Chapter 15: Long Ago
-Rootcore-
"So you don't know who this Bowen or Baya is" Nick repeated
"I've heard of Daggeron briefly but Bowen and Baya…those are new" Aria confirmed
"Well, maybe they're friends or something? Fought in the battle all those years ago?" Maddie asked with a shrug
Aria shrugged "Maybe but she would've mentioned those names before."
"Rangers! Come over here please" Udonna called "I would like to try something"
Aria nodded her head towards their mentor and the others walked away. The raven-haired mystic went to her room and shut the door. From behind her bed she pulled out a large tattered book. Opening it to the marked page she reached into her bedside drawer and pulled out her necklace.
The beautiful ring was glowing bright on her bed, "What the hell are you?" she asked herself. Flipping through the pages she ended up empty handed again. There was nothing remotely similar to her ring. 'I swear I'm gonna rip my hair out' she thought, running her hand through her wild hair.
Sighing Aria rose from her bed and entered the main part of Rootcore. Finding the room empty she approached Claire who was occupied cooing over Fireheart. "Where'd the go?" she asked
"Aria!" Udonna called "There is someone I would like you to meet"
The black ranger turned her head and was greeted with her mentor standing beside a tall man with long blonde hair "This is Calindor, an old friend"
"Oh, um, hey" she greeted offering a hand. But he grabbed it Aria gasped as her eyes flashed black. She dropped his hand as though it were hot coals and stepped back "S-sorry about that…excuse me"
"I'll get her" Nick told Udonna, the poor woman watched in confusion.
-Outside-
Aria's hand was clasped around her angel necklace as she breathed in the clean air around her.
"Ria?"
"Hey Nick, sorry I don't know what happened just then" she explained
"What was that?"
She shook her head "The only time I slipped that easily was when the Abyss of Evil was opened and our fight with Morticon…something's wrong"
"Tell Udonna-"
"No! She shouldn't worry about it…it's probably nothing."
Nick nodded his head awkwardly before walking towards the entrance
"Wait, Nick," she began "Listen, Calindor may seem to be a friend but just as a warning; whenever some new guy rolls into town nine times out of ten, they're not a friend. I mean look what happened between me and my friends when my brothers and I first came into town"
"Got it" he said, not really believing her and walked back in. within minutes the entire team was zooming out of Rootcore to fight a new battle. Aria stayed behind and made her way into the tree once more.
"Yes, the bumbling servant" she heard Calindor say arrogantly to Claire
"Servant?" the blonde repeated "No, I'm a sorceress in training, and who's bumbling?"
"Oh, excuse me, milady" he bowed deeply. Aria held back a laugh; this guy, whoever he was, was such a schmoozer. "And this must be your Crystal Ball"
"It is" Aria replied coldly.
"This is the one that let us know there was dark magic in the forest when they found you" Claire said, as if to clue in Aria what had happened earlier
The Crystal Ball was almost entirely black now
"And now it's saying there's dark magic here…" Aria said, grabbing Claire by the forearm and dragging her away from Calindor
"Udonna!" Claire cried however when the red headed witch looked up the ball was clear of any signs of evil.
"I don't see anything" Calindor stated
Aria glanced at the man with a blank face, a talent she mastered in her years before Ninja Storm.
"What is it?" Udonna asked
"It was here!" Claire rambled "There was smoke a-and dark energy"
"I saw it too Udonna" her voice cold as ice
"Can we speak in private Udonna?" he asked
"Of course. Oh child, you two work too hard" the older witch smiled
"I know what I saw…" Claire pouted; Aria put a hand on her shoulder
"I know Claire, we're gonna find out who that guy really is"
-Later-
It was agreed between the two apprentices that Claire would go and blow off some steam while Aria stayed behind in case this Calindor character tried to pull something. So she sat and pretended to distract herself with a textbook as Udonna paced the floor, and Calindor leaning on a railing. She listened closely to their conversation, noticing how enamored he was when she mention the Xenotome. He left with the excuse to make tea and Aria approached her teacher
"Udonna, is this really a good idea? Calindor said himself he's been trapped for years, lost; who knows who could've gotten to him first" she tried
"What are you saying Aria?"
"I'm saying I don't trust this guy…"
"Aria-"
"The same thing happened to my brothers and I! We left Blue Bay and when we returned we were brainwashed by Lothor!"
"Aria!" she said sternly "Calindor is a friend, I trust him. I thought you would as well"
"Here you go" Calindor interrupted holding two chalices
"Thank you Calindor" Udonna replied with a smile
Just as she was about to put the cup to her lips Claire came running in "NO!" she cried as she jumped on Calindor's back.
Udonna looked up in surprise and Aria knocked the chalice out of her hand. The liquid landed on a book nearby and it immediately started to smoke and melt. Aria and Udonna grabbed the young blonde and pulled her close to them.
"Guess the game's over" he said sinisterly as he tossed his own chalice aside. He transformed into his Ancient Mystic self and then into Imperious himself. "Surprised?" he laughed evilly
Udonna placed herself in front of the young girls
"You're mine!"
Udonna used her wand and cast a defensive spell just in time to clash with Imperious's dark magic
"You can't overpower me without your Snow Staff Udonna!"
"I can't hold on!" she cried. Claire ran for cover but Aria stayed with her mentor, preparing to fight if Udonna were to fall. But to their surprise Claire had managed to cast a spell before Aria did
"Meloria Orbis!"
Claire walked to where Imperious once stood "Ha! Who's bumbling now bub?"
"You!" Imperious said as he tossed Claire aside, the poor girl had only sent him outside the dragon.
Aria sent a bit of her own dark magic but he batted it away with his fan back towards her. "Be still!" he commanded.
Claire was in Udonna's arms with Aria kneeling in front of them. The hazy blue aura around them kept them frozen in place.
"You were always a pain Udonna. Without the Xenotome the rangers be helpless at last!" he greedily reached for it but was blocked by a protective spell "I should have known," he said to himself in amusement "Darius Melorium…"
Aria struggled against the spell she wriggled against the blue force as she tried to reach for her morpher.
"Soon I will have all the secrets of the Mystics"
From the shelf beside them where Jenji resided the lamp began to shake before disappearing in a flash of bright gold light.
"Darius Melorium…"
Finally the spell broke allowing Imperious to take it for himself but before he could even touch it a flash of light knocked him aside and freed the three girls from their frozen state
"We meet again Calindor" a tall, broad shouldered man with curly black hai greeted
"Daggeron!" Udonna said excitedly
"I am now called Imperious!" he whined. Daggeron fell into his fighting stance before Imperious ran off "This is not the place. We will meet again. Next time I will finish you off for good!"
"That's what they all say" Aria mumbled to herself while Udonna embraced her old friend
"Daggeron, I'd like you to meet the new Mystics" Udonna said brightly. "This is Nick, Vida, Maddie, Chip, and Xander" she introduced "And Claire and Aria" with formal greetings over and done with Udonna and Daggeron excused themselves to speak privately
-Woods-
-With Daggeron and Udonna-
The two old friends walked side by side with Daggeron telling what really at the battle
"I was running through the woods when Calindor attacked. The dark magic had overtaken him. He was strong, evil. I hardly recognized him. When it was over we were both cursed and trapped in a magical cave"
"Daggeron…" Udonna began "What happened to Bowen?"
Daggeron had a sad look in his eyes "I lost sight of Bowen in the battle. Didn't Leanbow find him?"
"Alianbow was…destroyed" she said "Do you know what happened to Baya?" she asked hopefully
"Udonna, Baya was given to Calindor…" he reminded cautiously "I do not know what happened to her"
The witch was utterly shattered inside, but she did not shoe it. her face was blank but her eyes; her eyes showed the hurt and pain.
"I am sorry Udonna, I failed you" Daggeron said, he was in as much pain as she "I failed us all" he said before leaving her to grieve
Daggeron walked in alone and weary eyed. He glanced at the others before sitting down at the round table and put his head in his hands.
Aria saw this as a bad sign so she went and grabbed her guitar before walking out to Udonna. Outside she found the snow witch sitting on a rock with a tear stained face.
"Udonna?" Aria asked
"Oh Aria how are you?" she asked wiping her face
"Udonna are you okay?"
"You were right Aria, my apologies"
"You're dodging Udonna"
"I'm afraid," she said shakily "That I've lost some people very, very dear to me"
"Ah, I know what you need" Aria said, kneeling down by her "Closure. What were their names?"
"Bowen and Baya" she sighed
Aria helped her mentor to her feet and kneeled in front of the rock. Picking up a sharp stone she scratched the two names into it. They were faint but, it was there.
"Sit with me" the sorceress followed and sat by her
"I did this for my own parents. Maybe it'll help you" she shrugged
She began playing.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star and
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away
above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me
Somewhere, over the rainbow, bluebirds fly
birds fly over the rainbow why then oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, why can't I?
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed! Remember to REVIEW and FOLLOW! XOXOX