her arms. Bullies never seemed to change, no matter the place. Shaking her head, her attention turned to the subject behind her: a kid even smaller than herself who dressed in garb similar to the bullies—was he, perhaps, a relative of theirs or something? Would explain what they were saying. Their face was completely shielded from view; only their bald head was visible as they sniffled and wiped their face…

"Hey, are you alright?" Chihiro asked as she knelt down and offered the kid a hand. "Here, let me help you up."

"… Thank, thank you," the kid croaked, their voice harsh from crying, but still with a high, shrill tone to it. "Nobody ever sticks up for me like that."

"Hey, think nothing of it! It's not right for them to be picking on someone…"

The kid turned around, and Chihiro's voice faltered at the sight of his face. Those jutting teeth, the red eyes with those black marks around them, that round nose… Wait a second, this kid, he couldn't be…

"I'm Kaos!" the kid chirped, grabbing Chihiro's hand maybe a little too eagerly and shaking it just as fast. "What's your name?"

Chihiro's eyes fluttered and she stepped back. "Er, well, that's not really important!" Chihiro exclaimed, scratching the back of her head. "I'm just someone passing through here—"

"Chi, there you are!" Spyro cried from the back.

Chihiro jolted up and turned around right as Spyro flew into view, Stealth Elf, Trigger Happy and Gill Grunt all following behind him. She turned back to Kaos.

"I was wondering where you—" Spyro opened his eyes, and in that moment, he stopped right in the air and stumbled backwards. "Wait a second, is that—"

Chihiro yanked Spyro away and turned him around, covering his muzzle just before he could finish. He spat out as Chihiro lifted her hand, and she only cringed.

"Yeah, that kid's Kaos. Just, younger," Chihiro explained, raising a brow and turned to Kaos.

He waved at her in tandem, and she smiled and waved back before turning to Spyro. The other three joined them in tandem, and Gill Grunt shoved his way in before Spyro could speak.

"What's going on here?" Gill Grunt hissed, his brow clenching as he glanced over at Kaos. "And what's he doing?"

"This is just an educated guess on my end," Chihiro whispered back, rubbing her chin. "But, remember that weird orb we all touched in that closet?"

Gill Grunt nodded.

"I think, somehow, it must have sent us back into the past to when Kaos was a kid!" Chihiro frowned. "I don't know how, exactly, but…"

"Ooh, so we're time traveling, like in the stories and stuff?" Trigger Happy giggled as he bounced up and down. "I wanna go see the mineosaurs and stuff next! No, I wanna go back to when gold was invented so I can—"

"We're doing nothing of the sort, Trigger Happy," Stealth Elf scolded as she pulled him back. "We've still got a mission to attend to!"

"And we can't get it done until we find a way back to the present," Chihiro said, rubbing her chin. "Now, if I had to guess, if there's any way out, it might be in that storage closet, but, how are we going to get back in the…"

"Hey, what'cha talking about?" Kaos chirped as he pushed his way in!

Spyro, Gill Grunt, Stealth Elf, and Trigger Happy all shouted and jumped back, but Chihiro smiled and leaned down.

"Actually, we were talking about how we've never been around this part of Skylands before, and we wanted to see all the sights!" Chihiro said. She had to admit, even if this was Kaos, she still felt a little bad lying to a little kid like this—but, if she wanted to get out of the past, she'd have to. "We haven't really decided where to go yet, either."

Kaos hummed and rubbed his chin, but finally beamed. "I know!" he cried, grabbing Chihiro's hand and pulling her away. "I'll show you my house! It's the biggest place in all the island! In fact, I bet it's the biggest place in all Skylands!"

Chihiro chuckled and rolled her eyes as she followed Kaos down the beaten path. Spyro, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf carefully trailed behind her. Occasionally they shot confused glances at Kaos, as if they weren't entirely sure what to expect of him. But, that quickly stopped as the sights of the village made way for that of a tall, looming castle with robotic guards flanking the front!

It had all the aesthetics of the castle Chihiro entered, but unlike that one, this one was brand new! Its stone shined with a bright polish, the long flags that hung from its towers fluttered in the air with not a sign of damage to be found, and the grass was green and bright! It was a far cry from the castle of the present—in fact, it looked almost kind of cool!

The guards parted ways and bowed as Kaos strode in, and he ushered for Chihiro’s group to follow. So, they did, quietly trailing behind. They stepped onto the stark stone pathways and walked up to the front doors. Kaos pushed them open, and as they slowly creaked away, the first sight they found was of—Glumshanks?

Well, the troll butler that currently stood before then looked like Glumshanks, anyways: same face, same green skin, same lanky build. The lack of wrinkles on his face suggested he was at least a decade or two younger, and the tattered rags he usually wore were traded out for a cream and orange butler suit with puffy shorts, oversized boots over tights, white gloves, and a pristine white dress shirt. He raised his brows for a moment as the doors spread to their zenith, but as his eyes fell on Kaos, he chuckled and laid the tray he was holding aside.

"There you are, Prince Kaos! How was your day out?" Glumshanks asked. He knelt down and reached out his hands the way a father would reach out for their child.

Kaos giggled, rushed past them and leaped right into Glumshanks' arms! He giggled even more as Glumshanks spun him around and dropped him on the floor, but the smiles on their faces didn't relent any.

"It was great, Glumshanks!" Kaos chirped as he gestured to Chihiro and the Skylanders. "I made a bunch of new friends today!"

"I'm glad to hear that, Prince Kaos. Now remember, before you show your new friends around—"

"Oh, we're not going in the forbidden chambers or anything! I'm gonna show them all around the castle, and we're gonna play all day, and…"

"Oh, yeah, speaking of that," Spyro said as he flew forward. He winced a little as he tapped Kaos's shoulder. "We're kind of busy, so why don't we hurry up and start this tour?"

"And then we'll hide all over the castle, and I'll show them Father's statue collection…"

"Er, uh, Kaos?" Spyro winced again and gently nudged Kaos's shoulder. "We don't have much time, so—"

"And then, then, well, I'm not sure what we're gonna do, but it'll be fun! Hey, can they stay over for dinner, too? I wanna show them the chefs' cooking routine!"

Glumshanks chuckled and knelt down as he fixed Kaos's collar. "Now, Prince Kaos, that's for His Majesty to decide, not me."

Spyro sighed as he drifted away, flying back to Chihiro's side. "No use, I can't get a word in edgewise!" Spyro whispered.

Chihiro frowned. Her vision passed them and back towards the endless stretches of halls behind Kaos and Glumshanks, and then, that very same balcony, with that very same door that led to the room that brought them here! That was the easy part, but now there was the matter of getting in.

"Keep Kaos occupied," Chihiro whispered as magic began to spark around her. "I'll see if I can get that door open!"

Cyan light flared around Chihiro as she teleported to the balcony, and dispersed as she dropped down on its surface. She walked over and jiggled the door's knob, but it was completely locked! With a frown, she turned it again just to be sure, and when she met with only a dull noise, she rubbed her hands and charged them with magic. An unlocking spell ought to do the trick!

"Hey, what are you doing there?"

Chihiro gasped and jumped away, finding that Kaos now stood beside her with wide, curious eyes! Wasn't Spyro keeping him busy? A look behind showed Spyro, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy, and Stealth Elf rushing up to the balcony with a kind of frantic look, but the feeling of Kaos tugging on her sleeve brought her attention back to him.

"That's Father’s forbidden chamber, silly!" Kaos giggled. "You need his special key to get in there!"

As the Skylanders rushed onto the balcony, Chihiro grinned. A secret key, huh? In that case, she knew just how to get it!

"Hey, Kaos," Chihiro chuckled, hands behind her back as she drew closer to him. "You wanna play a game?"

Kaos's eyes lit up, and he giggled as he clapped his hands. "Sure, sure, what're we playing?"

Chihiro's eyes drifted back to the storage room, and a smile crossed her lips. "How about we play hide and seek? We'll go hide in that locked room over there, and you'll have to find us!"

Kaos's eyes followed Chihiro, and he frowned as he twiddled his fingers. "Well, I'm not really supposed to go in there. Father says that's his super secret storage room that only he can go in."

"But I bet a room like that would have lots of cool places to hide, wouldn't it? It would be the ultimate game!"

Kaos hummed, looking aside as he rubbed his chin. A small smile fell on his face.

"Okay! We just have to get the key from Father, and then we can go in!"

Chihiro chuckled as Kaos skipped away—somehow, she knew that would work. Chihiro crept behind Kaos as he strode down the halls, passing identical rows of doors and flags and other regal decor. They finally stopped at one door that was opened just a crack. Chihiro gently pushed the door open just enough to peer inside, and met with the sight of a dressing room where a large man dressed in regal garb fixed his crown in a mirror.

"Now, Konkord, there's no pressure to any of this," he mumbled at just a loud enough volume that it was barely heard. "All you have to do is convince the kingdom that the royal family is fine, there's been no traitors or poisonings of any sort, that we're not hiding any secrets, and everything isn't falling apart at the seams! There's nothing hard about that!"

Konkord muttered something else under his breath as he fixed his hair. He shifted his cape just a little as he lifted his arms—and showed that there on his belt laid a sparkling, purple key!

Chihiro's eyes lit up in an instant, watching as the cape draped back down over the back of Konkord with intrigue.

"That's gotta be the key we need!" Chihiro whispered before humming. "Now, how to get it?"

"Just leave that part to me," Stealth Elf whispered as she swept out from behind Chihiro.

Chihiro jolted as she found Stealth Elf behind her back and the other three behind her in turn, but only for a moment. Stealth Elf turned invisible in an instant, much to Kaos's amazement as he oohed and aahed.

All eyes turned back to dressing room as Konkord fussed with his hair still. His cape swept aside just a little as he pushed a few strands here, a few strands there. While Konkord fussed with his hair, the key slipped off of his belt and floated out the door.

"Easy as cake," Stealth Elf remarked as she turned visible once more and held up the key.

Chihiro and Kaos both beamed first at Stealth Elf as she dropped the key in Chihiro's outstretched hands, and then at each other.

"Wow, I wish I could do fancy magic tricks like that!" Kaos whispered as he turned back to the door. "Anyways, now we just have to unlock the door and—"

Kaos's eyes widened, and he frantically yanked his head around.

"Wait, Father's coming, hide!"

Chihiro gasped. With a wave of her hand, she, Spyro, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy, and Stealth Elf all disappeared from view! Kaos gasped in wonder as they vanished, but his cheerful look soured as Konkord closed the door and loomed over Kaos.

"Now Kaos, you know what you're supposed to do during my speeches, correct?" Konkord asked, wagging a finger as he spoke.

Kaos sighed and hung his head. "Don't leave the castle and don't cause any trouble."

"Exactly. Now stay put. This will only take a few hours."

Konkord scoffed as he trailed away; he not once any mind to Kaos, who hung his head as Konkord strode towards the ends of the halls. But, as Konkord grew further and further from view, Kaos snickered and lifted his head. A mischievous smile, the one the eerily resembled the smiles the grown-up Kaos held as he reveled in his schemes, crossed his face as he waved at them, and Chihiro smiled back as she took out the key.

"Good job! He didn't even suspect a thing!" Chihiro chuckled.

"I'm used to hiding things from Father," Kaos chuckled as tugged on Chihiro's sleeve. "Now come on, I wanna play, I wanna play!"

Chihiro herself giggled, trailed over to the door, and slipped the key into its hole, Kaos still tugging on her clothes the whole way. With one click, a soft clunk came from the room, and the key slipped out of the lock as the door slowly creaked open.

"Oh, wow," Kaos whispered as he trailed in, "I've never been in here before!"

Chihiro couldn't help but smile, a bit entranced by the wonder Kaos held. It was strange, admittedly, seeing her arch-enemy and the guy who plunged Skylands into despair when he was so young and innocent. Weirdly, she almost saw a bit of herself in him for a moment. She faintly recalled when she had rescued him from his brotherly bullies not moments earlier, and for a moment, she almost considered just snatching him up and running off with him.

That is, until Spyro flew up and nudged her with his wing.

"Alright, that teleporter should be in the back of the room, if it's anywhere where it was before. I'd—"

"Prince Kaos?" Glumshanks called from the back of the room. "Prince Kaos, where'd you go?"

"Oh crap, he's gonna find us!" Chihiro cried as she leaped into the room. "Everyone hide!"

Spyro, Gill Grunt, Stealth Elf, and Trigger Happy all followed in tandem. They jumped into the storage room right as Chihiro slammed the door shut and blanketed the room in darkness once more.

Diving behind a few stray barrels, Chihiro gulped as she poked her head out. Her eyes fixed on the faint light that poured in from underneath the door.

"Prince Kaos, what are you doing here? You know you're not supposed to go in the storage room—"

"But, Glumshanks, my friends and I were just, playing a game! Yeah, we were playing hide and seek, and I wanted the perfect hiding spot!"

Glumshanks sighed, his feet shuffling and blocking parts of the light. "This is a big castle, Prince Kaos, I'm sure you can find plenty of other hiding spots."

Chihiro frowned, fingers drumming against the barrel's rim. She flicked her wrist, and cast a soft, cyan light out over the room, unveiling its contents at last.

The room itself was near-identical to the storage room she entered this strange time period from, the barrels and papers scattered like before. Compared to the rotten, leaking barrels and worn, yellowing papers of before, almost everything here seemed crisp and new! It was organized into careful groups and stacks, and arranged in an order Chihiro didn't quite understand. She could spy a few limbs or parts from the rest of her team poking out from the pile, hissed as she waved them over, and they in turn slunk across to where she sat.

"Wait, where's that light coming from?" Glumshanks asked from the other side of the door. "And did I hear footsteps just now?"

"Quick, we don't have much time!" Chihiro hissed as everyone gathered together. "Find that thing that brought us here, right now!"

A few nods came as everyone dashed across the room, pushing aside barrels and sifting through stacks of paper and journals.

Chihiro herself dove into a collection of journals and pushed them aside, but sighed as she found nothing but more strays papers. She moved over to a few crates and pushed them aside, but winced as something thunked against the door.

"Do, don't worry about it, Glumshanks! I bet it's just those mice Father keeps talking about!"

"Mice? Oh, I'd better get in there! I'm sure His Majesty would—"

"Hey, I thought you said nobody was allowed in there!"

Chihiro winced and hastily levitated a few more crates aside, a few barrels, a couple more stacks of journals. There was nothing! Not a single sign of the orb that brought them here laid around this room! She gritted her teeth and crawled forward, pushing away scraps and objects as she did. As she pushed away one barrel, a blood-red light fell on her face!

"I found it!" Trigger Happy cried from up ahead. "Come on!"

Chihiro lifted her head right as Trigger Happy planted his hand on the orb and disappeared, and Spyro, Stealth Elf, and Gill Grunt followed in succession. Chihiro jumped to her feet as the red light flashed with every disappearance, and rushed to the orb. Just before she could touch the orb, the door thunked once more and she froze!

She turned her head around right as it flung right open, and Kaos and Glumshanks both fell inside!

Kaos recovered first. He jumped to his feet and gasped as he wandered around the room, but lifted a brow as something crumpled underfoot. Turning his head down, he lifted a stray paper from the ground and raised a brow.

"'Dear journal,'" Kaos read from the paper, "'things have grown much more tense in the country since Kaossandra was named queen, but I am grateful for her company nonetheless. In fact, I'm delighted to inform you that she is with child! The royal doctors confirmed that she should be giving birth to a healthy child…'" Kaos raised a brow and turned around to Glumshanks. "Who's Kaossandra?"

"Prince Kaos!" Glumshanks spat, stumbling to his feet. "You're not supposed to—"

Kaos stumbled away, turned around and grinned. "Hey, there you are!" he shouted as his eyes laid on Chihiro. His grin widened and he shuffled forward. "I was wondering where you—"

Chihiro gasped and slapped the orb right in that instant! A searing, aching feeling like all the blood in her head rushing down came over her as the blood red light caught her in its grasp! The faint presence of the world around lingered, so Chihiro's eyes laid on the younger Kaos, the paper still held in his grasp as he watched her disappear in wide-eyed awe.