Aggregror sprinted forward, his movements swift and determined. Behind him, Michael, Jen, Kevin, Gwen, Ferox, and Shockwave pursued relentlessly, closing the distance with every second.

Seeing them gaining on him, Aggregror turned sharply toward an ancient stone door covered in glowing symbols. He quickly raised his staff and blasted a nearby pillar, sending it crashing toward his pursuers.

Michael and Jen reacted instantly, their Ultimatrixes flashing as Michael transformed into Humungousaur and Jen into Fourarms. With a synchronized motion, they shattered the falling debris, clearing a path for the others.

Meanwhile, Aggregror reached the massive stone door, placing his palm against the symbols carved into its surface. In a deep, commanding voice, he uttered, "Yahwahtacsip."

The symbols pulsed with energy, and the door groaned as it slowly slid open, revealing a swirling vortex within. Aggregror smirked before slipping inside, the portal beginning to seal shut behind him.

"Entscheidung!" (Move) Michael yelled, lunging forward, but before they could follow, Gwen suddenly let out a sharp cry of pain, clutching her head.

Kevin skidded to a stop beside her. "Gwen? What's wrong?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

Gwen squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head as if trying to clear it. "I—I don't know, something about that portal... It's—ugh—ancient magic. Just keep going! If it closes, we'll never be able to follow him!" she urged.

Michael and Jen dug their feet into the ground, both using their immense strength to hold the door open. But no matter how hard they pushed, it resisted, inching closed despite their efforts.

With a final thud, the door shut completely.

Michael and Jen gritted their teeth, both furious and frustrated as they slammed their fists against the immovable stone. "Damn it!" Michael growled. "Wir waren so nah dran!" (We were so close!)

Shockwave stepped forward, arms crossed. "You're wasting your energy. That is the Door to Anywhere—nothing can breach it once it closes."

Jen turned around, brow furrowed in confusion. "The Door to Anywhere?" she repeated.

Shockwave nodded, while Gwen rubbed her temples and explained. "It's a mystic crossroads—a portal that connects to any location in the universe. Aggregror could have gone anywhere."

"So let's go already!" Kevin exclaimed, crossing his arms in frustration. Behind him, Ferox let out an eager roar in agreement, his tail flicking with anticipation.

Gwen sighed, shaking her head. "It's not that simple, Kevin. You have to know the true name of the place you're trying to reach," she explained. "The door doesn't just take you anywhere—you have to speak the correct name in its original script."

Jen, who had been studying the now-faded glowing letters on the doorframe, suddenly perked up. "Oh, so that's all? No problem," she said confidently.

She tapped her Ultimatrix, shifting back to her human form, then crouched down and picked up a small rock. With precise strokes, she began etching the glowing symbols into the dirt, recreating the inscription perfectly.

Michael, also turning back to human, raised an eyebrow at his wife's impressive memory. "Wait... you remember all of that? After just glancing at it once?" he asked, clearly impressed.

Jen flashed him a playful, sly smile, her eyes filled with desire and devotion. "Of course! I had Venom train my memory so I can remember every tiny little detail about my darling husband," she purred, leaning in close and tracing a finger along his chest.

Michael gulped, his face heating up slightly as Jen's expression shifted into something far more sultry.

Kevin groaned, rolling his eyes. "Great, here we go again..."

Gwen, ignoring them, knelt beside Jen, examining the symbols. "Alright... if these are right, then all we have to do is speak the name aloud in the original dialect," she said.

Shockwave's optic flickered as he analyzed the inscription. "The dialect appears to be a variation of Ancient Celestialsapien script. I should be able to translate the phonetics."

Shockwave translated the dialect as he spoke. "Yahwahtacsip." His deep, synthesized voice echoed through the cavern, but the door remained firmly shut.

Frowning, he tried again, this time louder and more precise. "Yahwahtacsip!"

Still, nothing happened. The ancient symbols didn't react, no glow, no shifting stone—nothing.

Shockwave's optic flickered in frustration. "Impossible. The phonetic structure is accurate. This should work." His tone was sharp, his annoyance barely concealed.

Gwen stepped forward and patted his leg reassuringly. "Your pronunciation is a bit... mechanical," she offered, choosing her words carefully.

Shockwave's optic narrowed. "My articulation is flawless."

Gwen nodded. "Let me try." She took a deep breath, focusing on the symbols Jen had recreated in the dirt.

"Yawadita..." Gwen attempted, but the syllables came out wrong, her human vocal cords struggling with the pronunciation. She grimaced, realizing she couldn't properly form the ancient sounds.

"You have no idea how to read that stuff, do you?" Jen asked, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms.

Gwen hesitated, then looked away. "I'm self-taught. I can read it just fine... I just don't know how to pronounce it." She mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

Her pink Anodite form flushed red as she curled into a ball mid-air and rolled around dramatically, groaning.

Michael smirked. "Huh. That explains a lot."

Kevin chuckled. "Yeah, like the time she tried to read that magic cookbook and almost made us a toxic gas bomb instead of dinner."

Gwen shot him a glare from her curled-up position. "That was one time! And for the record, it would have tasted amazing if you hadn't freaked out!"

Jen giggled before turning back to the door. "So... who actually does know how to read this stuff?"

Gwen froze mid-roll, her glow dimming slightly.

Michael narrowed his eyes. "You know someone, don't you?"

Gwen groaned. "...Yes."

Jen leaned forward. "And you don't wanna ask them, do you?"

Gwen's glow pulsed again. "...No."

Shockwave's optic flickered. "And you also know how important it is to catch Aggergor, correct?"

Gwen sighed heavily, "...Yes."

The group stared at her expectantly.

Finally, Gwen uncurled, floating upright with a defeated expression. "Fine. Wait here. I'll be back with someone who can help."

With that, she teleported away in a burst of pink light.

As soon as she was gone, Kevin blinked. "Did we just... gaslight her into doing that?"

Shockwave, utterly unfazed, shrugged. "Yes. And it worked."

In the heart of New York, within the darkened throne room of the Foot Clan, Shredder sat upon his throne, his crimson eyes burning with fury. His bladed gauntlets tapped against the armrest as he glared down at the kneeling figure before him—Darkstar, battered, humiliated, and trembling under the weight of his failure.

"You promised me victory," Shredder growled, his voice laced with contempt. "You swore that the Turtles and that Rat would fall at your hands." His fingers tightened into a fist, the sheer pressure of his anger cracking the stone beneath his throne.

Darkstar flinched, keeping his head bowed. "Master, I—"

Shredder moved in a blur.

Before Darkstar could finish, a metal-plated boot slammed into his chest, sending him crashing through the chamber's stone walls. Rubble tumbled around him as he gasped for air.

"Not only did you fail to kill the rat," Shredder snarled, stalking forward like a predator, "but you lost our entire supply of mutagen!"

Darkstar groaned, trying to push himself up, but Shredder was already on him.

With inhuman strength, he grabbed Darkstar by the throat and hoisted him into the air, his claws pressing against his skin. "Do you understand what your incompetence has cost me?" he hissed. His grip tightened. "Perhaps I should peel that cursed power from you myself."

Darkstar choked, clawing at Shredder's gauntlet, but the warlord showed no mercy. With a sudden motion, he drove his fist into Darkstar's gut, sending him skidding across the floor like discarded trash.

Shredder turned his gaze to Charmcaster, who stood to the side, watching silently.

"Take this fool away," he ordered, his voice calm yet seething with disdain. "He disgusts me."

Charmcaster bowed her head. "Yes, Master Shredder." With a flick of her wrist, a sphere of crackling purple mana surrounded Darkstar, levitating his battered form into the air. He groaned weakly, but the magical restraints held him firm.

Just as Shredder turned back toward his throne, the air in the chamber flashed pink.

A sudden pulse of mana filled the room as a new figure materialized in a burst of light—Gwen Tennyson.

Charmcaster instantly tensed, her fingers curling as mana gathered in her palms. Shredder's eyes narrowed, his bladed gauntlets clicking into place as he rose from his throne, his towering form casting a shadow over the chamber.

"You have made a grave mistake coming here, girl," Shredder hissed, his voice dripping with menace. Charmcaster, standing nearby, wasted no time. She raised her hands and fired a bolt of raw mana toward Gwen.

Gwen reacted swiftly, summoning a shimmering shield that blocked the attack, the impact sending a shockwave through the room.

"I'm not here to fight!" Gwen called out, her voice steady despite the rising tension in the air. Her eyes glowed as she focused on Shredder, who was already narrowing his gaze.

Shredder's response was instantaneous.

With terrifying speed, he charged at Gwen, his armored fist shattering the shield as though it were made of glass. He grabbed her by the throat, his grip like iron, lifting her off the ground.

Gwen struggled to breathe as her vision blurred, her feet kicking helplessly in the air. Shredder's eyes locked onto hers, cold and unrelenting.

"You have two seconds to explain yourself," Shredder growled, his grip tightening around Gwen's throat, his voice low and deadly. "Before I use your remains for better purposes than your life ever could."

Gwen struggled to speak, her voice strained. "We need help... an alien manic named Aggergor... is trying to shake the entire universe! If he succeeds, everything will be destroyed!" She gasped out, her body weakening under his grasp.

Shredder, unmoved, raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "And why should I care?" he asked, his voice dripping with disdain, as though the world's fate were inconsequential to him.

Gwen's heart raced, but she managed to force the words out. "Aggergor ran away to a dimension filled with mana." Her eyes flashed as she summoned her own magic, her body glowing with intense energy before she exploded in a burst of mana, sending Shredder's grip flying off her. She staggered back, holding her throat as she gasped for breath.

Charmcaster, who had been silently watching, blinked in shock, her eyes darting from Gwen to Shredder. "Mana?" she whispered in disbelief. She turned to Shredder, her mind racing at the implications of Gwen's words.

Shredder's cold gaze never wavered, but the intensity of the situation seemed to register. His expression remained unmoved, but his eyes narrowed slightly, considering the new information.

"Charmcaster, go with them." Shredder ordered coldly, his voice unwavering as he turned away from Gwen, his attention already shifting to other matters.

Charmcaster, her eyes lingering on Gwen with a mixture of curiosity and calculation, nodded obediently. "Yes, master." Her voice was soft, almost sweet, but there was an edge to it as she turned to Gwen, her gaze sharpening. "Remember this, I'm only doing this for master Shredder."

Gwen glared at her, but her face remained set with determination. "I'm not asking for your loyalty," she muttered under her breath, before nodding to Charmcaster. "Let's go."

As Gwen and Charmcaster left, Shredder turned to someone in the shadows. "Track down Megatron and the Decepticons that came to earth."

Meanwhile, back at the Door to Anywhere, Michael, Jen, Kevin, Ferox, Shockwave, Venom, and Shadow were sitting in a circle, engaged in what had quickly become an intense game of UNO.

Michael, confident in his next move, slapped down a +4 card with a grin. Shadow, sitting next to him, smirked, casually placing another +4 on top of his, a wicked gleam in his eyes. The chain reaction continued as Kevin, almost too eagerly, added his own +4, passing the pile on. Shockwave's optic narrowed, and with a slight hum of displeasure, he also placed a +4, his normally emotionless face betraying a hint of challenge. Ferox chirped and clutched his card, looking sad as he added a +4 with a soft whine, clearly regretting his part in the chaos.

Venom, sulking on Jen's shoulder, grumbled under his breath, but with a reluctant sigh, he threw down another +4, making the pile even bigger. Jen, who had been nervously watching, turned to Michael with a guilty smile, her eyes filled with sympathy.

"Sorry, darling," she said sweetly, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she slid a +4 card onto the pile. All the cards shifted toward Michael, who stared at the towering stack of cards in front of him, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. Jen gave him a teasing look, her voice almost a whisper. "Guess you're going to have a lot of fun with this one."

Michael slumped, his face flushed with defeat. "Ich... Ich glaube nicht, dass das Spiel so gehen soll." (I... I don't think this is how the game's supposed to go.)

A sudden glow caught the group's attention, pulling their gaze toward the source. There, standing beside Gwen, was Charmcaster. The tension in the air thickened instantly.

"Charmcaster? You met up with Shredder?" Michael asked, his voice laced with suspicion as the entire group immediately went on high alert, eyes narrowing in cautious expectation.

Charmcaster crossed her arms, her expression unreadable, but Gwen quickly spoke, her voice calm yet urgent. "She's with us, for now. We have bigger problems than old grudges."

"You trust her?" Kevin asked, his voice full of suspicion as he looked at Gwen, who was still focused on Charmcaster.

"I trust her to stab us in the back at the first chance she gets," Gwen replied flatly, not missing a beat. "We'll deal with that when we get to Yhwadita."

Charmcaster ignored them all, moving toward the door with purpose. Kneeling in front of it, she studied the ancient symbols, muttering to herself. "Legerdomain." Her voice was quiet but confident, and everyone exchanged confused glances.

Jen's eyebrow quirked as she leaned toward Michael, whispering, "Wow, you and Shockwave weren't even close."

Gwen and Shockwave shot her an irritated glare, but Jen just smirked, unbothered.

Charmcaster, undeterred by the tension, stood up and addressed them. "Actually, they weren't far off, for someone who's self-taught, or for a machine, I suppose." She gave Shockwave a sharp look, and he didn't react.

Moving closer to the door, Charmcaster placed her hand on it, as if connecting to it. "Legerdomain is what the natives call it. But the door only responds to a place's secret true name," she said, voice steady and calm. "Which, by the way, is pronounced Yahwahtacsip."

With a wave of her arms, the symbols on the door began to glow, illuminating the cavern in a brilliant light. Slowly, the heavy door creaked open with a low rumble, revealing the path forward.

"After you," Charmcaster said with a sly grin, stepping aside as the door fully opened. The group exchanged uncertain glances, but Micheal stepped forward, ready to continue their journey.

Stepping through the portal, the group found themselves in Legerdomain, the landscape was a surreal blend of floating islands, shimmering rivers, and skies that seemed to pulse with energy. The air was thick with mana, giving everything a vibrant, otherworldly glow.

"Smaller than I remember," Charmcaster said as she surveyed the surroundings, her eyes scanning the landscape of Legerdomain.

"You come here often?" Michael asked, a slight grin on his face. Jen, however, immediately tensed beside him, gripping his hand tightly and shooting a sharp glare at Charmcaster.

"None of your business," Charmcaster snapped back, her attention shifting back to the magical realm around them.

Gwen, meanwhile, began to glow with an ethereal light, the mana in her body expanding as she absorbed the immense magical energy flowing from the dimension. "Wow, I feel..." Her voice trailed off, caught in the sensation of overwhelming power.

"Powerful? Of course you do," Charmcaster said, smirking knowingly at her. "All the magic in the universe flows from this dimension. The alpha rune is here, after all."

Michael and Kevin exchanged raised eyebrows. "Yeah, so?" Kevin asked, clearly not fully understanding the significance.

Charmcaster turned to face them, her expression serious. "Words have power. The alpha rune is the secret true name of magic. Whoever holds it controls magic itself." She let her words sink in before continuing.

Michael's eyes narrowed as he looked to Shockwave, who was equally thoughtful. "That's probably one of the pieces of the map of infinity," Michael said, his tone serious. Shockwave nodded in agreement.

"Paradox did hide them as the most valuable item," Shockwave added, confirming Michael's theory.

Charmcaster's tone shifted as she captured their attention again, clearly relishing the moment. "The alpha rune hangs around the neck of Addwaitya, the most powerful mystic who ever lived," she said, her voice laced with reverence.

Michael and Shockwave exchanged a knowing glance. "Well, we know where Aggergor is going, lead the way." Michael said, the determination in his voice clear.

Jen, who had been silently fuming beside him, glared at Charmcaster, hugging Michael's arm even tighter.

Charmcaster led the way, her posture rigid as she guided them up a winding path through Legerdomain. "Stay close and don't wander. Things here are not as they appear," she warned, her voice sharp with experience.

Behind her, Gwen floated effortlessly, her fingers crackling with raw magical energy. She flexed her hands, feeling the sheer density of mana coursing through the air. "This place... it's incredible. There's so much mana here, it's making my entire body tremble with excitement," she admitted, her voice filled with awe.

Charmcaster's expression soured, her steps faltering for just a moment. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're a natural. I spent my whole life studying magic, dedicating every second to mastering it, and you—" she gestured vaguely at Gwen, her voice tinged with frustration, "—you pick up my spellbook and instantly start out-magicking me."

Gwen turned mid-air, floating backward just to smirk at her. Then, without missing a beat, she stuck out her tongue mockingly.

Behind them, Michael, Ferox, Kevin, Jen, and Shockwave all sweatdropped at the exchange. "Gwen's... slowly starting to act like Verdona," Shockwave noted, his tone neutral but observant.

Kevin crossed his arms, watching the way Gwen's playful demeanor shifted so easily between teasing and awe. "Yeah... can't decide if I like it or not," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at her before shaking his head.

While the others continued up the winding path, Jen was entirely focused on one thing—her beloved husband. Her grip on Michael's arm tightened, her