Kali shivered as she passed through the tree opposite the Rock Porium. The air was much thinner and colder in the city than it was in the forest. She wrapped her arms around her torso, and run her hands up and down them.
"What happened to the Rock Porium?" Chip asked.
The music store stood in its usual place, but it was surrounded by railings and trash. The windows were boarded up and the usual colourful lettering was charred, greyed and covered in graffiti. Homeless people lingered on the steps; each one huddled against the walls and wrapped up in long coats, hats and scarves.
"Toby?" Vida asked.
Toby jumped and looked around at the mention of his name. He didn't look half as happy and excited as he had done that morning. Instead, he looked withdrawn, dull, shabby, and his curly hair was a lot wilder than usual.
"Hey, guys," Toby said, quietly. He was leaning on a shopping trolley full of trash. "I was worried about you. I thought that..." he trailed off as he spotted Kali and Nick. "Who are they?" he asked.
Kali cocked her head to the side. "Toby, it's us," she said. "Nick and Kali. We work for you."
"Work for me?" Toby repeated. He then started to shake his head. "The Rock Porium closed down months ago."
"What?" Maddie asked. "But, we were celebrating the first anniversary just this morning."
Toby stared at her, confused.
"Toby, what happened to the Rock Porium?" Vida asked. "What happened to all the colour?"
"Are you trying to mess with me?" Toby asked, tapping the side of his head. "You don't remember how the darkness took over? Four months ago."
Kali looked down the street, noticing how every shop, just like Toby's had been closed down. Guard rails covered most of the outside, while the inside was both boarded up and covered in graffiti or being used as shelters for the homeless people that were scattered around.
"Guys, something's happened," said Nick, drawing everyone's attention to him. "The world as we know it has changed. Four months ago is when Kali and I first came to Briarwood, and we became..." he trailed off as he caught Toby's gaze.
Kali sighed and nodded, realising what he was getting at. "This has got magic written all over it," she said. "This is what Imperious wanted Jenji for."
"Hey, guys, do you hear?" Toby asked, holding up a small musical device. "I got... music. I still have to listen to it, even though it's been banned."
"Banned music?" Chip repeated. "Toby, who banned it?"
Kali stiffened as a shiver run down her spine. "I think we're about to find out," she said, spotting a dark seal nearby. The gateway to the Underworld opened and a small cluster of Hidiacs appeared in the middle of the street.
Many people screamed and ran for cover. Toby tried to stuff the music box back into his pocket and backed away from his shopping cart. He struggled as Hidiacs grabbed his arms, and forced him to his knees, while another Hidiac took the music box and smashed it between his fingers.
"Hey, you can't do that!" Kali growled, pushing past her friends and catching the shoulder of the Hidiac. She swung him around and shoved him into the guard rail around the Rock Porium.
The other Hidiacs released Toby and turned to Kali. She stared at them, her fists clenched at her side. The Hidiacs stared at her, cocking their heads to the side and then pointing their staffs at her torso.
"Let's Ranger up," said Nick, pushing past the others and pulling Kali behind him. He reached for his Morpher but found nothing. He looked down in confusion, and then around at the others. They two were empty-handed.
"Our morphers?" Xander asked.
The Hidiacs growled and stormed forward, shoving past the team without so much as batting an eye. Kali felt Nick's hand on her wrist, while Chip squeezed her shoulder. She knew that they were trying to stop her from reacting.
"We'd better get to Root core," said Nick, quietly. He tugged Kali along behind him as he headed for the tree, only to stumble back into her as he collided with the trunk.
Kali squeaked as she stumbled against Nick's weight and then looked at the tree. "Are you okay?" she asked, setting him back up steadily.
"What's happened?" Nick asked, rubbing his head. He watched as Chip touched the tree, but the portal remained closed.
"We're going to have to go out of town," said Vida.
The others nodded and set off down the street. Nick turned to Kali as she lingered near the tree, her gaze sweeping around her, taking everything in and trying to understand it all.
"Come on," Nick said, taking her hand. "We'll figure this out."
Kali met his gaze and allowed him to lead her away.
~X~
Just like the city, the Mystic Forest was black and white. Like someone had taken a giant eraser and scrubbed the colour of the air. The only thing that seemed to retain any of its natural colour were the clouds above, but even they were unnatural. Usually, black and grey clouds meant a storm was brewing but there was no other evidence of rain, thunder and lightning.
The magical barrier between the worlds shimmered as the Rangers passed through it, and once on the other side, they headed in the familiar direction of their home base. However, what they found was nothing short of a dragon-shaped tree stump, and debris.
"What happened here?" Xander asked, lifting a corner piece of the Xenotome. The rest of it was scattered around the dragon's mouth, but none of it was salvageable.
"What happened here is what's happened everywhere," said Nick, kicking one of the brooms that lay at his feet.
Kali bit her lower lip and looked around, devastated. This was like a nightmare. Only, she wasn't sleeping.
"Get away from here!"
The team looked around quickly as an older woman appeared from behind the tree, brandishing a broom. She wore a black robe over her usual white one, and her hair was matted and dishevelled. Despite her appearance, the team recognised her immediately.
"Udonna," Kali whispered.
Udonna glanced in her direction. Her head cocked to the side before she shook her head, and shoved at them with a broom. "This is my home," she said. "Getaway."
"Udonna, don't you remember us?" Maddie asked. "You taught us everything we know, we're the Power Rangers. We're the Mystic Force."
"Liars," Udonna said. "The legendary ones never came. I waited for them, but they never came. Only the darkness."
Kali blinked back the tears that had started to appear in her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath as she stared at Udonna. Only an hour ago, this same woman was berating her and the others for getting lazy while in battle, and she couldn't help but feel guilty that her last conversation with the great sorceress had been an argument.
"There you are. I've been looking ever -"
The Rangers laughed nervously as Claire stumbled out of the woods and wrapped her arms around Udonna. She paused and stared at them, confusion and fear on her face.
"Who are you?" Claire demanded. "You better not try and harm us."
"Claire, we would never harm you," said Xander.
Claire's eyes widened. "You know my name?" she whispered. "You must be one of them."
"No, Claire," Kali started, shaking her head.
"No. I'm not one of them," Chip interrupted. "None of us are, believe me. We're your friends."
Kali took a step closer to Udonna and Claire, but the pair backed away from her, the fear that she could feel coming from them made her stomach churn. "You don't remember anything?" she asked. "Nothing from the last few hours? Nothing from the last four months?"
Claire clutched Udonna tighter and shook her head, staring at Kali. "Why are you doing this to us?" she asked, softly. "Can't you see we're scared enough?"
"I can," said Kali, nodding. "Claire, I know you're scared. We are, too. One minute everything was fine, and then the next..." she motioned to the surrounding area. "It's like this everywhere. Not just the Mystic Forest. Briarwood is cloaked in darkness, too."
"Then why are you asking us what happened?"
"Because we don't know what happened," said Kali. "I can't begin to explain, but I can venture a guess and say that this was Imperious' plan. He wanted you to forget us. He wanted everyone to forget us."
Vida cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean, Kali?" she asked.
"Well think about it," said Kali, turning to her friends. "What does every tyrant do when they're trying to defeat someone? They take away their hope." She looked back at Udonna and Claire. "Four months ago when a crack appeared in the gate; Udonna hoped that the legendary ones would show up and save the day - and she found us."
Claire shook her head. "No, no one came for us," she said, sadly. "The Legendary ones never came. We were all alone."
"We didn't come for you, Claire, because we were already here," said Kali. "Four months ago is when we all started to believe in Magic. But it's hard to believe in something that doesn't exist. Our magic was taken from us by Imperious' dark wish, and with no magic is hard to believe in anything, especially the hope for a brighter future."
The silence that followed was deafening. Claire stared at Kali as she hurried Udonna away from the team, leaving them beside the destroyed dragon. Kali squeezed her eyes shut tight and then turned to the others. She shook her head and started to walk away.
Sharing a look, the others hurried after her.
~X~
No one spoke as they walked. The only sound was the crunching of gravel and grass beneath their feet.
"Did you mean that?" Maddie asked, breaking the silence. "Did you mean it when you said that it is hard to hope for a brighter future?"
Kali shrugged. "Udonna and Claire have lived a life of magic," she said. "To them, there is no brighter future without it. Besides, you've all given up, too. You don't see a brighter future without your magic."
"And you do?" Xander asked.
"I don't know," said Kali. "All I do know is that four months ago something changed for me. I didn't just find my magic; I found a place that I felt I belonged. I found my true home, and now that's all been taken away. Look, I don't care about being a Power Ranger, but my magic is something that belongs to me. It's a part of who I am, and I want it back."
"We all do," said Maddie. "Why would you think that we wouldn't?"
Kali stopped and faced them. "I never said that," she defended. "I said that you've given up on believing there's a way out of this. With or without magic, there has to be away. We just have to find it."
"I can help you do that."
Kali spun around and found Koragg standing directly in front of her.
Koragg grunted and raised his sword above his head. He swung it down and stabbed it into the ground between himself and the black ranger. He scoffed as she stared at him, unflinching. "I see you still have that stubbornness that you had before," he said. "Good. You'll need it for what's to come."
"You're going to have to be a bit more specific," said Kali.
"Talk with me, and you'll understand."
Nick shook his head and stormed forward, brushing past Kali and tearing Koragg's sword out of the ground. "We don't talk," he said, raising the sword. "Not t-" he broke off as Kali wrapped her hands around his arm and forced it and the sword back to the ground. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"You know me, Nick, better than I know myself sometimes," said Kali. "We can't win this fight alone. All great warriors have to accept help, sometimes even from the most unlikely of places. We should listen to what he has to say."
Nick hesitated, glaring at Koragg.
"Give him back his sword," Kali whispered, resting her head on Nick's shoulder. "We don't have to trust him, we just have to listen."
Nick rolled his eyes and returned to sword to Koragg. The Knight Wolf placed it back behind his shield and watched as the others crowded around their friends. The red wizard was still tense, and staring at him with a lack of distrust, but he seemed to relax when the black witch squeezed him from behind.
"You first," said Vida, looking at Koragg.
"You must tell me what you know about what has happened," said Koragg.
Kali sighed in agitation. "Look, I'll tell you what I've told everyone else that has asked us - we don't know what has happened," she said. "All we can remember is Solaris Knight lost his Genie to Fightoe and 50 Below, and then everything went to hell."
"Of course," Koragg said, nodding. "Your knight lost his genie, and Imperious made him grant a wish that the Power Rangers never existed. Fightoe and 50 Below were the only Beasts to have survived your fights, this may be hard for you to believe, but they are as much my enemies as they are yours."
Chip scoffed. "Excuse me? Am I missing something?" he asked. "You and that mummy have been trying to turn us into vapour for months, and now you're saying that you don't like the new guys because they got rid of us?"
"Not because they did, but how they did it and how they tried to get rid of me," said Koragg. "But most of all, those two are planning to overthrow the Master."
"So, you want darkness to rule the world, but not if they don't do it nicely?" Nick asked.
Koragg snarled and surged forward. "Without honour, victory is meaningless," he growled. "It is the one thing in this world that no one can take from you. I would battle them myself, but my magic has also been taken from me."
"You said that you could help us get our magic back," said Kali. "Tell us how, and then we can put a stop to Fightoe and 50 Below once and for all."
Nick turned quickly to face his friend. "Would you stop and listen to yourself," he said. "Kali, you can't trust him!"
"She's right," said Xander. "What choice do we have? We know the outcome the way things are now. At least Koragg's way we still might have a fighting chance."
Nick sighed and folded his arms. He didn't understand how his friends, Kali especially, could just suddenly trust everything that Koragg was saying.
"What do you want us to do?" Maddie asked the Wolf Warrior.
"You must go to the Tribunal of Magic and ask them to reverse the wish," said Koragg, leading them deeper into the forest. "It's the only way."
"And you're going to take us to them?" Vida asked.
"The Tribunal resides in another dimension," Koragg explained. "I no longer have the magic to transport you. You'll have to go with him."
They turned a corner and stopped in front of a familiar beast.
"Far out!" Chip grinned. "Fireheart!"
The team laughed and started towards the dragon. He roared and blasted at the ground with his fire breath, stopping them in their tracks.
"He doesn't remember us," said Maddie, sadly. "We raised him from an egg."
"No, you didn't. You never found the egg," said Koragg, pushing past them. "I did. He's my dragon. Northrax Untham Sondor!" He snapped his fingers and Fireheart bowed his head. "He will take you now."
Nick brushed past Koragg and headed towards Fireheart. "Thanks," he muttered, as the dragon lowered his whole body onto the ground and allowed the team to climb up onto his flank.
"Go with honour," said Koragg, watching as Fireheart beat his wings and lifted into the air, carrying the six teenagers into the clouds.
~X~
Kali could feel the beat of Fireheart's wings beneath her as the dragon soared through the darkened skies. She took a deep breath of the cold air, feeling it tear at her insides like ice water in a lake.
"This is amazing!" Chip yelled over the airwaves. "Come on, you guys, you have to admit, this is one exciting adventure. Not knowing where we're going, not knowing when we're going to get there, not even knowing if we're going to return."
"Yeah, real exciting," Nick called back, although he didn't sound half as excited as Chip.
Kali gasped as a shiver run down her spine. "We got company," she said. She looked around, just as Fireheart swooped left as an energy ball rammed into his side. The others gasped and gripped his flank tighter.
Necrolai laughed as she swooped into view. "Going somewhere?" she asked.
"Hold on, guys!" Nick called as Fireheart dropped his altitude to avoid the Queen. But Necrolai kept up the pace.
Kali looked at Necrolai as she unleashed another blast of energy into the air around them. Fireheart roared as he was hit. She felt her anger flare as Necrolai's cackles echoed throughout the clouds.
"Gotcha now," said Necrolai, gearing up for another attack. Her eyes flashed purple and two blasts of energy soared towards the Rangers and Fireheart.
With a gasp, Kali held up her hand and felt the heat of the blasts against her palm. Then they were gone.
"What?!" Necrolai yelled.
"Whoa, Kali, what did you just do?" Vida asked, stunned.
Kali stared at her palm and shook her head. She didn't have magic. So how she able to still absorb the blast?
"Look!" Maddie yelled, pointing ahead of them. Necrolai was heading directly for them, an electrical energy ball in her hand. The sadistic gleam in her eyes told the Rangers they needed to be careful how the proceeded.
But Fireheart didn't slow down.
The dragon roared and blasted the hag with blast of bright energy. It slammed into Necrolai and knocked her off course, allowing Fireheart's wing to clip her on his way past.
Necrolai yelled as she fell from the skies. Disappearing into the forest below.
"Ha!" Kali laughed as the hag disappeared.
"Way to go, Fireheart!" Nick called.
"Hey, check it out!" Xander yelled, pointing once again in front of them.
The others looked around, half expecting to see Necrolai returning or at least another Beast from the depths rising to prevent them from leaving. Instead, they found a lightning storm amongst the dark clouds.
"Is this it?" Nick asked.
"I'd say so," said Chip.
"Everyone hang on," Nick called. "This could get a little bumpy."
Kali tightened her legs around Fireheart's flank and tugged her fingers under the scales of his back. She felt the wind and air batter her from all sides as the Dragon flew into the storm.
Fireheart roared and unleashed a second energy blast that ripped a hole through the sky. There was a collective gasp as the dragon carried the Rangers through, leaving their darkened world behind.
~X~
It was warmer in this dimension, Kali noticed. The skies were clear, clouded over, but bright and clear nonetheless, and instead of cities and people there were dunes for miles. But it wasn't the scenery that had her on edge; it was the atmosphere and the dead feeling it gave her inside.
"What is this place?" Vida asked.
"Uh, guys, I'm not so sure about this place anymore," said Chip, uncertainly. "I mean, I know I said it would be a great adventure and all that. But, I think we'd be better off going back to Briarwood."
Fireheart roared and took off. His great wings beating against the air and lifting him into the skies until he disappeared.
"There goes our way out of here," Nick groaned.
Still unsettled, Kali glanced at her friends and then started down the dune.
"Hey, where are you going?" Xander called.
"Look, we don't know where we are, but we know what we came here to do," Kali replied. She reached the bottom and looked up at the others. "Let's at least try and find this tribunal of magic. Or, you can stay here and wait for something to find you."
The others shared a look as Kali carried on walking.
"I think she's lost her mind," said Xander. "But... I'm going with her."
The others nodded their agreement and they set off after their friend.
As they walked, the sun beat down from high above. Sometimes it was cool, other times it was so hot that the team found it hard to breathe.
"Koragg could've at least warned us about this," said Vida. "We could've packed supplies."
"I don't think he planned on us being here that long," said Kali, removing her jacket and tying it around her waist.
Chip whined from the back. "I hope we get there soon," he said. "I have enough sand in my shoes to make my own private beach."
The group chuckled.
"He's got a point, though," said Xander. "You'd think they'd at least have some signs out here."
"Sure, something like, 'Secret Tribunal of Magic - three miles ahead'," said Vida, sarcastically.
The group laughed, again.
"Well, at least we would know if we were headed in the right direction," said Maddie.
Nick cocked his head to the side as he noticed Kali glancing around. "You okay?" he asked.
"I don't know," said Kali. "Something doesn't feel right."
"What do you mean?" Maddie asked.
Kali shook her head. "I think something is coming, but... I can't be sure," she said. "I've never felt anything like this before. It feels unnatural."
"Maybe it has something to do with that?" Chip asked, pointing at the rising sand ahead of them. The team looked up as a man materialised out of the grains, and turned to face them.
He didn't look like an ordinary man, however. He had long, stringy hair, a skull for a face, and a mask covering his mouth. His clothes looked old and worn, and the sword on his hip told them to be wary.
"Why have you come here, humans?" the man asked.
"That's none of your business," Nick started but stopped as Xander held him back.
"Let me deal with this," said Xander. "Hi -"
"Nope. No. No, not a chance," said Kali, pulling Xander back. "Plan Xander never works." She turned back to the man and noticed he was watching her carefully and curiously. "Look, we're here to get to the Tribunal of Magic, and you're here to stop us. So, why don't we skip all the civilities and get to the impending fight?"
The man laughed but nodded. "As you wish," he said.
All around the team, more and more undead men appeared and descended on them.
Kali looked around and then returned her attention to the man in front of her. He was still watching her, although now he was grinning. "I don't know what you find amusing," she said. "But this won't take long."
"You sound so -" the man cut off as Kali jumped over him and kicked him in the back. He stumbled forward as the others broke off to deal with the rest of the encroaching undead. Kali ducked as the man unsheathed his sword and swung it around, slicing through the air above her.
Tucking into a roll, Kali got back to her feet and kicked the blade aside as it swung around for a second time. She then kicked up and planted her other foot against the man's chest, propelling herself into a backflip as the man staggered towards the edge of the dune.
"You've got skills," the man said. "But they won't be enough."
"As long as they keep me alive until my friends are finished, I'm fine," said Kali. She blocked a punch from the man, and caught the second, twisting his hand behind his back. The man bent at the waist and tugged, pulling Kali over his shoulder.
She groaned and hit the sand on her back.
The man laughed and made to stomp on her, but missed as Kali rolled away.
"Nice try," said Kali, getting back to her feet.
The man smirked and rushed her. She blocked as he swung a punch at her, and gripped the front of his shirt with her other hand. He struggled to release himself and coughed as he hit the ground after Kali had swept his feet out from underneath him.
Kali met the man's eyes. He seemed almost familiar to her, but she couldn't place where she had seen them before.
"Impressive," the man said. He didn't sound hostile. "You can release me now. I won't hurt you."
"I've heard that one before," Kali said.
The man nodded and carefully reached across his chest. He touched her hand, his skin surprisingly smooth, and released her grip on him. "Unlike the others, I mean it," he said. Free from her clutches, he stood and stepped away as the others crowded around their friend.
"Are you okay?" Nick asked.
Kali nodded and stared at the man. "Who are you?" she asked.
The man smiled and tilted his head to the side. "Here. You deserve this," he said, reaching into his shirt pocket and taking out an old rusty key. He handed it to Kali. "Good luck." He turned away, paused and turned back. "My name is Halwyn." He then disappeared back into the sand.
Kali relaxed.
"What was that about?" Chip asked.
The others shook their heads as they stared at Kali.
"Did you know him?" Maddie asked.
"No. But I felt like I did," said Kali, shaking her head. She took a deep breath and held up the key. "So," she looked at her friends, "where to now?"
~X~
The group continued for hours. Each one speculating what the key was and where it could've leaded them. Chip seemed to be the most ecstatic about the possibilities, considering he hadn't stopped since they had received the key.
"Maybe it's a key to a treasure chest? Or, maybe it's a key to a castle, or it could be a key to a -"
"Door," Nick interrupted.
The team stopped as the spotted two doors head of them. One was white and the other black, but they looked to have just dropped out of the sky and stuck in the sand.
"That's odd," said Maddie, cocking head to the side.
"Well, this is interesting," said Vida, jogging over to the first door. She rounded it, disappeared for a second, and then reappeared on the other side. "Two doors in the middle of nowhere, both leading to nowhere."
Taking the key from Chip, Maddie approached the first door and slotted it into the lock. "Uh, sis?" she said, turning the handle and pulling the door open.
"One at a time. One at a time. Of all the days to be late. Where's my team?"
Vida laughed. "Guys, its Briarwood," she said, as Toby's face appeared on the other side of the door. "It's the Rock Porium. Even the colour's back. Guys, its home!"
"And it looks like Toby needs our help," said Chip. "What are we waiting for?"
"Wait. I know this sounds weird, and weirder coming from me," said Maddie, unsurely. "But that's home and safe. and I don't think it's the door for us."
The others hesitated.
Then, Xander nodded. "You're right. It doesn't sound like you," he said.
Kali rolled her eyes. "I agree with Maddie," she said. "We didn't come all this way just to give up now."
"But the Tribunal of Magic is giving us a way home," said Xander. "The colour has been restored, everything looks normal."
"Just because it looks normal doesn't mean that it is," said Kali.
"She's right," said Nick. "We came here to reverse the wish. If we go home now because we're scared or it's an easy way out, then we deserve to spend the rest of our lives without magic."
Vida glanced between her sister, Nick and Kali. "They're right," she agreed. "We didn't come all this way to take the easy way out."
Maddie nodded and closed the white door. It disappeared into the sand.
"Then our only choice is to go through this door," said Chip, pulling away from the group and approaching the black door. He opened it, revealing a swirling mass of black, green and white energy on the other side.
Xander sagged and turned to Nick. "What if it gets worse when we're on the other side?" he asked.
"Then it gets worse," said Nick, leading the way forward. He passed through the portal and disappeared.
Kali turned to Xander. "This is why we live in a world without magic now," she said. "Because we got scared. We can handle whatever is on the other side of that thing. With or without magic."
Xander run a hand over his face as he watched Kali disappear through the portal.
~X~
With a gasp, Kali opened her eyes and looked around. The place she had awoken in was serene and beautiful. Blue skies with white clouds travelled for as far as she could see, grassy green plains were all around her, and white columns had been erected to create two pedestals.
One pedestal housed the pool that they had come through, and the other had three steps leading up to individual pedestals. Each pedestal was draped in a different colour - black, red, and white. While silk ribbons hung from the rims.
The scene looked majestic enough to not be real.
"This is intense," said Chip, stepping out of the pool after the others.
"Where are we?" Maddie asked, looking around. "It's so beautiful here."
Kali brushed a strand of hair from her face and looked out towards the water, it looked clean and cool as it rippled in the light breeze. "Where is everybody?" she asked.
A shudder passed through the team as the air around them warmed up, and three figures appeared inside the marble hut opposite. They looked tall and imposing, and their intimidation only intensified as with each one.
"You are the first to get to the Tribunal of Magic in three centuries," said the white figure. She was the least intimidating figure.
"You are wasting our time and yours," the black figure added. His intimidation levels were off the charts.
"They have made it this far. They are entitled to be heard," said the red figure, quelling the sense of impending doom. "Speak," he added, addressing the team.
Xander pushed past everyone. "Hi, the name's Xander -" he started.
"Enough," the black figure interrupted. "We do not care for a name."
Kali chuckled as Xander's face fell. "At least someone's not afraid to put you in your place," she said.
Xander threw her a short glare as he turned to Nick. "Maybe you should handle this one," he suggested.
Nick took a deep breath and addressed the Tribunal. "Well, uh, to cut to the chase, there's this bad guy, Imperious, we stole our genie had made him grant him a wish. He wished that the Power Rangers never existed."
"You are the Power Rangers?" the white figure asked. She sounded impressed.
"Yeah. I'm yellow, he's red, and this is -" Chip broke off.
"Enough go home!" the black figure interrupted, again. "There is nothing we can do for you."
"Wait, wait a second," said Nick, loudly. "We were told that you could reverse a genie's wish."
"We can," the white figure confirmed.
"But we won't," the black figure said. "Go."
Maddie sighed and shook her head. "I don't believe this," she grumbled, turning away.
"Why?" Kali asked, drawing everyone's attention to her. Her gaze was locked on the figure in black. "Why won't you reverse the wish? I understand that you're the representative of dark magic here on the Tribunal, but that doesn't mean that you want dark magic to rule other dimensions."
"It matters not what I want," said the dark figure.
"No? Because from my perspective, it looks like you want the darkness to continue to rule," said Kali. "Here, you have a balance of power. You have both good, evil, and even a neutral party of magic. It's what makes this place so calm and beautiful. But in our world, we don't have that balance. Not anymore."
The black figure sighed as he studied Kali. "I don't care for a name," he said. "But what is yours?"
"Well that depends," said Kali. "Are you referring to my human name? Because that would be Kali Briar, or do you mean my birth name? In which case, it is Maeve Devine."
"Eithne's daughter?" the red figure asked. He turned to the black figure. "Your granddaughter?"
Kali stared, wide-eyed at the black figure.
"That's impossible," the black figure said. He looked Kali over from head-to-toe.
Tearing her gaze away from the black figure, Kali shook her head and continued addressing the rest of the Tribunal. "I didn't come here for a family reunion," she said. "I came here to reverse my father's wish, to restore magic, not only to us but to everyone that lost it - Udonna, Claire, even Koragg."
"You would return the dark magic of the wolf warrior?" the red figure asked. "Why?"
"Because magic doesn't discriminate," said Kali. "Magic just exists."
The white figure considered Kali for a few moments.
"I'm curious. Just how was your genie stolen?" the black figure asked.
"We had been in battle after battle," Nick answered. "We were tired. We asked Solaris Knight to use his Genie, and when he did, Jenji was captured."
"And who was responsible for this loss?" the black figure asked.
"No one was responsible," Nick yelled, storming down the path. "It just happened. Sometimes things just happen."
"It would serve you best not to raise your voice," said the red figure, calmly. "We are not the ones responsible for losing your genie."
"And what? You're saying we are?" Nick challenged.
Reaching Nick's side, Kali squeezed his hand and leaned in close. "Calm down," she whispered, soothingly. "We're not going to get anywhere by shouting at them. Remember what Joe used to say? The minute you raise your voice, you lose the argument."
Nick sighed and relaxed.
"I think it best we change the subject," the white figure said, looking to her companions. "Let's see. What would you do if we were to grant the reversal of the wish?"
"We would go back and fight the darkness, and restore the world to the way it was," said Maddie. "And there would be colour and laughter, and people could be free."
"And Toby would have his store back, and we'd all have music," Nick added.
"And Udonna would have Root core," Vida said.
"And we'd have our dragon back," said Xander.
"And I'd have my cape back," said Chip, quickly. He looked around at the others as they shot him disbelieving looks. "What? It may not mean much to you guys, but it does to me."
Kali shook her head and turned back to the Tribunal.
"What of you?" the black figure asked Kali. "What would you get out of this?"
Kali stared at him and then shrugged. "It matters not what I want," she said. "Only that others are safe and allowed to live their lives the way they want. Not the lives that someone dictates to them."
"They present a good case," said the White figure.
"We need to confer," said the red figure. He turned his back on the team as the other two met him in the centre of the marble hut. They spoke in low voices, and then returned to their places.
Kali felt Nick's hand tighten around her own. This was the moment of truth. Had they presented a good enough reason for the Tribunal to reverse Jenji's wish. Would they get their magic back? Or were they about to go home empty-handed?
"We admire the ability it took to get here," said the red figure. "We applaud the case you presented us. By the powers entrusted in us, we do not grant your request."
Kali felt her stomach drop.
"Go home."
~X~
The calm and serene landscape was replaced with the dark and cold scene of Briarwood. The Rock Porium was still covered in graffiti tags, and the railings still kept people out of the buildings.
Hidiacs still roamed the streets, corralling civilians and herding them away from the street, but many more lingered. Each of them looking terrified. Parents and their kids huddled together behind cars and near trash piles, babies cried and little children clung to their mothers and fathers.
"I don't believe it," Maddie whispered.
"All that way, and we failed," said Vida.
"I can't believe it is over," said Xander.
Kali turned to argue but stopped as a Hidiac caught her shoulder and hauled her away from the group. "Hey!" she yelled, shoving him off and then punching him in the face, resulting in several more Hidiacs to rush in and subdue her.
"Let her go!" Nick yelled, rushing to help. He stopped as more foot soldiers appeared, pushing him back towards the others and then herding them into the street. He struggled, twisting around to see where and what they were doing to his best friend.
As her friends were taken away, Kali panted and looked up at the Hidiacs as they pinned her to the floor. "This isn't over," she told them.
The Hidiac growled and lifted his axe into the air. He met Kali's gaze and grinned. "It is for you," he said, swinging the axe down.
To Be Continued...
