An Encounter to Remember
The Mystic Realm was being attacked again and there were no guardians to protect them since the Mystic Academy was the first to be destroyed. Instead, they had to rely on six humans from the mundane world for protection. Preposterous!
Darien kicked a rock angrily.
He should have been chosen to be one of the mystic ones instead of random humans. He was not only a graduate of the Mystic Academy but also a proficient warrior. Instead, he was being relegated to being a paltry guard for the Elf King when he had so much more to offer.
Udonna had refused his services though she knew he could have fought alongside her.
Entrusting the fate of the realms to humans… What was she thinking?
Lost in thought, he bumped into someone else, both losing their balance and falling to the ground.
He rubbed his head and looked up to see a blond girl in front of him. She looked vaguely familiar, though he couldn't exactly place where he had seen her before.
The girl covered her mouth with her hands. "By the saints… I am so sorry! Are you alright?"
"Yeah, it's okay." He smiled at her bashfully as he got back up. He extended a hand towards the girl who had a basket of berries. "That's what I get for not seeing where I was going."
"Not just you. I am pretty much the same." She waved him off, grabbing his hand as he helped her up. "Thank you."
Their eyes locked and Darien felt his cheeks flush.
The girl smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ears… non pointed, human ears.
For some reason, he scratched the back of his own ears, pointed like any other elf. "So what are you doing in the middle of the woods?"
"Oh, gathering berries for dinner." She said, before her eyes widened and drifted towards her upturned basket and the berries that had fallen out, and some which had been squashed by their fall. "Oh no…"
"Here, let me help you." He grinned as they crouched to pick up the fallen berries and put them back in the basket.
"Thanks." She nodded as they quickly finished.
"It's okay. It was my fault anyway-"
"Partly your fault." She corrected with a smile. "I am Clare."
He grinned at her, taking a small bow. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Clare. I am Darien Li."
"It's my honour." Clare replied earnestly.
"Maybe, I can escort you to your home to make up for ruining your berries?" He offered.
"There is no necessity for that but…" Her lips formed a beaming smile as her cheeks became tinted with red. "I would enjoy the company."
Suddenly, sparks tore through the trees and hurled the two off their feet. They skid through the dirt.
Birds screeched flying away and an eery silence followed.
Darien rolled into a crouched position and looked ahead. Hidiacs crawled towards them led by a monster who looked like a mummy though he could sense that he exuded tremendous power.
He looked over his shoulder at Clare. "Run."
Clare seemed to stiffen at the sight of the monster.
"You again…" She muttered.
"Is that any way to greet a friend?" The monster leered at her.
"You know this creature?" Darien asked her.
Before she could answer, the monster glared at him. "None of your business, elf! I am here for the girl. If you value your life, you should run."
"He is after me." Clare placed her hands over his own. "Run."
"And leave you alone with this creep. No chance." He scoffed, glaring at the monster.
"You have no idea who you are dealing with!" The monster cackled, raising his staff, and firing a volley of shadow magic at them.
Darien grabbed Clare and dove for cover behind a tree.
"This isn't your fight, Darien." She pleaded. "Please run."
"Trust me. I got this." He reassured her with a smile, before letting go of her and stepping out in the clear to face the monsters.
"You are brave but foolish." The mummy snorted, raising his staff as dark energy converged on top of it. He swung the staff and a comet of darkness hurled towards the elf.
"NO!" Clare screamed, as the attack collided against Darien, resulting in a huge explosion which stirred a dust storm.
When it subsided, Darien was no longer clad in his simple shirt and breeches, but in a metallic chainmail and the attire of a knight. The elven crest shone brightly in his torso and his head was covered by a typical medieval helmet.
A war hammer appeared in his outstretched hands and he charged at the monsters.
He swung his hammer, taking out five hidiacs in one go. He balled his fists and the earth shook and the ground gave away underneath the soldiers and they fell to a trench helplessly.
"Impressive…" Their leader floated in the skies, his glassy eyes peering at him. "An earth mystic and an elven knight, doesn't matter! You don't stand a chance against me…I am Imperious, Grand General of the Underworld!"
"You really like to talk, don't you?" He snorted, slamming his hammer on the ground and using the momentum to leap into the air and reach Imperious' level before swinging his weapon at the mummy, who was sent staggering back to the ground.
Darien landed on the ground gracefully, using his powers to soften the fall.
Imperious gave him an appraising eye. "Impressive but I have a few tricks up my sleeves too."
He flicked his arm and tendrils of papyrus unravelled from his arm, shooting towards the knight like daggers. It wrapped around his hammer, wrenching it away from his arms while slashing through his armour. The papyrus wrapped around his arms and legs, hoisting him in the air while Imperious cornered Clare, who staggered back.
"Bullorio Orvis!" She shouted and sparks flew from her fingers before fizzling out.
"That spell didn't work the first time. What makes you think this time will be any different?" He sneered, snapping his fingers and the apprentice slumped to the ground unconscious.
"Get away from her!" Darien shouted.
The mummy turned towards him and tightened his wrists, the papyrus constructs doing the same around his body, forcing the air out of his lungs.
"So the bumbling servant got herself a knight…" He jeered. "How enchanting!"
A malicious gleam entered his eyes. "As it happens, I could use a knight myself!"
He grabbed Clare, dragging her with him and he commanded his constructs to bring Darien back to the ground. He snapped his fingers, dark energies cackling through the constructs and forcing the armour to fade away, leaving a battered elf.
He smirked, looking at his captives.
"Bandora will be pleased beyond words. I bring her not only the Gatekeeper but also a new Knight Wolf!"
"I will never fight for you!" He spat before Imperious pressed his cold finger against his lips.
"Never say never." He said enticingly. "You will be blessed with powers beyond anything you have ever imagined!"
Darien bit the finger hard, causing Imperious to flinch and withdraw his hand quickly. He glared at the knight as papyrus wrapped around his mouth, gagging him.
"You won't have a choice anyway. The Darkness always gets whatever they want." Imperious scoffed as he slammed his staff to the ground and a dark seal appeared beneath them.
Darien's eyes widened with horror. He tried to summon his magic but the constructs severed his connection to the Earth. The last thing he wanted to be was a puppet for darkness but more than himself, he feared for the young girl he had just met. He hoped against hope for someone to save them. Anyone to show up now, even the humans who had been chosen to be the Mystics over him!
"Clare!" A voice shouted from the distance. Darien looked to see eight humans running towards them, all of them wearing the crest of the mystics and he breathed a sigh of relief.
One of them, a man in golden and navy suit took out a lamp, turning it into a blaster and fired bolts of golden energies that cut through the constructs freeing him.
"Calindor, let go of her!" A woman in yellow with a saffron dupatta said sternly, her fingertips cackling with electricity before she flung her arms and a lightning bolt hit the spell circle, destabilising it and throwing Imperious back, who let go of Clare in surprise.
"Magical Source, Mystic Force!" They shouted, summoning their ranger forms.
Imperious made a dive for the unconscious girl only to be hit by a fiery tornado, courtesy of the red and pink rangers.
Darien crawled protectively in front of her, his eyes glowing brown as a large rock broke out from the ground before slamming the villain against the ground.
"Impudent children!" Imperious growled, his form unravelling into strands of paper, letting the rock hit the ground and reforming in front of him, just in time to hit by a convergence of blue, white, yellow, and green magic, that sent him staggering back.
The rangers joined Darien, serving a united front against the traitor.
"This is not over!" Imperious fumed, before sinking into a dark circle. "The Gatekeeper will be mine!"
The Saffron Sentinel let out a shocked gasp at the mention of the Gatekeeper, turning towards the Solaris Knight.
"Gatekeeper? What was he talking about? And why was he after Clare?" The red ranger asked the two veteran knights before turning towards him. "Who are you?"
"What he means is that you have our thanks for protecting our friend." The blue ranger told him gratefully, as she elbowed the red ranger.
He nodded gruffly before doubling over in pain.
"Please come back to Rootcore with us. We can heal you." The Saffron Sentinel insisted, holding out a hand.
"Alright." He nodded, grasping her hand while the other knight scooped Clare in his arms.
"Lanuae Magicae!" The white ranger cast the teleportation spell, a golden spell circle appearing underneath them, transporting them to the safety of Rootcore.
Hope you guys liked this chapter and the new character I introduced. :)
Miley Pinkys (Lilith will be back) , RiveraJ88 (Thank you!), RPM Shadow (Thanks! I am glad you liked it! I went for names that sounded unique and ancient, so that they match the aesthetic of the magical realm), D.J. Scales (Imperious can't free Morticon the same reason Bandora can't. He doesn't have the power to break the seal that prevents Morticon from leaving.)