A/N: Mostly talking in this chapter, sorry. But it's necessary in order to establish some background on the other dimension and relay information that'll be important in later chapters.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When they reached the clearing where the Wind Academy used to be, Cam led the Guardian towards the concealed entrance of Ninja Ops. As he pulled up the trapdoor imbedded in the ground he felt his visitor's eyes on him even before the young man spoke. "I am wondering…"

Cam looked up from his task to find the Guardian regarding him openly.

"You have a lordly bearing," Mithrandos said. "Are you the leader of this ninja group you spoke of?"

Cam gave a quick laugh. "No. I am part of the team, though, and the tech support," he answered as he led his visitor down the stone stairs and into Ninja Ops' command room. "I'm sure you will meet our leader later, but all of us answer to our sensei, our teacher. My father."

They entered the command room and Cam grinned when he saw the look of astonishment on the Guardian's face at the sight of all its computer equipment. Doubtlessly, Mithrandos had never seen any of the gadgets that filled the chamber.

"That would be me," came a voice from the direction of the computer console and an instant later, Sensei's guinea pig mobile came whirring towards them. "Welcome to our headquarters."

Mithrandos' eyes settled on Kanoi Watanabe and the blond warrior didn't so much as bat an eyelash at the sight of the robed guinea pig before him. He seemed more in awe of the mobile habitat than of Sensei himself. It made Cam wonder whether fully clothed, talking animals were the norm in the Guardian's world. He wouldn't have been surprised if it was.

Mithrandos placed his hand over his heart and bowed from the waist. "Milord Kanoi, I presume?"

"Kanoi is correct, but I am no lord," Sensei replied and Cam could hear the amusement in his father's voice. "I merely provide moral support and guidance to our team."

Cam folded his arms across his chest, a smile in his eyes. "You're too modest, as always, Dad." He indicated the young man next to him. "Dad, this is…"

"Mithrandos. Yes. I know," Sensei replied. "I have followed the events in the forest and your conversation via the computer screen and am therefore familiar with the gravity of the situation." He nodded towards the huge screen where video feeds from several different cameras still showed the forest glade and the empty sarcophagus from various angles.

Mithrandos blinked in obvious puzzlement at the sight. "You have a, a...seeing screen?" he asked incredulously. "So your realm is a magical one as well, then!"

"Ah, no," Cam replied. "This isn't magic; it's called technology. Here, let me show you." He beckoned his otherworldly visitor towards the computer where he pressed a few keys. Promptly, a separate window appeared and Cam rewound the digital camera recording to the frame where Lothor and his nieces appeared through their portal. They watched the evil space ninja fumble with the lock on the stone crate. Mithrandos stood next to Cam's chair, peering at the scenes with undisguised mystification, and Cam had to suppress a grin when the blond warrior reached out and lightly poked the screen with a finger.

The recording now showed Cam appearing in the clearing. The dialogue with Lothor ensued and Mithrandos sucked in a startled breath at Cam's transformation into the Green Samurai Ranger.

"So you spoke the truth when you said you were a warrior of your world!" Mithrandos' gaze fixed on the flesh-and-blood Cam next to him in the chair. "You speak of your realm as one of 'technology', yet I recognize magic when I see it."

"It's complicated to explain." Cam scratched his head. "The, well, magic you just saw is directly connected with all the technology in here," he said. "Without this computer, neither I nor my friends could, uh...summon our armor and weapons."

"Speaking of friends," Sensei injected from his customary position next to the keyboard. "I have called the Rangers, but when Lothor departed and I saw that you were attended to by our guest, I called off the alert and told them to come here instead. They should be arriving at any moment."

As if on cue, a noise from the stairs made their heads turn; the sounds of several rapidly descending boots announced the arrival of more company. A moment later, Shane, Dustin, Tori, Hunter and Blake all but flew into the room.

"Cam, you okay, man?"

"Sensei said Lothor attacked…whoa, uh…hello."

The Wind and Thunder ninjas' dash towards the computer immediately turned into a more careful approach when they caught sight of the white-clad stranger. Cam swiveled around in his chair and held up a hand in reassurance when he saw that Shane and Hunter both had their fists balled.

"I'm fine guys, but we have a situation on our hands. And a visitor." He indicated the blond man. "Guys, this is Mithrandos - and the whole story on how he came to be here is still kinda sketchy."

Mithrandos went through his ritual greeting, bowing his head and giving them the same lengthy introduction he had given Cam in the forest. Somewhat awkwardly, the ninjas nodded back and gave their names in response to the strange greeting.

The Guardian's eyes traveled quickly over the five leather-clad teenagers before him but came to rest on Tori. Never taking his gaze off her, he inclined his head once more. "Sunshine in an underground cave. There is magic in this realm after all."

And amidst Tori's fierce blushing, Cam cast Blake a glance just in time to see the Navy Ranger's eyes narrow in disapproval.

Dustin, however, who was closest to the tall warrior, suddenly began to grin. Apparently, the fact that Cam had brought this stranger – however out-of-place-looking he may be – into Ninja Ops, was enough of a sign of trust on Cam's part for the Earth ninja to thrust out his hand.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you, Mith."

Mithrandos looked at the hand, then at Dustin, puzzled, until Cam explained.

"Oh, you shake it," he said. "It's our traditional greeting."

Frowning, and with another unsure glance, Mithrandos took the offered hand between his thumb and index finger, shaking it left and right.

The expressions on the Rangers' faces showed clearly that they were trying hard not to laugh, but Dustin couldn't help but snicker.

"Close enough," he said, smirking.

"So what's the story here, Cam?" Shane wanted to know and Cam gave them a condensed version of the events of the past two hours while he re-played the recording for the team, this time from the moment the energy beam had struck in the woods.

"So who's the dude Lothor took out of the box?" Dustin asked after the recording ended.

"Actually, I'd like a little more info on him, too," Cam said and Mithrandos suddenly found himself on the receiving end of seven inquiring looks. He glanced at the screen. "His name is Luthien, the most powerful sorcerer of the Evil Forces that dwell in the cursed mountains of Ithrandar," he said gravely. "He is an evil unfathomable, and that very evil will soon walk freely across your lands, for destruction and suffering is all his black heart desires."

Mithrandos now turned his gaze from the screen towards the Rangers and his shoulders straightened. "Ninjas, I sense noble hearts and clear wits from all in this group," he said formally, "so I will not mislead you by speaking words of make-believe; I do not know how my charge and I came to be transported into your world. I fear, however, that black magic and ill fate have worked together to bring us to this place."

Sensei stroked his whiskers thoughtfully. "Maybe it is time you enlightened us a little more about your quest, Mithrandos."

"Very well, but I fear the tale is a lengthy one."

"Well, then I suggest we get comfortable." The guinea pig motioned everyone towards the command table. Mithrandos did as the others did, choosing a pillow for himself and folding his legs under him. At length, he began.

"In times past so ancient that no lore exists, magic was born from nature. Then men began to walk the lands and connected with the magic all around them. They named this wondrous power The Light."

"So The Light is the magical source of your world," Cam recapped, earning a nod from Mithrandos in reply.

"According to ancient lore, it gave life to all living things of Ithrandar. At first, there was harmony among all creatures, human or beast." Mithrandos sighed. "No one knows when the darker power emerged or from which black cave it crawled hither, but the Evil settled in the mountains far to the West of my fair land. There it festered and grew unnoticed until it had accumulated enough henchmen to come forward and assault the peaceful people of the Southern Valley. The few that lived to tell the tale spoke of slaughter and cruelty unparalleled." He paused and for a moment, those green eyes took on a faraway look.

"The men of the threatened villages formed amongst them an army of those who had the most formidable statures of body or showed the most skills in the use of magic to defend themselves and theirs against further attacks from the minions of Evil. But soon it became clear that a permanent league of defenders was needed and thus were born the Guardians of The Light.
"The Guardians are the protectors of the people as well as the creators and keepers of the Scrolls of History of our realm. We dwell in the Great Temple, together with the High Wizards, the Keepers of the Secrets. They alone know how to maintain the magic of The Light in a constant and harmonious flow that guarantees the prosperity and happiness of the people of Ithrandar."

"So you guys are all wizards?" Blake wanted to know, but Mithrandos gave a small smile and shook his head.

"No, I am but a soldier in the services of the temple of The Light. The wise men tending the temple, however, are all wizards and versed in the white magic of The Ligh. The magical powers of The Light are dormant in every man and woman in Ithrandar. But as with every skill, it takes practice to retain and master these abilities. Most of the common folk are content with knowing enough magic to aid them with their everyday chores, but the Guardians must be much more adept in the use of defensive magic in order to maintain peace in our world. A task we had achieved quite well – until the rise of the Dark Sorcerer Luthien."

Cam's brows knit together. "Who's presently enjoying Lothor's hospitality. Not a good combination."

"Man! Lothor and Luthien?" Dustin exclaimed, shaking his head. "Makes them sound like twins, for crying out loud!"

"Bound not by blood but by evil," Mithrandos said gravely. "Which, in this case, is the greater malice by far."

"But you know how to do some magic, right?" Tori wanted to know.

In response, Mithrandos cupped his hand before him and a brief flash of light shone from between his closed fingers. A moment later he was handing a brilliant white orchid blossom to Tori with a smile.

Hunter grinned. "Dude, you could make a fortune in the entertainment industry."

Next to his brother, Blake rolled his eyes.

Mithrandos' smile wavered. "Unfortunately, I require magic much more potent than this in order to defeat the Dark Sorcerer."

"I don't think Lothor would just downright trust this guy," Shane declared.

"And neither would Luthien trust Lothor," Mithrandos said. "But he must seek council - just as I have. Luthien knows that any foul plans he wishes to pursue in this dimension require aid, therefore he will speak words in a voice of honey to anyone whom he deems powerful enough to be of use to him. But do not be misled; once he has acquired power, he has no mind to share it with anyone.
"He is a corruptor of men's hearts and his lies are very believable," he added. "But if his lies do not convince, he will use magic and spells to bend men's minds to his will."

"Sounds like you know this guy pretty well." Hunter's voice was casual, but his gaze was intent. There was a barely perceptible hesitation before Mithrandos avoided his eyes by looking down at his fisted hands. Surreptitiously he unclenched them. "He is responsible for the loss of a great many innocent lives! I could not keep him from wreaking havoc in my realm, but I will keep him from doing harm in yours."

When he looked back up, his face was carefully blank. "Many seasons ago, Luthien managed to infiltrate the temple of The Light, stealing many of the scrolls that contained the High Wizards' most powerful spells. He used his stolen knowledge well, creating counter-spells against our most effective magic, then launched a brutal attack against the most populous villages in Ithrandar, knowing full well that both the Guardians and the wizards of The Light would rush to the peasants' aid.
"The battle turned to slaughter. He rendered most of our wizards' spells utterly ineffective. Without magic in the midst of the battlefield, these great men of knowledge were reduced to taking up weapons to defend themselves. They were men of the mind, however, not of the blade, and a great many were slain by the dark forces like cattle."

"Aw, dude," Shane muttered, his face grieved.

"By the time I fought my way towards the Dark Wizard, the blood on the battlefield was ankle-deep." Mithrandos was about to launch further into the account of the final confrontation between the Guardians and the Evil Forces, but when he saw the ninjas' horrified expressions and Tori's chalk-white face, he quickly changed his mind, deciding instead that the short version would be more appropriate.

"We fought, he…he wounded me and I would have perished had it not been for the awesome feat of magic of our remaining wizards. In a joint effort they managed to catch him unawares and cast a spell on him, trapping his mind in a charmed slumber."

To Cam, Mithrandos said, "The sarcophagus you saw in the woods is the vessel intended to hold him in this enchanted sleep until his seasons draw to an end and the life leaves his body at last, for Luthien's seasons keep counting, whereas my sleep ages me not; at least not whilst I remain under the spell of The Light inside the sarcophagus."

Dustin scratched his head. "Dude, that sounds just like what Sigourney Weaver did at the end of "Aliens". You know, when they all put themselves to sleep inside those containers..."

"Suspended animation, yes." Cam nodded. "Actually, Dustin, that's a pretty accurate comparison. At least in Mithrandos' case."

"So how long until that 'expiring thing' is going to happen to the wizard?" Blake asked.

"To understand that, you must know that we count men and women's lifetimes in seasons," Mithrandos said. "There are four seasons in the turn of a year: warm, hot, cool and cold. In my world, a man sees three-hundred seasons more times than not."

Five heads turned to Cam as if triggered by an unspoken signal.

"That would mean that on average, people in his world live to be around…seventy-five years," the samurai elaborated.

Mithrandos nodded, his expression darkening. "The Queen of the Evil Power, however, has bestowed one thousand seasons upon her spawn Luthien."

"Two hundred fifty years?" Cam translated incredulously.

Hunter ran a hand through his mop of hair. "Man, that's a lot of time to mess up a world."

"That is why he has to be kept asleep until his seasons have drawn to an end and he will pass on into the land of the shadows without ever wakening," Mithrandos said. "No doubt we have slept for years unreckoned; yet not long enough, for he obviously remains alive still."

Shane raised a hand. "Hold up, hold up. You mean you don't know how long you've both been asleep so far?"

"I fear I cannot say." Mithrandos shrugged. "If we were in Ithrandar still, I could simply ask a temple guardian what era it was, but this is not my world; I do not know how you measure time here. To me it is as if the charmed sleep has been cast over me just yesterday."

Dustin suddenly turned to Cam. "Dude, speaking of Ithrandar…How is Mith going to get back to his own world?"

Cam blinked, opened his mouth - and closed it again when he realized that he had no answer to that question. He looked at Mithrandos, but a look of uncertainty was already flittering over the handsome Guardian's face. "I can offer no answers as to how we shall accomplish the feat of returning to our own realm," he muttered. "I do not recall, in any of our recorded lore, any wizardry so powerful."

Cam thought for a moment. "There has to be a way to reverse inter-dimensional travel…" His gaze drifted towards the Supercomputer and he mumbled, almost to himself, "Maybe…If I could measure the amount of energy output in that beam right at impact in the woods..." For a moment, his eyes took on a faraway look before he rose abruptly. "Excuse me, I need to check something."

Mithrandos looked at him, whereas the rest of the team took no particular notice of Cam's sudden retreat to the computer; they were far too used to their technician's spontaneous bouts of ingenuity. Tori, however, patted his arm soothingly.

"Don't worry," she said, "when he gets like this, that usually means that he had an idea as to how to approach the problem of the moment – and he usually comes up with some solution."

"That's right," Blake piped up, a smirk forming in the corners of his mouth. "If anyone can figure out how to get you back home, Brainy Smurf here can."

The blond Guardian nodded reluctantly. "But meanwhile, I cannot sit idly by while Luthien hatches evil plots with your enemy of this world!"

"Yeah, well, you might as well, though, since it's not like you can reach him right now." Hunter leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Not while he's on Lothor's ship anyways. We've tried that, believe me.
"But I have a feeling they will come down to Earth before long, and when they do, we'll be ready for them," he added.

"Aye, I will be. Slay him I cannot - no man can, for he has grown too powerful to be defeated by mortal men." Mithrandos' hands balled into fists again. "But contain him once more I shall."

"Well, whatever it is you need to do, we'll help," Dustin decreed and the rest of the team nodded their accordance.

"I cannot ask you for aid when I have naught to give in return," Mithrandos said.

"We are not doing this to get anything out of it, man," Shane corrected. "The safety of Earth is our first priority."

Mithrandos remained silent for a moment in apparent consideration of Shane's words before he inclined his head. "Then I shall receive your offer with a grateful heart, ninjas of this realm."

Sensei gave his students an approving nod. "Rangers, it sounds like there might be a tough battle ahead. Some more intensive training would be in order."

"You're right, Sensei," Shane agreed, casting his team a glance. "Then we probably should be heading out to the cove right now, as long as there's still enough light left for practicing." The ninjas rose and bowed to their teacher.

"See you later, man," Dustin said to Mithrandos. Then the Rangers turned and made their way towards the stone staircase.

TBC…