Chapter Three

"A New Dawn"

Jason opened his eyes, ignoring the familiar stone-layered walls of his chamber as he hovered cross-legged four and a half feet above its floor. He did not even pay attention to the twitching candlelight reflecting on the side of his face. Instead, Jason channeled his focus in maintaining the flow of his chi throughout his body and aura—nothing else mattered. With his ESP, he sensed and felt his invisible aura swell from six to eight feet in diameter, brushing upon the floor, dense and enriched by his chi.

If one could see it, they would see an off-white aura of a bluish hue. As time went on, the color separated into pockets of soft blues, royal blues, and indigo. One and a half foot long beams of metallic gold blazed from a faint outline above his skin, only millimeters high.

However strong his aura was, it was neither that which levitated him nor his mind, but the unification of his being. Because of this, Jason neither sweated nor grew weary. Instead, he felt more energized—freer. Many years ago when he had begun his metaphysical training, he used to squeeze almost every major muscle in his body just to keep up the effort to push his chi into his aura. However many months of intense meditation afterward had helped him relax his body and allow his chi to flow through his body like the life river it was.

This was a centering exercise: one he had learned from Sean many years ago; back when he was still an agent of good. Sean had told him then that if one did not know himself, he could not know all his possibilities.

Though this was a lesson Jason was familiar with due to most of his life's devotion to Martial Arts, he had not known it as well as he had thought. There were doorways of potential Jason had not even known that existed for him which Sean had helped to unlock. Indeed, if it had not been partially for Sean, Jason would not have chosen to become the next Monarch of Evil. For that, Jason honored Sean.

But Jason was not thinking about those deeds now. Gone were the days when he had feared the changes he had later accepted. Instead, he was preparing himself by cleansing his body with his spiritual energy. He needed to be ready for his next meeting with Trini.

"She'll want to find out the truth," Jason had said years ago, "and I'll wait for her when she seeks them out."

With that, he lowered his legs, and stood.

Jason stretched his awareness outside of himself, looking with his eyes at the samurai armor display against the wall in front of him, but mentally… his mind's eye pinned itself on Trini, like that of a satiated hawk that had once been famished after scouting its prey for too long.

She was still awake.

The stone of patience, perseverance, and integrity Jason had constructed during his early years as a martial artist began to erode as desire and joy burned in his heart. A clear, vibrant red began to stain sections of his aura.

Trini lay on the bed alone, defenseless; trapped in her own terror and horror—unaware of the daylight drifting through the blinds.

Jason's impulsiveness and impatience slithered through his body. He wanted to ravage her again. Raping her mind and body during the night had only given Jason a taste of the victory he sought for. Mentally, he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. She shivered, squeezing her eyelids shut with a huffy gasp.

Jason sighed in mild ecstasy, wanting to feel her with his fingers again.

Jason, whispered a faint voice.

Returning his focus to the present, he grabbed a hold of the mind that had spoken. Briefly astounded, he cocked his eyebrows.

I see you still lack mastery of your emotions, it resumed. That has always been one of your dominate weaknesses.

Crawl back into your mind, Sean, Jason rebuffed coolly, before I reject being kind to you.

Letting me live was a terrible mistake, Sean said in a stronger voice. You have left a window of hope for—

Go to sleep, Sean, Jason added with a dismissive groan.

I already am. Perhaps you should too.

Without another word, Sean slid out of Jason's mind, submerging himself back into rim sleep while wrapping his mind in a mental shell, strengthened by the flare of his sacred animal.

Jason peered at the mental defense from a safe distance.

"Well, done, my friend," he murmured aloud, comprehending what Sean was doing. Instead, he redirected his ESP back at Trini.

Her mind, however, was not protected by her sacred animal. Amazed by this, Jason probed the room and her body, thinking that the other rangers might be protecting her with their energies—even only Billy's. Baffled that he did not detect any other presences in the room, Jason ran a finger across his chin.

"They aren't even trying to shield her from me," Jason pondered. He then smirked. "I can't tell if they're being foolish or trusting," he chuckled lightly, and then an idea bloomed in his mind. "Their trying to not over task her mind," he added. "Well, then, I think I will step in again." He zoomed in his telepathy, targeting her subconscious. Home, he planted in her thoughts. Satisfied, he pulled himself out her mind.

Taking in a deep breath, he focused his aura, chi, and mind's attention into his core, and on the exhale, let his energy flow outward in all directions. Bringing his fingers to Jnana mudra (the tip of his index fingers touching the tips of his thumbs, with the rest of the fingers spread out) he levitated himself once more, sitting in cross-legged.