AN: So I am skipping Petrified Xander...You will get its aftermath in this chapter. So enjoy...
_#_
It had been Toby who had figured out the puzzle of fireheart, which had turned out to be a dragon egg. Xander had been a lot less bigheaded, after Vida had saved him.
Xxxxx...
Ria's magic had been feeling off all morning. She was at Rootcore helping Claire with her potion.
The Xenotome suddenly opened. They both went to check it. There was a ridfle of shorts written in it.
"The key to any prison is a melody that is played by a instrument that can't be touched or seen only heard, but is generated from ones very soul and forever dwells within." Claire read aloud.
"What on earth does that mean," Ria frowned.
"No idea, may be Udonna will know," Claire replied.
Suddenly Ria's morpher chimed. "What's up?" she answered quickly.
"It's Toby! Necrolai just swooped down and grabbed him!" Ria's eyes widened at Chip's words.
"Necrolai? I thought we took care of her!" Nick's voice joined them.
"Apparently not, I guess that Dawn Crystal didn't stick," Chip sighed.
"Well, let's get down there and make it stick!" Vida yelled, sounding furious.
"I'm on my way guys..." Ria answered. Then she turned to Claire, " Looks like gotta go,"
Claire nodded and both forgot about Xenotome's message.
"MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FORCE!" she morphed into her Silver suit, and flew out of Rootcore in her racer.
Arriving in Briarwood just as the others leapt off their Racers to join Nick in fighting Necrolai, Ria landed beside Nick as he faced the Vampire.
"Back off Rangers!" Necrolai snapped at them, and the Rangers responded by falling into fighting stances.
"Not about to happen!" Ria yelled at her. They ran at her, but she was faster and more powerful, and within moments she had knocked them all to the ground. She looked over at Toby, who was watching from behind and crate, before he ran off. "Get back!" Necrolai chased after him, but Nick jumped up and blocked her path. "Out of my way!" she snarled.
"I'll get him away from here!" Ria called, running over and grabbing Toby's arm. "Brace yourself," she warned, before calling her racer and taking off with the record shop owner.
"No!" Necrolai shrieked as she followed, but Chip knocked him back. "Bad move witch," the Vampire hissed at him.
"What do you want with him?!" Nick yelled.
"The Gatekeeper will be mine!" Necrolai declared, as Ria joined them.
"Gatekeeper?" Nick didn't recognise the name.
"He possesses more power than all of you put together!" she shouted as the other four pushed themselves to their feet. "I'll be back!" with a shriek, she leapt into the air and flew off.
"What was she talking about?" Nick asked, turning to others.
"No idea. Let's get back to Rootcore. Udonna should know," Ria told them.
Xxxxx...
"Udonna!" Maddie called out for the Snow Witch, who had been working on a potion. "Something weird is going on," they all ran up to her as she continued working.
"We just had a close encounter with Necrolai," Xander told her.
"Udonna, she's searching for someone called the Gatekeeper," Ria told her.
Udonna stiffened, her head lifted up in horror.
"What is this Gatekeeper?" Chip asked. "Why is Necrolai after them?" he looked Udonna. The worried expression on her face told them that it wasn't good.
"The Gatekeeper, was a powerful sorceress named Niella," Udonna finally spoke up after a moment. She looked around, a sad expression on her face. "She was my sister," she explained, as she walked past them, standing by the Xenotome. "Niella cast a spell that sealed the Gate, and banished Morticon and his armies to the Underworld. The spell was so strong that it depleted all of her life force. When the Gate was lowered to the depths, Niella was gone..." everyone was silent as Udonna told them a story of her painful past. "But her spirit lives on in my heart," she managed a small, sad smile. "And through the legacy of her child," she finished.
"She had a child?" Maddie asked in surprise, her eyes wide.
"Yes she had two. And I fear that it is the eldest whom Necrolai is seeking," she frowned, tears still lingering in her eyes.
"We need to find that child before Necrolai does," Ria looked to her friends, who nodded.
"You won't have to look far. Niella's eldest daughter, and the heir to the Gatekeeper's power, is Claire," Udonna explained for her. Stunned the Rangers turned from her, to the frozen apprentice as she reappeared.
"But..." Udonna sighed, "The gatekeeper is vulnerable without her protector."
"Protector?" Ria asked
"The Celestial protector, a warrior who protects the gatekeeper. My father was Niella's, he died during the war. Claire's is her sister, Astara." Udonna looked even more heartbroken now.
"Where is she, Claire's sister I mean," Chip asked.
"No one knows what happened to her, for all we know, she could be ... dead" Udonna's shoulder slumped as Claire ran past her in tears.
Xxxxx...
It happened as Ria was exiting Rootcore. Her magic spiked and she felt dizzy. She tumbled forward but was caught by Chip.
"Are you alright?" Chip asked looking concerned.
"I'm fine. Just got dizzy. I think I better head home. Let me know if there is trouble." Ria assured her friends before heading home.
Xxxxx...
As Ria got home, her magic spiked again. She went to lie down not understanding what was happening.
Suddenly her morpher chimed. She got ready to go when her magic spiked for a third time and then pain spread throughout her body. She fell to the floor.
"I... can't... come" she rasped into her morpher and writhed in pain.
"Ria you alright?" Chip sounded worried...
"Go... Can't come..." she breathed out.
"Don't worry, you take care..." he sighed.
Ria began to experience a great pain as though her body was on fire. Every nerve of her body seemed to burn. She had never experienced such pain... And she did something she hadn't for a long time. She screamed...
Takara looked helplessly at Ria as she screamed herself hoarse and writhed on the floor. She wanted to get help but she didn't want to leave Ria alone either. So she watched worriedly...
Finally her pain seemed to overwhelm her as memories flashed in her head; memories of a man running with two babies, of the man casting a charm at one of them, and of the man fighting with someone else and then Ria knew no more...
Xxxxxx...
Ria woke up after what felt like days. Her body throbbed but the pain had receded. She loked at Takara who was sitting at her feet.
"How long was I out?"
"A few hours"
"What happened? Why are you staring at me as though you've never seen me before?"
"Because it feels as though I've never seen you before..."
"What do you mean?"
"Look into the mirror and you will know..."
Ria got up and went to look at the mirror curious about what Takara meant. She looked at the mirror before gasping... The image looking back at her was that of a girl with blonde hair and silver and golden eyes with a star shaped highlight in her eyes.
The image looked a lot like Claire...
Xxxxx...
"How did this happen?" Ria was sitting in her bed still unable to believe it. Suddenly there was a flash of light and Ria sprang up.
She looked around to find that she was no longer in her room but at a snow covered palace. A creature of shorts walked towards her.
"Welcome Silver ranger. You are at my dimension. I'm the Snow Prince, the teacher of all ancient mystics." He said. Ria gaped at him as he continued on.
"You must be wondering why you're here, and what happened to you. The answer is simple, you my dear are Niella's youngest child, Astara, the Celestial protector. And what happened was that, the glamour that your father put to protect you from evil during the war, came off as your magic recognised a possible threat to the gatekeeper. Now as to why you're here, I am here to gift you two things. First your Protector weapon..." He handed Ria a bow, "This bow will make its own arrow from your magic. And the next gift is... You my dear have unlocked your ancient mystic mode... Behold the Starlight warrior!" Ria changed into her ancient mystic mode which had a tiger shaped head and two swords. She felt really powerful.
"Now you must hurry Celestial protector, for the gatekeeper is in grave danger..."
TO BE CONTINUED...
_x_
AN: Ok I know this chapter is quite short. Rest assured the next one won't be.
The updates may be a bit late...Please review!