One sentence. That was all it was, really: one tiny, insignificant utterance that shouldn’t have had any impact at all. But nonetheless, it was that one little statement that both ruined and began the life of Jack Spicer.

It had started as an otherwise ordinary day, and Jack had been entirely unaware that it would be one that he would remember as the last day of his old life. A new Wu had activated itself in the middle of the Sahara Desert sometime around late afternoon, which alone was enough to annoy the teenager; after all, as a gothic albino, such sun and heat were some of his worst enemies, and Jack made the effort to avoid the both of them whenever possible. Even more aggravating than that, however, was the fact that this was apparently one of those magical objects that no one was sure of the use or purpose of, something the faux red-head was sure would cause mayhem in some form; little did he know at the time how right he would prove to be.

In any case, the Showdown had taken place, and by the status quo, Jack had lost quickly. In his own defense, though, in a battle between himself, Hannibal Bean, Chase Young, and Raimundo Pedrosa, it was nothing short of impossible for a semi-average teenager with only a slight mechanical advantage to come out the victor when in the face of intensive martial arts training and magical force. All in all, at this point in his evil career, he counted it lucky that he had avoided maiming or otherwise death.

But, back to the subject, Bean had won the mysterious new Shen Gong Wu, an iridescent crystal by the name of “The Traverser’s Pyramid”.

“Well, now,” the chili-fixin’ drawled, “having this in my possession, there’s only one thing left to do...” He raised the vine-like appendage holding the triangular crystal towards Jack, who inhaled sharply, stepping backwards in a fearful caution. “I think I’ll test it.” the bean finished darkly, before calling, “Traverser’s Pyramid!”

There it was, the phrase that set the wheels of fate into motion; light of every color erupted from the small, clear object, blasting right into Jack’s chest with what felt to him like bone-crushing force. The prism of lights swirled and twisted and twined around him, disorienting and dizzying the unsuspecting boy somehow causing the ground under his feet to literally melt away and to cause him to see nothing else but the flashing, blinding colors. Falling into the neon abyss, Jack fought down the urge to scream, having a feeling that here and now was somehow shut off from the world he had just been pulled from, and that no one would hear him anyways. The nausea and vertigo he was suffering at the moment was halted abruptly when the light around him lost it’s menagerie of colors, growing a brighter and brighter white until Jack lost all sense of self, his mind becoming as blank as his surroundings before he fainted from the sheer overload of it all.

Back in the heat of the Sahara, the confusion had already set in.

“What...what just happened to him?” queried a frightened Kimiko, clinging to her boyfriend for some semblance of protection.

Holding the girl protectively close, Rai answered shakily, “I’ve got no idea, Kim...”

Clay, believing the worst, had removed his hat in respect, and Omi was simply too shocked to do much of anything but gape blankly at the spot where Jack had disappeared. Bean had taken up an evil cackle, and so far, everyone’s reaction was fitting to the fifteen-year-old’s sudden banishment; everyone’s, that is, but Chase Young’s.

At the moment he refused to make eye-contact with anyone, but it was impossible to miss the clenched fists and the low, menacing growl that pierced the air. Raising his head just enough to lock glowering red eyes with those of Hannibal, Chase bared his fangs in what could only be called ‘unholy fury’. Deftly snatching up the bean, he demanded in a snarl, “What have you done with him?!”

Not at all put off by his current ‘not-in-contact-with-the-ground’ position, Bean smirked mockingly. “Well, well, Young, why the concern? You never cared for the boy anyhow, so you should just be happy he’s gone, shouldn’t you? Unless, that is,” he taunted, “you have some sort of...affection for the whelp.”

Honestly shocked to the core by the sudden accusation, Chase dropped Hannibal to the ground before stepping away from the bean with a wary stare. His actions were met with raucous laughter. “Oh, ho ,ho, I knew it! You hid it well, Young, maybe even from yourself, but you couldn’t keep such a thing from someone like me.”

Chase sneered, “Don’t be ridiculous! I don’t have feelings for...” He trailed off, images randomly flashing through his head: Jack’s thin body held in his arms on the day they met, the red-head’s hopeful smile as he attempted to get on Chase’s good side, and of course, the tearfully glittering eyes as he was once again shot down. The thought the he might never see the teen again was suddenly more depressing than Chase could clearly recall anything being in a long time, as well...No! This was preposterous! He hated that annoying little insect...didn’t he? Doubting his own stance on the issue far too much for his own comfort, Chase snarled wordlessly at Hannibal one last time before disappearing to his castle. He had some thinking to do...

--

It was several hours later when Jack regained consciousness, and he was grateful to feel solid land underneath him...well, sort of, anyway. He was currently laying in a shallow pool of water, and completely soaked and freezing because of it. His white hair was uncomfortably plastered to his face by the residual dampness, to say nothing of his entirely ruined eyeliner! Wait...white hair? His fingers snatched up a waterlogged strand, and yes, it was indeed white, now. “Well,” he thought to himself, “that’s what I get for doing it the quick way.”

Before the whole “Traverser’s Pyramid” incident, Jack had been about to re-dye his hair to the signature red-orange color when the Wu had become active, forcing him to figure out a way to still arrive at the Showdown without looking like the total freak he saw himself as. His solution: non-permanent spray-on dye. It was cheap stuff, washable and often used for Halloween, but it would do until Jack got a chance to alter the coloring properly. Or at least, that had been the plan, you know, before he had become the guinea pig for Hannibal Bean’s shiny new Wu.

What had it done, anyways? Seeing his reflection in the moonlight that shone on the water, he could see he was unaffected physically, so maybe...his surroundings?

Moving himself out of the water, Jack took careful note of where he was and what the area looked like. The moon’s position in the sky told him offhand that it was just around midnight, and from what little light it gave him, even the moon seemingly dimmed by the dark aura of the location, he was able to see that the water he had just dragged himself out of was a small oasis, complete with the stereotypical tree and everything. He was still surrounded by sand, but it wasn’t the Sahara by any stretch of the imagination, unless, of course, the Sahara Desert had black sand.

So, black sand, huh? Well, that wasn’t too common, and Jack being as smart as he was shouldn’t have had a problem figuring out his current location, but the desert, along with the area, was...weird. The black sand should have indicated that Jack was on a black sand beach, which would mean he was somewhere in Hawaii near to a volcano, but that couldn’t have been the case; if that were true, there would be an ocean nearby to make it a beach, but other than the diminutive oasis, there was no water for miles! And if that weren’t puzzling enough, from the looks of what little plant life that thrived around the shallow pool, he should have been somewhere in a more middle-eastern area, a far cry from the earlier suggested tropical islands. So, naturally, the only question on Jack’s mind now...

“Where the hell am I?” he asked himself aloud.

“You, my boy, are trespassing in my kingdom, and that,” the stern, deep voice from just behind Jack spoke, “cannot go unpunished.”