CHAPTER TWO
DIMITRI
They found themselves inside of a house. "Ah, you're here," a teenage boy said. "Welcome." His skin was the same odd shade as Zell's, but other than that, he looked fairly ordinary. He wore his long, dark blonde hair loose down his back and dressed in clothing similar to what Raven wore.
"Who are you?" Dimitri asked.
"I am Zordon of Eltar, Son of Zell."
"Are you a great wizard as well?" Galaxia asked.
Zordon laughed. "Hardly. I have an understanding of basic magic, but I am no wizard like my father. I know enough to guide you all, though, which is why he dragged me to this planet. You are all my responsibility now."
"How old are you?" Quintus asked.
"According to your years? I am fifteen."
"You are younger than most of us, I believe," Raven said. "You are meant to teach us?"
"Yes, I thought that was rather foolish as well, but my father insisted... It is destined, it is a great honor, it is my responsibility and duty... Blah, blah, blah, and so on..."
Quintus laughed. "Sarcasm. I like you," he said.
"Come. I shall bring you to your chambers before we go to the marketplace later for essentials." He led them to a long corridor with several rooms. "Go on and choose."
"We each have our own chambers?" Morgana asked in awe.
"Of course. Did you expect to sleep in the barn?"
"There's a barn? With animals?" Galaxia asked in excitement.
"No, with books." Zordon laughed and shook his head. "Honestly, what sort of question was that?"
"Why is there a barn?" Dimitri asked.
"We are on a large farm. It's fairly secluded, and there are crops and animals. We can live off the land if we must," Zordon explained. "Now, select your chambers. I will come get you in a bit." He left them.
The others eagerly chose chambers. Dimitri noticed only Morgana remained behind. "Are you well?" He asked.
"I have never had my own chambers," she admitted. "Not since I was very small, when I still lived with my parents. Master Vile had me sleep on the floor of the slave quarters... As I got older, if I was not there, I..." She looked away from him. "I still did not sleep alone."
Dimitri suspected this girl had been through more hell than any of them. "Well, you have your own chambers now," he said gently, opening the door to the chamber beside his. "You shall be safe here, Morgana. And, if ever you are afraid, call for me."
She smiled at him sadly. "Thank you, kind Sir."
"Dimitri," he said. "And Sir is most unnecessary."
She nodded. "Dimitri." Then she retired into her chambers.
Once alone with his thoughts, Dimitri felt hopeless. His family was gone. Only he survived now.
Fight, he heard Lucy whisper.
"I shall, Lucy," he promised. "I shall always fight." He held his family's sword firmly, praying he could one day prove he was worthy of it.
ZEDD
He was getting terribly sick of his father's constant abuse. "Boy! Come here!" His father called.
Zedd sighed and walked over to his father. "What is it now, Father?" He asked.
"Do you see this girl?" He pointed to an image of a rather attractive young woman.
"Clearly," Zedd replied sarcastically.
"She has great power. Seduce her, drain her, and turn her evil!"
"Why?"
"What do you mean why?"
"Why her?"
"Because I said so!"
"That's original."
His father struck him hard. Zedd stared at him defiantly. "You will go to this girl and do as I say."
Zedd figured going to the girl might not be so bad. He teleported out of his home and headed to the place he knew she would be.
She stood with a horse, speaking to it soothingly. The horse seemed to understand her. It let out a startled cry and the girl turned around to face Zedd as if she'd understood it.
"Oh! You startled me," she said. "Are you the stable boy?"
He shrugged. He might as well go with an easy answer. "Yes," he replied.
"Liar," she said, surprising him.
"What?"
"My friend here does not know you... And your energy screams incubus."
He stared at her. "How could you possibly know that?" He demanded.
"I am Galaxia Campbell, Last of the Campbell Sorcery line. I know my supernaturals."
He was impressed. "I mean you no harm," he said.
"Yet here you are, where you clearly should not be."
He had to admit, he was drawn to her. "My father sent me. He wanted me to seduce you to evil. I don't feel like it."
"Honesty... How curious." She paused, studying him. "You do not like your father, do you?"
"Hate is too weak a word for what I feel for him."
"Why do you stay then?"
"I never saw another option."
"I killed my mother today. It prevented her from destroying an entire city."
He stared at her in awe. "I never considered killing my father."
"No... You are too pure of heart. Instead, you try to protect his victims. You rebel quietly. You utter words of defiance. Your heart is strong."
"How do you know?"
"I can read you... But I still don't know your name."
"My apologies! I am called Zedd."
"Zedd..." She repeated. It did something to him to hear his name on her lips. "Call me Xia."
"Xia..." He repeated. "Would you like to help me anger my father?"
"Sure." She grinned at him.
"I have never ridden a horse. Have you?"
"Yes. I have an affinity for animals."
"Can you teach me? He sent me here to manipulate you. Having you teach me to ride a horse will likely enrage him."
She laughed. "I do not mind... Will he hurt you?"
"Most definitely... However, it will be well worth it to spend an afternoon with you."
She laughed. "You are quite the charmer, Zedd. Come. I shall gladly teach you all you need to learn about horses." She took his arm in hers and led him to another horse. It seemed nervous at the sight of him. Zedd looked like an ordinary boy, but animals could sense his incubus energy and knew he was not quite human.
"Shhhh, Winnie," Galaxia said soothingly. "He will cause you no harm." She turned to Zedd. "This horse tells me her name is Winifred. Pet her... Let her know you are a friend."
Zedd hesitated before petting the horse. It was oddly soothing to connect with the animal. Winifred ultimately became calm. Galaxia helped Zedd climb up onto the saddle, then began leading the horse around cautiously. Only when the horse was fully calm did Galaxia let go of the reigns and climb up onto the first horse's saddle.
Together, they rode. The farm was large and open, and there was a beauty to it that Zedd liked. They kept this up for a bit. Zedd couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun.
Once they dismounted and his feet were on the ground, Zedd looked into her eyes. "This was worth whatever punishment he selects," he told her honestly.
"You could run away," Galaxia suggested.
"I do not run," Zedd replied. "But I shall fight to the end to be able to choose for myself."
Galaxia kissed him, startling him. He had to hold back to make sure he did not feed on her life force. He enjoyed the kiss. "Well worth the price," he said again.
"Be safe, Zedd. We shall meet again," she said with a smile. Zedd doubted that very much, but he wished it could be true.
ZORDON
He had gathered the other teenagers together. "Wait... One is missing," he said with a frown. "Where is Galaxia?"
"Right here," she said as she rushed inside. "And call me Xia. It's less of a mouthful."
"Where did you go?"
"To the barn."
"Why?"
"To borrow a book," she said with a straight face.
Zordon laughed in spite of himself. "Fine... Perhaps I ask the occasional foolish question myself," he admitted.
"I like animals. I wanted to explore."
"Very well. Next time, kindly let us know in case we need you."
"I make no promises... I fear I grow bored rather easily at times."
"This is what my father gets for recruiting teenagers..."
"Are we going to the market or not?"
"Yes, yes. Come along. We will begin the journey now."
"I shall meet you there."
"Xia-"
"Or you could come through this by my side." She opened up a portal.
"Great Gods! What is that?" Raven asked.
"A portal. Fancy a trip?"
"Definitely!"
"Take me, too!" Quintus added.
"Morgana? Would you like to take my shortcut?" Galaxia asked.
Morgana looked toward Zordon. "Is it allowed?" She asked.
Zordon sighed. "Fine. I would not mind being spared a long journey anyway," he agreed.
"Excellent! Come," Galaxia said. One by one, she pushed everyone through. Finally, only she and Zordon remained.
"Go on," Galaxia said. "It shall not bite you."
Zordon went through the portal. It happened quickly. He spotted the others immediately. Galaxia arrived right behind him. "There! Much better," she said. "Now, let us shop!"
"I have no means of payment..." Morgana said.
"Worry not," Zordon said. "Father has provided me with more than enough to buy what we need."
"Come on, Morgana," Galaxia said, looping her arm through the other girl's. "I shall help you find all you need."
Zordon worried what Galaxia had in mind. Morgana seemed a bit frightened herself. Still, she allowed Galaxia to drag her off to look around.
"Gentlemen," Zordon said to those who remained.
Dimitri was admiring an arms booth. He ran his fingers over some of the weapons. This one never stops, Zordon thought. Weapons and battle are all he focuses on.
Raven picked up a sword and began trying it out. "I like this one!" He said.
"It is far too light," Dimitri said. He took it from him and replaced it with another. "Better, yes?"
Raven grinned. "Much," he agreed.
Quintus was looking through the clothing for sale. He quickly selected a few practical ensembles that looked like they would be comfortable. He looked at Zordon. "I am done here," he said.
"Well, at least one of you is quick," Zordon replied. He paused. "Men! Select your garments!"
Dimitri and Raven focused and began looking through clothing. Zordon paused. "Where is Caius?" He asked.
"He said he requires little," Quintus said. He showed Zordon two ensembles.
"Where did he go, Quin?" Zordon asked.
"Hell if I know," Quintus said with a shrug.
Zordon could not begin to process how unhelpful that response was. He shook his head. "Stay together. I must find Caius and the girls." His father had not mentioned this job would include tracking his charges down because they had the attention spans of toddlers. Irritated, Zordon began to look for them.
He found the girls easily enough. Morgana looked lost as Galaxia piled up more and more items. Zordon paid for them before she could buy anything else. He sent them back to the others as he continued to look for Caius. When he finally found him, he was furious, until he saw what he was doing.
Caius stood over a small candle and a rose. He touched the rose gently, tears in his eyes. Zordon could nearly feel the weight of his grief.
"How much for the candle and the rose?" He asked the girl selling them. She named a price. Zordon paid it before walking over to Caius. "Take them," he said gently. "They are yours."
Caius stared at him. "I... I do not understand," he said.
"It is clear these items are important to you... Therefore, they are included in essentials."
Caius tried to hide his tears. "Thank you," he whispered. "I must honor her..."
"Who was she?" Zordon asked, guessing his meaning.
"Her name was Rose... And it is she who should be here, not I. "
Zordon put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Your loss is recent," he observed. "I am sorry for your pain."
"My loss was today," Caius explained.
Zordon was stunned. "Today? And my father still brought you here?"
"From what I understand, we all had a difficult day."
Zordon frowned. He could see how much pain Caius was in. How could his father believe it was the proper time to form this team? Why had he chosen them in their darkest hours? He knew his father was far wiser than he was, but this seemed like such a cruel choice.
Father has his reasons, Zordon scolded himself. You are not to question him. Still, he wished he could understand the logic.
MORGANA
She was overwhelmed by the marketplace. She hadn't been to one since she'd been a young girl, and she was no longer used to the crowds. Galaxia may have been a good guide, but honestly, Morgana had no clue what she should consider an essential.
"Morgana… Are you well?" Galaxia asked as they arrived back at the house.
"Yes," Morgana replied automatically.
"Come. I'll help you sort your new belongings." Galaxia began digging through their purchases and sorting them into drawers.
Morgana knew they had purchased more than she would ever need, but Galaxia seemed to disagree. She watched as her new friend, she supposed, took care of everything. "You'll look lovely in this," Galaxia told her, raising up a green dress.
Morgana was just happy she had something to wear other than the dress she'd lost everything in. Her daughter was gone. Nothing else mattered to her, but she could certainly appreciate not having to be reminded of it every time she looked at her clothes. She changed into one of the subtler, black dresses and thanked Galaxia for her assistance.
A bit later, Zordon called them all out to eat. Nearly everyone had changed, apparently all sharing her view of not wanting to be reminded of their day. Only Raven remained in his original clothing.
Zordon looked at them and admitted, "I do not normally prepare the food of your planet. I hope it is acceptable."
Morgana was not picky. There were times when Master Vile had not let her eat for days. She was grateful for anything. Raven and Quintus seemed to agree, diving into eating immediately. Dimitri ate calmly and quietly. Galaxia poked the food with a fork before deciding it would do and consuming some. Only Caius declined to eat.
"Caius… Is the food not to your liking?" Zordon asked.
"I am not hungry, Zordon," he replied. "Although I thank you for your efforts."
"You need your strength, Caius. Eat."
Caius sighed. It seemed to take great strength for him to put some of the food in his mouth. Clearly eating only as an automatic response, he managed to get most of the meal down.
"Thank you, Zordon," Morgana said softly. "Your kindness is most appreciated."
Zordon nodded at her. "I hope this has helped you all feel a bit better," Zordon said. "Tomorrow, we begin training."
"Zell didn't seem to believe in training," Raven said.
"My father wants to send you out there and let you learn by instinct. I feel it would be more practical to at least teach you some of the basics. It may not always be possible, but in this case, I believe we have some time."
Morgana wondered what training would entail. She was not a warrior of any sort. Physically, she was mildly strong because she had been expected to do certain things as a slave that required strength, but she certainly had not been taught to fight. She was rather powerful with magic, but she wasn't certain she could use it wisely. Master Vile had forced her to use it only for evil. What if it had been tainted forever? What if she was evil now, too?
"Morgana?" Dimitri called gently.
"Yes?" She asked, looking up at him. She realized no one else was at the table.
"You seem troubled."
"I have much on my mind."
"Would you like to discuss it? I am willing and able to listen."
She wondered why he was being so kind to her. He did not know her, or at least he had not until that day. "I fear I do not belong here," she admitted.
"Zell has chosen us all. I am certain he did so cautiously and with reason." He paused. Hesitantly, he reached toward her. Morgana automatically flinched, but his touch was gentle, and she tried to relax. "Morgana… You are stronger than you know. I can see it in your eyes, and if you truly escaped from someone as evil as Zell made Master Vile sound, you have already proven it."
She looked at him, feeling lost. "I do not feel strong," she said softly.
"Nor do I today," he admitted, surprising her. He paused. "I lost my family this morning. My father took their lives… And I took his."
She was horrified for him. "I am so sorry, Dimitri… Yet here you are, so concerned for a girl you do not know."
"I am still here. I must go on. I must fight, as I swore to my sister…" He looked haunted. Morgana desperately wanted to comfort him, but she was uncertain of how to do that.
"We shall fight together," she said.
He nodded. "We shall." He clasped her hand in his. "Do you feel any better?"
"Yes," she said honestly. She certainly felt less alone now. Dimitri had shown her a side of himself she suspected he intended to keep hidden from everyone.
"Come. Let us retire to our chambers for the night… And remember, if you become frightened, call for me. I will come."
She believed him.
THE NEXT DAY.
QUINTUS
He hadn't been sure what to expect. When Zordon called them all to the training area, Quintus went with the others, deciding whatever came next had to be better than just sitting around all day.
The training area had been set up with several weapons, figures to attack, and even magic stations. They began with the physical. Quintus enjoyed a good fight just as much as the next fellow, but Zordon took it to another level. Using some sort of spell, he animated the figures, and they began attacking the Chosen.
"That's cheating," he mumbled. The figures were not supposed to fight back! Still, he adapted fairly quickly and began working on taking them down. He found himself working closely with Galaxia, who could fight as well as she could apparently cast spells. Raven teamed up quickly with Dimitri. Their fighting styles could not be more different. Dimitri was fierce and disciplined. He planned every strike to perfection. Raven, on the other hand, seemed to improvise at every turn. Just when Quintus thought Raven was going to do one thing, he did the complete opposite. This worked well for him, and somehow, he balanced Dimitri perfectly.
Caius worked alone, as did Morgana. Neither seemed very interested in battle. Quintus suspected Caius preferred to hide behind his books. Morgana simply seemed frightened and uncertain of what to do. It was clear she had never been in a fight before.
"Here," Quintus said, stepping beside her. "Raise your arm like this… Good. Now pull back, and… Release!" Morgana connected with a figure and punched him in the face. Quintus laughed. "Great! Now, your legs… You need to get your kicks higher. Raise your leg up, aim for the chest… Bring your foot out to the side like this." He demonstrated. Morgana tried to follow his example, but he had to show her again. He was patient with her until she picked up the motion, and soon, she kicked a figure in the chest.
"I did that…" She whispered.
"You did!" Quintus confirmed. "That was great, Morgana. Keep it up."
She did better after that. Quintus was glad he'd managed to help the girl. Although Galaxia seemed to be handling herself just fine, Morgana was hesitant to try anything. He hoped he could help her start smiling one day.
Caius tried to throw up a kick and fell over. Quintus shifted his attention to him. "Nice effort," he said, "but you got a bit carried away. Allow me to demonstrate." He showed him the proper kick.
"Thank you," Caius said. He tried again, and this time, it was better. "My battling is generally mental, not physical."
"Well, I will help you with the physical, and perhaps you can assist me with the mental. I am fairly smart, however, there is always more to learn." He smiled to show he was not just trying to make himself sound impressive.
"If I can help, I shall," Caius agreed.
Quintus was happy to see he was making friends. Every friend he'd ever had was dead… As were his family and every enemy he'd made, too. He would have given anything to bring even the enemies back, but he knew that was not possible. Quintus was far too sociable to be alone in the world, so he was determined to make friends here.
ZEDD
His father was furious, as he had expected. He stormed into Zedd's chambers and slammed him against the wall. "Ouch!" Zedd objected. "That hurt, Father."
"It was meant to!" His father replied. "What am I to do with you? You defy me at every turn! You go where I command and then… And then…" He was turning redder by the minute.
"And then I learned to ride a horse," Zedd said calmly. "It is quite a useful skill, Father."
"Silence! Enough of your back-talking!" His father turned his sharp claws toward him, slashing his arm open.
It hurt more than Zedd was willing to admit. He forced himself to hide his pain as he said, "I do as I please."
"You are my son! You do as I please!" Again, he attacked, this time tearing open Zedd's chest.
Zedd knew he would heal. He always did eventually. It was one of the perks of being an incubus. No matter how often his father attacked him, he healed and looked as good as new. Still, that had hurt more than he could hide, and he winced slightly.
"You will learn your lesson, one way or another," his father said. "To the isolation room!"
Zedd began to tremble. "Father, no… Please…" He said, no longer able to cover his fear.
"You will stay in there until you starve, and only when you declare your obedience shall I release you!"
Zedd had been locked in that room before. It drained his energy quickly and it left him too weak to function. His father had locked him in there for over a week once. Zedd had barely survived. It was the one thing he truly feared. As an incubus, he could die from not feeding on the energy of others.
His father threw him into the room. Zedd looked at him with pleading eyes. "I will be loyal!" He declared. "Do not do that to me again."
"Prove it!"
"Send me to the girl. I shall feed upon her and turn her."
His father nodded. "This is your last chance, Zedd. Do not fail me." He snapped his fingers, and Zedd found himself back on the farm.
He struggled to catch his breath. He had to calm himself, or Galaxia would know something was wrong. He covered his wounds with a new shirt he conjured and walked toward her. "Hello again," he said.
"You have returned!" Galaxia said. She sounded genuinely happy to see him, and he knew instantly he could not harm her.
"I have," he said. He took her hand. "I cannot stay long. My father is very angry with me, and he is about to become even more so."
"Zedd… Stay. You do not have to go back to him."
"I have nowhere else to go."
"Anywhere is better than where he is." She looked at his chest with concern. "You are bleeding through your shirt."
Zedd looked away from her. "I will be fine."
"Zedd… You need healing."
"I need to feed to heal."
"Then feed." She pulled him closer to her and kissed him again. He was too weak to stop himself from feeding on her energy, but he realized he was not stealing her life force. Instead, she was allowing him to feed on her magic, which he knew regenerated constantly. He stayed in her embrace, continuing to kiss her until he was stronger. When she finally released him, he stared at her.
"You are glorious, Galaxia… I do not deserve your help," he said.
"Hush. I decide who I help."
"Well… I fed on you. Perhaps that will appease him."
"He wants you to turn me evil."
"He does. I will not. You are not corruptible, and I do not wish to harm you."
She touched his cheek. "I wish I could keep you here with me."
"This place is not for me. I must leave."
"I know… But I wish it were different." She hugged him. "Please try to escape him, Zedd. You deserve your freedom."
He kissed her again, not feeding this time. Galaxia responded, and soon, they were wrapped in the most passionate embrace of his life. She is incredible, he thought. Perfection. He never wanted to kiss anyone else. What was happening to him? Was it sorcery?
Before he could figure that out, Zedd was teleported home. His father stood glaring at him. "You fool! What is it you are thinking?"
"She is worth it," Zedd replied.
His father slammed his head against the wall before throwing him into the isolation room. Zedd no longer cared. He knew he had done the right thing, and if protecting Galaxia cost him his life, he could accept that.
ZELL
Everything was coming together. The Chosen slowly seemed to be finding harmony with one another. His son had taken the initiative to train them, which might prove useful. Zell was satisfied with the way things had happened so far.
"We shall move forward with the next step of the plan," Zell told Alpha.
"Horray! We are advancing," Alpha replied. "But Zell… Do you think they are ready?"
"We are about to find out. Their first battle will come soon. In the meantime, I must advance their power levels."
"They have not yet mastered what they have."
"Alpha, there is no time to debate. They shall need their full powers sooner rather than later."
"Yes, Zell. I suppose you are right."
Zell nodded and began summoning the forces which would fully unlock the Chosen. It would leave him weak for a couple of nights, but it was worth it if it meant the Chosen were stronger.
"Alpha, show me the Chosen on the viewing globe," he said.
Alpha obliged. Zell watched as the Chosen were hit with their new powers. They did not understand where the boost came from, nor did they need to. At least now, they would be unstoppable.
A spark of magic burst from Dimitri in battle, causing several weapons to land in targets at once. Dimitri stared, unable to believe what had just occurred. Raven's light began to grow, filling the room and soothing everyone as it cleansed away the negativity. Quintus suddenly had a flame in his hands. His eyes went wide as he started at it, especially as it began to dance. Morgana began to scream as her power became too much for her. Raven quickly reached out to her, and as his light wrapped around her, it calmed her. Ultimately, Morgana's magic began dancing around her, visible to everyone in thick, purple and green spirals. Galaxia found herself levitating, and soon, she was actually flying. Her eyes opened in shock, but soon, she relaxed as well and began to enjoy this new movement. Finally, Caius stood in a corner, his back to the wall.
"The dead…" He whispered. "They are everywhere…" He was terrified, but Raven's light chased away the ghosts, and Caius tried to calm himself. Caius had, in fact, come back with this power when he left the Underworld, but now it was much more pronounced. Everything the team had been holding back had been unlocked.
"Well done," Zell said to himself as he passed out from exhaustion.
RAVEN
He had realized quickly that this new talent of his seemed to bring comfort to his teammates. "All is well," he said soothingly to Caius, who was still trembling. "No harm shall come to you here."
"They were dead… All of them…" Caius whispered.
"They are gone now," Raven said gently.
"Your friends… Dimitri's family… The people from Quin's village… I saw them all. I even saw Xia's mother."
"Oh? Did the wench bring a postcard from Hell?" Galaxia asked with vague interest.
"You saw my family?" Dimitri asked.
"Yes… All of them. They were here," Caius replied.
Morgana looked at him. "Did you see an infant?" She asked nervously.
"I saw no one around you, Morgana," Caius said.
She looked confused. "If everyone else who was lost recently was here… Why was she not?"
"Who is it you expected me to see?"
"It is no matter… I must go." Morgana ran from the room. Dimitri hesitated only a moment before running after her.
"Who did she lose?" Galaxia asked.
"That is not for me to say. It is Morgana's choice whether or not to tell you," Zordon said.
"He is right… She will talk when she is ready to," Raven said. His heart broke for Morgana. He could feel her pain. He hoped the others would give her the space she obviously needed until she was ready to share her story.
MORGANA
She did not close the door to her chamber as she rushed inside. She sat on the bed and began to weep. She heard a gentle knock before Dimitri stuck his head into the room.
"Morgana? Please talk to me," he said gently.
"They told me she is gone," Morgana said through her tears. "That she is lost to me… But I feel her, Dimitri… And Caius did not see her."
"Who, Morgana? Who did you expect Caius to see?"
"My daughter…" She could not look at him. He would probably think she was some sort of whore who had a child out of wedlock.
"Oh, Morgana… It is worse than I imagined." He sat beside her, and to her surprise, he wrapped his arms around her. "I am here."
"I called her Rita… I held her… Kissed her head… Then, I nearly died, and when I woke, she was gone. They told me she had died… But Caius saw all of our dead… Even Xia's mother… Why did he not see my daughter?"
"Perhaps they have lied to you, Morgana."
She looked at him then. "I prayed they did… But I fear believing."
"We shall look for her… And we shall not stop looking until she is reunited with you."
Morgana began to sob harder. "You would help me?"
"We are a team now… I shall always help you, Morgana. This, I vow."
Morgana allowed him to continue to hold her. Rita was alive. She knew it in her heart. Now, she had to figure out how to find her. She silently vowed to never stop looking until Rita was back in her arms.