In a dark space in a place where no mortal would dare to go lay the remains of Blaine's castle. A roar of pain echoed into the nothingness. It's source was a giant creature covered in armor. However, this didn't matter; it collapsed to the ground and faded away. Its destroyer frisked it and found what he was looking for: a small black box.
As he opened it, a rush of red energy rocketed out of the small container and entered the man.
Sighing with relief, the man muttered, "It's great to be whole again."
Looking upon the remains, Slade smiled under his mask. "I can put this place to good use..."
~ The Park, Night Time ~
The wind whipped around the town in an unnaturally harsh rage. Noah, in his morph form, was sent flying into a park bench.
Out of a swirling tornado, came a man with grey skin, stormy eyes, and white hair. He wore rags that were just as grey. His head was tilted in a demented manner and he searched around looking for something or someone.
Jared and Liam doubled teamed the man with a flurry of quick punches and kicks. However, they two were thrown off into the distance.
Sonia jumped forward and struck the demon with her daggers, earning a few solid hits. She then sent a high kick at its head but she missed. She was then sent upward by about 20 feet, but Alicia flew up and caught her.
Letting out a howl, the man disappeared into thin air...
~ Later that night ~
In her bed, Alicia tossed and turned as she had a nightmare.
She found herself in a brightly lit forest. She had no idea how she got there, but the serene breeze combined with a symphony of animal sounds brought a sense of comfort.
"Alicia." Came an all too familiar voice.
Turning around, Alicia met the eyes of Jules.
"Jules!" Alicia called in happiness as she ran to her former friend and hugged her. "It's so good to see you."
"Alicia, I don't have much time. You have to act fast."
"Fast? What're you talking about?"
"You need to find him."
"Find who?"
"You'll know when the time is right. But for now, you must find the boy of darkness and light. Find who he is and lead me to him." Jules's eyes were focused with determination and urgency.
"Ok... I'll try."
"Good. There's so much I have to tell you and the others. I've seen it all. So much..."
"Can you tell me?"
"I've run out of time. Don't tell the others about this. I'll see you again."
~ Alicia's Room ~
Alicia darted up from bed in cold sweat. A bad feeling crept up her spine in the form of chills. She knew something was coming their way...
~ HQ ~
It's been three weeks since the catastrophe with Blaine, and the Rangers gathered at Headquarters waiting for Asher to show up.
"He's been disappearing a lot lately." Liam commented.
Alicia rubbed her temples. "Liam, please. Your irritation is getting to me."
"Sorry."
Alicia, days before, had discovered that her powers had expanded into Empathy: The ability to feel the emotions of others. Naturally, she had little control over it.
A swirl of white and blue orbs descended from thin air and out came Asher covered in what looked to be mud.
"Where've you been?" Sonia asked.
"Sorry, I was... training."
Alicia's eyes squinted in suspicion. She got a strange vibe from the future boy. "You're nervous. Is everything ok?"
Eyes widening, Asher shook his head. "No, no. Everything's cool. So what's this about?"
"Well," Jared stated, "Devon's been missing for over three weeks and we think he was on a mission."
"A mission?" Noah asked.
Dr. Bly nodded and pulled up a picture of Devon on the main computer screen. "He was supposed to locate a charge he was assigned. This charge is very important. Find him and bring him here so I can talk to him."
"For now, we have to find Devon and this person." Noah stated standing up.
"And we will." Dr. Bly agreed. "But for now, return to your normal lives."
~ A faraway Island ~
Devon was in a barred cage in a slightly well lit cave. The floors were sand and weapons lay all around ranging from projectiles to shields to swords.
The Light-Watcher wore gladiator style leather armor on his chest, arms and legs. Under he wore black spandex.
At that moment, he was staring down a Martial Artist who was wearing what looked to be a Pizza Hut Uniform. The fighter jumped forward, but Devon blocked the kick with his shield and flipped the man onto his back.
"Enough. The challenger fought well. Start his training." Came a female voice. Outside the cave sat numerous beautiful women clad in similar leather armor.
One of the women magically undid the seal of the cage and brought the man to his feet and helped him walk away.
Before doing so, she locked the doors behind her. Devon, in rage, banged on the cage.
"I don't belong here, and you know it!"
However, his cries were ignored.
~ Gordon House, Asher's room ~
Asher sat on his bed meditating when a swirling white portal appeared in front of him. Out of it came one of the island women. She was a bit taller than Asher but was about the same age. She had blonde hair and green eyes. She gave off a strong and confident aura.
"We can't keep him forever."
"You have to. Keep him there until I'm ready."
"You know who he's looking for."
"And the Rangers are on the verge of finding him. Which means I have to work faster."
Outside the room, Jared walked by the closed door carrying a bagel. He stopped at the door and thought he heard multiple voices, so he leaned in and listened.
"Just go back and keep him occupied." Asher commanded.
"Of course. It has to be done."
"So the future doesn't change for the worse. Go, Kara."
Nodding, Kara stepped through the portal once more. Just after it disappeared, Jared opened Asher's door.
"Were you talking to someone?"
Asher shook his head. "No... I have to go."
"Hold on, secret boy. I know you're hiding something." Jared intercepted placing his hand on Asher's sternum.
"Jared, buzz off. Please." Asher pushed the hand away and the two felt it: Another chilling yet familiar sensation washed over them. Alarmed, Asher teleported away.
~ Tibet ~
Asher emerged from his orbs and walked into a cave.
An old asian man stood at an altar. All over his cave were shelves of books and magical ingredients.
"Come back?" He asked.
"Yes." Asher answered. "What do I need to bring you for this potion?"
The man shook his head. "This potion is powerful. I cannot imagine why you need it. But I'll make it anyway. All you need to bring me is a Griffin Egg."
Sighing in irritation, Asher teleported away.
~ Bayview High School ~
"Happy Friday." Jared said as he sat down next to Alicia at the lunch table outside. Rubbing her temples, she could tell that something was bothering Jared.
"Something's wrong. What is it?"
"You need to get that power together ASAP." Jared jokingly nudged.
"I know, I know."
"I found him; the demon from last night." Jared informed his friends later at HQ. Staring at the portrait of the man, Lydia's face scrunched up in disgust.
"That guy needs a makeover."
"Who is he?" Tobias asked.
"He's a demon called Shax. He's a mercenary assassin who uses the power of wind. There's really nothing else in his profile."
"Mercenary? So he was assigned to kill one of us?" Liam asked.
"No, I don't think he was after us." Alicia informed. "It's as if he didn't know we would be there. I mean, he was shocked to see us."
Sonia asked, "Well, do we know who he's after? Like, specifically?"
Alicia touched Shax's profile page and a jolt ran through her body. She saw it: Shax landed on the top of a building whirling up a ball of wind, ready to attack someone who's face was in the shadows.
"I see him." Alicia informed.
"A vision? Where is he?" Sonia asked.
With her eyes still closed, Alicia described, "A high rooftop... buildings around it... I think I can see... Main Street? That new guy Chris..." She opened her eyes and dejectedly said, "I'm sorry, that's all I can see."
Liam said, "Well, Main Street is a start. We should stake out. Whatever it is, that new kid Chris is in danger."
"I agree." Noah nodded. Looking around he asked, "Why would Shax be after Chris?"
"Only one way to find out." Jared said.
~ Later that Night, Bayview Mall ~
Christopher Paige sat at the mall food court with his new group of friends. There was Johnny, Mackenzie and Mark. The three sat with Chris in Algebra II and they quickly bonded.
"You ok, Chris?" Mackenzie asked as she swept her hair over her shoulder.
Chris felt like he was in a trance that night; he just seemed out of it.
"I don't know, guys. I just feel like something's about to happen." Picking up a pen, he started to doodle on his napkin.
"Well, we're about to go our 'spot' later. You in?" Mark asked.
"Sure." Chris nodded.
"Let's go then!" Johnny smiled standing up.
Staying silent, Chris followed after his new friends. Chris left the food court without staring down at his napkin. If he did, he would've noticed that he doodled the Spirit Transformation Circle in the center of the tissue.
~Colorado Springs, Colorado~
A police officer ran through an abandoned warehouse where he had chased runaway criminals. He slowly skulked through the near dark area, his breathing was all he could hear. He then felt a painfully powerful force knock him off his feet; he had been shot. He then heard footsteps hurry away from him.
He looked up at the dimly lit ceiling and felt himself fade away. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at his dead body. Suddenly, a swirling white portal appeared in front of him. A a girl from the Faraway Island appeared from it. She looked at the police man's ghost and shook her head.
"Everything will be fine."
"What do you mean?"
"You are one of the chosen ones." She opened a white vial and the man's ghost was sucked into the glass.
~ Island ~
The girl stepped out of the portal and back to her island. She made her way to the giant temple in the center. As she walked by, she observed numerous other leather armor clad people training different men and women, all who looked to be from different time periods. There were people dressed liked soldiers from today or gladiators.
"Valerie," The girl spoke as she approached her leader, "I have brought another warrior soul."
"You have done well, Donna." Valerie said. "Another challenger for our Light-Watcher."
"Why are we keeping him there?" Donna asked.
"As Valkyrie we must keep up our deal with Asher and keep the Light-Watcher busy. All the boy told me was that if our captive escapes, his life will be in peril. If he dies, the world will be thrown onto a bad path and we cannot let that happen."
"I understand."
"Good. Now go, keep collecting warrior souls to train."
~ Main Street ~
Jared and Alicia were taking their turn staking out the entirety of Main Street from the top of a hotel. Alicia shivered from the cool air. She then felt something warm fall on her shoulders. Jared had given her his black and red zip up sweater.
"Thanks." Alicia nodded.
Jared nodded back. "No problem... So how's Bobby?"
"More migraines. We don't have time to hang out anymore, I guess."
"I'm sorry." Jared half whispered.
"It's fine, don't worry about it." Suddenly, there was movement across the street. The building rooftop across from the two carried four voices.
"Movement." Alicia informed.
"I see them." Jared confirmed.
"I feel so free!" Johnny yelled with relief.
"It's pretty cool up here." Chris commented. "I can see the Bayview Bridge." He pointed to the glowing green bridge off by the bay.
"It's a great night." Mackenzie added.
Suddenly, the wind started to pick up. The four teenagers were then swept off their feet. Shax had appeared about ten feet away from them.
"We have to get there now!" Jared stated with worry. "Call the others. I'm going." Before Jared could make a super jump, the most unexpected thing happened. While Johnny, Mackenzie and Mark were knocked onto their backs and out of consciousness, Chris was cornered.
Letting out a roar of triumph, Shax fired off a blast of wind that would kill Chris. Shielding his face, he screamed.
He was then enveloped by a swirl of purple, black and blue orbs. The orbs carried him into thin air only for him to reappear a second later.
Shax looked shocked. Jared shook his head back to reality and jumped across the street, morphing in the air.
He dropped kicked Shax away from Chris.
"Run!" Jared yelled.
Nodding, Chris ran back inside the building.
Jared and Shax entered a high speed battle, only for Shax to blow the Slayer away and turn into a gust of wind. Chris jumped down the stairs in the empty building. The inside was poorly lit and musky. Boxes and wood pieces were strewn everywhere.
"Get down!" Came a voice. A blast of pink hit an oncoming gust of wind, causing Shax to fall to the ground. Alicia jumped down from a scaffolding and drew her sword.
"Legend Burst Cannon, Fire!" Came Noah's voice. He, Liam and Sonia emerged from the shadows with their finisher cannon. The blast hit Shax in the back and caused him to scream in pain. Jared burst from the ceiling and kicked Shax in the face, sending him into a wall. The wind Demon roared, sending numerous gusts of wind in all directions, knocking the Rangers away. He then charged at Chris.
Suddenly, on instinct, Chris readied his right arm. It glowed black and purple and within seconds, his arm was covered in grey and red steel-like skin. He punched forward and nailed Shax in the chest, sending him flying into the back wall. Surprised at what he did, Chris looked down at his arm, which was back to normal.
Knowing he was cornered, Shax disappeared into thin air.
"Wh-what do you want from me?" Chris asked the teens as they approached.
"We think you're the one we're looking for." Noah informed.
"What?"
The six let their transformations go and when the lights disappeared, Chris gasped. He came face to face with his classmates from school.
"No way..." He whispered.
~ Jared's House ~
It was later in the night, and Chris had just been filled in on Rangers's secret. Chris, with the six rangers, sat in Jared's sunroom, which had a few couches, a table and a back wall that was mostly made of glass windows with a glass door.
"You guys are the Rangers? This has to be a dream."
"This isn't. And for some reason, we had to find you."
"For what?"
"We don't know yet."
Looking down, Chris shook his head. "Well if you don't know, I think I should leave."
"What?" Noah asked, surprised. "Why?"
"I'm sorry, but it seems like I'm gonna get tied up in this battle of yours... and you saw how I handled myself against that thing. If those lights above me didn't explode, I'd be a goner."
"Lights explode?" Sonia asked. "That was you."
"What're you talking about?"
Noah stepped up to Chris. "Look; if Devon was sent to find you, then you're obviously important."
Asher then tried, "It's for the future."
"I'm sorry. I can't be who you want me to be; whoever that is."
"Chris-" Jared began only to be interrupted by another burst of wind. His glass door opened, and Shax flew in from the backyard.
The six Rangers and Chris were blown from the sunroom into the main front hallway, where the front door was.
"What do we do?" Liam asked.
"We have to fight!" Noah said.
"How'd he know where we were?" Sonia asked.
"Doesn't matter! We have to fight him!" Jared yelled standing up.
The Rangers brought themselves to their feet and readied their fists.
Chris got up and felt a spine tingling fear and excitement. He too raised his fists as he walked up next to Jared. Then, the seven of them, being in one place made something happen. The crystal chandelier that hung directly above the seven teenagers started to glow a bright blue light. Millions of tiny light rays showered the group in its powerful warmth.
It was reminiscent of when the core Five Rangers came together for the first time.
Shax looked afraid of this phenomenon and tried to blast the seven with bursts of wind. However, each attack fizzled out as it reached the barrier of light.
Subconsciously joining hands, a multi-colored blast fired from each of the teenagers's chests and hit Shax, blasting him back into nothingness. With a roar, he fled the house.
The seven dropped to their knees in exhaustion; the five core Rangers felt a sense of deja vu.
"That's why we had to find Chris!" Jared realized.
Asher looked at the Slayer with wide eyes. "They weren't supposed to know this soon."
"Chris is the true Sixth Ranger!"
"That's right!" Alicia added. "That attack we did together! We did that when we all first met last year."
"I remember." Liam said.
"But how do we get him the Spirit?" Sonia asked.
"Beats me." Noah replied.
Asher thought to himself, "I'm gonna have to cut my plans short."
