Well... Hello!

We will start this chapter as many others do.

We are in a kingdom called Knighton. A medieval kingdom, but one that also has technology. Five knights have been chosen to become the Nexo Knights, the knights who must protect the kingdom from evil forces (with the help of a magician close to the king, Merlok 2.0). Here, they had to defend the kingdom from Monstrox, and from Jestro, the king's jester.

The end of this war, in a way, lasted and still lasts.

The knights managed to defeat the lava army, ruled by the commander Magmar. Monstrox also failed to possess Clay's body, which could have been catastrophic. For something about Clay had been hidden for all his years. He was a wizard, a magician. Whatever you want, but he possessed magic. If it had been within the reach of this Monstrox, peace could never have been. But luckily, everything turned out fine.

But then another problem reappeared. The big problem wasn't that Jestro was a disaster at presenting the weather. It was that Monstrox was back. That's right, after his defeat, we could see that all his energy had disappeared into the clouds.

Here we are.

The evil cloud of Monstrox.

With his lightning, he resurrected monsters that were petrified into stone. Be it harpies, rock monsters, or gargoyles... Monstrox had his new army. In addition to Jestro who went back to the evil side, and a sculptor whose talents did not please the king (even if the queen loved the statue where she was seen beating the monsters with courage).

The knights were finally able to defeat them all, again.

But it wasn't without the unexpected help of a certain leader of the knights, once again.

Clay.

When he woke up, where Macy had to petrify him into a statue to stop him, Clay had his forearm filled with light blue magic. Here was the hope that appeared. The light breaking through the colossus of ultimate destruction. This stone colossus that could only be awakened if the 10 powers were defended, and it was Monstrox who controlled it of course.

And so, after the fall of Monstrox, all the danger went away again.

But for how long?

Monstrox is not yet defeated and... Even if all the stone monsters have become stone again, another monster has escaped the spell...

An evil witch... Ruina Stoneheart. She is a close associate of Monstrox, and no less and no more than Clay Moorington's mother. Yes, you heard me right. This wicked witch is the mother of the bravest and most benevolent knight and wizard in the kingdom.

The relationship between mother and son, is still quite murky. We don't know if Ruina feels maternal love for her son. We don't know if she wants to hurt him to obey her master. We may never know, the way it all turns out.

But we can always imagine for ourselves...

"Clay, stop practicing." Macy crossed her arms. "You should get some rest, your magic takes a lot of your life energy."

"I still need to perfect one of my spells." Said Clay, not wanting to listen to Macy.

The princess sighed, "Merlok would agree with me. You're overdoing it."

"I have to be ready at all times." Said Clay firmly. "If my mother reappears, I have to be ready to face her, and help her get back to normal."

"Yes, I know you definitely want her back, and I totally understand you! But you really should stop for today. Look at you." She pointed at him. "You're dripping like crazy."

Clay sighed.

"Nephew, have no fear." Said an orange wizard as he appeared on the holographic wall.

"Merlok." Clay looked at him.

"My sister isn't coming back anytime soon for now, she's probably up to something bad. I know you have to prepare for her, but you shouldn't overreact. Your magic is more powerful than hers and maybe even mine. So I'd rather you stay safe, and not do magic when you're tired. We are in full agreement that neither of us wants a magic accident." Merlok said as he explained.

"I know, Uncle Merlok." Clay sighed. "But I'm afraid my mother will do something we can't stop. She's not like Jestro. She's stronger, smarter. This enemy is bound to be one of the strongest we'll ever face. So we need everyone to be ready." Said Clay seriously.

"Yes yes. But get some rest or take a walk to the knight's academy. I'd rather you do that than train until you pass out." Merlok pointed out. "I know you very well."

Clay didn't really want to, he'd rather keep training. He tried to lie a little to make his uncle think he was going to rest, when he was going to do the opposite, "Fine, I'll do that."

"Perfect." Merlok smiled into his beard, closing his eyes. "Macy will tell me if you really listened to me." Clay froze a little. Maybe his plan wasn't going to work after all. "Why are you tense?" Said Merlok with a little laugh. "Oh oh, I hope you weren't trying to fool me."

Clay smiled nervously, "Of course not."

"Very well, nephew. I trust you." He smiled at Clay. "And I trust Macy to keep an eye on him too."

Macy smiled, "Count me in, Merlok. He won't practice again today, I promise."

"Well, kids. I'll leave you to it, I have to-" His hologram began to bellow.

"Oops!" They heard this voice younger than them. Robin. "Sorry! It seems Merlok is in sleep mode hehe."

"That old man must have messed up again." Said Ava as she typed on the keyboard. "He can handle the times he sleeps and wakes up. He must have made a change without meaning to. I'd be surprised if he fell asleep at 2pm."

"All right, you take care of Merlok. I'm going to the academy." Said Clay as he exited the training room, and the Fortrex. He then went straight to the place, accompanied by Macy.

Small time jump:

"Macy, are you really planning on following me around?" Clay asked as he walked down the hallways, with a quick step. Around them, some of the apprentice knights were running down the halls, steadily stomping on the red carpet. They were playing, talking, looking out the windows... Anything but practicing or something. Maybe it was their break time... Although...

"Young knights." Principal Brickland. "What are you still doing here?" He asked as he came in, as all the students stopped what they were doing and stood up straight. "Classes will resume in five minutes. Shouldn't you be getting ready already?"

"Uh, let's go, sir!"

In a second, everyone had left.

"Aah, Macy and Moorington." Said Brickland as he walked over to them. "How are you doing since last time?"

"Very well, thank you." Said Macy. Clay said nothing but agreed with the princess. "How about you?"

"Haha, oh yeah. All is quiet now." He looked out the window where a bright landscape could be seen, some animals were grazing on the grass and the sky was a bright light blue. "I think it's a shame and not at the same time."

"What do you mean?" Macy asked.

"Well, after all. It's very good that there are no more threats to the kingdom. The people of all of Knightonia can live in peace but... For us knights, there are no more exciting missions. Apart from the normal little alerts of life in some villages where a pig is for example stuck on a roof, there is nothing."

"Don't worry about that, my mom will be able to find something for you to do..." Said Clay quietly in his corner.

"What did you say, Moorington?"

"Huh? No nothing!" Clay smiled nervously. "I mean...I think you should always be prepared for any threat hehe." Macy looked at him out of the corner of her eye, watching for every little action and ready to go tell Merlok.

"I think we're in good agreement." General Brickland laughed. "You never know if Jestro would have a problem again. Maybe someday tentacles will appear on him to take out the cameraman filming him during his out-of-control weather haha!"

"You're right." The princess laughed a little. "Jestro is a case."

"Oh yes he is. And do you think Monstrox is still alive, in fact?" He asked quietly.

"Nothing is confirmed." Said Macy, understanding what Brickland was trying to do. He didn't want some silly person listening to him and going to panic the public. "But we think he's still alive..."

"I see... This vermin doesn't intend to disappear so easily..."

"Unfortunately..." Macy sighed as she closed her eyes. "Hm?" She opened her eyelids and looked around them. "Where's Clay?"

Brickland was confused too and looked around. There was only the two of them.

"Ah no! Not that!" Said Macy as she ran in one direction to get Clay. "We have to watch him."

For his part, Clay had just entered Merlok's library, locking it.

He looked up, seeing all its shelves filled with magical books.

"Let's see if anything will help me..." He jumped onto a platform that took him to the very top. He looked at different books, with quite a variety of subjects.

Potion of invisibility... Of tenfold strength... Poison... Transformation...

Clay picked them all up and flipped through them. Next to each spell was a formula. This one had to be said at the time the magic user was magnetizing the spell. 

The knight looked at his orange arm, which was pure magic, and looked at a chair straight ahead. He had already stepped off the platform.

He articulated each syllable and cast the spell, turning the chair into a sword.

'This doesn't look complicated,' he thought. But he needed to practice better to make sure he finalized his skill in each spell. Later on, he shouldn't make any mistakes. Especially in front of his mother... She won't give him any time for doubt...

For 20 minutes, he was able to practice various spells. He improved a lot in a short time. But as if his magic was doing him a double-edged sword, his body was exhausted. Both physically and psychologically.

He sighed, and continued anyway, hurting himself in the process but really wanting to get stronger.

"Clay." A voice called out. Great, Macy... He thought. He'd managed to lose her thanks to Brickland but it looks like she's back, and pissed. "How dare you sneak out!?" She knocked in the door. "I know you're in there, Clay." She put her hands on her waist. "Come on, open up. I know what you're doing and Merlok isn't going to like it."

Clay didn't answer.

The princess sighed at her friend's behavior. She knew the fight that was coming was going to be tough. She knew it would be. But she couldn't accept this behavior from her friend. Even though it was his mother he was going to face, and Macy understands how hard it is to fight the one who gave birth to him, he shouldn't push so hard. It could play tricks on him.

"I know how you feel..." She said more calmly. Because maybe it's better to speak softly so the tension eases. "Monstrox is still here, and so is your mother... But... Merlok and I... Everyone else... We want you well. So please, listen to us." Clay didn't answer but listened. "Stop the magic for a moment, rest. This is not the way to get what you want. Your body will give out and it won't be able to help you if you hurt it, do you understand? Open me up and we'll go back to the Fortrex." She exhaled silently.

She had to wait maybe five minutes... But this is it...

The door opened slowly, and Macy walked in. She gasped as she saw Clay unconscious on the floor, with a few books around him. Too late... He overreacted... She thought. She carried him back to the Fortrex as best she could, almost dragging because she didn't have as much strength as he did, that's for sure. And she took him back to his room, putting the blanket on him and closing the door.

She then went to Merlok to report what had just happened.

FROM RUINA AND MONSTROX'S SIDE:

"Are you sure this is the best thing to do?" Asked Monstrox, still in the stone.

"We need him if we are to defeat my brother and the Nexo Knights."

"I'll never believe it... Moorington is your son..."

"You never thought about that?"

"I didn't think you already had a child. You hid it very well."

Ruina smiled, "I don't remember the past very well because my other self blocks it out, but it doesn't look like he followed a wizard's trail once. Merlok probably found him and knighted him. How silly" She laughed. "My son will be joining us soon, and I already have someone else to help us."

She pointed to a figure in the shadows.

"This time Knighton will be mine hahahaha!!!" Monstrox began to laugh, as did Ruina. They were going to win this war... This time!