Disclaimer: This story is a follow up sequel to PR: Vanguard so it might be helpful to read that series first as many characters and elements will come back into play here. I also wanted to give a special acknowledgement and thank you to ChibiDawn23, Stormasius, and Mistycharming for their continued support, not only with their OC's but with their helpful input in creating this story too. As always, I hope you all enjoy this series and know that I do not own Power Rangers, only my OC's.
A pair of large ivory doors parted slowly as ambient light reflected off the opal and gold ornaments adorning the portal. A small winged creature floated past the threshold and hovered forward into a grand looking observatory. Lining the path were ornate pillars and statues of sculpted marble while the walkways extended out into a semicircular gallery lined with crystalline glass windows. The mystic golden clouds outside shrouded the angelic fortress known as the Sanctum where three tall hooded figures in regal white robes stood watching the movements of the shifting iridescent clouds below. The three high Celestials calling themselves the Triumverate continued to stand watch until the round bulbous creature approached and hovered in place near the head of the throne.
The first of the hooded figures turned slowly and gestured with his hand revealing glowing blue angelic sigils seemingly tattooed onto his alabaster white skin, "Tell me... what news do you bring?"
The small messenger spirit unfurled a pair of its wings revealing itself to be a large floating eyeball creature called an oculus. The alien looking creature replied in a strange language before the first lord of the Triumverate nodded, "I see. That is good news. Thank you little one. You may return to the aerie now."
The floating oculus gave an affirmative reply in its alien tongue before folding a pair of wings over its body to protect its sensitive eye. As the creature floated off and departed the room, a shorter hooded figure turned to the first and spoke with a distinctively feminine voice, "It would seem that the High Heavens have discovered our actions Umbriel. They will certainly continue their search for our fortress."
The first lord of the Triumverate known as Umbriel gave a slow nod, "Let them Samandriel. Even if they succeed, there is nothing they can do to us here in this plane of reality. Remember that the Celestials are bound by the code and forbidden from directly interfering in this world."
The third member of the Triumverate, Ithuriel turned and thoughtfully folded his hands inside the sleeves of his robes, "That may be true Umbriel, but it does not prevent them from enlisting the aid of mortal agents to work on their behalf."
Umbriel stretched and unfurled two pairs of large powerful wings from his back. His lip curled into a sneer of mild contempt, "I never understood why our angelic brethren put so much faith in the human race... people of such limited physical and mental ability."
The other two other members of the Triumverate turned toward their leader but Umbriel waved it off and paced forward toward one of the walls of the heavenly throne. Fastened to the wall was a large circular disc made of a thick solid platinum. The shining polished artifact stood at least eighteen feet tall and was equally just as wide. Carved into the great object were circular rows of angelic script leading to the center which resembled some sort of great portal. Ringing the great portal were seven smaller discs made of gold and adorned with gems of all kinds of color. The gold discs were further decorated with intricate sigils and engravings of fantastical images.
Umbriel paused and gestured toward the large artifact, "It will only be a matter of time now. We will begin our work on earth to gather the life force of humans and break these seven seals. Only then can we unlock the full potential of this Eternity Gate."
"You really believe that we can harness the power of the Flood when all the seals are broken?" Samandriel asked as she tilted her head.
Ithuriel glanced at the Eternity Gate and nodded solemnly to himself, "We will be the divine agents of change in this world. Humanity has grown arrogant and debased in thinking they have mastery over the earth. Only we can punish them and force the survivors to submit to our will once more."
"Yes," Umbriel said turning back to his companions, "We will do what the High Heavens have been unwilling to do for millennia. If that means eradicating the free will of humanity to restore peace and order... then so be it."
Samandriel sighed, "How shall we begin?"
"I've already taken care of that," Umbriel smiled while folding his wings back together, "I've dispatched a herald to begin our work, starting with the city of Hyperion Falls. My messenger will announce our inevitable triumph to the humans. Until then, we will watch and wait."
The sounds of crickets and cicadas filled the early evening air as Tyler Hale finished putting some clothes away in a suitcase. Orange light from the late August sun filled the skies and streamed in through the bedroom window as the young man changed into a red short sleeve button down over a white undershirt. The going away party would be starting shortly and he wanted to look presentable.
Tyler took a moment to look at his suitcase and a few boxes of personal belongings before giving a sigh. Come tomorrow, he would be headed off to his first year of college at Hyperion University. He knew it was just on the other side of the city and his family would still be nearby in the suburbs, but the thought of starting over at a big new school was still a little nerve wracking. He would be living on his own in a big dormitory with other students and finding his way through a new environment of professors, lectures, and other unpredictable challenges. Then again, it couldn't possibly be that bad. After all, both his parents had gone to the same school and even fought off a demon army while they were there. Granted those were extraordinary circumstances, but if his two parents could make it at Hyperion University while saving the world as Power Rangers, then there was no reason he couldn't succeed there too.
Tyler stopped as he heard a knock at his bedroom door. He turned to see it open slightly before his mother Claire entered. The short Chinese American woman in khaki capris and a white summer blouse entered while adjusting her glasses. Despite being a middle aged woman, she was still very pretty for her age and she graced him with a gentle smile, "Tyler, your Uncle Danny and the others are going to be here soon. Why don't you go help your father out back with the grill?"
"I will Mom. I'm just finishing packing my things for tomorrow," he said as he took one more look in the mirror and ran a hand over his short black hair.
Claire looked over to her son's suitcase and walked over giving an almost wistful look, "You know... it seems like just yesterday you were wearing a bowl of oatmeal on your head or running around the house in your diapers. Now you're all grown up and headed off to college."
"Oh geez Mom, you're not going to turn on the waterworks and get all emotional again are you?" Tyler sighed while coming over to put his hands on her shoulders, "It'll be fine, I promise. I'm still going to be close by so you and Dad can see me any time you want."
Claire smiled and touched his cheek lovingly, "I promise not too often. There's a lot to do in college and you don't need us butting into your social life there."
"I know," Tyler laughed, "I was more afraid about you being a huge worrywart. Dad totally agreed with me."
"Did he now?" Claire sighed before shaking her head and pinching his cheeks gently, "Well, that's just what us mothers do. Besides, you're going to be in the pre-med program, just like I was. I expect you to keep getting good grades. You've got to study hard and not get distracted and..."
"Mom, please don't worry," Tyler insisted before his mother stopped and relented in slight embarrassment.
"I'm sorry Tyler. It's just that we're very proud of you and I know I'm still going to miss you."
He put his arms around her and gave his mother a reassuring hug, "Thanks Mom. I'll miss you too."
He let go and gave a nod before heading downstairs and out into the backyard. As he stepped out onto the deck, he saw his younger sister Gracie sitting on a deck chair. She was four years younger than Tyler and just beginning high school. Despite the fact that she was also starting to go through a normal bratty teenage girl phase, the two siblings still got along reasonably well... for now at least.
From her spot, Gracie sat cuddling with their family dog, a white Chow Chow named Bao. Like his namesake, the dog resembled a puffy white Chinese dumpling. His tongue lolled out to one side as he sat lazily and enjoyed the attention.
"What's up dog... and Bao?" Tyler joked as he passed by and gave the canine a quick scratch behind the ears.
Gracie rolled her eyes and took a half hearted swat at her brother, "Ha ha. Very funny Tyler. You're already late to the party. Uncle Danny and Aunt Izzy just came. Oh, and Uncle Nick and Aunt Kara should also be here soon too."
He gave his sister a nod and bounded down the deck into the well manicured yard where his father was just finishing preparing a charcoal grill for a barbecue cookout. Nearby, Uncle Danny Winthrope and his wife Izzy were avoiding the smoke to keep from messing up their dressy blue polo shirt and pink sundress. The "aunts and uncles" who were coming to this cookout weren't actually blood relatives but rather the friends and fellow Rangers of Tyler's parents. They all had remained close over the years and essentially had become like a sort of extended family.
"Hey Joe, did you ever think of just using your Keyrune to light the fire?" Danny laughed as he handed his old friend a beer bottle, "If you're going to insist on doing things the caveman way, you might as well make a show of it, right?"
Tyler's father Joe laughed gently and clinked bottles, "Danny, I haven't had to use that thing in many years and I pray I never have to again."
As Tyler approached, the three turned and greeted him warmly. Danny grinned brightly while holding out a hand to shake Tyler's, "Well, there's one of the guests of honor! You ready to start your first week of college, kiddo?"
"Hey Uncle Danny, I'm a little nervous but I'm looking forward to it," Tyler smiled before giving his Aunt Izzy a hug.
His aunt gave a kind smile and winked, "I'm sure you'll be just fine chico. After all, you and Gabby will be going there together and even staying at the same dorm, right?"
Tyler nodded as Danny took a swig of beer, "Ah yes. The same dorm we all stayed in when we went to school there. Good times, eh?"
"Geez, you're making me feel old here Dan," Joe chuckled, "Why don't you make yourself useful and help me start grilling the meat, huh?"
While the two men got to work, Tyler glanced to the other side of the yard and saw Danny and Izzy's two sons kicking a soccer ball between each other. The two mischievous brothers named James and Mark had been lovingly nicknamed the Gruesome Twosome and were both in middle school, but they weren't the people he was looking for. "Aunt Izzy? Where is Gabby?"
"She was just bringing some food in from the car. Ah, there she is!"
Izzy gave a wave as the eldest of the three Winthrope children approached carrying a tray of food for the barbecue. Gabrielle Winthrope was the same age as Tyler and ever since they were little, they had been close friends, classmates, and constant companions. People always considered them partners in crime, though it was often more of a tug of war between Gabby's adventurous impulsive nature and the more cautious sensible personality of Tyler. Despite their occasional misadventures while growing up, they had always related well with each other. After all, they both had parents who were former Power Rangers and not everyone could exactly understand what that was like.
"Ty! I almost didn't recognize you there," Gabby smiled as she set the tray of potato salad down on a nearby table, "You finally traded the glasses in for contact lenses, huh?"
"I guess I wanted to try a new look. Reinvent myself, you know?" Tyler smiled sheepishly. While he shared many of his father's features, he had unfortunately inherited his mother's less than stellar eyesight. Still… glasses or not, it was hard not to notice how pretty Gabby was, especially on a night like tonight. In many ways, she reflected her mother's beautiful Hispanic features and her preference for fashionable pink clothes. Tonight she had opted for a short blue jean skirt and a pink sporty tank top which equally complimented her attractive figure. Tyler did his best not to notice too much… with minimal success.
She reached over and straightened the collar of his shirt with a smile, "Well, I think you look very handsome. The new look works for you."
Izzy gave a quiet smile and ambled off toward Danny before whispering something in his ear. Tyler watched her nervously for a moment before he felt Gabby pull at his shirt, "Hey Ty, do you have a few minutes to spare?"
"Yeah… what's up?"
She shrugged and tilted her head toward the backyard gate.
"Let's go for a short walk?" she asked hopefully while tugging at his arm.
Tyler nodded and gave a wave to his father at the grill, "Hey Dad, I'm cutting out for a few minutes with Gabby. We'll just be walking around the block, okay?"
Joe gave a wave with the spatula and went back to talking about work with Danny. As the two teenagers turned and headed out the garden gates, Tyler caught sight of Gracie giving a smirk from the deck. He scowled as his little sister made an exaggerated kissy-face before Bao turned and licked her with a slobbery dog kiss instead.
As they began walking down the shady tree lined sidewalk, Tyler gave a curious look to his childhood friend, "Everything okay Gabby?"
She wrinkled her nose for a moment and shrugged, "I don't know… I guess I just wanted to cut out and get a few minutes of peace a quiet."
"Peace and quiet? That's a first for you," he teased gently before she gave him a little shove in the arm.
"Come on! I'm being serious here!" Gabby sighed, "I've just been thinking a lot about tomorrow... about living in a dorm and starting over at a new school. Maybe I'm just psyching myself out a little, but it's kinda hard not to when it seems like literally everyone else has been constantly reminding us about it... our parents, teachers, my cheerleading coach…"
Tyler smiled, "Tell me about it. My mom gave me another lecture earlier… all about how I need to keep getting straight A's and to not get distracted by parties and girls and all that stuff."
Gabby began to giggle and tease him back, "Oh, I'm sure you don't have to worry about that. You're the most straight-laced and studious person I know. I'd be shocked to see a boy scout like you at any crazy party."
"Oh come on! I do so know how to have fun," he protested which only made her laugh harder.
"Fine… just remember that when you need me to help you cram for your tests," Tyler retorted with a petulant huff, "Helping you get through high school was one thing, but this is going to be a whole new ballgame."
"And I'll be forever grateful that you're still looking after me, just like you always have," Gabby said with a gentle laugh while taking her friend's arm. As they strolled by the edge of the neighborhood's local park, she gave his arm a gentle hug to placate him and Tyler relaxed, gracing her with a reassuring smile in return. A casual passer by might have been forgiven if they mistook the two young people for a couple, but neither Tyler or Gabby seemed too concerned about the appearance right now and instead just enjoyed the quiet evening and the familiar comfort of each other's company.
They continued on around the block and made their way back to Tyler's house. As they neared the garden gate, they took a moment to look up at the orange horizon. A few distant stars had already begun to shine in the evening sky over the distant Rocky Mountains. Tyler stopped and remained fixated on the skies before he felt Gabby nudge him gently, "Tyler?"
He smiled and shook his head, "Sorry… I was just thinking for a moment about something my Dad said earlier… about not wanting to have to use his Keyrune ever again."
Gabby raised a curious eyebrow, "There hasn't been a monster attack here in decades. I think our folks are perfectly happy to be retired from Ranger duty."
"I know…" Tyler said, "But looking at that wide open sky, I just couldn't help but wonder for a minute what it must have felt like for them to use their powers... to be able to soar around the city fighting demons and saving the day, you know? They were only freshmen in college when all that happened to them... probably right around the same age as you and me."
Gabby gave her childhood friend a gentle push back towards the family barbecue and sighed, "Then let's just be glad that neither you or I ever have to worry about being Power Rangers and saving the world. I'm worried enough about getting through college as it is. The last thing I need is for you to have your head in the clouds too."
A/N:
To answer another Guest question: I have not played Diablo 3. I did beat the second game though and played it as a Paladin. ;)
