AUTHOR'S NOTE: If any of you have watched Bleach, in which our beloved Johnny Yong Bosch voices the main character, you will understand this... The character of Sakura, who you are about to meet, is a soul reaper. She belongs exclusively to Aura MacKenzie. Something is coming shortly that, quite frankly, could only be pulled off by a soul reaper, which is why she's being introduced. Captain Jushiro Ukitake, Captain Unohana, Uryu, and Isane are all characters from the anime. Also, prepare yourselves for a huge reveal about the Alchemist and the Warlock that will especially interest those of you who read Stone Warriors. (Hello, plot twist!) After this chapter, the action should pick up significantly as the Alliance is about to come back together.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

ANDIE
It was nearly impossible to keep Daphne from overwhelming her. Andie ran straight to the woods, not even knowing where she was going to go... She simply knew she had to keep running until she was as far away from Ivan as possible.

She tripped over a stone and fell to the ground with alarming force. Her head hit the ground and she could feel blood trailing down the side of her head.

"Great," Andie mumbled. "And the Golden Spaz medal goes to me... Again..." She sighed, trying to sit up.

She wasn't entirely surprised when Koda knelt beside her. "You hurt," he said. "Koda help." He tried to touch her head and Andie flinched.

"Koda... Just go," she said softly. "I'm fine."

"No. Not fine. Bleeding," Koda pointed out.

He'll kill him! He'll kill anyone who helps you! Send him away! Her mind insisted.

Andie took a deep breath, trying to force her panic back. "I'm okay, Koda. I just... I need to be alone right now," she said.

"Trerry say watch you. Ivan very worried. Koda protect," he argued stubbornly. He tried to reach toward her gently.

"Dear Lady Daphne, allow me to see you home safely," Lygus said with a concerned expression on his face as he reached toward her.

"That is not necessary, Lygus," Daphne replied politely.

"My lady, forgive me... There are new bruises today," he said softly. "And scratches on your arms... Some appear to be quite deep."

Daphne knew he was trying to hide the anger he felt at seeing her so injured. Zell had been very angry with her the night before. He'd acted like everything was fine, but when he'd escalated things to an intimate level, he'd been rough to the point of it becoming violent. He'd only eased up on her as he realized Daphne was crying silently from pain. He'd stopped then and acted like the loving man everyone thought he was, comforting her before leaving her to rest. She was still barely able to walk. Everything hurt.

"All is well, Ly," she insisted. "Do not worry for me."

"I always worry for you, Lady Daphne," Lygus replied. "Please, allow me to escort you home."

Daphne knew Zell would only grow angrier if she showed up with another man. He barely tolerated Lido being around her, and right now, even her spending time with him had angered Zell. That was why he'd been so rough with her. If he reacted like that to Lido, bringing Lygus around him would be worse. Zell seemed to be almost irrationally jealous of Lygus.

Daphne clutched the dinner ingredients she had picked up. "I must hurry home, Lygus. Thank you for your concern, but all is well."

"Lady Daphne..." Lygus said as she was about to hurry off. She hesitated, turning around to face him. "Goodbye, Daphne... Be careful."

"Of course. I shall see you soon, Lygus," she replied sweetly before rushing home.

That was the last time Daphne had seen Lygus. The next thing Andie saw was different. Daphne was older now. She stood beside an enormous abyss. She could feel something stirring from inside. Kneeling beside the abyss, Daphne realized she recognized the energy.

"Lygus?" She whispered in horror. She had searched for him often since he'd vanished. While Zell insisted Lygus had simply fled Eltar to start a life away from the stigma of his tragic family history, Daphne never fully believed it. She missed Lygus terribly, but she couldn't admit that to Zell. When Zell saw how upset she was as she sensed Lygus was not as safe as Zell claimed, he promised to search for him. He claimed he never found him.

"Is this what became of you? Did you get caught by an abyss Alaurys made by accident? I know he would not have caused you deliberate harm... Oh, Lygus... Please, do not let it be true," Daphne said softly. "Please be safe..."

She closed her eyes and touched the edge of the abyss. Suddenly, Daphne could feel the truth. Lygus had perished in that very spot the same day she'd last seen him... And it had not been an accident.

"Lygus... I'm so sorry..." Andie whispered as tears began streaming down her cheeks.

"Andie..." Lido said gently, making her realize he was holding her. Koda stood a few feet away, giving them privacy but not leaving.

"It was my fault..." Andie whispered.

"What was?" Lido asked. He began applying one of his herbal gels to the wound on her head gently.

"Lygus... He... He killed him for trying to help me..."

"Andie, whatever Zell did, it wasn't your fault," Lido insisted.

She looked into his eyes and couldn't fight anymore. Andie had barely been clinging to control of her body, but she fell away completely now. "I'm not Andie..." She said softly before leaning her head against his chest.

"Daphne..." Lido whispered. He held her a bit closer, trying to soothe her. "Lygus was a good man."

"He was barely nineteen, Lido... And he was determined to protect me, even though I insisted I was safe and that nothing was wrong... I was frightened, Lido... And I thought I deserved Zell's anger when I upset him. I was only fifteen... And other than you and Lygus and occasionally Laby, I was basically alone in the world. My parents wanted me with Zell. The entire planet swore I was the luckiest girl in the universe because he chose me as his lover. I didn't know what to do... But Lygus saw through my excuses. He knew Zell wasn't hurting me by accident. He swore he would protect me... And then, he just vanished. I finally figured it out when Zordon was six."

"Daphne... Is that why you were considering running?" Lido asked in surprise.

"He killed him, Lido... He killed Lygus..." She was shaking in his arms. "All because Ly loved me and wanted to protect me. I knew then we would never be safe... I was afraid for Zordon... So I went to you that day... I didn't know that Zell had already made up his mind about me... I was already out of time. I think Lygus helped me find the abyss where he perished so he'd be able to warn me, but it was too late."

"Daphne... I wish more than anything that I had taken you with me on my journey after you came to me," Lido said sadly.

"We both thought there was time..." She wrapped her arms around him. "I never blamed you, Lido. I know you tried to get back to me before it was too late."

"How did you recover this memory? What sparked it?" Lido asked.

"Trerry," Daphne replied with a sad smile. "He spotted Lygus... He's here, Lido... And Trerry blurted out his name without stopping to think."

"Damn him and his big mouth," Lido said, shaking his head. "Wait... Lygus is here? As in-"

"He has reincarnated."

Lido suddenly widened his eyes in surprise. "Sir Ivan... Of course. He is so much like Lygus... How could I have missed it?" He wondered aloud.

"He has to stay away from me, Lido... Zell's more determined than ever to destroy him... I can't be the reason he kills him again. I got Lygus killed... I won't let Ivan meet the same fate."

"Daphne... Ivan and Andie are in love. You cannot allow this memory to keep them apart."

"It is because she loves him that he must stay away... It is the only way to protect him."

"I know you're afraid, Daphne... However, Sir Ivan has stood by Andie through much turmoil. I cannot see this being any different. Their love makes them stronger against Zell."'

"How can I face him, Lido?" She shook her head. "His only crime was caring for me."

"Start by giving Andie control again," Lido said gently. "It means much for me to see you, Daphne, but it is Andie who must come to terms with this truth."

Daphne stood on the tips of her toes. Lido bent down a bit, because she still wasn't tall enough to reach his face. She kissed his cheek. "I love you, Lido," she told him.

"I love you, too..." He replied softly.

Andie regained control of her body. "Do you still wish to leave Sir Ivan?" Lido asked.

"I need time," Andie replied. "I love Ivan... But I need to process this. Can I stay with you tonight?"

"Of course. A'Vah will be happy to see you. I left her in Zuzu's care when I sensed your distress. He will alert me if there are any issues."

Normally, Andie would have objected to using a bird as a babysitter, but she knew Aviaries were different from others. A'Vah would be safe in the care of the bird.

"Koda come too," Koda said firmly. "Protect."

"Very well, Koda," Lido replied. "You may join us."

They reached Lido's hut soon after. A'Vah ran into his arms. She paused when she noticed Andie and smiled. "An-dee!" She said in delight. Then, she noticed something. She pointed at the tears staining her cheeks. "Sad..." She said with a frown.

"I'm okay, A'Vah," Andie said quickly.

"No... Sad. Hug?" She opened her arms.

Andie pulled the girl closer and hugged her. "You taught her to say hug?" She asked Lido,

"It was one of the first words Daphne taught me," Lido replied softly. "It seemed... Appropriate."

"It's sweet," Andie reassured him.

"Andie..." A'Vah said without hesitating so much this time. "Tuti!" Excited, she pointed to a beautiful bird.

"I'm glad you found him, sweetie," Andie said with a genuine smile.

A'Vah looked at Koda curiously. "A'Vah," she said, tapping her chest. "Tuti," she added, pointing to the bird.

Koda smiled. "Koda," he replied.

"Koda, can you keep A'Vah occupied while I tend to Andie's wounds properly?" Lido asked.

The caveman looked thrilled with his new assignment. "Yes," Koda replied. He immediately began to play with A'Vah.

Andie remembered that Koda had once had a younger brother. He's great with kids, she thought.

"This may sting at first," Lido said before applying a new ointment to Andie's head.

"It's not so bad," Andie replied. The pain of a possible concussion she could handle. The pain in her heart was another story.

Daphne loved Lygus as a friend and a protector, she thought. If Zell hadn't gotten in the way, I think she would have loved him as more than that... And Lido's right. Ivan is exactly like Lygus. I have to protect him... But is pushing him away the right answer?

She sighed, pushing the thought aside. She would rest and process things before she made any decisions.

SAKURA
She had been a very busy soul reaper. Upon learning that a monster who should have died long ago was messing around in the world of the living, resurrecting people who were meant to remain dead, and crossing into realms he didn't belong in, she'd decided to step in. Now, she stood in the town of Stone Hollow, watching the three souls who remained at the site of a bloodbath. Everyone else had been consumed by Zell like he was some sort of hollow.

She spotted the man she was looking for. "Hello, Raffitty," she said.

Raffitty looked up in surprise. "You can see me?" He asked.

"I'm a soul reaper, Raffitty. My name is Sakura. I've come to make you an offer."

"An offer?" He repeated.

"You made a lot of mistakes while you were alive, but I know you were a good man. You were driven mad, Raffitty. Felina was exposing you to vizu regularly."

He stared at her. "Felina would never risk that. Not after Jaybert."

"It was on Zell's order."

Raffitty sighed. "Felina has such potential... As much as we clashed, she is extraordinary. I will never understand why she remains loyal to him."

"Raffitty... I know you want to make up for the things you've done. Zell has completely tipped the balance of this fight, bringing back dead, evil Eltarians. Now, I want to tip them back. One force of good was already resurrected by Sage Park... I can't tell you who it was because she's still waiting to reveal herself, but I have decided to bring back a few others. I've put a lot of thought into it... It's clear Zell wants you back. He wants to control you and use you as his own personal battery... But if I resurrect you, Zell won't be able to touch your energy or your powers. You had Logan kill you to keep Zell from using you and possibly destroying the world. That shows me that the man everyone says you were is still very much inside of you. It was selfless."

"It wasn't selfless. I didn't want to live like that. It would have been torture."

"You and I both know it wasn't just that. The idea of Zell gaining that much power scared the hell out of you. You knew he'd hurt every innocent person he came across. You wanted to prevent that, even if it meant dying. That's why you took the risk of stealing his book of prophecies and getting it to Captain Smith. I believe you want to do the right thing, Raffitty. This is your chance."

"After everything I did, I don't deserve it."

"What happened wasn't your fault. Your mind cleared upon your death, and I can keep it that way."

"Why me, Sakura? There are a lot of good Eltarians who died at his hands or because of something connected to him."

"He wants you back. I say we grant his wish... I think it would be a massive blow if I brought you back and prevented him from controlling you." She paused. "I believe you got screwed, Raffitty. And I believe you deserve a chance to make things right."

He hesitated. "Zydia and Tegus are here. They're stuck. Tegus is on a loop of his death... He's a sitting duck if Zell wants to consume his life force. He's one of mine. I recruited him myself. I failed him... I nearly killed his son... He's a good man. I owe it to him to protect him."

"I can free him from the loop. As a soul reaper, I can help him move on. He'll find peace and be safe from Zell."

"Zydia won't leave. She's claimed this place as her own and will go down protecting it. Besides... Zell killed her younger brother. She wants revenge." He shook his head. "Zydia's a pain in my ass, but I respect the hell out of her for how much she's accomplished... And Garron would want me to protect her, even if Zydia swears she doesn't need or want protection. She's stubborn, but Zell's powerful. Tough or not, even Zydia can only fight so much before he destroys her. Besides... I owe it to Rupi. His sister meant everything to him."

"Maybe I can reason with her."

Raffitty laughed. "Good luck with that."

"Just think about my offer, and I'll do my best to help your friends."

Raffitty faded away with a sad nod of his head, so Sakura went in search of Zydia. She had a feeling she'd be harder to work with than poor, traumatized Tegus.

Zydia sat on the top of a hill overlooking the entire base. She was surrounded by weapons. Sakura wondered how the spirit had gathered them all. She could tell the weapons comforted Zydia.

"Zydia?" She called gently.

Zydia didn't even look up as she sent a sword flying at Sakura. The soul reaper easily dodged the attack. Zydia turned to her and frowned.

"Who are you and what do you want?" She demanded.

"My name is Sakura. I'm a soul reaper," Sakura began.

"I'm not crossing over, so don't ask."

"Zydia, you're in danger. I can feel how many souls Zell absorbed to regain his strength. There are only three of you here now."

"Let that bastard come for me. He'll regret it."

"Hear me out... I'm going to take Raffitty away from here. He's worried about leaving you behind. He's afraid Zell will destroy you."

Zydia paused. "Raff actually cares? Who knew?" She shrugged. "I'll be fine. I don't need him. I don't need anyone."

Sakura read Zydia's energy to help figure out her story. "You do need someone. You may be coldhearted, but you still have the capacity to care for some people. As much as you clashed with Garron, he became like a father to you after you joined the Rebellion."

"He became like a condescending asshole to me, not a father. I don't need a father. Mine's been dead for a long time."

"He genuinely cared for you, even if he seemed like a jerk at times. And you cared about him... Which is why you panicked when he died."

"First of all, I didn't panic. I wisely chose to get the fuck out of here when the fucking Power Rangers managed to strip all of his spells and his immortality off of him with a fucking puddle. That was pretty damn shocking and told me I was screwed if I stuck around." She paused, seeing the skeptical look in Sakura's eyes. "Okay, fine, maybe watching Garron, who I'd known since I was a teenager, get killed like it was the easiest shit in the world upset me a little. He was an ass, but he was also my mentor. I respected him." She shrugged. "It's not like it helped. The kids killed my mentor and their mentors killed me."

"Garron's not the only one you cared about... You loved your brother."

"Love is weakness. I didn't love him. But I had to protect him. Rupi was a sweet, cuddly little six-year-old kid when our parents were killed. The world would have eaten him alive... So at sixteen, I raised him, and I kept him safe, and I taught him to be strong. I built myself into a soldier and found Garron and Vitella and joined the Rebellion, and I brought the kid with me. And from there, I didn't let anything stop me from rising in rank. Garron automatically said I'd never rise above a Lieutenant because I was a woman, but I said fuck that shit, I was born to lead. I proved him wrong and became the first female Captain of the Rebellion. I took Rupi with me as my tactical expert... As gentle as he was, he had our father's gift for making weapons from the time he was little. And Garron assigned Murgano and Letez to me, neither of which viewed my gender as a reason not to serve beneath me. The rest is history."

"You miss them... Your Chapter."

"They were dumb enough to brag after I had them kill the kids. Marinessa took them out. They should have remembered their stealth training. They deserved what they got for being fools."

Sakura paused. "I know you weren't always like this, Zydia. How did you go from fighting for justice to slaughtering innocent kids?"

Zydia shrugged. "The Eltarian government slaughtered innocents with weapons my father made for them in good faith. He spoke out against the actions of the government after learning women and children died in that attack. My mother went with my father to confront the Mayor because she loved him and promised to stand by his side to the end... And that bastard, Mayor Freyst, had my parents executed for it. See? Love is weakness. It got my mother killed. They made us attend... I shielded Rupi's eyes... He was just a baby. I couldn't let him watch that... But I watched them decapitate our parents just because they'd taken a stand and tried to do the right thing." She paused. "Much later, I infiltrated the government by seducing the Prime Minister himself. I thought he might be a good man... I was foolish and let down my guard because he was pleasant to look at and I grew to enjoy talking to him... But he was no better than the rest of them."

"Did Rey do something to you?"

"It's what he didn't do. When a piece of shit sold me out and blew my cover to try and save himself from Treason charges, Rey didn't stop them from arresting me. Were the charges true? Yes... But he didn't even ask for my side of things. He told me he loved me, but he never cared about me."

"You fell in love with him..." Sakura realized in surprise.

"A lot of good it did. I was weak. I was a fool to trust him. My heart actually hurt... I hadn't let anyone in for so long but I trusted him... I became everything I hate. So I basically begged the universe to turn my heart colder and take the pain... To prevent me from ever being that weak again. When Rey finally came to ask for my side of the story, I was filled with nothing but hate. I told him he was just my assignment and that none if it had been real."

Sakura suddenly understood Zydia on a new level. "Zydia... Someone heard your plea and did it... They turned you cold and took away your ability to love... And I'd bet anything that it was Zell."

"Zell was long-dead before I was even born."

"He journeys through time. He must have seen something in you he wanted to manipulate."

Zydia looked furious as realization dawned on her. "That asshole!" She shouted. "I'm no one's fucking puppet!" Some of her weapons launched into the air. Sakura had no doubt they'd find their way to Zell.

"Zydia, you don't have to cross over, but please leave this place. You're in danger," Sakura said again.

"I can't."

"If it's because you're stuck, I can help."

"It's more than that. I heard him talking to his little Sorceress... My daughter is involved in this. She joined the Alliance, probably to take it down from the inside. I don't love Zizanyah. I can't love anyone... But I'm quite proud of her and I won't abandon her now. I need to watch over her. Zizi is good at what she does... She is mine, after all... But if Zell figures out the truth..."

"What truth? That she's a spy?" Sakura asked.

Zydia sighed. "No," she said. "That she's related to him."

Sakura suddenly understood. "She's Rey's?"

"She's mine. Rey just donated some DNA I never asked for." She shook her head. "I never told anyone except Rupi... Zizi doesn't know who her father is... She's in incredible danger."

Sakura realized that on some level, Zydia did care about her daughter. "Okay... You can stay close, just not on the property. I'll hide your energy."

Zydia nodded. "Deal. What about Tegus? He's annoying since getting stuck in his death loop, but I can't just abandon the guy. He was a loyal member of the Rebellion and a pretty decent person. Besides... He's the only one left besides Raff."

"I can help him. Tegus will be an easy fix."

"Okay. Say, Sakura... What's your plan in all this?"

Sakura smiled mysteriously. "I'm going to do something Zell believes is impossible... And it's going to tip the scales significantly."

"By bringing Raff back?" Zydia guessed.

"That, too," Sakura admitted. "But what I'm talking about is going to shake Zell up a lot more than that will."

"Intriguing," Zydia said. "If it fucks with Zell, I'm all for it. Good luck."

"You, too, Zydia." Sakura headed for Tegus, knowing she needed to get him to safety before Zell could hurt him.

Tegus sat moaning one word over and over again. "Vancello..."

Sakura's heart broke for the lost soul. "Tegus... Vancello is safe," she said soothingly. She began trying to pull information from the air about what had happened to the son he cried for.

Tegus didn't seem to hear her. She gently touched him. This snapped him out of his loop for an instant, which was the only opening she needed. "Vancello is safe. He lives with Scott now. He misses you, Tegus, but he's happy with his love."

Tegus looked at her sadly. "Vancello is alive?" He asked.

"He's alive. He made it out of here safely. You saved him, Tegus," Sakura assured him.

Tegus cried with relief. "My boy..." He said softly.

"He's going to be alright now... It's time for you to leave this place, Tegus. It's time to be at peace."

A woman appeared beside him. "My love..." She whispered. Sakura knew this had been his wife.

He began to weep. "My beloved... You're here," he whispered.

"I have been with you this entire time. Come with me, Tegus. It's time."

Sakura watched as Tegus followed his wife to the other side. She smiled to herself, genuinely happy to see the look of peace on his face as he vanished.

"Okay," Raffitty said suddenly.

Sakura spun around to look at him. "Okay?" She repeated.

"If you can get permission from three people, and you guarantee my ability to keep a clear mind, I'll let you resurrect me."

"Which three?"

"Insu and Allie, for starters... After everything I put them through, I refuse to come back if it will hurt them further."

"I think they'll agree if they know you genuinely want to be the good man you were meant to be. I'll talk to them."

He nodded. "And Logan."

"Logan feels guilty for having to kill you. He would probably be thrilled if you were alive again."

"I care for that boy... I loved him, even if I never said as much. It's true I wanted to destroy him when I found out he would be the one who could kill me... But then I met him. He was a terrified, traumatized kid with a very evil father. I understood him, and I wanted to save him from all of that. I wanted to be the father he deserved. I have no children of my own... I raised Insu and, by default, Allie, but that was as an uncle figure. It was different with Logan. We were the same in a way... I hate that I let Felina torture him to keep him under our control... I shouldn't have. He had been through enough. I told myself I was protecting him from a worse fate. And still, he remained loyal to me. Even after he knew the truth, when I asked him to kill me, he didn't want to. I hated having to do that to him, but it was the only way. Anyone else could have literally cut off my head and it would have reattached itself. Not even Lido could kill me. The powers I'd collected protected me." He sighed. "I won't come back if it will traumatize that boy. I refuse."

Sakura nodded. "I can respect that. Look, Tegus is gone, and Zydia is going to leave for slightly safer ground. Go with her for now. I have a couple of big things I need to do... I'll come find you after I speak to the people you listed, but at least you'll be safe until then."

"Alright. Thank you, Sakura," Raffitty said. "And... If they tell you not to bring me back... Please let them know how sorry I am."

"I will," she promised. She left Stone Hollow to return to the Soul Society. Sakura had two very crazy plans to set in motion, and at least one of them might be impossible, but she had to try. If it worked, she'd be giving Zell's enemies a secret weapon he would never see coming.

THE NEXT DAY.

IMANI
She was glad school was over for the day. Imani had been getting pretty bored in class. As she waited outside for Tessa, Vinny stayed with her. Imani was totally fine with that.

Vinny smiled as Imani talked his ear off. He didn't say much, but she knew he was listening closely and waiting for the right moment to join in. Vinny was a quiet kid, but at least he was speaking again. It had made Imani sad when he'd stopped talking after he lost his mom. Only when she'd lost hers did Vinny start trying to talk again, if only to make her feel better.

Vinny offered her some candy, which she happily accepted. Imani loved sugar, and Tia rarely let her have any. It may have been because Imani was hyper enough without sugar, but Imani still thought it was unfair.

Tessa and Luke came toward them. "Come on, Vin. We need to hurry if we're going to make it to the exhibit," Luke said.

"Exhibit?" Imani asked.

"Troy is taking me and Luke to a science exhibit," Vinny explained shyly. "We're meeting him at our house. He came over to watch Robby while we were at school so Dad could still go to work.."

"How come Robby's not at school?" Imani asked.

"The Robby Monster has a stomach bug," Luke explained. "He was up puking all night. Ollie's going straight home to watch him so Troy can still take us to the exhibit."

"Poor Monster," Imani said sympathetically.

"Bye, Mani," Vinny said shyly. Imani kissed his cheek. He blushed, which made her giggle.

"Bye, Tessa," Luke said, giving her a hug.

"See you later," Tessa replied softly.

Imani took Tessa's arm. "Let's go," she said after the boys had left. She began leading the way home.

Someone approached them cautiously. The scar over his eye was kind of scary, but Imani had been taught never to judge people by their appearance. "Tessa and Mani Campbell?" He asked cheerfully.

The people who knew Imani best all called her Mani, but she did not know this man. "Yes," she replied in confusion.

"It's nice to meet you. My name is Jezzeff, but you may call me Jezz. I'm a friend of Kizzie's," he said.

"You're Eltarian," Imani realized. She thought Kizzie was possibly the coolest person she'd ever met, so she let her guard down slightly. "Are you one of the Rebels?"

"I am. I came here to protect you. The Great Wizard is nearly recovered and Captain Smith saw that you were in danger and requested my help."

Tessa tensed at those scary words. Imani knew she shouldn't trust strangers, but something about this man was very reassuring. "Can you prove you're one of them?" She asked.

He smiled charmingly. "Certainly. Bizzeh mada alebastes!" He recited the mantra perfectly.

Imani nodded. "So... The bad man who rides on storms is coming?" She asked.

"Yes, but don't worry... I can protect you."

She believed him. "Okay. What do we have to do?"

"Come with me and I'll bring you home."

Tessa clung to Imani's hand. "Mani... We should call Aunt Tanya," she said nervously.

Imani considered this. "You're right," she agreed.

"Of course, Girls. Go ahead and call her if you feel you should. It's wise to be cautious of strangers," Jezzeff said pleasantly.

Imani pulled out her cell phone. That was when she noticed a text from Tanya. Kizzie told me she's sending someone to keep you girls safe. I'll see you tonight. Love you!

"We can trust him," Imani told Tessa, showing her the text.

Tessa nodded. Still arm-in-arm, the sisters followed Jezzeff. He touched something in the air and a portal sprang to life. Imani grinned. She loved traveling by portal. She quickly led Tessa through. Jezzeff followed behind them, quickly sealing the portal as they arrived in a dark house.

"Mani... Where are we?" Tessa whispered.

"You said you were bringing us home," Imani said.

"I never said whose home," Jezzeff replied pleasantly. "Goodbye, Girls." He vanished.

"Mani, I'm scared," Tessa told her.

Imani was scared, too, but she forced herself to be brave. "We'll be okay, Tessie," she promised her sister. She reached into her backpack. It's still here, she thought with relief as her hands clasped around Vinny's present.

The worst thing possible happened next. A powerful man whose energy she recognized entered the room. "Hello, my dears," he said pleasantly.

Tessa bravely tried to stand in front of Imani. "I... I know who you are," she said. Imani was stunned at this courageous new side of her.

"Do not be frightened, my dear Tessa. I have not come to cause you harm," he said soothingly. "I simply have need of your power."

"My power?" Tessa repeated.

"Yes. I am nearly healed... However, I require something you can grant me." He grabbed her and kissed her before Imani could react.

Tessa visibly panicked. Imani realized Zell was draining the energy her sister had gained as a succubus. She pulled out Vinny's present and pointed the blinding light straight at Zell. He screamed in both shock and pain and dropped Tessa onto the floor. "Tessa, run!" Imani shouted. "Get out of here and find Tia!"

Tessa was clearly too weak to run away. She couldn't stand up. Imani felt out for the energy of any animals nearby, but she couldn't sense a single one. As Zell furiously came toward her, she closed her eyes and desperately thought, Portal... Portal, portal, portal! None appeared, but Imani hoped she'd at least trigger Tia's awareness with her attempt.

Zell knocked Vinny's present away from her. The light illuminated one of the walls. Zell grabbed her arm very firmly and asked, "Now, was that truly necessary, my dear?"

"Yes," Imani said. She kicked him right in his crotch, making him release her in pain. "And so was that!"

Zell recovered quickly. He put a sword to her throat and said, "The plan shall still succeed with one... What is one less Campbell?" He drew a little blood, but suddenly, Tessa shocked both Zell and Imani by grabbing his arm. She kissed his hand, refusing to let go. Although he was much stronger physically, Zell couldn't seem to move his hand away from her.

Zell was clearly startled. "I did not think you possessed such a fighting spirit," he said. "You are Zedd's daughter." With that, he made fire appear. This startled Tessa enough that she lost her hold on him. Zell promptly shoved her into the fire.

"Tessa!" Imani screamed.

Tessa looked panicked, but nothing seemed to be happening. "How interesting..." Zell mumbled. "I was curious if the magic of the flames passed on to children born to one who was turned. Congratulations, my dear. I cannot turn you evil." He grabbed Tessa and pulled her out of the flames before slamming her head into the illuminated wall. She collapsed.

"You jerk!" Imani shouted. She grabbed Vinny's present, but Zell didn't fall for that twice and avoided looking at the light. Imani knew she was in trouble when he looked at her with a creepy smile on his face.

Just as Zell was about to reach her, a portal opened up. "Get away from them!" Liza shouted.

"Ah... Liza, my dear... Welcome," Zell said.

"I got your message, Asshole," Liza said as she moved between Imani and Zell.

"I thought you might."

"Liza? What's he talking about?" Imani asked.

"He made it clear he'd taken you and only I could portal to your location. You got me here, Zell. Now what the fuck do you want?" Liza demanded.

"You are so like her, my dear," Zell said creepily.

"Look... Let me heal the kids and we can talk," Liza said.

"I don't like that plan." He vanished and reappeared behind the still-unconscious Tessa. He cut her throat enough to draw an alarming amount of blood.

"Stop!" Liza cried, her cool demeanor shattering as Tessa's blood spilled onto the floor. "Just... Let them go," she added softly.

Zell pulled the blade away from Tessa. "I'm listening, my dear," Zell said.

"Let me heal them and let them go... It's me you're after. Make an unbreakable oath to me that you won't hurt them, and I'll surrender."

"Liza, no!" Imani shouted.

"I have to, Mani," Liza said. "It's alright. I'll be okay."

Zell nodded. He sliced his hand open and used his blood to draw a strange symbol in the air. "You have my unbreakable oath, I shall not harm Imani or Tessa," he said.

Imani could feel the magic in the air as the oath was sealed. "You may heal the children," Zell told Liza.

Since Tessa was in worse shape, Liza healed her first. Much to Imani's relief, Tessa opened her eyes and looked mostly okay. Liza knelt beside Imani and quickly healed her as well. She hugged both of her sisters before looking into Imani's eyes.

"Get to Tia," Liza said. "She'll keep you guys safe."

"We can't leave you, Liza!" Imani protested.

"Be strong, Mani. Please?"

Imani sighed, then nodded. She took Tessa's hand and fled through the portal that opened. As she did, she heard Zell say something that absolutely terrified her as the portal sealed shut behind them.

"Oh, Liza..." Zell said creepily. "You have no idea how long I have waited for this day to arrive."

TIA
It was nothing short of alarming to see Imani and Tessa come running toward her. Both girls were in tears. Tessa cried easily at times, but Imani did not. Tia knew something must be seriously wrong.

"What happened?" Tia asked.

Imani flung herself into Tia's arms and began sobbing harder. "It's my fault! I trusted him!" She cried.

"Trusted who, Mani? Tell me what's going on," Tia said.

"He's got her, Tia!" Imani managed to say between sobs.

"Got who?" Tia asked.

"Liza," Tessa said softly. "He's got Liza."

Tia felt like she couldn't breathe. "Zell has Liza?" She asked, just to make sure it was as bad as she thought and it wasn't just one of his minions.

Tessa nodded sadly. "The man, Jezzeff... He told us he was a friend of Kizzie's and that he'd come to protect us. I said we should call Aunt Tanya, but Mani found a text from her saying he was coming to help."

"Mani, let me see your phone," Tia said.

Imani handed it over as she sniffled. Tia examined it. "There is no text here... It must have been an illusion spell," Tia realized. "Girls, this isn't your fault. Tell me what else happened. How did Zell get to Liza?"

"Jezzeff brought us to him... He wanted my energy, so he..." Tessa stared at her feet. Tia, having been through a sexual assault herself knew the signs of trauma.

"Did that monster touch you?" Tia demanded.

"He just kissed me," Tessa explained quickly.

"That's not acceptable either." Tia struggled to keep her voice even and not yell, knowing how much anger frightened Tessa.

"It was scary... And I got really weak, but it also connected me to his energy... Mani used Vinny's gift to blind him and even kicked him in... Well..." Tessa blushed.

Tia realized what Tessa had avoided saying and looked at Imani with pride. "Good girl, Mani," she said.

"He hurt my sister," Imani said softly.

"He was gonna hurt Mani, so I used what he did against him... I connected right to his energy by kissing his hand and took back what he took from me, and then took a little more... I remembered what Taylor did and thought maybe I could hurt him, too, but I'm not as strong... Then he called up the fire, and I got scared and he got away from me... And he tossed me in..." She started crying.

Tia was horrified, but Tessa didn't seem evil. "It didn't work?" She asked as she held Tessa protectively. Tessa shook her head. Suddenly, Tia understood. "Zedd... Your father still had the flames in him when you were all born. The flames are already inside of you, so you're immune to their effects..."

"He knocked her out after that," Imani said softly. "I think he was going to kill us both, but then, Liza came. He'd made sure she knew she was our only chance..." She sniffled again. "She made a deal, Tia! She made him promise with magic he wouldn't hurt us again and that she could heal us, and she traded herself for us! She made us leave, and now he's got her, and it's all our fault!" She became hysterical again.

"Imani, listen to me. Zell manipulates people... Including people far older than the two of you. This is not your fault. Liza was being a good big sister and protecting you... Now, I'm going to make sure we get her back." She opened a portal and pulled her little sisters through it, bringing them to Sellie.

"Tia? What's going on?" Sellie asked.

"I'm sorry, but there is an emergency. Can you watch the girls? They have been through a trauma, and I don't want to leave them, but they're safe... Liza isn't," Tia said.

"Of course I'll take care of them... What happened?" Sellie asked.

"Zell kidnapped them... And lured Liza straight into a trap knowing she'd have no choice but to trade herself for them."

"Oh, shit... Can I do anything else to help?"

"Just keep them safe. Call Tanya and tell her what's happened. I must get my team and get my sister back."

"Good luck. Be safe," Sellie said, giving Tia a hug. Tia nodded before opening another portal and heading straight to Taylor. He wasn't alone. Josh looked at her in concern as she approached them.

"What's wrong?" Taylor asked as he saw the look on her face.

"Zell has Liza," Tia said because there was no gentle way to break that news.

"What? He'll kill her, Tia!" Taylor cried in alarm.

"He went for the little ones... She traded herself to protect them."

"He went after Mani and Tessa?" Josh asked in horror. "Are they okay?"

"They're traumatized, but safe."

"Let's go," Taylor said.

"I'm coming," Josh said firmly.

"Josh, it's too dangerous," Taylor protested.

"Liza's part of my team, Taylor," Josh replied. "We're going to help."

"Josh is right," Tia said with a sigh. "We aren't the only ones connected to Liza. She's part of the Legacy team, and she may need their strength to survive this. Besides, we cannot run in blind. We need a plan. Let's go to the Command Center and speak to Zordon. Our teams can meet us there."

"You two go. I'll meet you," Taylor said.

"Taylor, we need to be united right now," Tia protested.

"Tia... Someone needs to tell my dad," Taylor pointed out.

"He'll be furious... What if he accidentally hurts you?" Josh asked.

"Josh... I can handle my dad. I'm probably the only person besides Zordon who can deliver this news and live to talk about it. He won't hurt me. Go. Tell your team what happened. There's no time to waste." He kissed Josh quickly before walking away.

"Alphas... Bring me and Tia to the Command Center and call our teams in," Josh said after a moment. "It's urgent."

Tia took a deep breath as they arrived at the Command Center. The others arrived quickly. "Perfect timing! Detention just ended," Zeke said cheerfully. Then, he saw Josh and Tia's faces. "What's wrong?" He asked seriously, flipping the switch almost as well as Ollie usually did.

"Zell has Liza," Tia said.

Zordon's face turned unreadable, but Tia could sense how much her words had terrified him. He remained silent as everyone else reacted.

Brian visibly paled. "Oh my God..." He said softly.

"What?!" Micky demanded. He stared at Tia in disbelief.

"Shit," Zeke said.

"Son of a bitch..." Sage mumbled.

"As you all know, he especially hates my sister because she reminds him so much of Galaxia. We have to get her back," Tia said.

"Where's Taylor?" Angie asked.

"He went to inform Zedd of the situation," Josh replied.

"Brave kid..." Tommy mumbled.

"This is bad," Ollie said. "Liza runs her mouth. Zell will run out of patience fast."

"We'll get her back," Tammy said firmly. "Liza's not some pushover. She can handle this."

"Guys, Ollie's right... Liza will push him," Micky said numbly. "Why are we still standing here? We need to go after her."

"We need a plan, Micky," Tommy said.

"There's no time to come up with a plan! That maniac has Liza!" Micky argued.

"Look, we're all worried about Liza, but we'll get her back, Micky. We just need to be smart about it. Running into a trap won't help anyone."

Micky looked absolutely furious as well as devastated. Knowing what the boy meant to Liza, Tia gently said, "My sister is strong, Micky. She will hold on until we can find her. Have faith in her."

"I do," Micky replied. "I also know the sort of things she went through before she got here. I can't let Liza get hurt again."

Tia nodded. "We will bring her home soon," she said.

"Rangers... Chosen... You must be cautious," Zordon said. "My father will be expecting you to try to rescue her. Liza's safety is a priority, of course, however I do not want him to get his hands on any of you either."

"He's still weak," Kenny said. "And the Alliance scattered when Scarlet brought down the base. That gives us an advantage."

"Do not count my father out," Zordon cautioned him. "Even when weakened, he has great power, and if he has abducted Liza of all people, he must be confident he is strong enough to handle her."

Suddenly, Caleb started staring off into space. His eyes were unfocused. Everyone knew what that meant, and they patiently waited to find out what he was seeing.

He snapped back to the present with a gasp. His skin had paled significantly and he looked terrified. "Caleb... What did you see?" Thorn asked gently.

"They're coming..." Caleb whispered.

"Who's coming?" Ollie asked.

"The Alliance... They're coming back, bigger and stronger... He's calling them back together... There are more of them now... And there was blood... So much blood... So many lives lost..."

Caleb was trembling violently. Thorn automatically wrapped him in his jacket. "It's okay," he said soothingly. "We'll stop them."

"There's a new base... And he's gathering them there... Liza's in one of the buildings, underground I think... She's... It was bad, guys." Caleb had tears in his eyes.

Tia was terrified for her sister, but she forced herself to remain calm. "We'll save her," she said firmly. "No matter what it takes."

ZEDD
He knew something was wrong. He could feel it in his chest. When Taylor showed up at the house, Zedd tried to brace himself for whatever news was coming.

"Dad... We need to talk," Taylor said.

"Of course," Zedd replied, leading Taylor to the couch. Sage had run off to the Command Center and Koda had yet to return home, so they were alone. "What's wrong?"

"Something happened, Dad... And you're going to freak out, but you sort of can't because we might need your help... Okay?"

"Taylor, just tell me," Zedd said urgently.

Taylor sighed. "They're safe now, but... Zell went after Mani and Tessa..."

Zedd was enraged as soon as he heard that, but he tried to cling to the fact that Taylor had said they were safe. "Were they hurt?" He asked. Tessa was his baby, the youngest and gentlest of his children, and he was rather fond of Imani as well. It was hard not to love that little girl.

"Yeah, I think so, but I didn't get too many details from Tia. They were healed... By Liza, Dad."

Zedd tensed, already knowing where this was going. "Liza..." He repeated.

"Zell has her, Dad. She traded herself to save them."

A powerful blast of energy escaped from Zedd in his rage, but he was able to send it away from where Taylor was. It put a hole in the wall behind him. He sighed, magically patching it up before Sage could come home to the mess and get angry with him.

"Where is he hiding?" Zedd asked.

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure Mani and Tessa have no idea where they were." Taylor hesitated before gently touching Zedd's arm to try and soothe him. "We'll get her back, Dad. Zell can't handle Liza. She'll be okay."

Zedd wanted to believe him, but he'd honestly never been so terrified in his life. Zell had Liza... And Zedd knew exactly what Zell was capable of doing to her.

I love you, Liza, he thought. I'll find you. Don't give up. I'm coming.

He silently prayed he wouldn't be too late.

ZELL
He'd spent a good chunk of the afternoon torturing Liza. It was the most incredible thing he'd felt in a long time. He'd wanted to do horrible things to Galaxia, but he'd known it wasn't possible. Getting to carry out his fantasies on her descendant was beyond satisfying. He'd waited for far too long, and the reward was a sweet one.

He'd left her bleeding and weak, but still capable of snarky comebacks. "I'll break you yet, my dear," he said to himself as he returned to the main building. He knew emotionally destroying Liza would be no easy task. He was looking forward to it. Currently, however, he had other business to attend to.

"Great Zell? What are you doing?" Shaniece asked.

"With your help, I have grown stronger, my dear. It is time to bring my Alliance back together. I have fixed up the underground base beneath this property which will allow us to resume our operations. Raffitty had quite a good setup here, even with the surface being half-destroyed. It shall do nicely for now," Zell explained. He closed his eyes and cast a spell to alert the members of his Alliance to his location.

"Be a dear and fetch Jezzeff for me," Zell said. "The others should begin arriving soon."

"Of course," Shaniece said. She hurried off to find Jezzeff. Zell had resurrected him at the same time he'd resurrected Bax, but no one had known. He'd instructed Jezzeff to hide until the time was right to reveal himself. He'd called him to the base in Stone Hollow ahead of the others because he knew Jezzeff's loyalty to him was unquestionable.

It wasn't long before they began to arrive via portal. Zell smiled at them, feeling stronger with each arrival. The Greeks arrived as a unit. He nodded at Niko, their leader, and ticked off the names of the others in his mind. Phestian, Dezzanna, Tutto, Kiddius, Olito, Vretton, Leetik, and Calla, their healer, he reminded himself. Calla, their youngest member, had been born into the Rebellion and raised by the Greeks, who were friends of her executed parents.

He moved his eyes to those who had arrived with them. He was excessively pleased to see Baxzon and Zizanyah. They looked well enough, and he knew the Greeks had taken care of them in his absence. Lang, Lun, Nedezzo, and Brittera from Shanghai had also arrived with them.

"Great Zell! It is an honor," Brittera said. The Shanghai Rebels bowed to him respectfully. Nedezzo looked a bit hesitant, but he bowed as well.

I'll need to keep an eye on that one, Zell thought. He remains uncertain of his loyalties.

"You look great," Zizi said. "We were worried."

"Thank you for your concern, Zizanyah. I assure you, I am well... Now... Welcome, my friends," Zell greeted the others pleasantly. He noticed that Bax was standing very close to Zizi, almost protectively. Zizi seemed to be tolerating this. How unusual, he thought. Did being on their own after nearly dying bond them somehow? Zizanyah despised Baxzon before... He decided he'd need to look into that later.

"Great Zell... I'm very relieved to see you looking so strong," Bax said. He looked at Zell with both respect and fear in his eyes. His usual cocky confidence had vanished.

Zutan, Zell thought with relief. The boy has finally begun to awaken. He smiled at Bax, deeply pleased one of his most loyal followers might finally prove to be useful again.

Arabella, Katrice, and Gabritto arrived next, pulling Zell out of his thoughts. They looked eager to see him. "Greetings, my dear Rebels from Rome!" He said pleasantly.

"Bonjourno, Great Zell," Arabella said respectfully. "We are pleased to be here."

Jaybert appeared, followed by Micah and Neighbelle. Zell frowned after a moment. "Where is Estos?" He asked.

"He perished, Great Zell. Marinessa delivered a killing blow," Neighbelle replied.

"How did he encounter the girl?" Zell asked.

"We saw an opportunity and attempted to abduct Neptune for you," Micah said, not meeting his eyes. "Neighbelle was able to short out his morpher, causing him to become confused and vulnerable to us. He attacked his team, even killing one of the boys... When we left, he was fatally wounded. Estos didn't make it through our portal in time, but we did escape with Neptune. Unfortunately, Neptune ultimately fled in his confused state, but his morpher is useless to him."

"I admire your attempt," Zell said instead of striking him dead for his failure. "It was a brave choice, however, I am not surprised you failed. Logan is no easy target. He possesses great power. Still, it seems the cursed morphers served their purpose." He paused. "Who did he kill?"

"The human boy," Neighbelle replied. "And he gravely wounded Vancello. He also attacked Alliandra, although I'm certain that did no real harm."

Zell reached out to check on the Ranger Guard's status. He could feel the morphers together in a sealed box. Excellent, he thought. If Logan's morpher was truly as damaged as Micah claimed, there was little chance of it ever functioning properly again. He was counting on that. After all, Stone was still alive. The last thing Zell wanted was to have to face Stone with even more power than he'd been born with. Stone was a formidable enough opponent without being a Power Ranger.

He realized quickly that Freddy was alive. "The boy lives," he mumbled. "I feel he perished, so one of the Mystics must have resurrected him after you left. Logan has returned to his friends, however, the damage is done. His confidence has been greatly shaken. This may yet prove to be a good thing for us."

As another portal opened, Hunter led several others into the house. Zell ticked them off in his mind. Maya, Damon, and Riley... Everyone except Kendall, he thought.

"Great Zell..." Hunter said respectfully.

"Rangers of the Flame! I am so pleased to see you have survived," Zell said.

"Felina saved us," Riley said. "But her and Miss Morgan didn't make it out with us. We're not sure if they're alive."

"We come bearing a gift!" Damon said, cheerfully changing the subject. He motioned toward an unconscious man.

"This is the other member of our old team," Maya explained. "Kai."

Zell smiled. "Well done, my dear! I fear we lost all of our captives when the base was destroyed."

As another portal opened, Zell heard, "Hello, Father."

He spun around and smiled pleasantly at Katherine. "Daughter! It does my heart good to see you. Were you hurt in the attack?" He asked.

"Not badly. I've mostly been laying low waiting to hear from you. I... I thought you might be..." She hesitated, showing the slightest bit of genuine emotion.

She cares, Zell thought in surprise. He'd been fairly certain Katherine was incapable of feeling genuine concern for others, but it seemed her time on Earth living the illusion he'd created had affected her more than he realized.

"It's alright, my dear," Zell said comfortingly. He pulled her into his arms, soothing her as he would a small child. He might view love as weakness, but he didn't mind that his daughter seemed to love him after all. He didn't love her, but he appreciated her loyalty and valued her as his heir. She wasn't Zordon, but she was still of value to him.

It truly is a shame my son lost his loyalty to me. Zordon made me very proud. He still has such potential, he thought. Zell was incapable of loving his children, but he was the most attached to Zordon. After all, the boy was his most powerful child, possibly only sharing that title with Anise, and more than that, he was Daphne's son. It truly annoyed Zell that he would have to kill the boy, but that wouldn't stop him from doing what he must. By taking a stand against him, Zordon had forced his hand.

The next portal that opened genuinely shocked Zell. As three men stepped through, he stared at them. "Maegus?" He finally acknowledged one of them in confusion.

"Hello, Zell," Maegus said pleasantly. "How have you been?"

Zell smiled then, a genuine grin as he realized who had returned to him. "I wasn't aware you, Grayzee, and Branz were on Earth. How incredibly wonderful it is to see you, my friends!"

"Great Zell!" Branz said cheerfully. "We knew you'd rise again! What a glorious reunion!"

"We remain loyal, Great Zell," Grayzee added humbly.

Zell was truly happy to have them back at his side, especially Maegus. For a time, Maegus had helped mentor him. He'd been a bit like an older brother to Zell when he was still quite young. Maegus made a dangerous enemy, but he was an incredible ally.

"Wait... You guys work for the Great Wizard?" Niko asked in surprise. "You never told us."

"You never asked, Lad!" Maegus said with a casual laugh.

"Besides," Branz added, "we really only saw you at parties. You threw some great ones, but that was hardly the time to bring it up."

"You do love a good party," Dezzanna said with a smile.

"Of course we do. Why do you think we let Vitti put us in a Chapter with Tinny and Hezzo?" Maegus asked with a laugh.

"Good times," Grayzee said.

"The best," Branz agreed.

"Does your Chapter know you've defected?" Phestian asked.

"Why so suspicious, Phes? Still miffed Hezz turned your house into an ice castle?" Branz asked lightly.

"Maybe he's still upset about the time Tinny stole Niko's girlfriend," Grayzee suggested.

"Now, now, don't feel bad, Lad," Maegus said to Niko. "Tinny's stolen women from the best of us."

Bax was smiling at this exchange. "Tinny is the man," he said. "And his parties are epic."

"That's actually why I was recruited to the original Alliance," Branz said with a laugh. "My old friend Zutan wanted to get into all the cool parties." He paused as he looked at Bax. "You know, you actually remind me of him a bit, Lad... Just more... weasel-like."

Zizi snorted, then looked at Bax apologetically. She cleared her throat, still laughing a bit and said, "Sorry, Bax."

"Zizi, Lass, come here and give me a kiss!" Maegus said.

Zizi indulged him, kissing his cheek and repeating the behavior with Branz and Grayzee. "It's good to see you, Zizi," Grayzee said. "I was so sorry to hear about Zydia." He gave her a tight hug.

Zizi tensed. "Great Zell..." She said after a moment. "Where are we?"

Zell realized she must have suddenly sensed the truth at the mention of her mother. "This is the former base of operations for the Stone Hollow Rebels," Zell admitted. "My apologies, Zizanyah. I did not think about how this place would affect you. That was insensitive of me. I should have warned you before bringing you here."

Zizi shrugged. "No big deal. Everyone knows my mother and I were not exactly close," Zizi replied. She seemed fine, but Zell could tell no matter what she said, it did upset her to be at the site of her mother's unfortunate demise.

Maegus put a comforting hand on Zizi's shoulder. He didn't say anything, but Zizi looked at him with obvious appreciation in her eyes.

They were interrupted as Jezzeff and Shaniece joined them. Bax tensed immediately and glared at Jezzeff. They were close friends once, Zell thought. Zutan must still be upset about the girl. He watched Bax subtly make his way closer to where Zizi had moved.

I suppose he feels the need to protect her after she saved his life, Zell thought. There was only one other possibility, but it didn't make sense. Surely Zizi wasn't Rosemary. The two were nothing alike. That girl had been gentle and naive. Zizi was neither. He was positive Bax had simply latched onto Zizi because she'd shown him kindness. Zutan would have done the same.

"Hello, Jezz," Katherine said flirtatiously.

Zell raised an eyebrow at that. He knew Jezzeff was quite charming, but he hadn't expected him to charm his own daughter. He trusted Jezzeff, but did that trust extend to allowing him to seduce Katherine? There are far worse choices of suitors, he thought. It was true that Jezzeff had murdered his wife Rosemary long ago, but he'd had reason to. Katherine was gloriously evil and would never try to stop Jezzeff from doing questionable things. She'd encourage them. He had no reason to harm her.

"Katherine," Jezzeff said pleasantly. "Lovely to see you again."

"When did you two meet?" Zell asked.

"I came across Katherine while everyone was trying to recover from the attack," Jezzeff explained. "She needed a bit of healing and I recognized that she was your daughter, so I offered to assist her."

"I see. Thank you for tending to her, my dear boy," Zell said with approval. He paused. "We still await three others..."

He was concerned. The Alchemist and the Warlock could be anywhere and would surely arrive when they were good and ready, but Felina should have returned as soon as he put out his message.

I fear she may be gravely injured, he thought. I must find her quickly. He tried feeling out for her energy but couldn't sense her. He was certain she was alive, but she was thoroughly hidden. Wherever Felina was, she must be in bad shape.

"Have any of you seen or heard from Felina?" He asked.

"Not since she helped us escape from the base," Hunter replied.

"No, Great Zell," Neighbelle said, feigning concern he knew she didn't feel. "Do you think something has happened to her?"

"She must be in bad shape, or she would be here," Zell said firmly. "Perhaps she found her way to the Alchemist and the Warlock... I expect them to arrive soon. If she is not with them, I shall go in search of her myself. Felina's safety is a top priority."

"What about the kids? Where are they?" Maya asked. "Did they make it out?" She looked genuinely worried, and Zell knew it was because Sharon looked so much like Kendrix.

I may have made a poor choice when it came to letting Sharon meet Maya... She may still be evil from the flames, but she is beginning to question her loyalty to me, Zell thought. He hoped he wouldn't need to put Maya down, but if she broke free from his control, he would have no choice.

"I can feel that Callie and Sharon survived. Unfortunately, I think the Rangers have them. We'll need to get them back as soon as possible," Zell replied.

"Will the Rangers hurt them?" Riley asked.

"Of course not. They're just kids. We're the evil ones," Damon reminded him.

"I'd worry more about Callie trying to slaughter them than the Rangers doing anything to her," Hunter added. "And Sharon's like a scared little mouse. They have no reason to hurt her."

"The children are safe for now," Zell said. "Now... I have fixed up an underground area for all of you. There are plenty of rooms. Go settle in. You may explore the property, but avoid the West end. It is in horrible condition and is unsafe." Zell didn't add that he'd trapped Liza in the tunnel beneath one of the severely damaged building over there. He didn't want anyone finding her. He looked at Shaniece. "Would you mind moving downstairs as well, my dear? When Felina returns, she may desire to stay in her old room."

"Of course," Shaniece replied. "It's no problem at all. I'll go gather my things." She excused herself.

"Great Zell... Who is that?" Jaybert asked.

"Ah, yes, of course. My apologies for not introducing her properly. That is Shaniece Campbell."

"Campbell?" Neighbelle asked in surprise.

"Indeed, Neighbelle... I have recruited one of Galaxia's descendants to the Alliance. She's the one who healed me."

"Great Zell, don't you think it's a bit odd one of the Campbells would join us? They're disgustingly bound by morals."

"Shaniece has proven herself to me, Neighbelle. Do not question her loyalties."

"But, Great Zell-"

"Enough. While the rest of you hid and ran for your lives, Shaniece nursed me back to health. Even as the restless spirits lurking on this land attacked me, she remained by my side."

"Spirits?" Bax asked. He looked at Zizi like he was worried she might be upset by this information.

"Yes... The foot soldiers who lost their lives here and at the Counsel Building were lingering, as well as some others who perished here. I absorbed many of them to regain my strength. I fear the dragon attack agitated an old injury I suffered long ago that was quite similar. I needed to consume their life force to sustain myself until I healed."

Zizi's face was unreadable as she asked, "Great Zell... Was my mother among the spirits here?"

"Yes, my dear. She was quite impressive, really. Had she still been alive, she would have made an excellent ally. Zydia fought honorably in defense of herself and even the other souls... Your mother was leading them as her own personal army of the dead. I think she was a bit bothered that I came here and took away her minions. She was most likely the one who flung two swords through my chest as I slept."

"Yeah, that does sound like my mother," Zizi admitted.

"She survived, Zizanyah. I believe Raffitty was here as well. They left together recently. I have not felt them here at all today."

Zizi nodded. "Thank you for telling me that. I may not have been close to my mother, but she was still my blood."

"Come on, Lass. I'll help you set up your room," Branz said pleasantly. He linked his arm through Zizi's and led her downstairs. The others followed them.

Left alone, Zell took a deep breath. It is all coming together, he thought. Still, he was worried. If he didn't find Felina, all might be lost.

She shall return to me, he thought. Felina is the only one of them who is completely loyal to me aside from perhaps Jezzeff. She would never betray me, and she knows I value her survival. She will fight to live until I can assist her. He closed his eyes, picturing her in his mind as he vowed, I'll find you, my dear, and our reunion shall be glorious.

THE ALCHEMIST
"Eva... It's time," the Warlock said softly.

The Alchemist was sitting beside their deepest secret. She ran a hand gently through his long blonde hair, knowing he was still too weak to awaken. "Soon," she promised him softly. "Your strength returns more every day. When the time is right, we shall release you, but only once it is safe."

"Eva... He's calling us back," the Warlock said more urgently. "If we take too long, he may become suspicious."

"It is hard for me to leave him here, Maizon," she replied. "He is still so vulnerable... And he looks so much like his father."

"I know, Eva," the Warlock said soothingly. "He is safe here. Our spells ensured that much the day he was attacked."

"If only Garron had known the true reason for our participation," she said with a sad laugh. "He would have been furious... But I couldn't leave him there, Maizon... Not him. Not the sweet, gentle boy we'd held when he was a helpless infant, before we became what we are now... Not a good man who should never have been targeted in the first place... Not his son."

"I felt the same. You know that. We did right by him, Eva," the Warlock said. "They all believe he is dead, even Zell. And now, we must continue our mission."

She sighed. "I know," she said. She stroked his long blonde hair again, hoping it comforted him in his comatose state. "Sleep well, sweet Rey," she added softly. "Eltar still has need of you, and you shall need your strength when you return."

Together, they headed out of the pocket realm where they had risked everything to hide Eltar's Prime Minister after the Rebellion had decided to murder him. He is Elgan's only son, the Alchemist thought. Protecting him is worth the risk.

They arrived at the base in Stone Hollow a short time later. "Eva Leigh, Maizon, thank goodness you have arrived safely," Zell said. He hesitated. "Is Felina with you?" He added with what seemed like genuine concern.

"She hasn't returned?" The Alchemist asked in surprise.

"No... Everyone else is accounted for. The others are here, aside from Callie and Sharon, who I believe the Rangers have abducted. We lost Estos at Marinessa's hands and Miss Morgan may have been saved by the Rangers, or she perished... I'm not certain. She was the last one known to have to seen Felina."

The Warlock looked at the Alchemist. She knew what he was thinking. Either Felina was dying or she had actually betrayed Zell. It seemed unthinkable, but the Alchemist kept the thought hidden anyway. Zell wasn't suspicious of Felina, and if she had decided to truly betray him, the Alchemist wouldn't sell her out. She was proud of the girl. It was about time.

"We'll help you find her," the Alchemist said. "If she's hurt, either of us can assist her."

"Thank you, my dear," Zell said. He wasn't suspicious of her offer, probably because he knew she tolerated Felina more than most of the other Alliance members. "Settle in quickly and then we will go in search of her."

"Yes, Great Zell," she replied. "Come, Warlock," she added, motioning for him to follow her.

When they reached the rooms they decided to claim for themselves, the Warlock looked at her. "Do you think she really did it?" He asked.

"If she didn't, she must be dead or dying," the Alchemist replied. "And if Felina has turned on him, things are going to get a lot more interesting around here."

SAKURA

She stood over the gigai in front of her. It was impressive and she was positive it would work well for what she intended. "Alright... It's time to bring you back to life... Sort of," she said.

The soul standing before her had made a lot of bad choices in his life. She knew most had been manipulated by Zell from the time he was a boy. She also knew he was not entirely evil.

Garron studied the gigai. "So... I will inhabit this shell?" He asked.

"For now. I know you are an important player in things, Garron. Zell went out of his way to control you and manipulate you from the day you were born. I know you have struggled because you want to do the right thing but he sends you down the wrong path again and again. I don't know if you can be trusted, but I'm taking a chance... And if you do anything that goes against what you're supposed to be doing, the Soul Society has control of your gigai. We'll be able to recall it and banish you back to your spirit form. Consider this to be a parole opportunity. If you prove you can be trusted, perhaps we'll bring you back for real, but until then, we will monitor everything you do."

He looked at her. "And, in this form, I will be able to help them?" He asked.

"Yes. If you make the right choices, you'll be able to help bring Zell down," Sakura promised.

"Sakura... I don't know if I can be trusted," Garron admitted.

"That's exactly why you're in this form. Don't worry."

"Many people would call you mad for allowing me to walk again... And for resurrecting Raffitty."

"Maybe I am... But I think a little bit of madness is exactly what you all need to win this fight. The Power Rangers, Chosen, and even Rebels have been playing by the rules and are losing because Zell makes his own rules. One of Zell's main advantages is he sees the future, and he's good at predicting what people will do. They need to do things he'll never see coming... Things he's positive are impossible."

"What else are you planning, Sakura?" Garron asked curiously.

She smiled at him mysteriously. "Something big. That's all you need to know. Now... Let's test this thing out." She helped Garron enter the gigai. Suddenly, he was looking at her in a form others could see. The gigai took on the appearance of his former body, as they tended to do. She smiled. "Not bad," she said. "How does it feel?"

Garron took a deep breath. "Almost like being alive," he said softly. He hesitated. "Sakura... Where will I hide? I don't want the Rebels to just come across me. It would shake a great many of them up."

"I'll keep you here in Japan for a bit. I can mask your energy so Zell doesn't detect you. Don't worry, Garron. I know what I'm doing," Sakura promised. "I did it for Felina, too."

"What do you mean?" Garron asked.

"Felina needs time to figure out where she stands on things. I hid her energy so Zell can't find her. He could be standing in front of her and wouldn't know it."

"Felina is loyal to Zell, no matter what. She always has been."

"She's standing at a precipice, Garron... And whatever choice she makes, she's going to determine the outcome of things. I decided she deserved a chance to consider her options in peace."

She helped Garron get used to being in his new form before leading him to a safe location. "I've got something very important to tend to... You can stay here, with Uryu. He'll make sure you don't get into trouble." She pointed to the Quincy.

"Uryu..." Garron repeated. "My name is Garron. It's nice to meet you." He looked at Sakura a bit skeptically. "Are you certain this teenager can keep me from causing problems?"

Uryu frowned at him, adjusting his glasses before calmly saying, "If you step even slightly out of line, I'll shoot you full of arrows before you can blink."

Garron raised an eyebrow at that. He had no doubt the boy was being quite literal. "Hmmm... Perhaps I was wrong to judge you, Young Man." He smiled in mild amusement. "He'll do," he added to Sakura.

Sakura nodded. "I'll leave you two to get to know each other," she said as she walked away. She knew if anyone wouldn't put up with any crap from Garron, it was Uryu. Confident he wouldn't be an issue, she went in search of Jushiro.

"Did you manage it?" She asked him when she found him.

Jushiro didn't look good. He was sickly at times in general, but now he looked more pale than she'd ever seen him before. "We found him," he replied. "And we did manage to recover enough of his energy to reform him." He coughed and a little bit of blood trickled out of his mouth.

"Jushiro, what did you do? I figured you'd ask for help, not do it yourself!" Sakura said in concern.

"The matter seemed quite urgent, Sakura, and there wasn't enough of him to risk moving him from the realm where we found him." He coughed more.

"I'm taking you to Squad Four. They can heal you. Where is he?"

Jushiro managed a small smile as he said, "Right here." He pointed to an unconscious soul. The soul was weak, but fully formed, which was better than what they'd initially thought was possible. She studied the soul carefully.

"He's exceptionally weak," she said, "but I think we can save him. You did well, Jushiro... Now, please get some rest. I'll bring you both to Captain Unohana so she can heal you."

She led Jushiro to Captain Unohana, who was one of the only people she could trust with the soul he'd rescued. She also carried the soul to her. "Oh, my..." Captain Unohana said as Jushiro collapsed at her feet. She sighed. "Isane, please bring Captain Ukitake to his usual bed."

"Of course, Captain," her lieutenant replied. She quickly moved Jushiro into a wheelchair and wheeled him down the hall.

"Will he be alright?" Sakura asked.

"He's done this to himself before, as you know. With rest and a bit of treatment, he will be fine. Now... This soul... Who, exactly, is he?" Captain Unohana asked.

"He's not from our world, or even from Earth. He comes from a planet called Eltar and is connected to the evil being I've been trying to counteract."

Captain Unohana considered this as she began to examine him. "He's quite weak... However, I believe, given time, I can help him grow strong. Do you intend to give him a gigai, or just to have his soul wander?"

"Actually... I'm sort of hoping to resurrect him."

Captain Unohana stared at her in surprise. "Sakura... That's going to be quite difficult. His soul is severely damaged. I suspect that, before Jushiro intervened, there was nothing left."

"You're correct... Which is why Zell won't see this coming. Captain Unohana, if we can pull this off, Zell's already deteriorating mental faculties may just shatter all together. If nothing else, it should pull the power he stole out of him."

"Why is that?"

"I believe Zell is losing his mind because when he stole power that was never meant to be his it literally began eating away at his sanity. This soul is that power's rightful owner."

"Who is he, Sakura?" Captain Unohana asked again.

"His name is Elgan... He's Zell's younger brother. Zell murdered him millennia ago in order to gain full control of the powers they were meant to share. Only a slither of Elgan remained, and recently, he gave up the last of his life force to help Pierce become stronger. I tested a theory that Elgan's energy still existed somewhere in the universe, and Jushiro was meant to find it... But he decided to try to fix him, pushing himself too far."

"Jushiro's kind heart would not allow him to do anything less. I'll ensure he recovers. As for the soul..." She sighed. "You are safe here, Elgan of Eltar... And if we can help you, we will. You have my word." She looked at Sakura. "Go on. Leave him to me. I'll let you know what his progress is."

"Thank you, Captain Unohana." Sakura excused herself. When she was alone, she paused to take in everything that had just happened. Garron was walking the Earth. Tegus had crossed over and was free from repeatedly reliving his death. Raffitty and Zydia were safe. And now, Elgan had been reformed. "Not a bad start," Sakura thought aloud. "I believe I've earned a nap." She would deal with visiting the people Raffitty wanted consulted before he would agree to return another day. She was exhausted and needed a little bit of time to recover from all of the work she'd been doing before she tried to bring him back anyway.

ZELL

Something was... Wrong. He couldn't explain what he was feeling or why it sent him into a frenzy, but suddenly, he was furious. He still hadn't been able to find Felina, which was frustrating and troubling. On top of that, whatever was bothering him seemed to be affecting his powers. He'd been misfiring all day.

He stepped into his newest energy tube, hoping to filter out some of the power that was overwhelming him. He'd only been inside it for a couple of minutes when it shattered.

"Great Zell? Is everything alright?" Jezzeff asked in alarm as he rushed into the room.

Zell stepped away from the shattered energy tube, banishing it in frustration. "I don't know," he admitted.

Jezzeff looked justifiably alarmed at that. "What happened here?" He asked.

"My energy seems to be too chaotic right now," Zell replied. "I was trying to balance myself out with the energy tube, but it shattered from the force of what is stirring within me."

Jezzeff frowned. "What could be causing this?" He asked.

"I'm really not certain, but I intend to figure it out as quickly as possible. This simply will not do." He managed to form some of the rogue energy into a ball and released it into the ground. The earth shook, but nothing else happened, and he felt a bit better. "I'm going to go somewhere to take some of my frustration out. Watch over things while I'm handling this. I am trusting you to deal with any emergencies. I'll be back in a bit."

"Of course, Great Zell," Jezzeff said humbly. He walked away.

Zell quickly headed to the West end of the property. He walked downstairs to the tunnel he'd trapped Liza in. She was still bloody from his first attack, but she didn't seem as bothered as he would have liked. "Hello, my dear..." he said in a dark tone.

Liza looked at him with bored eyes. She didn't respond. He immediately began torturing her. He needed to get a rise out of her... He needed to make her scream or beg for mercy. He beat her, cut her up, and played with her blood. He burned her. He choked her. He forced himself on her. Liza hardly reacted at all.

"Is that the best you can do?" She asked when he'd finished with her.

He glared at her. Liza rolled her eyes. "Look, my father was a sociopathic evil bastard whose favorite past times included torturing me, cutting me so he could use my blood for spells, and forcing me to perform sex magic and other inappropriate things so he could use my power for himself and my bitch of a step-monster. If you think I can't handle anything you can dish out, you're sadly mistaken," she informed him calmly.

He moved closer to her, ready to try once again to get a genuine reaction of fear from her. He hesitated before attacking her, feeling a bit twitchy as his water powers seemed to be struggling against him again.

"What's the matter, Zell? Can't get it up? Don't feel bad. I mean, you're, what, like a quadrillian years old? Lots of men have trouble in that area as they get old," Liza said. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. They make a pill for that, you know. It's blue, like you."

He slapped the vulgar girl across her face. Liza didn't so much as flinch. "Do you feel better now, Old Man?" She asked after a moment. She rolled her eyes again and sighed in an over-dramatic way. "This is going to get boring fast."

Zell had had enough. He punched Liza in the mouth. She spit blood in his face. He quickly wiped it off. "Serves you right, Fucker," she mumbled. He punched her again. Then, he ripped her free from the restraints on the cot he'd tied her to just so he could slam her head into a nearby wall a couple of times. Only when she stopped talking back did he realize she was unconscious. He threw her back onto the cot and restrained her again.

"I'll break you yet, you little bitch," he said harshly. It was extraordinarily rare that Zell uttered such vulgar words, but Liza Campbell was a special case. "And I'm going to enjoy every second of it."

He left the tunnel feeling calmer. He'd released enough energy as he tortured Liza that he no longer felt like he would misfire and destroy everyone in the Alliance. Whatever was wrong with him, it had passed for now. Satisfied, he cleaned himself up a bit before heading back to the main part of the base. He was ready to focus on the Alliance's mission of destroying Zordon, the Chosen, the Power Rangers, and everyone else who stood in his way.