Occult Redemption: Costly Resurrection
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the author created characters and concepts. Thanks to Ranger Red 2.3, Mistycharming and SA June for their OC's used in this fic.
"Remember What?" Sera asked as she looked at the red ranger on his knees.
"It's happened again… First I lose you, then I get you back, over and over again but you don't remember any of it…" Joe mumbled as Saya stepped toward him, squatting down beside the leader.
"Joe, are you alright?" She asked, her friend promptly shaking his head as he stood up.
"No, I don't know how I feel right now. I have Sera back, so I should be happy, but she doesn't remember. I want answers and there's only one man who can give them to me." Joe explained as Saya stood up once more, worried that Joe might do something irrational once again. "Michael! Come out already, I know you're here, I doubt you'd miss this. Tell me what I want to know!" He demanded, shouting to the sky.
As the other rangers exchanged worried glances, Sera stepped forward. "I'm sorry to say that Lord Michael isn't here. He never told me about coming to watch me today." She explained as Nyssa shut her eyes for a moment before giving a nod.
"She's right, if Michael was close enough to hear all this, I'd be able to sense his aura. He isn't here Joe." She confirmed.
As the Fallen Angel finished speaking, a familiar form of Celestial energy began to spontaneously build up behind her, forming into an aura sigil. As it completed, the form of the Archangel Michael emerged and stepped forward.
Nyssa gave a sigh and looked to Joe. "You know you probably won't get answers from him anyway. From what I know, Archangels only do things when it suits them and that fake smile they all have on really pisses me off." She said without thinking while the subject of her words stood behind her.
Ellie gave out a laugh as she looked at the scene before her. "Hate to break it to you but Mr. Tall Golden and Smiley is right behind you."
Nyssa cautiously turned around to see that the Archangel was indeed stood behind her. A look of instant regret came across her face as she looked at Michael.
"We meet again rangers. I'll overlook that comment, given what I've come to speak with you about." He greeted as the black ranger backed away from the Archangel. "This place is somewhat in the open though, please follow me, I recently acquired a place where we can speak safely." He added, turning and beginning to walk before halting and turning back to the group. "Ah, I almost forgot, the humans around here would be terrified if they saw an Archangel walking around their streets, one moment please." Michael said to them as he placed his hands together and began to channel his Celestial energy.
In a sudden flash of light, the rangers were momentarily blinded. As it subsided, the heavenly appearance that Michael always bore had disappeared, now the Archangel wore a white office shirt with a dark set of pants. Every trace of his true nature had been obscured by the magic he used and he now gave off the appearance of an average office worker.
"So do you think this will suffice for walking around these streets?" He asked as the rangers looked at the now seemingly normal man before them.
Each of them looked surprised as Saya spoke up. "Yes, weirdly enough. You almost look like you were built for a desk job to be honest. It's hard to believe that you're an Archangel when you take that form. You said you had answers for us, and more importantly for Joe."
"That's why it's called Illusion magic, it's something I was quite proficient at in another time, I'm glad it still benefits me today. Come along, we have much to discuss."
[Occult Circle]
Entering the command room of the Blackspire within the cursed realm, the recently defeated Fallen Angel wore a scowl upon her face. As Gomory looked around the room, she found no sign of the other Generals and Skuros sat seemingly alone upon his throne.
As Gomory stormed up to her superior, he turned his head to acknowledge her. "I take it that our plans were foiled once again?" He deduced from the expression she wore.
"I was so close to getting Nyssie back! Then that kid just had to ruin it! I'll crush that Angel for this." She growled as she began to pace up and down the room plotting her revenge.
"An Angel was involved? Explain what happened Gomory." Skuros responded, curious as to the rantings of his General.
"I let the Chimera loose on them and it worked just like you said it would. I nearly had her and the rangers nearly died, but then that Angel came. She stood in front of the Chimera and transformed into a Power Ranger, then she wiped the chimera out. Gah! She'll pay for ruining my fun like that!" Gomory explained as her anger built up further.
"So, an Angel has joined them, finally those white winged cowards are daring to face my wrath. I'll teach them to defy my claim to this world. Nikolai, come down from your roost, I require your services." The Dark Angel called toward the ceiling as a large black bat with red eyes flapped down to the ground before transforming into Nikolai's human form, which now knelt before the cult leader.
"What can I help you with, Lord Skuros?" The Vampire asked as he gave an impish grin.
"Do you recall the object I asked you to retrieve to prove your loyalty to me, the dagger imbued with a curse?" He asked, Nikolai nodding firmly. "A weapon with a curse that is passed onto any who are struck by it, such as the one you retrieved, is the only type of weapon that can deal with an Angel without killing them."
"If I remember correctly, the curse it contains corrupts the heart of whoever is struck by it. You want to make her become a Fallen Angel by darkening her heart and letting her do the rest. Devious but I like the idea" Nikolai chuckled as he deducted Skuros' intentions.
"What!? I won't let a stuck up Angel like her turn into one of us!" Gomory screamed in outrage.
"Calm yourself Gomory. At this point in time, she is protected by the Celestial energies running through her, even if she was destroyed, someone of her importance could easily be resurrected again. If she were to fall however, the Celestial energy would abandon her. From there, what you may do to her is entirely up to you, I won't concern myself with problems that have already been dealt with." Skuros elaborated, calming the General as a wicked grin formed upon her face.
"I'll start planning exactly what I'm going to do, I might need to write some of this down now that I think about it." Gomory laughed as she left to begin devising her revenge.
"Your servants are quite unique Lord Skuros. I'll take the cursed blade immediately and hunt down the Angel. It shouldn't be hard to accomplish. Besides, it does seem to converge with my pre-planned visit to the human world. I will return soon." Nikolai added as he rose and departed to enact the blow against the Occult rangers.
[Occult Circle]
Finally arriving at their destination, the Occult rangers had been led to a quiet apartment complex within the city and now presided in a nicely furnished two bedroomed apartment. The lounge had enough seats for everyone present and the decoration appeared to be well thought out.
"Huh, never thought an Angel would live somewhere nice like this. I thought you'd just perch on top of the old church or something." Ellie joked as they looked around the room.
"Well despite my nature, I do have a fascination with humans and some of their desires. I ended up taking up the hobby of interior design near the end of the last century." He calmly explained.
"Huh, whod've thought an Archangel would be into things like that?" Max asked, stifling a laugh at how ridiculous it seemed for Michael to have such a hobby.
"Your strange pastimes aside, you said you had answers for us." Saya interjected before the conversation diverged any further.
"Ah yes. Fist of all, I'll discuss Sera's transformation into a Power Ranger. You see, the Occult rings were officially sanctioned by the major realms, including mine. Their purpose was to deal with any supernatural issue stemming from the Underworld or any related realms. Unfortunately, after their last use, the rings were scattered for centuries and all of them were gathered together only a short time before the cult's first attack. In their absence, other supernatural factions decided to create their own individual rings to compensate for this, though their bearers worked alone and proved ineffective. Their purpose eventually changed, some even falling into disuse." Michael explained to them, pausing to rest momentarily.
"So there's other rings out there with power like ours? If we had all of them with us, taking out the cult would be a cakewalk." Max suggested, wondering what might be possible if they were to gather the additional rings.
"That said, Sera's ring was created by the High Heavens but hasn't been used until now. It acts an amplifier for her Celestial energy, creating the ranger suit from the very power running through her. As you know, she is a trainee Guardian Angel, I did this so that she may join you in your fight. While the High Heavens can't directly intervene with the human world, a Guardian assigned with protecting someone however can intervene if it keeps their assignment safe. That's why I gave her your case Joe, though as a trainee, she needs a Higher Angel to watch her. That's my role and why we're here, this will be my abode for the foreseeable future." He elaborated on the situation as joe scratched his chin.
"Didn't you say that there was a huge debate going on up there and you couldn't watch us though, that's why you weren't there to stop me back then." Joe asked, suspicious as to why Michael was involving himself to a greater extent now.
"Correct, there was a debate, that fell through when a certain faction voiced their questionable opinion, essentially voicing similar goals to the Abyssal Cult. Not to worry though, that's being taken care of by one of my Archangel brothers, so it shouldn't be anything to be concerned about. After that, the rest of the Angelic factions finally came to a unanimous decision, we're not to directly intervene with the cult unless we're given no choice. Our warriors will still deploy if they try to directly invade the Earth however." Michael finished, standing up and walking over to the window overlooking the street below.
"Alright, I've listened to everything you've said, about the rings, about Sera's role. Now I want real answers. Why can't she remember? Why did you lie when you said you couldn't do anything?" Joe stated his demands as the Archangel's features hardened.
Michael turned his head to Sera before taking a deep breath in. "Sera, could you please go to your room? I would rather you not hear this."
Sera gave a nod and rose from where she sat. "If you wish, Lord Michael." the young Angel complied as she headed into the smaller bedroom and shut the door.
Once she had, Joe's face turned to appear slightly angry. "You said you couldn't do a thing and you let me think she was dead for so long. Then as soon as I get her back, she can't remember a thing, what did you do to her? What kinda game are you playing?" He asked, surprising his friends with the sudden spark of anger in his voice.
"Calm down Joe. I'll explain everything. Back then, the day she died, I didn't lie when I said I couldn't do a thing. She had been dead for several minutes and her soul had left her body. If it hadn't, I would've likely plucked it from her corpse and resurrected her as an Angel, either way we would end up here. When I returned to the High Heavens to meet with the other Archangels about recent developments, I was called before my Lord beforehand." Michael explained, choosing his words carefully as to not anger Joe further.
"So, it's his fault then? Then I should be talking with him about what he did." Joe voiced his thoughts, clearly becoming blinded by his own personal feelings.
Saya, who sat beside him, placed her hand on his arm. "Joe, calm down, the damage is already done. For now let's just listen to what he has to say." Joe turned toward her briefly before giving a hesitant nod, eventually agreeing to her suggestion.
"Alright, I'll continue. When I spoke with him, he told me how he had found a pure soul nearing ascension. He saw what had happened to her and deemed it unjust, deciding to revive her as an Angel. There was only one problem, with her memories and experiences, she would be ineffective as an Angel. To remedy this, her memories were completely removed. To put it simply, she'll never regain those memories. That is why her personality is different now. While she is Sera, she isn't the Sera you knew. That version of her no longer exists and never will again. I'm sorry to have to tell you Joe, but you deserved to know once you found out she was alive." Michael explained to him surprising Joe with the unexpected answer.
Joe lowered his head upon hearing the news. Though Sera was alive in body, the Sera he knew was gone and all he had left was someone who looked and sounded like her. A stranger. "I-I need to get some air… You guys can go home if you want." He addressed his team as he quickly left Michael's apartment, keeping his eyes fixed forward.
As Michael watched him leave, he gave a sigh. "I was afraid he would take the news badly, but this was the only way, no matter how much I protested."
Saya gave the Archangel a loathsome glance as she turned and walked toward the exit. "You know, for benevolent beings, the actions you Celestials take can be sickening. Even a demon like me can see what you did was wrong, now if you'll excuse me, I have to find him." She said, judging Michael as she left the room.
[Occult Circle]
Having returned to Numin High after leaving Michael's apartment, Joe entered the clubroom. After the events of the day, school had ended for students close to an hour ago. Opening the door and heading inside, he found Gabriel sat in his seat, holding a glass of Bourbon in his hand as he read through a book composed of strange symbols, from their appearance, it was a wonder he could read the text.
"Oh, Joe, I thought you and the other rangers were dealing with another cult incident. The others aren't with you?" He asked as he shut the strange tome and placed it to the side.
"Yeah, something happened and I told them to go home." He said with a sigh, appearing to have calmed down somewhat as he took a seat near to the teacher.
"Care to tell me about it, something to do with that Angel that's been following you around?" Gabriel accurately assumed.
"Yeah, good guess. It turns out that she was Sera, who they reincarnated into an Angel after she died. I was happy she was back, until I found out she couldn't remember anything. It turns out they removed her memories to make her a better Angel. I can't really forgive Michael for that. Now I don't know what to do either, on one hand Sera's back but the thing is, she isn't my Sera, she won't ever be the same again." Joe explained to Gabriel as the latter took a drink from his glass.
"You're conflicted I see. She's different from the Sera before. As you said though, she's still Sera. This' happened before, when her memories and experiences disappear from her mind, you always manage to get through to her and make her your friend. Though people may change, who they are at heart never does. So there's your answer, do what you always do, make her your friend and make new memories to compensate for what you've lost." Gabriel advised him, giving a supportive smile to the red ranger as he leant back in the chair.
Joe returned a grateful smile and promptly nodded. "Thanks, I needed that advice, today got to me a little. I'm sorry for getting on at you a while back too, I think in the end it turned out for the best. So, what's got you cooped up in here?"
"Guess it can't hurt to tell you. In my younger days, I had a wife and an infant daughter. Though my job at the time kept me from them most of the time, I loved them both dearly. My wife however was struck down by a terminal illness less than a year after the birth of our child. As a father that had to work constantly to pay the bills, I didn't know how to take care of a child, so I had to give her away. As a father it was probably the hardest thing I had to do, but it was for the best. You see, today's her Birthday. I like to take a glass of Bourbon and be alone for a while to think how she might be now. I tried contacting the orphanage after a few years, after I got my life together. They said a family had already adopted her, but they seemed to have misplaced the family's details when I asked. I think she'd be in High School by now come to think of it. I guess that's why I took you in. Last summer I only took you home to fix you up, only after finding out you were Immortal did I decide to take you in. You were a rare breed and I wanted to keep you safe from further harm, maybe some long dormant paternal instinct kicked in that day, that's why I hid the truth. I guess I saw it as a second chance to be a father, so I hope you'll forgive me for being selfish." Gabriel explained to him the details of his past actions, hoping that it might mend the gap between them somewhat.
"Wow, I didn't know that happened to you. It's alright Gabriel, I don't hold it against you anymore. Like I was saying, you probably saved me by being a little selfish back then. You might not really be my dad, but your daughter would be lucky if she had you in her life. Come on, let's head home." The red ranger finished rising from his seat, having an improved mood after his conversation with Gabriel.
"Yeah. I'd like that." The teacher responded, appreciative that Joe was there to help him out too when he needed it, as the two departed.
[Occult Circle]
As Saya strolled down the streets, having searched for the red ranger for the past few hours with the sun now almost set, she turned around the street corner and came to a standstill as her body tensed up upon seeing who was before her. Standing with his repulsive smirk and sense of superiority was the Vampire Nikolai, In his hand was a black and rustic dagger that appeared to radiate a dark aura.
"Ah, if isn't miss Leviathan herself, I don't usually have the chance to say that I enjoy our little fights. It isn't often that I get to fight against a demon as powerful and as ravishing as you." He grinned as he took a step toward her, Saya raising her guard instantly in response.
"It's a shame that a Vampire as sick in the head as you isn't my type then." Saya replied as she looked at him in disgust.
"Now now, I only admitted to your beauty, I have no interest in a foolish demon like you. Regardless, my heart already belongs to our mutual friend. Now tell me where I can find Eleanor and that Angel ally of yours, I have business and pleasure to mix so be quick about it." Nikolai demanded as he took another step forward.
"You almost make me want to be sick when you speak. Either way, I'm not going to tell you where they are, you'll have to kill me before I utter a word." Saya said defiantly as she clenched her fists.
"Very well, I'll have to force it out of you. You see, this dagger is cursed so that the hearts of any who are cut by it are corrupted. You'll be it's first victim before I move onto that Angel friend of yours." Nikolai explained as he pointed the dagger at her.
"So that's what you want. She isn't my friend really, but she's dear to someone I care about. You won't lay a finger on her, you toad. Occult Breakout!" Saya called, transforming into the blue Occult ranger and drawing her cutlass from her side.
"So you're going to fight me seriously, remember how that worked out for you last time? Perhaps I knocked the memory out of you, allow me to remind you." Nikolai laughed as he lunged with the cursed dagger.
Saya jumped back quickly dodging the blow. Shaking her head, Saya pointed her blade to the sky. "I never really fight with all I've got. I have to conserve that for those who really deserve it. You see, demons all have a special power pertaining to their House, but magic and the mana flowing through someone can be unleashed all at once to deal a devastating blow at the cost of having to recover before they can cast again. Luckily enough, my power allows me to freely use demonic magic. I think you're deserving enough of what I've got to show." She explained as she extended her four demonic wings and rose into the sky as she began to channel her demon magic into her weapon.
Focusing further, each of her wings appeared to spontaneously set ablaze, becoming wrapped in the blue demonic fire as she set her sights on the Vampire below. Folding in her wings, the fires spread around her ranger suit, completely engulfing her in flames as she plummeted to the ground below. "Raging Leviafang Kick!" Saya let out a yell, calling out the name of her empowered technique as she brought her leg down before shifting to strike with her fiery blade, connecting and searing straight through the cursed dagger as she landed.
The flames died away and Saya dropped to her knees demorphing. Before her lay the dagger, cut in two, it's cursed energies disappearing before her as Nikolai lay flat on his back further up the sidewalk. As Saya recovered her breath, unable to stand having exhausted all of her mana, she watched as Nikolai stood up, groaning in reaction to the attack.
"You do realise what a kick is, because that wasn't a kick. I'll hand it to you that it would've got me, if I hadn't dodged just in time, so at least you tried. Unfortunately the dagger's broken and it's now useless. On top of that my body's aching after that, so I'll take my leave here. Toodles, Sayakriel." He waved as he transformed into his bat form before fleeing into the early night.
As Saya tried to catch her breath a strange sound seemed to echo, sounding like a distant wail "Huh? That sound, I think I've heard it before…"
|Occult Circle|
Supernatural Phenomena - Souls, Spirits and Ascendance - Each being whether Celestial, Infernal, Divine or Mortal etc. carries with it a soul, their incorporeal existence. When their bodies die, several things may happen. If they have sold their soul or pledged themselves to an Underworlder, it will travel to the Underworld and serve the one it has been granted to as a Spirit. The same occurrence will happen if a soul is forcibly claimed by an Underworlder. Upon one's death, if their spirit isn't ready to move on after leaving the body, it will travel to the Underworld as a free Spirit and stay there until it is ready to move on, though this is a rare occurrence as demons take these Spirits as their slaves for eternity, the Spirits being unable to move on. Souls prepared to move on begin a process called Ascendance where the Soul moves beyond the reach of the realms and into an existence unknown to any living beings, if there is one to speak of that is. On rare occurrences, a Soul will be plucked before it can Ascend and will be resurrected as an Angel. Incidents where Spirits remain in the human world are also rare but commonly pertain to completing unfinished business before they move on or to serve their Underworlder masters in the Mortal realm.
That's chapter 19 finished with. So, while Sera is back, she isn't the Sera from before now she no longer has her memories and her personality is different. Skuros also had a bit of a plot but Saya ruined that pretty quickly, though it did wear her out a lot. Joe and Gabriel had a nice heart to heart too, I wanted to start off Gabriel's return to having more involvement in the series with something nice and being a bit of a lesson for Joe, so it worked out pretty well. As for what Saya was hearing at the end there, all I'll say is that it's related to the next big arc and that whatever it is, it's something that's pretty huge. Before I get onto that however, it's time that the rangers caught a break with all the events of the past two arcs, and what better way to do that than to have a chapter relating to demons angels and all kinds of other ghouls, it's about time for the Halloween themed chapter, so I'll be back then.
Next Chapter: Occult Interval 2: Night of Monsters
Synopsis: The day before Halloween, Ray gets rather excited, though most of the rangers have never heard of the holiday before. After an explanation of the holiday, a few of the rangers decide to take advantage of the festivities, leading to hilarious results. What could possible go wrong? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Occult Circle.
