Training.

That's all that Chad felt like he's been doing. Training inside a massive white room, with only him for company. But he could also feel his sister's, Crystal, presence as well. But whenever he looked Chad could find no signs of her. So he continued to train, because it was the only thing he could really do…besides dying.

Suddenly Chad heard a voice, "Wake up Chad. Time to wake up!" It said. Chad looked everywhere for the source of the voice, but could find no sign of where it came from. Then before he could even blink the white walls began to crack and one by one they fell apart, nearly crushing Chad. It had only gone on for ten seconds and just as the last piece came crashing down Chad saw a flash and suddenly awoke. He found himself coming out of a giant pod of some sort, inside a room with pipes and plugs all over the walls and ceiling. But he was not alone, there was another pod and coming out of it was…

"Crystal!" Chad exclaimed in shock as he ran over towards his sister, helping her out of the pod. It was then that he noticed a change in her and him. They were taller then they once were, perhaps three to five inches taller. Their skin was a little tanner and their hair had grown a few inches and they had a better build.

Crystal finally got her bearings together and asked. "Chad? Is-is that you? Where…where are we?"

"Yeah…yeah its me." Chad said as he helped his sister to her feet. "Though I have no idea where we are."

Suddenly there was a bright flash and the twins were transported towards what appeared to be a command room, with a window looking out at a planet. People wearing blue and black uniform suits, with a few wearing different sorts of gear, could be seen walking and working on computers throughout the place. They were all speaking at the same time that it was impossible to understand what they were saying. In the center of the room, dozens of people surrounded a large table that gave off an image of a planet. And one of those people Chad and Crystal recognized.

"Mom?" Chad asked as he took a step forward. The said woman turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of her kids. She still looked the same the last time her kids saw her, but her blond hair was tied into a ponytail. She wore odd high tech armor over a white shirt and grey pants. He usual knife was strapped against her waist, along with a sword and a gun. A surprising feature was that there was a scar running down her lip, not too big but still noticeable. Before Chad could ask what was going on, Annabeth embraced both of them in a bone-crushing hug.

"Mom…what…what is going on?" Crystal asked as she finally got out of the hug. Annabeth sighed before explaining everything that has happened. It's been 5,000 years since the battle on Earth and now the Vanguards, along with the Veil and a rebel faction from the Fade, are facing off against the Destroyers and the new Fade regime. For 5,000 years the Vanguards held off against the invasion of their enemy, all the while planning a way to win the war for good.

"And that's where you guys come in." Annabeth said as she headed back towards the table. "For the past 5,000 years Annotar has had you guys train yourselves to master the new powers you inherited from your father."

Chad was now very shocked at this. "So wait, Annotar wants us to do something for him? Where does he want us to go anyway?"

Annabeth sighed before continuing. "You'll be going to the Material Domain, outside of Earth. What you'll be looking for, I have no idea. Only your Dad and Annotar know."

Seeing how they had no choice, Chad and Crystal agreed to meet with Annotar and their father. Annabeth had to remain in the command center, so the person escorting them was a Firstborn named Rad. He wore high tech armor that was red and crimson and black and mostly had a hood over his head. Rad carried a red bladed rapier and two pistols and apparently he could even shoot red lightning from his hands (A/N: Kind of imagine him like a Sith lord if that helps). He had tan skin, his eyes were yellow and had black hair that went down to his neck. And much to Chad's annoyance, Crystal had seem to taken a liking to him.

"So how does it feel to be out of those pods after 5,000 years?" Rad asked.

Crystal shrugged. "Pretty good. I feel great right now."

Rad nodded and then said. "You look great too." This caused Crystal to blush a deep red while Chad rolled his eyes.

"By the way where did you get that scar on your face?" Rad asked. Chad touched his face, just remembering the three marks on his face. He briefly flinched at the feel of it but quickly brushed it aside as he continued to follow the Vanguard. Soon they pass by some windows, where Chad and Crytsal saw the planet even better. Unfortunately the sight wasn't all that spectacular. Warships could be seen flying above, fighting against one another, with many going up in flames. The city was lightened up in flames, and the cries of war could be heard even from where they were standing. Crystal put her hand to her mouth in horror at the sight while Chad clenched his fist in anger. Rad said nothing to this just stared glumly at the sight.

Suddenly they spotted a massive bolt of lightning come down from the sky. It destroyed two Destroyer's battleships and probably wiped out a large amount of ground forces too. While Chad and Crystal reeled back in shock Rad simply just stared before saying, "Guess Master Havoc isn't holding back."

Chad and Crystal stared at Rad in shock. "Our dad did that?" Crystal asked.

Rad gave them a nod but had a confuse look on his face. "Well, yeah, he's not the leader of the Vanguard for nothing you know. Didn't you know that he's very strong?" Rad asked.

Chad scratched his head. "Well yeah we knew he was strong, except not that strong to do something like that."

Rad shook his head and continued leading them towards Annotar. Chad noticed that the more the kept going the more cleaner the walls look, no dirt on them or the stairs. Soon they reached a massive white and golden door, with strange writing on it. "This is as far as I go. Good luck you guys." And with that he left. Chad and Crystal looked at each other, and seeing no other option, Chad pushed open the door. And inside they found a bright white room, with golden markings on the walls and ceiling. It was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. In the center of the room there was a large well…and a hooded person leaning over it.

"Annotar?" Chad asked nervously while his eyes scanned the room, in case a fight started. But instead the being turned to face them, the hood covering his face completely. But Chad and Crystal felt like his eyes were looking at them fully, going past any barriers, both physically and mentally.

"Ah, son and daughter of Havoc, please, come in." He said in a kind voice, one that you could trust. Seeing how it wasn't dangerous, the twins approached the man slowly, still wary. "I suppose that you're wondering why I summoned you here or why I've kept you in that mental training dimension?"

"Well that would be nice to know about." Chad said as he and Crystal stood opposite of Annotar. The Creator waved his hand around in the well, causing an image to appear. The images then became twelve different looking objects.

"These are the Stones of Eru, his finest creations and as last resort incase the inevitable should happen. If the chance that something should happen to Eru should occur, these stones are to be taken back to the planet of beginning and placed into an item known as the lock, where they shall restore Eru's full power and form."

Chad and Crystal stared at the relics in awe, before asking. "So where are they now?" Chad asked.

Annotar waved his hand to show what appeared to be the galaxy. "Hidden across this Material Domain, despite being scattered in the millions that there are, the stones were hidden by an Ancient who did not go with the other Ancients and was on neither side during the war. I do not know his name but what he goes by, the "Wanderer"." Annotar sighed. "But his location is not your concern, finding the stones are. I have a map that I managed to acquire over the centuries and should lead you to the stone's known location."

Chad and Crystal looked at each other, one question still in mind. "Why do you want us to do this?" Crystal asked,

Annotar crossed his arms. "To be honest, if you guys didn't exist, I would've sent your father. But that would arouse suspicion from Apocalypse, who does not know about the stones. Also your father is the only one who can hold back that demonic man and still lead us." Then he put his hands together in a pray. "I ask you with all my heart, will you please help us win this war?"

Chad and Crystal were speechless; they had never seen a god ever throw away his pride to ask someone else for a favor. This actually made them respect Annotar, a being that would get on his knees for those he cares about. The twins looked at each other before giving the other nods. Chad turned towards Annotar and said. "We'll do it."

A screen suddenly popped up from behind them. It showed images of multiple people with different faces. "These are Vanguards that I have selected that would make good companies for you. Please select the ones you like and I'll even assign you a ship with Sentinel Troopers." Annotar said

Along with Chad and Crystal; Annabeth, Tyson and Ram were going to accompany them as well. Ram because he had been trained to pilot of the ship, Annabeth because she had learned much of navigating in the Material Domain, and Tyson because he would work on the engine and other mechanical duties. Those three were not part of Chad's team; instead fifteen other people accompany them, excluding Crystal, as chosen by Chad.

Wacko, one of the newborn Seekers, would accompany them as an aide. Also he had shown a talent for sabotaging and explosives. Many of his brethrens boasted how he wiped out an entire division of Centurions, brought down a Destroyer flagship with ease and managed to sabotage weapons of several Destroyers. Besides having grenades with him, he also had a metal club, a grenade launcher and a shotgun.

Their second choice was Rad, much to Chad's regret. He had skills in assassination and was a very agile fighter. He also knew much about the enemy's forces since he spied on them several times and for some reason Havoc didn't want him on the planet where Apocalypse might spot him.

The next person was an Elvain woman named Kristina, or Kris as she wanted to be called. She had black hair and pointy ears, like an elf and blue eyes. Her skin was pale but shined in the sunlight, and perhaps in the moonlight. Her outfit was a white and green light armor. Kris also possessed a good knowledge of her people's magical abilities. Her weapons included a spear she called Wingfang, along with a laser crossbow and a thin sword.

Another was called Thomas Zane, a Mandos who are suppose to be these humanoid warrior like species in the Material Domain. He wore grey armor that was a mix of both his people's gear and Firstborn's technology. Over it was a long brown coat, which went along with a brown cowboy hat too, that covered his shaven black hair but not his tan skin, nor the scar running down his right eye. He wielded an energy sniper rifle, an assault rifle, two dual blaster pistols, and apparently possessed good senses.

Ori-12, a Reth, artificial living robots with silver armor and yellow power cells, was the next person to join. He had only two eyes that acted as scanners for him and could apparently shoot laser beams, energy swords, shields, a dome and fly too. Unlike the usual robot personality he had a humorous side to him as well, always saying jokes or asking questions.

Next up was Stone, a Berroc, who were humanoid creatures with grayish and hard bodies. He was bald and missing a few teeth, also he had a cigar and sunglasses too. He only wore shoulder plates, chest plate, cargo pants and hiking boots. Apparently his policy was bash first then asks questions, which made Chad glad he was with them.

The engineer alongside Tyson was a Terran named Izzy. She had a tomboyish personality and was very good under stress. One of her abilities was that she could manipulate metal by just touching them. Along with that she wielded two electric maces for combat along with a shock shotgun.

Jam, their communication officer, was next on the list. Like Izzy he was also a Terran but had good hearing abilities and could translate any coded messages. He also had two sonic pistols and sonic gauntlets too. Jam kind of reminded Chad about DJs at High School proms.

And two familiar faces would also accompany them. Charger the Minotaur, or Manitor as his people were called, and Lory. Charger was excellent at close combat and apparently was a Mystic, in his specie's culture, who were highly respected. Lory was good at infiltration and on a personal level, she had missed Chad, who felt the same.

Zim or called "Scar" was a scientist as well as a medic, though his profile did not back up his medical skills very well. He had dark skin, apparently a common trait among the Zevins who live on desert planets. The dry lines on his face were covered with red paint, and his long black hair was held back in dreadlocks. He only wore a sleeveless black vest, combat pants, hiking shoes and combat gloves. Scar also wielded a double bladed axe with poison on it, along with a pistol and several shurikens. One of his powers that anything he touched was poisoned automatically.

Another girl was named Pearl, an expert at both the sea and the field. She was a Aquin, the equivalent of a merman. She had gills and blue skin and long black hair that went down to her back. She wore only a shirt and a blue jacket over it. She had long black pants with kneepads on them. Along with the ability to breathe underwater, she also had dual pistols an axe and camouflage gear.

Dice was a Roxian, a race that was similar to that of the samurai. He wore a grey jacket with golden straps on it, along with blue pants and black sandals. His hair was silver and short. Also he possessed energy roller blades, roller blades that allowed him to run across anything. Along with that he had two duel blasters and a bag that had a dimensional pocket that held hundreds of different types of swords.

And finally, though not the last, Mein-dos who was an Altran, a proud race of warriors aliens. His appearance was lizard like, and he had a triple hinge jaw too. Attached to his back was a jet pack and his armor could make him invisible. One of his weapons was a pulse carbine rifle, dual blasters, an automatic plasma gun and an energy sword.

"You're last member shall be awaiting you at the Dome, a floating planetary station that acts as the center of the Alliance's government." Annotar said. "He has good ties with me and will show you a Vanguard badge as a sign that it's him."

"Now allow me to introduce you to your vessel." Annotar said, "Vortex-class, Freighter Ship, the Legion of Spirits."

The ship was huge 150 meters long and 48.6 meters wide with the height of 32.6 meters, probably able to hold a hundred people, maybe even more. It's painting was blue and green and had cannons everywhere. Its thrusters were big too, and it had about four of them. It had multiple windows on its side and at the command room. (A/N: Imagine it like a Corvette class ship from Star Wars)

"Holy…shit" Chad said as he stared at the ship in awe. Crystal was muttering to herself about upgrades she could give it. Annotar had a smirk on his face as he watched to two young adults fantasy over the vessel. "You and your crew will leave tomorrow in the afternoon. There will also be a set of instructions for you that you'll receive from your mother as you board the ship. Do you have any questions?"

Chad stopped his gawking and turned towards the Creator. "Just one" He said. "Will…will we be able to see Dad before we head off?"

Annotar thought for a moment before replying. "Well right now we have the enemy on the run and out of our atmosphere for the time being. Our own defenses are busy securing positions, but I see no reason why he can't see you guys off."

Chad and Crystal smiled at each other before turning back towards Annotar. "Now I suggest you guys get some rest for tomorrow. And don't worry; I'll make sure that you're in perfectly safe areas and out of the battlefield." Annotar said.

The twins nodded and were then escorted by several Seekers to a their rooms. All the while feelings of excitement and nervousness were filling up inside of them as they kept walking. Soon they had to separate towards different rooms. They gave each other one last glance before heading into their rooms for a night rest.