Morphin Epiphanies: Phantom Origins

The Phantom Ranger was a myth. To many, he was regarded as the first ranger in the known universe. It wasn't far from the truth.

They were an ancient being, almost a force of nature, having survived through countless battles and innumerable calamities. The magic of the mysterious phantom ruby saved them time and time again. To many, the powers they were gifted with could be considered the greatest gift… immortality. To them, it was merely a prison. The ruby tethered their soul in the mortal realm, trapping them in an indestructible armoured suit and preventing them from passing on to the afterlife.

Their true name was lost to the ages. They barely recalled it. They didn't want to remember. It only reminded them of a time long past… simpler days… people who have perished long ago.

The phantom ruby was entrusted to them by a coven of sorcerers who claimed to be heralds of the Morphin Masters themselves. It was a great honour. They were hailed as their world's greatest champion. Their family adored them yet as the years passed by, they noticed several things… While their physical body withered with age, succumbing to mortal illnesses, the power of the ruby didn't diminish nor could they pass it to another champion. It was bonded to their very existence and even the strongest of mages couldn't free them.

Their mortal form soon crumbled to dust yet their spirit remained and their armour became their permanent body.

They left their home planet in hopes of a cure. They found none.

After seeing the chaos that plagued the outer reaches of galaxy, they took matters to their own hands and soon the myth of the phantom ranger was born.

However, despite knowing that their heroics had left their marks on the pages of history, Phantom felt no satisfaction. More than anything, they wanted to transcend…

Then they met her.

Cassie Chan. The pink ranger of Earth.

The only individual who could sense them despite the invisibility glamour of the phantom ruby.

Someone who looked exactly like their mate from a million years ago… the high priestess of the coven that had empowered them eons ago… someone with whom they'd shared a lifetime of happiness before she'd perished due to old age.

They had been happy with her.

Now they were empty. They weren't truly immortal. Without their body and youth, all that was left of them were a bitter soul… a ghost… a phantom.

And though they had often blamed the coven for cursing him with this eternal agony, they knew that it was an uncharted territory. Nobody had been able to harness the power of Grid with magic or science without the knowledge of the first morphin masters in those times. The work the coven did paved the way for a new generation of morphin masters and eventually the countless teams of power rangers who now protect the known universe.

Over time, they stopped searching for a solution. Their existence on this plane was tied to the phantom ruby, which was indestructible by brute force or the darkest of magics.

They had tried passing on the ruby to others. That wasn't pretty. His armour became stone and they became lost in a void of darkness… unable to rest but always feeling the need to escape and the call of the ruby.

And the ruby was safest in their hands. Others had abused the ruby's powers, using it to empower weapons or destruction.

They just wanted peace… death.

They didn't know why the Gods have cursed them with this painful and lonely fate and after millions of years, they had lost their faith in the primordial deities.

But Cassie Chan changed everything.

They had reason to exist again. To protect her.

They felt drawn to her even though they knew she couldn't possibly be her.

Yet they had seen many strange events over centuries and reincarnation wasn't as rare as people assumed it to be.

And her soul called out to him.

When they were with her, they felt peace…hope… feelings they'd long since given up on.

However, they couldn't be together… How can they, when Cassie was a human and they were a ghost!

So, with a heavy heart, they left the planet but they always felt compelled to return to her.

It was selfish of them. Cassie deserved a simple life, one not tainted by his presence and a tragedy that was almost as old as time itself.

She deserved someone who could love her with everything. She deserved a family… a happy life.

They couldn't give that to her, not with the ruby dictating their fate for all eternity.