Kali looked up from her book and winced as Nick hit the ground on his back. He had been sparring with Daggeron for a little over half an hour, in a training exercise Udonna had called 'Bound Battle'. The logistics were the same as any sparring match, except for the rope binding the two fighters together.
"Sorry, young warrior, next time I'll take it easy on you," Daggeron teased.
"Don't even think about it," said Nick. He kicked up, knocking Daggeron back in surprise, and then jumped back to his feet and swung his wooden sword down.
Daggeron recovered quickly, blocking the blade and parrying Nick's next move with ease.
"Why doesn't he use his laser lamp?" Xander asked, leaning closer to Udonna.
"Only swords are permitted in a bound battle," said Udonna. "No magic. Daggeron is very skilled in this technique."
"Because I was taught by the best," Daggeron called. "Now Nick is going to be beaten - I mean, taught by the best."
Vida snickered from behind Kali.
"I see humility doesn't set in as one reaches middle age," Nick teased.
"Middle age?" Daggeron repeated, aghast.
Vida laughed.
"Nick's got this one wrapped up," said Vida.
"Oh, it's not over yet," said Xander, shaking his head and grinning.
Swinging his sword around, Nick knocked the blade against Daggeron's wrist making him release his grip and the sword twirled three times in the air before Nick reached out and grabbed it. He paused, and then tossed it back at Daggeron.
"Ah, you had him," Vida whined. "Don't give him his sword back."
Kali smiled and rolled her eyes. While Nick had always been a competitive sport, he also believed in a fair win. He was never the type of person that would take advantage of someone else's vulnerability to secure himself in the first place.
Once Daggeron had his sword back, Nick pulled his arm up and tugged the Knight forward; Daggeron stumbled and Nick turned, jumping between two tree branches and pulling Daggeron flush against the trunk, he hoisted himself back up and through the tree as Daggeron landed on the ground, on his back.
Nick grinned.
"Good job, Nick," Daggeron complimented as the others cheered. "You took me fair and square, and you did it with honour." He stabbed his sword into the ground and allowed Nick to pull him back to his feet.
"I just got lucky," said Nick, passing off the compliment.
"There's no luck here," said Daggeron, patting Nick on the shoulder. "Your skill is growing stronger. You have all improved."
"Thanks to you," said Maddie, smiling.
Kali looked up as Nick sat beside her, leaning over her shoulder to see the book she was reading. She had finished the book on the Ancient Mystics and was now reading about other magical hierarchies, like the Tribunal of Magic, for example.
"You were taught by the best, and so are we," said Chip. "Maybe one day we can be as good as Leanbow."
Udonna stiffened as she looked from Chip to Daggeron and back again. Kali noted that they both looked nervous and uncertain as they cast a glance towards the white Sorceress.
"I'm sorry, Udonna," Daggeron apologised. "I told Chip about your husband. He promised not to say a word."
"And I didn't..." said Chip.
"Until now," Kali muttered. "Not that it matters to me. I've known about Leanbow for months." She glanced up and met Udonna's gaze. "He's in the book you gave me. I didn't say anything because it's none of my business; I was waiting for you to broach the subject."
Xander looked around at Vida, Maddie and Nick, they were the only ones that didn't understand what was going on. "Does somebody want to fill us in?" he asked.
Udonna looked stonily up at Daggeron. She wasn't sure if any good could come of telling the Rangers everything about her life before the Great Battle.
"Udonna, he was a great man, a hero," said Daggeron. "Perhaps it's time they learned about him."
"Shouldn't that be Udonna's decision to make?" Kali asked, looking up at Daggeron. "I mean, it's her life that we're prying into, and as you've told me before, she's still haunted by memories of her past."
Udonna took a deep breath and turned, placing a hand on Kali's knee. "Daggeron is right," she said, softly. "It is time that we told you the whole story."
~X~
The last story that Udonna had told them had been about Catastros, and that story had caused more problems than it was worth, especially since Nick had become trapped in another dimension with the horse in question, and it had brought Koragg's suspicions of them to ahead.
Now, the story was about Udonna's life before the Great Battle. She had agreed to tell the team more about her husband, Leanbow, but only from the comforts and protection of Root core.
Upon their return, Kali stowed away her book inside her backpack and followed the others upstairs. She leaned against the doorframe, her arms folded across her stomach. Sitting all around the balcony, each one anticipating Udonna's next words, where the other Rangers, while Nick leaned against the tree beside her.
"Before the Great Battle, Leanbow and I lived happily with our baby," Udonna started. "His name was Bowen."
"Leanbow was my mentor," Daggeron said, drawing the Rangers attention to him.
"Leanbow wasn't a mentor to all the Mystic Knights, though, was he?" Kali asked. She already knew the answer to her question, but for the sake of her friends, she believed that Udonna or Daggeron was better suited to explain.
Daggeron met her gaze and shook his head. "No, there were other mentors," he said. "Alroy, Tieon, Merlock, Rune, and Saga were also mentors in their elements. You're mother, Kali, studied under Merlock, although originally we believed she would be taught by Tieon."
Kali caught the look of confusion on her friends' faces. "Tieon mentored students in the earth element," she answered. "My mother was a wood elf, so automatically they believed she would strive better with the element of Earth, but she didn't. So Merlock took her on and taught her the technique of wielding the darkness for good."
"And she was very good at it," said Udonna. "Very good indeed, and also a fast learner. She was moving through each level faster than anyone else in her class; so fast, to the point where she caught Leanbow's attention."
"That was never an easy feat," said Daggeron. "Leanbow had his standards that he required students to meet. Eithne was exceptional in her role as a wielder of darkness, it was why Leanbow chose her as the black Mystic."
Kali smiled. She had, of course, read the stories of Eithne in the history books, but there was something about being told of her mother's greatness as opposed to reading about them. It made her sound a lot more heroic.
"It was through Eithne that we learned about the impending battle," said Udonna. "She had grown so skilled in her art of detecting darkness, that she was able to warn us about the battle before it began. We started to evacuate woodland villages, but the darkness realised what we were doing and attacked sooner than expected."
"We fought them on all fronts," said Daggeron. "Leanbow fought bravely, but Morticon and his troops were too strong. We needed a plan, so Leanbow met with Niella, Eithne, and myself."
"He always did things his way," said Udonna, smiling softly.
"I remember, and it was always the honourable way," said Daggeron. "While Niella, Eithne, and I prepared for the finale battle, we were joined by someone that was once our friend."
Kali felt her hands tighten into fists. "Calindor," she growled.
Udonna and Daggeron nodded, sadly.
"He requested that Eithne sit the battle out," said Udonna. "He used you to try and get her to concede to his plan, but Eithne wasn't willing to just sit aside when her friends needed her."
"Starting to see that I am more my mother's daughter than my fathers," said Kali.
Udonna nodded, although there was a hint of sadness in her smile that left Kali feeling curious.
"But I thought Calindor was your enemy?" Chip asked, unsure.
"He is, and having once been a dear friend, it made the betrayal cut all the deeper," said Udonna. "When the battle was taken to the surface world, I knew the forces of darkness would be after our child. Bowen, born of magical blood, would have the power and the potential to stop their evil domination."
"How did you manage to get him out of the Mystic Forest?" Kali asked.
Udonna turned to Daggeron. "It was decided, during the meeting with Leanbow, that Daggeron would leave with both Bowen and you, to protect you."
"Why Kali?" Maddie asked.
"Because of her potential for darkness," said Udonna.
Kali felt everyone's attention on her but avoided meeting their gaze, instead she focused her full attention on Udonna. Her stomach churned in anticipation, as she waited to hear what Udonna would say next.
"Eithne had known, for a long time, that the legacy of the Hellhound was never meant for her," said Udonna, her gaze locked with Kali's. "We knew, from the moment you were born, that you would one day grow into the legendary keeper of souls."
Kali tore her gaze away and swallowed hard. "That's why Calindor didn't want Eithne anywhere near the battle," she said, quietly. "He wanted her with me, somewhere where he could find us after the battle was over. If the forces of darkness had won, then they would've had a powerful ally on their side, and if they had still lost, at least he could raise me the way he intended me to be raised."
Udonna nodded.
"So, I was sent with Daggeron and Bowen?" Kali asked.
"Initially, yes," Daggeron said. "We had our reservations about sending both you and Bowen to the same safe zone. We wanted to keep you both safe, but keeping you together would've proved difficult if the safe zone was invaded. So, we decided to split you up. Eithne called on her brother, Halwyn, for help."
Kali perked up and looked around at Daggeron. "Did you just say Halwyn?" she repeated.
Daggeron nodded.
"You mean the guy from the Tribunal dimension?" Nick asked, looking at Kali.
"It's the only Halwyn I know," said Kali, still staring at Daggeron.
Xander looked across at Kali. "You said that he looked familiar to you," he said. "Maybe subconsciously you remembered him from long ago?"
"Maybe," Kali murmured, looking away again. She was starting to feel uncomfortable. She'd always hated when her life was exposed to the world, and while she'd never been a private person in certain areas of her life, her history was one thing that she preferred to keep under wraps.
"As Halwyn and I left... we were attacked by Calindor," Daggeron continued, his gaze flickering away from Kali. While her father may have been his greatest enemy, he had never once saw fit to treat her any different to the other Rangers. She had proved that she was nothing like him, even now after he had embraced the darkness.
"Was he looking for Kali?" Maddie asked.
"And Bowen," said Daggeron. "He wanted them both. The darkness gave Calindor magic that was beyond the scope of my training, but Halwyn managed to hold him off. He sacrificed himself to protect Bowen and Maeve, but it didn't stop Calindor for long. In the end, our magic collided and we were both cursed."
"What happened to Bowen and Kali?" Xander asked. "How did they survive? How did Kali end up in the human world, and with a new identity?"
"We now know that Phineas found Bowen and Meave," Daggeron answered. "He brought them both to the safety of the human world."
Udonna turned and smiled at Kali. "You being here, alone and without Bowen, proves that Phineas had the sense to separate you both from one another, just as we had planned," she said.
"So, your son is alive? Somewhere," Maddie asked.
"Yes, somewhere," Udonna said. "Leanbow led the fight and banished the armies of the Darkness to the Underworld. He had Niella seal the gate, but before she could, Eithne used the last of her strength to sneak inside. We don't know what happened to her, but we can only guess that she perished alongside Leanbow."
Kali heaved a heavy sigh as Udonna looked from one ranger to the next, before finally coming to a stop on her. Udonna hadn't been the only person to lose everything nineteen-years-ago.
"Leanbow, Niella, and Eithne gave their lives to save us all," said Udonna.
"How many Mystic's survived?" Kali asked. She had asked this question before, but the conversation had been cut short due to the circumstances at the time.
Udonna looked conflicted. "Alroy, Rune, and Saga were the only mentors that survived," she said. "Calindor conveyed to you last time you fought that he killed Merlock; and Tieon died protecting the Woodland villages. The rest of the Mystics and the Knights also gave their lives."
"So the darkness didn't win," said Kali, "but they did massacre everyone else?"
Nick placed a comforting hand on Kali's shoulder and squeezed.
"Their sacrifices will not be in vain," said Xander, standing from the balcony ledge.
"They will be remembered," Vida agreed, joining her friend.
Chip nodded. "We'll never stop fighting until there's peace in both worlds," he said.
Kali whipped around as Nick's hand slid from her shoulder and a cry of pain escaped his lips. She found him hunched against the tree trunk, clutching his head. "Nick!" she said, wrapping one hand around his wrist and the other rubbing soothing circles into his back.
Nick panted and looked up, briefly meeting her gaze before looking around at the others. "Koragg wants to fight," he said.
"We are ready," said Daggeron.
"No, not you, Daggeron," said Nick, shaking his head. "You are to meet with Imperious - separately - to finish off an old battle."
"This is surely a trap," said Udonna, looking uncertain.
"We're still going," said Maddie, standing behind the others. "It's time for payback."
Kali smirked. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you," she said, looking up and meeting Udonna's gaze. "But I'm ready for this."
"As am I," Daggeron agreed.
~X~
Koragg had appeared in the park downtown and was already waiting for the team to arrive. He turned to the sound of their approaching footsteps and greeted them calmly.
"All right, what do you want?" Nick asked.
"Your legend warrior powers," Koragg replied.
Xander scoffed. "You must be joking?" he asked.
"What makes you think that we would just hand them over, Koragg?" Kali asked. "You must be delusional if you had ever considered that."
"Then I guess I'll just have to take it from you."
"Try it," said Nick. "Ready?"
"Ready!"
"Legendary Source, Mystic Force!"
Galwit Mysto Neramax!
"Excellent," Koragg said, wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his sword. "Your new magic is strong. That's why I must have it."
Rolling her lion staff between her hands, Kali rushed at Koragg, followed closely by the others. They each landed a blow, but the damage was few and far between given Koragg's armour. Jumping back, to avoid Koragg's blade, Kali and Nick ducked under Chip and Xander as they both rushed in for a second attack.
Both boys were dealt with effectively and tossed aside leaving Koragg to look around for another opponent.
"Up here!"
Koragg looked up as Nick and Kali leapt into the air, each one wielding their lion staffs above their head, before slamming them down on his shoulder pads as they landed either side of him. He stumbled back at the force of the impacts and tightened his grip on his sword as he glared at the pair. He had learned a long time ago that they were a formidable force when together.
"Give me your legend warrior power," Koragg demanded, pointing the tip of his blade at the team. "The master will grant you a place at his side."
"I'm pretty sure that I was born for that position," said Kali. "I didn't want it then and I don't want it now. The answer is still no!"
"We only use our magic for good," said Xander.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Let's show him, Rangers!" said Nick. "Code One. Firestorm!" He leapt into the air and spun the dial on his lion staff, unleashing a firey storm of flames that showered down on Koragg.
Without stopping, Nick hit the ground running, and wielded his staff around as he headed directly for the Knight Wolf. He stopped within at least a foot of Koragg as Kali's cries reached his ears. He turned and saw her on her knees, clutching her lion staff for support as the others crowded around her.
"Kali!" Nick called, returning to her side. "What is it?"
"Something's wrong," Kali whispered. Her voice was thick and it sounded like she was gasping for breath. "Something's coming. Something bad..."
Xander looked around, his heart pounding as he spotted a black shimmer appear behind Koragg. "What is that?" he asked, as the shimmer materialised into the form of a creature. It was like nothing he had ever seen.
The creature had three faces, and each face had its own voice - one deep, growling, one high and shrieking, and the third was low and, oddly, calm - its legs were covered in armoured feathers and it had horns sticking out of its' shoulders.
"Imperious, you've cast a forbidden spell," said Koragg, looking at the creature.
"You're all mine, Rangers!" the creature hissed.
"Man, that's one ugly monster," said Nick, standing up. He stepped in front of Kali, and the others did the same. "Come on, guys."
"What about her?" Xander asked, nodding at Kali.
Kali shook her head and tried to stand, her breathing was still heavy and her legs gave out from underneath her. Whatever this creature was made of, it was harming her abilities.
"Woah, Kali, stay down," said Nick. "You're in no condition to fight. We got this."
"But I -" Kali started to argue.
Nick shook his head and forcefully pushed Kali back onto the floor. "You know I'd never purposefully pull rank on you," he said. "But I don't want you to get hurt. Stay down, we got this."
Sighing heavily, Kali nodded.
The others turned back to the monster and Koragg, each one gripping their lion staff more tightly. If this creature could have such an effect on one of their strongest fighters, then he had to be bad news.
"Code One!" Nick said, spinning the dial a second time and fired a second flurry of fire at the monster. It hit him square in the chest, but here merely bounced the flames back.
The team cried out as they were thrown off their feet and landed in a cluster on the floor.
"That didn't make a dent!" Chip said, looking up at the monster.
"Kali?" Nick groaned, looking around for his best friend. She lay not that far away, clutching her stomach and chest as she curled into a fetal position, her lion staff laying uselessly beside her.
"It looks like we're in trouble," said Maddie.
Koragg stood and bypassed the monster, standing between him and the Rangers. He wanted them destroyed, yes, but there was a time and a way of doing it, and cheating like this wasn't it.
"Out of my way," the monster hissed.
Koragg refused to budge. His gaze lingering on the fallen rangers, especially the black ranger. Her abilities as a Hellhound meant that she was the keeper of souls, especially souls that had yet to pass between the worlds, the souls that were trapped in between dimensions. Whenever they were disturbed, like they were now, the Hellhound would react badly to the interference, almost like it had been attacked personally.
"Send them to the Underworld," the monster demanded.
Despite his desire to fight fairly, Koragg raised his hand toward the Rangers and summoned a dark seal around them. The team tried to move but found that they were trapped by an invisible force.
"What's happening?" Nick asked, struggling for release.
"It's a spell!" said Maddie.
"We're sinking!" Chip panicked.
The last thing Kali saw before her vision blackened, was Koragg and the monster watching them from afar.
~X~
Kali wasn't sure how much time had passed since she had blacked out. All she could remember was being in battle with Koragg and then watching her friends get their asses handed to them by a messed up looking monster, she had fallen unconscious not long after.
The light beyond her eyes wasn't as bright as it had been in the park, it was dark, and if she was honest, it felt oddly calming, especially considering the pounding headache she had. The blood pounded in her ears and she had an odd taste in her mouth.
"Thank you for bringing my daughter back to me, Rangers," said Imperious, and Kali jerked her eyes open, taking in the scene before her. She was curled up in the corner of an underground cavern, above her was a honeycomb of cells, each one contained a series of Hidiacs, whereas Imperious, Necrolai and -
"LeeLee?" Kali snapped, recognising the blonde standing alongside the Vampire Queen.
LeeLee turned and smirked at Kali. "Oh, look who's awake," she said. "I guess we had more in common than you cared to admit, huh?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Kali spat. "I am nothing like you. You're a vain, self-centred, insignificant little insect compared to me."
LeeLee's eyes filled with rage and she started towards Kali, stopping only as Imperious cut across her with his staff. He shoved LeeLee aside and grabbed Kali by the scruff of her neck, half-carrying, half-dragging her into the centre of the chamber.
"The Hellhound returns, as promised," said Imperious, tossing Kali onto the floor. She groaned and looked up at the others as they were restrained by Hidiacs around the cavern wall. She met Nick's gaze and sighed. At least he was still alive, even if only for the moment.
Tearing her gaze away from her friends, Kali turned to look over her shoulder at Imperious. She carefully pushed herself into a sitting position and glared up at the man that was supposed to be her father. "You're not getting anything from us," she swore.
"My dear child," Imperious laughed. "The power is not for me. It's for the Master."
Kali glanced at the circle beside her. When Imperious had thrown her down beside it, she had thought it had flickered red but had chopped it up to the lighting in the cavern, and the rush of blood to her head, but now that she was right beside it, she could tell that wasn't a figment of her imagination.
The red light that was now emitting from the circle was enough to make Kali scramble away, her eyes wide as she stared at the giant eye that appeared, looking out into the cavern. She wasn't sure if it could see her, it looked like it could only see up, but the Master had been described as the all-seeing, all-knowing, so she wasn't entirely confident.
"That's the thing Leanbow and Eithne gave their lives to defeat," said Nick.
"Leanbow?"
Kali looked around as she spotted Koragg nearby. He had turned away from the commotion in the cavern, and looked lost and confused, almost like he didn't belong there.
"Silence!" Imperious hissed. "That name is not spoken here. Now, you will give the Master the power he needs to rise and conquer!" He tugged his fan in a circle motion, and two bright red sparks erupted from the circle. One hit the high ceiling and fizzled out, while the second collided with Kali.
Kali hunched over and gasped.
"Kali!" Nick called, struggling against the Hidiacs that held him. "Stop! What are you doing to her?!"
"The Hellhound is also a guardian," said Imperious. "It will be less forthcoming in parting with its powers. I'm just... helping it along, I guess you could say."
The Rangers watched as Kali seized up, her eyes squeezed tight as a flicker of pain crossed her face. Then, a transparent bubble of black magic expelled itself from her chest and ran straight into the circle containing the Master.
"Look!" Maddie gasped. Her gaze had flickered from Kali and was now resting on Chip, he was stationed the furthest away from her, and another transparent bubble, this time in yellow, was charting a course from Chip's chest and into the Master's eye.
Chip groaned as he felt his magic drain out of his body.
One by one, the other Rangers felt the same weakness wash over them from head-to-toe, as Imperious syphoned their magical abilities and emptied them straight into his Master.
"The Master will soon rise," Imperious yelled, joyously.
Koragg looked around the cavern. He could both see and feel the Rangers agony as they were drained of their magic, but what irritated him the most was the fact that they could not defend themselves.
"Imperious, stop!" Koragg yelled, turning on the spot and facing the Mummy. "There is no honour in this defeat."
"Enough of that foolish babbling," Imperious shouted. "This is our day of victory! This is the end of the Mystic Force and the return of the Master's most powerful accomplice."
Kali swallowed hard as the pain inside her increased the more her magic decreased. She had been born magical, not human. How much magic could she withstand losing before she was destroyed herself?
"Stop!"
Through the haze, Kali looked up at the sound of a familiar yell. Udonna landed beside the Master's eye and swung her wand down at the circle. There was a flash of light, followed by a loud bang, and then the draining stopped.
"Udonna!" Maddie gasped.
Satisfied that her students were not in immediate danger, Udonna spun around to face Imperious, but he merely slapped her wand from her grasp and knocked her to the floor.
"How touching," Imperious sneered. "The Sorceress comes to save her little Rangers. Now you'll feel the wrath of the Master." He thrust his fan at Udonna, and a beam of red lightning-ignited from the Master's eye wound itself around Udonna and lifted her into the air.
Kali struggled to stand. She had to help, somehow, but she didn't have the energy to do anything but watch, helplessly, as her teacher was attacked by a being that no one had yet to see.
"UDONNA!"
Koragg's roar shook the entire cavern.
Kali looked around, just in time to see the Knight Wolf shoves Imperious aside, and leapt at the White Sorceress, he raised his sword into the air, and for a brief moment Kali thought he was going to strike Udonna with it; instead, Koragg sliced through the master's attack, releasing Udonna from his hold.
The forcefield around the others disappeared, and they staggered at the sudden release. A split second later, Nick had shoved off the Hidiacs and crossed the room, pulling Kali into his arms as she stared at the figure that had once been Koragg.
Instead of the purple-armoured Knight Wolf that had been trying to destroy them for the last year, now stood a figure that she had only read about in the Ancient Mystic History books.
"No, it cannot be," Imperious breathed, his eyes wide in surprise.
With a flash, the ancient mystic armour disappeared, and a ruggedly handsome man turned to face the team.
"Who's that?" Xander asked.
"Leanbow," Kali whispered
