Story: Remember me

Plot: A battle with Phobos proves to be difficult and life threatening, as a certain guardian is affected the most. Will the rest of W.I.T.C.H and the rebels be able to bring her back?

Chapter 1: The Beginning

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." – Lao Tzu

It was a sunny day in Heatherfield and Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin stepped out of the mall with a few shopping bags.

"Guys, was this all really necessary?" Will, the fiery red head groaned. She saw that each of them carried two bags each – except for Cornelia who managed four.

"Try telling that to Corny. I'm surprised she didn't buy the clothes from the assistant, too" joked Irma

"Do NOT call me that, Irmy" mocked Cornelia, the blonde one. "And besides – shopping is a way of life" she grinned.

"I need to get home soon before my mom grounds me again. She is always on my case! Where's the freedom and privacy that I'm entitled to?" Will complained

"Well, you could try getting along with her. She just wants the best for you." Taranee tried to reason with her. She pushed her glasses further up her nose, and Irma rolled her eyes at her.

"Yeah, like, imagine if she knew about W.I.T.C.H – then you probably won't even have a bed room door!" chuckled Hay Lin, the bubbly one.

W.I.T.C.H was an acronym that Hay Lin created by using the first letter of each name of the five guardians. Will, the keeper of the heart, had the power of quintessence and energy. Irma held the power of water. Cornelia possessed the control over the element of Earth, while Hay Lin ruled the aspect of air. Together, they had been chosen to defeat evil in Earth and Meridian – two alternative universes. Their main goal was to keep both worlds safe and to close portals that have been continuously spotted among the weakening veil.

"Speaking of W.I.T.C.H, Phobos has been attacking many villages in Meridian. The rebels have been keeping an eye out and have told us not to interfere, but we're going to have to check it out. " Hay Lin commented, before biting her lip – she was the only one of the guardians who knew what was going on in Meridian – thanks to her grandma, the ex air guardian. The others stared at her in disbelief. "Oops..."

"Hay Lin! He escaped? How..?" Will stared at her in disbelief.

Hay Lin swallowed hard and laughed nervously. "Ha...uh...Well grandma told me that..." She continued to explain what had happened, while Cornelia continued to think about Meridian.

Meridian. The name made Cornelia feel so many emotions at once. Pain, hurt, anger. Meridian was, after all, where Caleb was at that exact moment. Caleb was the leader of the rebel army against Phobos and his rule of the throne. The guardians – especially Cornelia – had gotten so close to him. Cornelia and Caleb were together for a year – until he decided to stay in Meridian and not visit Earth, not even to see her. He thought that their lives were too complicated and different – how could two beings from two completely different worlds be together? She felt hurt and confused, and so they eventually broke up – each returning to their world. He tried to talk to her, but the earth guardian's firm attitude proved to be difficult, and so since that day, his attempt to rekindle their relationship has failed miserably.

"Hello, Earth to Cornelia?"

The other guardians stood staring at her for the past minute until she finally snapped out of her day dream.

"Sorry guys, I don't feel too good. This headache has been getting worse." She lied, and placed one arm on her forehead.

"Well then, we can't go today. How about tomorrow?" suggested Hay Lin.

"No. You guys go without me." advised Cornelia. The others looked at her suspiciously. Normally, she wouldn't let a headache get in the way of visiting Meridian or interrupt her duty as a guardian. "I'll be fine. And besides, you're only going to go check things out."

The others finally agreed and nodded their heads.

"Ok, sounds like a plan. We'll leave in 10." Added Irma

"Yeah, right now, we need some help from Yan Lin." Will scratched the back of her head and they all made their way to the Silver Dragon. They finally reached the doors when Cornelia stopped.

"I'll see you later, guys." She turned around and hung her head as she trudged all the way to her house. The others gazed at their friend, before finding Yan Lin standing right in front of them. The girls shrieked in surprise.

"Grandma!" exclaimed Hay Lin, as she embraced Yan Lin. Yan Lin smiled at her and nodded at the rest of the girls. They followed her into the basement of the Silver Dragon. It was dark and full of cardboard boxes and tables. They sat down on a couch and Yan Lin took out a box from underneath an empty cupboard. The girls looked perplexed at the dusty box, and then glanced at each other.

"Guardians, Phobos has escaped and has been attacking many villages in the past few days, and I think I know why." Yan Lin opened the box and took out an ancient scroll with unusual Meridian writing.

"Huh? What does it say?" questioned Will.

"The crystal holds the key." Yan Lin replied. The girls stayed silent – still not on the same page as the ex air guardian – until Taranee spoke up.

"You mean the crystal of Meridian?" Taranee tilted her head, while examining the writing. Yan Lin nodded and beamed at her intellect, while the other guardians looked at their friend with a confused look.

Taranee continued "It's an ancient crystal that was stolen approximately 300 years ago. It belonged to the king who entrusted it to his son in the form of a pendant. It's been told that the son wasn't aware of the strength of the crystal, and once he became king, the might of all power on Meridian and Earth would be at stake."

"So...Phobos thinks that the crystal is still somewhere out there?" enquired Hay Lin.

"So that's why he's been raiding every village at every chance he gets." Concluded Irma.

Yan Lin nodded her head and looked down at the scroll. "Girls, you must return to Meridian immediately and let the people know. Warn them that the crystal has ultimate power, and if not in the right hands, could risk evil taking over. And-" Yan Lin suddenly stopped and scanned the room. The other girls looked around, too, wondering what she was looking for. "Where's Cornelia?"

"Oh, she wasn't feeling too good. She'll come to Meridian with us tomorrow." Will added

Yan Lin looked down at the scroll, and sighed.

"What is it, Grandma?" asked a nervous Hay Lin. She walked over to her and placed her hand on her grandma's arm comfortingly.

"Your powers are weak when even one of you is apart. You can't risk not having a guardian present – no matter what the situation." She glanced at each guardian and a look of sorrow spread across each of their faces.

"Right now, we have no choice. It's time to leave." Yan Lin ended, before gesturing to Will to open a portal. Will nodded at her and created a portal in thin air. They smiled at Yan Lin, and her granddaughter kissed her on the cheek before entering the portal.