Ethereal Vision Chapter Two- I'm My Own Worst Enemy
Dulcea had left Will alone for some time after dropping off the refreshments. After reading some of the book, he had decided to explore the cavern system he was in. He discovered eleven rooms which he assumed were like his own. They were all centered on the library which seemed to be the common room. There were five main passage ways, one leading to the outside world he assumed and the other four seemed to be the spokes of the circular sixth passage that connected all the entrances to the single dormitories.
No sooner had he taken his seat in the library when he looked up to see a man with similar features to Dulcea, dressed in long blue robes trimmed in gold. His black eyes were gentle, a smile on his lips. "Come, Ninjetti. The rest are waiting for you in the Dining Hall." His voice was deep.
As Will followed the man, he asked him his name.
"I am Ninjor, Ninja Master of Phaedos and forger of the Power Coins."
"You're the one who made the Coins!" Will exclaimed as they walked up a flight of steps.
"Yes. It is sad that the Grey and Green Coins fell into Rita's hands but thankfully both have been returned or taken from her." Ninjor turned to Will. "I thank you for destroying the Grey Coin. It was the right choice." Ninjor chuckled. "You must have been determined in destroying it. It takes a lot of strength to destroy it. They were made not to be destroyed easily."
"I know. It took me about two months."
"Very determined, indeed." The pair entered what looked like church hall, the ceiling arcing over head, and light pouring in from the open windows on either side. A long table was set in the middle, enough to fit sixteen people comfortably. Already, there were people there.
"Hey, there you! I guess you're the last one to join this crazy expedition." An African American stood up, the symbol of the San Diego Padres on his shirt a dead giveaway. "My name's Joseph Romero."
"Will." He ignored the offered hand. Joseph gave him a look. "Personal problem, not because of you."
"Oh." He still got a weird look.
"Take a seat, Will." Ninjor motioned toward the table. Will didn't look at the others as he took a seat farthest away from them. He could feel questions burning in the air. "I will see to the supper." Ninjor disappeared into another passage.
"So, where did they pick you up from?" A girl in a black skirt and red blouse asked.
"I was already here-"
"Dayleen Mazares." The girl supplied.
"I was already here, Dayleen. They didn't pick me up from anywhere."
"Gabriel Lewis. Why?" A Caucasian boy with blue-black hair and blue eyes said.
"I don't feel like talking about it." Will stated firmly. But the others didn't get the message.
"Jeez, man. We only wanted to talk. You don't have to act all high-class with us." Another blonde-haired boy said.
Will just shrugged.
"Calm down, Ryan." The Hispanic girl to his left said.
"Here you go." Ninjor came back in carrying a bowl of steaming something. He set it down in the middle. "Homemade stew." More figures came in; a robed figure walked in, carrying big plates of what looked like cheese, bread, and berries. Another figure carried pitchers of milk, water, and a bright purple liquid and the last one had plates, cups, spoons, knives, and forks.
"Eat." Ninjor said as he passed out the dishes. "My sister, Dulcea, should be returning soon." Food and drink were passed around as they all took portions of the provided meal.
"Who's Dulcea?" Another red headed girl asked; a petite one at that.
"She's the Master Warrior of Phaedos."
"Master Warrior? So, she's like Jet Li or Bruce Lee?" Joseph commented, taking a bite out his piece of bread.
"I do not know who these characters are but Dulcea is well-trained in the arts of fighting and has complete knowledge of the Spirits and the Great Power." Ninjor stated.
"Great Power? Sounds like the Power Rangers to me." Ryan said. "Is that why we are here?"
"The Power Rangers a more passive unit. The Ninjetti are more warrior-like in their teachings but are taught the balance of life and peace."
"This sounds more like a clash between Buddhism and fighting." Ryan sliced a piece of cheese off, placing it between thin slices of bread. "What's the difference between the two?"
"The Ninjetti are in tune with their Ninjetti Animal Spirits. The Rangers are derived from the Ninjetti line as a protective force. No killing is allowed, no use for personal gain, and the complete secrecy of oneself." Dulcea entered the room, staff in hand.
"I believe the no secrecy rule was kind of stupid myself." Ninjor took a sip from his cup.
"The predecessors of the Power Rangers; wow is all I got to say." Dayleen said, getting nods from the others.
"The Ninjetti have been silent for over two thousand millennia. But the Ninjetti Sentinels have been silent for two hundred years more." Dulcea stared at them, the look in her eyes intense. "I believe with the arrival of William here, the Ninjetti Sentinels will rise once more."
"So, that's way he's acting that way." Ryan whispered to Joseph, thinking Will wouldn't hear it.
But the physical upgrades he had been given by Finster and forced down his throats by Goldar, he heard them. With empty eyes, he turned to the startled teen. "Don't say anything about me if you don't know what the hell I've been through!" He snarled.
Ryan came right back. "Just because something happened to you doesn't give you the right to yell at us. Whatever happened to you might be insignificant compared to what the people of Angel Grove is going through thanks to the Grey Ranger. Once you go to the ruined lives and ask them how they are doing, you'll see what I mean." He stopped when he saw the shoulders of the suddenly quiet teen slump in defeat.
Will turned way, the words the other boy had said, hitting him right in the soul; compared to what the people of Angel Grove is going through thanks to the Grey Ranger. "I know what they are going through, thank you very much." He opened them and looked at Ryan straight in the face. "I know very well since I was the Grey Ranger."
Ryan reeled back. "You're the Grey Ranger?!"
"What the hell were you thinking? Attacking Angel Grove? You did it for kicks? For the heck of destroying the city? What?" A Hispanic male said, getting up from his seat, eyes blazing with fury at Will.
"Mark, calm down." An African American girl laid an arm on the standing teen, her blue eyes begging. "Let him talk."
"Let him talk! He's dangerous, Kayla!"
Will stood there, watching the emotions play on all of their faces. One of them was looking at him, her blue-grey eyes boring into him. Something rose up in him but survival instincts kicked in. He rammed it down to the darkest parts of his mind, locking it behind all the walls he had built when he lost his mom. Deciding to ignore her, he looked at Kayla. "He's right. I am dangerous. I don't know why I'm still here." Without a word, he left the table, heading back to his room.
His heart was pounding in his head, hands clenching and unclenching. He opened the door, walked in and closed it. There were no locks. He couldn't' sit still, so he paced the room.
Mark was right. He was a threat to everything and anything that lived or moved. Why else did he destroyed the city he had come to love and was his second home?
Dark memories rose up within him, poisoning his mind. Images of blood; pain; hate; all of them poured back into his consciousness, taunting him. He stopped pacing, hands going to his head. Echoes of cries, screams, and laughter rung in his ears. He tried pushing the memories back to the corners of his mind, trying to bury it.
He lost.
With a furious scream he lashed out the wall, the stone digging into his knuckles. Punch after punch landed. Lost in his haze of pain and fury, he didn't see the blood gathering on the pristine white stone nor the pain radiating from his hand, particularly the knuckles.
Arms wrapped around him, trapping his arms at his side. He continued to scream, struggling to get away. "Let me go! Let me go!"
"You're safe, Will. You're free." Dulcea's calm voice came down but it barely penetrated the gripping haze. "It wasn't your fault, William. It wasn't you."
Will turned eyes filled with self-loathing and hate at her. "Yes, it was. I should have fought harder. If only I wasn't a weakling." He pushed away from her, putting more distance between him and her until his back hit a wall. "My fault. She made me into the Grey Ranger. I'll never be free." He lifted his clenched right hand, the burned image of the Grey Velociraptor Coin white on his skin. "She's made hers and she placed her mark on me, both physically and emotionally."
"That's why there isn't anything for me." He said quietly, letting his hand fall into his lap.
"So you're just going to give up?" Startled, Will turned to the open doorway and was dismayed to see the rest of the teens standing there. Some of them had guilty looks, others had horrified looks, and others still had other looks he couldn't identify. The red head girl stepped forward. "What was the point of escaping if you're not going to do anything?"
"I only escaped because I didn't want to be used against my friends or be tortured to death by Goldar." Will said.
"Your friends?" The teen with dark brown hair and brown eyes walked forward, taking a seat on Will's side, who instinctively flinched and moved away. "You know the Rangers?" The boy shifted the topic, seeing Will didn't want to talk about his time under Rita's hands.
"Yes. They were my best and only friends. They became Rangers and Rita wanted her two evil Rangers. She picked me and another boy I was somewhat familiar with." Will looked at his scarred hand. "At least, they were my ex-friends. They will never be able to forgive for what I did to them." He felt the question burning in the air but one that no body was willing to ask. "I attacked and threatened to kill their families."
"Well, being under the control of a psychopath, I understand." Joseph said.
"Back to the topic." The boy turned to Will. "The thing is, you had no control over your body or mind, which is far worse. Now that you're free, you should learn how to take control of your life again. You need to believe in yourself that you can see yourself through. Personally, I would find a way to kick Rita's ass back into the hell hole she crawled out from."
"She came from a garbage dumpster." Will supplied.
"Even better. She can suffer from the stink." Joseph quipped.
Will looked at the scar again. A girl with light brown hair walked forward and covered his hand with hers, ignoring the blood that seeped from the cuts on his knuckles. "Don't worry about it, Will."
"I can't stop. It's the mark of my slavery."
"No, it's not." She hissed. His bent head snapped up, shock reflecting in his eyes from her exclamation.
"My dad used to serve in the British military. He was sent to Iraq during Desert Storm with his lone squad of men. He saw as his friends and comrades in the American military got captured or killed which some didn't come back to their families, not even in a wooden box. Those who did come back had scars; some physical, all emotional. Some couldn't hack it and killed themselves. Others just lived to exist. But few decided they would continue fighting for their lives. I remember a close family friend said that the wounds he had received weren't the marks of a POW, rather they were the marks of a survivor. One who made it back, limping and hurting but truly alive." She traced the scar on his hand. Her fingers slid under, feeling for a pulse which was steady and strong. She took his other hand and moved it to where he could feel his own heartbeat. "This is the greatest gift ever. To live and be free. You now have a choice, Will. You can either die here by slicing your wrist, live a worthless life, or you can fight for happiness that you DO deserve."
Will looked down, his heart pushing blood through out his body. At first, he wanted to kill himself, just to take a blade and slice his throat. He looked up and stared into her piercing blue-grey eyes.
Will chose.
"I'll fight."
The boy next to him clapped his hands. "Good damn choice." He extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Scott Lopez. I would glad to have you as one of my friends."
Will shifted. Should he take it? He looked at the girl before him. He did just say he was going to fight. He looked at Scott who features were starting to shift a little. He grasped the hand.
Scott let go after a couple of seconds and stood up, pulling Will up to his feet. "Come on, Will. Let's me introduce to the group." He pointed at the girl who had talked to him. "This is the lovely Rebekkah Knight." Will nodded at her.
"Over here, the red-head is Jessie Rios. She's an emotional spitfire." The girl stuck out her tongue at Scott. "See?"
"This chick with the brown hair and eyes is Toni Alanis. The girl who defended you at the table is Kayla Bodden. You've already met Gabriel, Dayleen, and Joseph. The blonde haired boy is Ryan Gage and the last one is Mark Ramirez."
"Sorry, man. I didn't mean to get on your case. It's just that-" Mark shrugged his shoulders. "Can you give me a second chance to be your friend?"
Will nodded once. "Yeah, I guess."
"That's the spirit!" Scott lumped on the back. "Now we have this settled, let's head back. I'm hungry!" The others gave quiet chuckles. The group moved off but Dulcea's voice called out.
"William, a word?" The others looked at him but seeing Dulcea's look, they left. The now calm teen stood before Dulcea who had been sitting on the bed, watching them. "You need to place faith in your team, William. Do not close yourself off because of another's actions."
"It's hard."
"Of course it will be. Life is never easy, challenges at every turn, more risks to take. But then, that is why we live. Give me your hands." Will handed them to her. Dulcea closed her eyes, beginning to chant an ancient healing prayer. Will felt warmth spreading across his hands. The small cuts and bruises began to heal, fading away as she continued. The pain lessened until the damage he had done to himself was gone. Dulcea opened her eyes, standing abruptly. "Now, we should head back. Your new friends will be worried about you."
Will let himself be guided back to the Dining Hall.
(VvVvVvVvV)
The meal had gone way better than the first time. Though he was still quiet, the others were more accepting of his moods. He had taken his distanced seat again but this time Scott sat with, Rebekkah taking one on the other side. The rest had moved closer but not crowding his space.
He slipped underneath the covers. He stared up at the spot where he had lashed out, noticing the blood was gone. One of the attendants must have done it.
Will moved his line of sight to the ceiling. Today, he had people who interested in becoming his friends despite knowing what he once was. The tiniest of the coldest coals within his souls began to heat up.
He let it.
But the other one, the one dealing with Rebekkah was shoved once more to the back of his mind. Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep.
(VvVvVvVvV)
He was back in the forest, the lush dark green vegetation wrapping itself around the great bases of the large trees that towered over head. The fading sunlight filtered through the thick canopies, sending beams of dying light here and there. Birds called to each other, hidden by the numerous branches and leaves.
Will walked slowly forward, hearing the bubbling of a brook nearby. His bare feet felt the soft moss underneath, the occasional crunching of leaves here and there.
"Young cub." Will turned around to see the White Wolf standing behind him, amber eyes glowing with inner light. "I see you have met your pack mates."
"My pack mates?"
"Those who will journey with you through the darkness and the light." The White Wolf gracefully padded up to Will, rubbing his large head against Will's hip. The teen slid his hand through the silky fur. The Wolf gave one final nudge before heading back down. "Come with me, my son. Run with me into the night. The Pack is calling to us."
Will felt a familiar yet new sensation come over him; burning into his skin yet soothing it. He felt his body shift, legs changing, muscles tearing apart to adjust to the shifting bones. With an echoing howl, he followed the White Wolf into the forest.
(VvVvVvVvV)