When they arrived at the scene of the chaos, they were greeted with empty streets and an eerie silence.

The anthracite mantle still hung above them, although the rain and the lightning had stopped. Burning and smoldering vehicles were scattered all around and smoke still curled from some of the damaged buildings, but Cam was glad to see that the area was otherwise deserted. Months of frequent raids from Lothor's monsters had instilled in the citizens of Blue Bay Harbor the ability to quickly clear the scene of an attack and consequently, the only evidence of life were abandoned cars and personal effects such as purses, briefcases or empty baby strollers lying in the streets.

Luthien was nowhere to be seen.

There was a sound behind him and Cam turned to see that Mithrandos had summoned his sword and was looking around intently in obvious search for the sorcerer. When their opponent didn't reveal himself after a long moment, the Guardian's gaze traveled higher, scrutinizing the ominous sky before he suddenly thrust his arm into the air and a beam of light pierced the gloom above. A moment later, a crack appeared and behind it, the bright azure of a normal California afternoon could be seen. Mithrandos kept his arm extended; no spells, no incantations, no magical gesticulation of any kind, only his silent ministrations as the beam of light from his hand quickly widened the rift. Only the slight narrowing of his eyes and a barely noticeable quivering in his arm indicated the effort it took the Guardian to reverse the effects of the dark magic. Suddenly the gap expanded, extending in all directions and shredding the soot-colored sky until, at last, untainted blue once more dominated the heavens above.

Cam had come up next to him. "Good job, man," the technician said approvingly, but Mithrandos shrugged it off, his eyes roaming around the area again, searching for his adversary. He looked down onto the sword he was grasping in a white-knuckled grip.

"Aid me, my friend. A tough battle lies ahead," he said to it in a voice not much louder than a whisper, then turned and walked right into the middle of the intersection where he stood for a moment before he raised his weapon.

"Come forth, Luthien! Show yourself!" he bellowed.

The reply was prompt. A cold gust of wind swept through the street, making the Guardian's and the ninjas' clothes and hair flutter. It was accompanied by a vibe Cam could only describe as evil and it coalesced around a city bus that had been run up on the sidewalk a few yards ahead of them. The wind changed into a black cloud and a moment later, the sorcerer Luthien was looking down on them from the top of the bus.

A sword was slung across his back, the hilt visible from behind his right shoulder. He made no move to draw it.

Maybe it was a trick of the eye, but the sorcerer's black-clad body seemed to be throbbing with the pulse of dark magic. He was smiling. It was not a likeable sight.

"Ah, Mithrandos," Luthien said. "I have missed you, my friend."

"Such a word from your mouth is a malediction indeed." Mithrandos' face and voice were stony.

This only seemed to amuse the wizard. His mouth still contorted into that humorless grin, he had his cold eyes fixed on the Guardian. "Many seasons have passed and yet you still amuse me."

"Savor it if you must, for it will not last."

Chuckling, Luthien stepped off the roof of the bus, floated gracefully to the ground and walked towards Mithrandos and the ninjas with an unhurried, casual gait. Broken glass crunched under his boots.

Mithrandos pointed his blade at him and the wizard came to a halt just out of the Guardian's sword range. Next to Mithrandos, Cam frowned at the cocksure arrogance of the sorcerer. Luthien pointedly ignored all but the blond warrior before him.

"I must admit, I am surprised to see you alive," he said, the hard smile curling in the corners of his mouth never wavering.

Mithrandos glowered at him. "Against your best intentions, Sorcerer."

Nonchalantly, Luthien crossed his arms before his chest. "Oh, come now. Will you hold against me what is in the past? We were at war then, but the battlefields of Ithrandar are far from here, therefore the old rules of chivalrous Guardian and Dark Sorcerer do not apply in this realm."

He cast a fleeting and condescending look at the glowering ninjas flanking the Guardian. "There is naught but human cattle here, this entire dimension is ripe for the picking. Do you not feel it? It would be so easy to rule it all!" Luthien took a step forward until his chest almost touched the tip of the Guardian's outstretched blade. His voice had taken on a silky, almost hypnotic quality.

"Think about it, Mithrandos; it could be between us as it has been in better times. Join with me, my friend, and together we shall be the superior rulers of this world. Trouble your mind no more with The Light; sever those tedious ties, for who needs The Light when we can have all this?" He spread his arms in emphasis, and his dark eyes bore into Mithrandos, willing him to agree.

Mithrandos spoke slowly and deliberately. "Have you been asleep so long that you have forgotten your mind tricks have no effect on me? I submit no longer to the poison of your voice."

The false warmth that shone in the sorcerer's eyes extinguished as if someone had thrown a switch and his handsome face contorted into a scowl.

"Very well, then. Out of courtesy and because of the times we once shared, I am giving you one chance for retreat," he growled. "Take your toothpick and be gone!"

In response, Mithrandos only shifted his sword to grip it in a two-handed attack position.

Luthien snorted and shook his head in mock-disappointment. "I did not think so. So be it, then!" He pointed to the Rangers, but kept his eyes on the Guardian. "After I have finished with you, I will dispose of them in a slow manner that will please the fool on his floating ship. And then, with all my obligations out of the way, the real delight of taking possession of this realm shall begin."

"If you think we're pushovers, you're wrong, freak," Shane cried, then cast a look at his team mates to his left and right and raised his wrist. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Ninja Storm!"

"Thunder Storm!"

"Samurai Storm!"

"RANGERFORM!"

"NINJA RANGER POWER!"

Mithrandos raised an eyebrow at the morphing display, but the Dark Sorcerer only snorted disdainfully at the Rangers.

"It concerns me not what vestments you wear; you will perish nevertheless," he said and drew his blade.

The Rangers did likewise, but before they could make any moves towards the sorcerer, Mithrandos held up a hand. Never breaking eye contact with his adversary, he said, "No, Rangers. For now I beg you to retreat. This is my battle."

"But..." came Shane's protest from behind him.

"You cannot protect them, you know," Luthien said, still infuriatingly calm

"We shall see about that."

The sorcerer moved so fast that the Rangers didn't see him take a step before he was already at Mithrandos. The Guardian, however, was prepared, for he had his sword up and the two blades crashed into each other with a fury that sent sparks flying from the impact.

Reluctantly adhering to Mithrandos' request, the Rangers retreated a few steps to watch from the sidelines. None were happy about that.

Two more simultaneous strikes locked the Guardian's and the sorcerer's swords together.

With their weapons pressed between them, Luthien was suddenly uncomfortably close and definitely near enough for Mithrandos to clearly overhear his words, spoken in a deliberately intimate voice.

"Tell me, Mithrandos," he drawled, "Does my mark upon your back still pain you? Does it keep you awake on your pallet in the darkest hours of the night? And when you lie there, sleepless, do you then recall other nights spent on pallets far from here - with me?" A cruel smirk accompanied his taunt.

The Guardian's green eyes blazed. "Those times are long gone, so save your breath for battle. You may have scarred my soul and my back, but I will let you scar neither again." Mithrandos made to retreat from the unwelcome closeness, but Luthien snatched his wrist in a lightning-quick move, casting a smug look at the plaited leather thong there.

"Then why do you still wear the bracelet?"

"It is a reminder of a task yet left to be done," Mithrandos growled. "To see you venture into the shadowlands." He jerked his wrist free and stepped back, breaking the blade-lock and resuming his two-handed grip on his sword. He swung it in a wide arch.

"I wish to know only one thing," he cried as their swords once again crossed. "Why? Why me?"

Luthien parried the strike. Steel screamed as the two blades ground against each other. "You were the one who befriended me, brother." He spoke the last word with such a snide inflection that it made Mithrandos' blood boil. "But even if it had not been you, it would have been another novice. And as it turned out, you were the perfect object for my practice in deception. You considered yourself so close to me yet you never detected the real me. And neither did anyone else." The sorcerer pushed the Guardian away, then chuckled as they circled each other warily. "And your willing body made for welcome distractions until my mission was concluded."

Mithrandos charged once more. With a wordless cry of rage he wielded his sword, then kicked Luthien hard in the side when his adversary blocked the move. Taken by surprise, the sorcerer stumbled.

Mithrandos' fist shot upwards and caught Luthien's jaw with a somewhat crooked yet powerful uppercut that had the evil wizard's head snapping sharply to the right. But before he could deliver a second punch, Luthien shoved him just far enough to get his hands in between them and summoned a blast of dark magic that sent Mithrandos reeling backwards several feet. Even as the Guardian hit the ground, he heard his enemy's cackle.

"Has the great captain of the Guardians reverted to brawling nowadays?" he jeered as Mithrandos scrambled back to his feet and raised his saber once more. Luthien did likewise, pointing his weapon at his former lover. "A mosquito's sting would do more damage."

The sorcerer brushed a hand across his mouth, his split lip healing right before Mithrandos' eyes and his mouth formed into an evil grin. "You were never good at lower forms of combat, Mithrandos."

"Let us try the higher form of combat, then!" the blond Guardian hissed and charged once more.

With the agility of a black panther Luthien sidestepped the thrust and brought his sword up. Mithrandos ducked under the slash, fended off another swipe, and promptly found himself close up to Luthien again. The reflection from Mithrandos' blade sent harsh lines across the wizard's face.

"It seems you have grown stronger since our last encounter, Guardian," the Dark Sorcerer said, "yet you forget a vital lesson of warfare: always expect the unexpected." With the last word barely past his lips, Luthien shook his wrist and Mithrandos' instincts barely had the time to register the brief flash of steel before the short blade previously concealed in the sleeve there already cut across his midsection. The sorcerer's eyes flashed victoriously at Mithrandos' sharp gasp of surprise. The Guardian stumbled backwards a few steps, a hand pressed against his stomach, but no gush of blood stained the slashed garment. Then Mithrandos raised his head, a defiant grin at the corners of his mouth. He lifted a flap of the cut material and Luthien's gaze turned incredulous at the sight of the chain mail rings beneath the tunic.

"You err," he said. "I have learned a few other things since last we fought, and especially to expect the unexpected."

"So I see," Luthien growled. "Yet you can clad yourself in all the enchanted chain mail in Ithrandar - you are still no match for me!"

A bright red glow began in the sorcerer's eyes and all of a sudden, Mithrandos felt himself being lifted off the ground by icy yet unseen hands. Evil energy of an intensity he had never experienced before surrounded him, overpowering his own magic defenses. He struggled against the invasion with both body and mind, but the dark energy was overwhelmingly strong. It all but incapacitated him and dismay warred with amazement inside him at the realization of just how powerful Luthien had grown since he joined the Evil Forces.

Suddenly Luthien's voice was in his mind. "Goodbye. Mithrandos."

A few yards away, the Rangers cried out in dismay when Mithrandos was hurled backwards in the direction of a store clear across the intersection. He hit the front facade with such force that the stone and mortar around him literally disintegrated. As he disappeared from view, Luthien's cackle reverberated through the air while the sorcerer raised both arms in a dramatic gesture. Immediately there was a rumble and the ground began to shudder.

With cries of distress the Rangers waved their arms to keep their balances. In frozen terror they watched as Luthien shot out a hand in the direction of the shop Mithrandos had been cast into. The building shook in response and only a moment later the two-story walls began to crumble, then collapse upon themselves.

In less than a minute, Luthien had reduced a formidable building into nothing but a pile of rubble with Mithrandos buried under dozens of feet of debris.

"NO!"

"Mithrandos!"

The Wind and Thunder Rangers and the Samurai Ranger turned to the Dark Wizard, anger, shock and disgust so apparent in their body language and the sounds of their voices that Luthien did not even need to see their faces.

"You'll pay for this!" Cam roared and charged at the sorcerer, Samurai Saber raised. The rest of the team followed on his heels and their battle cries reverberated off the buildings all around them.

Luthien didn't move a muscle, simply watched the oncoming attack with a mildly bemused expression. Cam was almost in striking distance before the black-clad wizard threw up his hands. "Insolent fools!"

The ensuing shockwave of energy not only stopped all the Rangers in mid-motion, but catapulted them backwards until they, too, crashed into a nearby building, in their case through the large panoramic window of a restaurant. And before any of them could get up, a wave of dark magic washed over them. With that wave came an agony that left them crying out and writhing in the debris until with a sudden burst of sparks, their Ranger uniforms disappeared.

Through blurred eyes, Cam saw Luthien standing on the sidewalk, looking in through the ruined window and his melodious baritone voice drifted towards them all.

"My quarrel is with the Guardian Mithrandos. I will have you children meddle in my affairs no longer."

And with that, the sorcerer thrust his hand out at the Ranger lying closest to him – which happened to be Hunter. The Thunder ninja was lifted up like a marionette on unseen strings. Hunter struggled, yet he couldn't manage to even bring up his arms. He seemed to be constricted by an invisible iron straitjacket.

"You puppies are not worth my time nor my sword," Luthien snarled and the look on his face was pure, undistilled hatred. "Nevertheless, I shall take you all on a slow voyage into the eternal shadowlands." He turned his dark gaze upon Hunter. "Beginning with you."

The others struggled to their feet, intent on coming to the helpless Thunder ninja's aid, but a wave from Luthien's sword stopped them all when tendrils of evil energy shot from the blade and snaked over their bodies. The pain brought them once again down to their knees, sapped the power from their bodies and left them gasping for breath.

An eerie gleam emanated from the black blade of Luthien's sword as he aimed it at Hunter, ready for the final thrust.

"HALT!"

The voice coming from the direction of the collapsed shop across the street was loud and strong. It made not only Luthien but also the six Rangers turn towards it.

The pile of fallen building material had moved and out of the wreckage rose Mithrandos, dirty, disheveled and breathing heavily, yet tall and proud, his sword still in his hand. Blood was trickling over his tattoo from a cut along his hairline, filling in the space between the dark swirls and spirals in a macabre, monochromic version of Paint-By-Numbers.

With his hair whipping around his head and his clothes billowing in the wind from the aftereffect of the gust of wind magic he had used to help free himself from the rubble, he kicked away a few more pieces of debris and staggered back into the street, the low sun casting a long pointed shadow before him.

The Dark Sorcerer dropped Hunter without a second glance and faced his blond opponent once again, the expression on his face a cross between a sneer and exasperation. "You are hard to kill. I am almost impressed, Guardian."

Mithrandos raised his sword and crackles of silver energy ran up and down the blade. "We are not finished yet, Sorcerer!"

Luthien lifted his own weapon, getting into ready stance once more. "Oh, but we will be. Soon."

On the other side of the intersection, the Ranger team – still weakened from the sorcerer's attack – staggered through the broken panoramic window just as saber and sword crossed again, steel kissing steel with an intensity their owners never would again. A cascade of sparks flew from the blades in a kaleidoscope of colors as the weapons of Good and Evil clashed against each other over and over again with such a fury and speed that none of the Rangers could follow the battle for more than a few moments before their heads began to spin.

"The blood of the innocent on your hands shall never dry!" Mithrandos yelled as he swung high.

"There are no innocent!" Luthien spat back, meeting the Guardian's blade at the apex of its arch with bone-jarring impact and for the next few minutes, downtown Blue Bay Harbor continued to echo with the sounds of clashing weapons, grunts of effort and wordless cries.

Back on the sidelines, Cam was getting worried; this battle had already been raging much longer than it should have and neither Mithrandos nor Luthien were gaining the upper hand. He was afraid, however, that eventually it would be Mithrandos who would wear out first. Physically they seemed equally strong, but the Dark Sorcerer obviously had the greater magic powers. And he was using them liberally, chipping away at Mithrandos' own magic reserves every time the Guardian had to use a defensive spell or a magic shield to ward off the sorcerer's attacks.

In cue with that thought, Luthien released another powerful surge of dark magic that had Mithrandos hurling through the air once again. The Guardian landed a yard from the ninjas, the breath leaving his lungs with an audible whoosh. The Rangers rushed to his side, Cam and Tori grasping his arms to steady him as he pulled himself back up. His eyes still blazed defiantly, but otherwise he was beginning to show the strain the battle was having on him. Breathing heavily and with sweat beading his pale forehead, he brandished his saber yet again, but his sword arm was shaking, the muscles protesting the prolonged exertion.

"This isn't working, Mithrandos," Tori said almost imploringly. "He's only wearing you down."

The Guardian gave her a tired look and for once he wasn't smiling at her. He knew she was right.

From across the intersection, Luthien was approaching. His gait was steady, unhurried, confident in his superiority.

Mithrandos turned to the Rangers, and he could not quite hide the disquiet showing in his eyes. "I require stronger magic to subdue him!"

"We could whip out the zords on that punk," Shane suggested, but Cam shook his head.

"No, he would probably just disable them with his magic." The technician cast a look at the black-clad figure drawing inexorably nearer, but it was Tori who drew his attention back with her next words.

"What about our elemental powers?" she asked, her eyes intent on Mithrandos' face. "Can you use them to enhance your own magic?"

The Guardian blinked in obvious uncertainty. "I know not. Never before had I the need to draw upon another's powers…"

"Tori's got a point," Cam said urgently. "You said yesterday that your magic comes from nature. So do our elemental energies. They could be compatible."

"I…"

Less than twenty yards from the little group, certain of impending victory, the evil sorcerer Luthien came to a halt. He sheathed his sword across his back, and when he raised both hands before him, magic flared up all around his body, bathing him in an aura of dark purple. Power of the same color crackled from his fists. Mithrandos straightened up, and to Cam's surprise, pushed his sword into the technician's hands before he quickly interposed his body in front of the Rangers. He obviously knew what was about to happen, but barely had the time to bring his own hands up before the sorcerer unleashed his ultimate attack.

"Time to end this!" Luthien roared and a thick purple beam of energy shot towards Mithrandos and the ninjas. Cam flinched unwillingly, saw his teammates do the same, but Mithrandos was already launching a counter-attack in form of an identical energy beam, only this one bright silver in color.

Good and evil magic clashed, power crackling wildly at the nexus point of the two beams. Purple and silver energy pushed against each other, wrestling for dominance.

Cam saw the strain in Mithrandos' face.

"Guys, we've got to help!"

Shane stepped into his line of vision, glaring at the sorcerer. "Would have been nice to get a trial run first, but oh well…" The Air ninja exchanged quick glances with his team. All were nodding determinedly. "Let's do this!"

Wrists and samurai amulet raised in unison, they morphed, forgoing the usual theatrics in favor of speed, then positioned themselves in a tight semi-circle behind Mithrandos with all of their hands in physical contact somewhere on the Guardian's body: on his shoulders, his upper arms, his back, his waist.

Every touch enabled Mithrandos to draw upon the Rangers' powers, and as he did so, the bright silver of his energy beam slowly colored with tones of red, green, yellow and blue.

Mithrandos gritted his teeth against the dizzying sensation from the sudden energy boost, willing his mind to focus only on the magic surging from his hands.

The rainbow-colored beam thickened, growing in force, and with grim satisfaction, Mithrandos saw Luthien stagger back a step, the sorcerer's arms beginning to quiver. Inch by inch, his deep purple beam retracted, swallowed up by the Guardian's increasing magic. Their eyes met over the beams and Mithrandos saw the cockiness in the Dark Wizard's eyes falter, changing to something resembling uncertainty.

"What is this trickery?" Luthien snarled. "Mithrandos!"

Mithrandos did not bother with a reply. Focusing on channeling the ninjas' elemental energies into the beam was getting a bit easier now, but he had no idea how much longer his courageous friends could hold on. He also didn't know how much would be too much for them.

As if fate took that thought as its cue, the first of the Rangers behind him dropped down to one knee. One after the other, the Rangers' suits dematerialized from the power drain, yet the ninjas held on to him with dogged determination.

Mithrandos cast a worried look behind him. This had to stop now.

He refocused on his opponent and with a cry of 'Submit!' he summoned his last bit of remaining magic power from deep inside him. The energy beam - enhanced with otherdimensional magic and thisdimensional elemental powers - spiked, engulfing the Dark Sorcerer in a flare of bright light and his former lover's cry mingled with the sounds of the blood roaring in Mithrandos' ears.

He didn't remember stumbling, yet Mithrandos found himself on his knees, panting like he had just completed a marathon run. Behind him, the ninjas were on the ground as well, dazed and weak.

Tori was breathing as heavily as he was, Dustin was groaning and Hunter was trying to push himself up, but his arms did not support him.

A pang of guilt surged through the Guardian at the sight of his sapped friends, but he was glad to see them all alive.

His hands hurt, but he clutched the hilt of his sword and used it as a crutch to pull himself to his feet. Once upright he swayed, blinking rapidly to shake off a sudden bout of dizziness and to get a clear view of his fallen foe.

Several yards ahead, Luthien lay on his back, but was already stirring again.

There was no time to lose. He had to get to the sorcerer before Luthien could regain enough of his senses to attack again. Mithrandos moved, staggering like a drunken man, but relentlessly forward. Once he fell to his knees, but scrambled back up again at once, willing the last bit of speed out of his body until he reached the wizard at last. He dropped to his knees next to Luthien's head just as the sorcerer's eyes began to flutter. Quickly he reached into his pouch, pulling out the crystal he needed for the task ahead. This one was wrapped in a swath of black cloth, but even through the dark material, a faint shine could be seen.

Luthien groaned and opened his eyes which fixed immediately on Mithrandos.

"You cannot slay me," he rasped and the words, albeit spoken with obvious effort, were defiant.

Mithrandos returned the stare and his expression was unreadable. "I am aware of that. Yet even if I could, I would not. Unlike you, I do not slay fallen men."

Luthien barked a weak laugh. "So now what? You do not possess the magic necessary for that cursed sleep!"

Mithrandos only regarded him coolly. "Oh, but I do." He uncovered the crystal, and Luthien's eyes fell onto the brightly pulsing gem. A look of bewilderment came into his eyes before it changed to one of ominous anticipation.

"No, Mithrandos, wait, we can still..." He reached out, intend on touching Mithrandos' cheek in a last ditch effort, but the Guardian snatched the outstretched hand by the wrist. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on his adversary, green orbs cold and hard.

"Never shall you touch me again, Sorcerer!" And before Luthien had a chance to say any more, he thrust the crystal against his former lover's forehead. It shattered on impact and immediately a flood of incandescent light covered the sorcerer's body. Mithrandos saw him stiffen, then relax and when the light dissipated, Luthien's eyes were closed and an almost tranquil expression was now on his slack face. Mithrandos let out the breath he had held in tense expectation. The High Wizards of The Light had provided him with this special crystal that held within it the concentrated Spell of Inertia needed to once again put the sorcerer under the charmed slumber. But none of the wizards had been able to assure him beyond any doubt that the crystal would be effective, since the use of a gem to 'store' a spell was a heretofore untried thing.

Thankfully, it had worked and the Guardian slumped down besides his incapacitated foe, the last bit of lingering adrenaline finally draining out of him.

"Stay where you belong," Mithrandos whispered. "In my memories."

TBC…