Core of Kandrakar

Core of Kandrakar is the title of the fourth special issue of W.I.T.C.H. a fantasy/superhero comic series created in Italy by Elisabetta Gnone. The W.I.T.C.H. comic book is known to release a special issue every year that tells a unique story about the girls, such as a what if story, or a deeper look into their own lives.

Plot synopsis
The story begins in the fortress of Kandrakar where the Oracle senses that the time has come for the Guardians to be tested once again. He enters the Hall of the Aurameres, five magical substances similar to five drops of water. One is purple and holds the power derived from the nymph Xin Jing (Will's power), another is orange and holds the power derived from the Red Dragon (Taranee's power), the third is blue and holds the power derived from the Pearl Dragon (Irma's power), the fourth is green and holds the power derived from the Yellow Dragon (Cornelia's power) and the last one is black and holds the power derived from the Black Dragon (Hay Lin's power). The Oracle knows that the Guardians will soon arrive and that he must ready himself.

Meanwhile, on Earth, the girls are spending the day at Irma's house. The Lair family is being visited by some relatives and are having a barbecue. Or at least they're trying to...

Mr. Lair is having problems lighting the fire and the guests aren't helping very much. The girls are watching from inside and Irma says that she could help her father if she had the power of fire like Taranee. Will jokingly points towards the barbecue and cries "Fire!".

To everybody's great surprise, it works! Will magically lights Mr. Lair's barbecue! The five girls then realise that it's possible to switch their powers. They decide to visit Kandrakar and ask the Oracle about it, planning to return before anybody notices that they ever left.

In Kandrakar the Oracle says that it is indeed possible to switch powers and gives them the opportunity to so. However, he explains that the girls must be tested after the transaction. He takes the girls into the Hall of the Aurameres where he blanks out the magical drops to make it possible for the girls to choose their new element (all except for Will's, because she is the Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar and her destiny is sealed).

The Oracle then gives the Guardians a magical 3D map of Kandrakar and tells them that they must find the Passage of Memories. Eventually the girls find this place, where they speak with the fortress of Kandrakar itself. The fortress reveals the History of the Universe.

At the beginning there were five absolute beings called nymphs. Xin Jing was one of them. The nymphs observed the worlds and were never more than spectators until the day hatred was born. Then they created the fortress of Kandrakar in the center of infinity from where they wanted to supervise the universe. One of the nymphs named N'ghala became the first oracle. She gathered scientists and wise men, the best one from each planet, and formed the Congregation.

Then N'ghala created the Guardians to bring justice throughout the universe. At first there were only two. Then they were three and then four. At the end N'ghala understood that five was the perfect number. The incident with Nerissa didn't renounce what had been decided.

The fortress then gives the girls a chance to change their powers saying that no Guardians before them have dared to do this. The girls make their choice: Irma chooses Fire, Cornelia chooses Water, Taranee chooses Air and finally Hay Lin chooses Earth.

The test begins: Cornelia and Taranee are brought to the Tower of Ice and Irma and Hay Lin find themselves in The Park. But the challenge the four girls are taking, turns out to be a nightmare. Cornelia and Taranee have to withstand the cold, a heavy storm and razor-sharp ice crystals while Irma sees herself in the water with a tormented face. After that she gets trapped by a tree-like creature which already has Hay Lin in its grasp.

Will, who was supposed to watch the girls and their quests, can't stand what's happening and decides to intervene, beginning in The Park. There she releases Irma and Hay Lin by taking their powers back and returning them again as soon the creature releases them (the monster was only interested in capturing the Guardians not some ordinary girls). Then Hay Lin uses her new power over Earth to turn the creature into straw. Irma wants to use Fire to burn it but Will calms her down saying there's no point in destroying the now defenceless being.

The three girls then go to the Tower of Ice, where the situation becomes critical. Taranee and Cornelia are on top of the tower which is now collapsing. Also magical ice gargoyles are attacking them. Still not knowing how to fly, Taranee jumps off, taking Cornelia with her. When she wards off a gargoyle with a bolt of fire, all of them realize they still have their original powers. This makes it easier to defeat the gargoyles and to return safely to the Oracle.

The Oracle tells them they have passed the test and the girls decide to keep their original powers. When they return home, Mr. Lair is waiting for them, asking them to go to the barbecue.

It says that Will cannot trade powers but she is the one that lights the fire; this because she's the Keeper of the Heart, which connects her to all of the elements. This was the same reason as to how she was able to control the geyser of water that Irma and Cornelia had created back in Issue #3.

Characters
The main characters of this comic book story are:
 * Will Vandom - the Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar
 * Irma Lair - the Guardian of Water
 * Taranee Cook - the Guardian of Fire
 * Cornelia Hale - the Guardian of Earth
 * Hay Lin - the Guardian of Air

The five nymphs presented in this issue are absolute beings, existing since the beginning of time. Their names are:
 * Xin Jing, the nymph of the Elements
 * Oneide, the nymph of Life
 * Téa, the nymph of the Sun
 * Ebla, the nymph of the Moon
 * N'ghala, the nymph of the Stars