Ancient Power

A beam of silver light appeared in the battlefield. Clare in her silver armour dropped to the ground and the rangers turned to her, startled.

"Clare?" Chip asked hesitantly.

"What happened?" She asked, running over to them. She stepped back, her eyes widening on seeing Nick. "No…"

The other rangers moved aside so she could come in.

"I was too late…" She said tearfully, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Ryan let out a yelp, instinctively moving away from Nick and scrambling to his feet.

"Something's wrong." He said, shaking his head. "He is burning up."

"What?" Xander looked at him.

"No… look." Neil pointed as fiery veins started to appear on Nick's face before breaking through his skin and setting his body ablaze.

"Step back…" Clare said urgently, as she sensed an incredible power converge on the fallen red ranger. They backed away as the flames consumed his body and turned into a raging inferno.

"What is happening?" Maddie asked.

"I don't believe it!" Clare covered her face with her hands.

Ryan's eyes shot wide open before something clicked and a glimmer of hope lighted up his eyes.

"The phoenix…" He murmured.

The inferno remained constricted to the place where Nick's body had laid moments before, though the flames spiralled upwards into the skies, till it became a giant pillar of magical fire.

Udonna looked at the crystal ball in disbelief. In all her eyes as a sorceress, she had never seen anything like this. She didn't know what was happening but this sparked the tiniest flicker of hope in her heart.

Hope… Just like Clare had told her after coming out from her haze. Niella had told her not to give up hope.

Could it be?

She ran over to the Xenotome, flipping through the pages till she found the one she was searching for.

A prophecy recorded in the days of the Ancient Mystics, one which had not been fulfilled for centuries.

The white witch joined her hands and closed her eyes, sending a silent prayer to the heavens.

The Underworld shook violently. Dust poured down from the catacombs and Morticon shot up from his throne in shock.

The dark witch attacked them mercilessly and the two knights barely managed to hold her off.

Vines shot out from the earth, restraining the witch as Darien appeared on top of a nearby cliff.

He jumped down, summoning his knight armour.

"Darien! You are healed!" Lena said as he joined them.

"Yes." He nodded. "Thanks to Clare."

"Do you really think another knight will help you defeat me?" Bandora laughed, cutting through the vines. "I am the Dark Mistress of the Underworld!"

She thrust her hands forward, dark energies converging on her palm when she faltered, stumbling forwards.

She gasped, reeling from sensing the scales of power shift.

She wasn't the only one.

Daggeron lowered his blaster, his suit shattering to reveal his ancient mystic mode.

Lena felt a burst of power as her suit shed off as well to reveal a winged knight clad in amber armour. She had never completed the trials to unlock her ancient mystic mode. The darkness had attacked before her trials and after the war, she had discontinued her training in favour of settling down in the human world.

Darien gasped as green magic converged on him. A brown fur coat appeared on his shoulder attached to his knight uniform by a belt that hung diagonally from his shoulder to his waist. Wooden antlers grew out from his helmet and a metallic sheen encased his exposed pointy elf ears. A pair of jade faulds with leafy designs etched across them hung down from his breastplate, encasing his abdomen and waists. His hammer shimmered with emerald energies and the symbol of the mystics appeared on it.

"What happened?" Darien asked the veteran knights.

Bandora shrieked, thrusting her hands at them and bolts of dark magic headed for them. Daggeron drew his blade deflecting it. Lena's wings flapped open as she dodged the blasts. A pillar of dirt and stone rose up from the earth, absorbing the attack meant for Darien.

"We unlocked our Ancient Mystic modes." Lena told him.

"But that's not possible… I never took the trials. The Academy fell before-"

"And I never took mine." She told him as Daggeron hit the dark witch with a solar flare from his sword.

Bandora narrowed her eyes at them before disappearing in a swirl of purple smoke.

"We need to go back to Rootcore." Daggeron told them. They nodded, running into the nearest tree.

The flames dissipated and the shadows of giant wings were seen through the dust.

The silhouette of the bird faded away as a humanoid figure stepped out of the smoke. The being was covered in crimson flames. Wings of fire extended from his back and flames wisped from the being's golden eyes. As he stepped closer, the rangers got a clearer look. Underneath the flames, he seemed to have a body akin to a volcano. Lava lines spread throughout his form, giving fuel to the fire while burning red coal formed the rest of his body.

"Nick?" Ryan asked hesitantly.

The flames flickered away and in a burst of red light, the being reverted to Nick, who swayed before Ryan caught him, preventing him from falling.

"What happened?" He stuttered weakly as the others engulfed him in a group hug.

"A miracle." Ryan told him, smiling through tears of joy.

As soon as the rangers returned to Rootcore, Udonna flung herself towards the red ranger, wrapping him in a warm embrace.

"Thank the saints, you are alright!" She said tearfully, before pressing a kiss on his forehead.

"Me too." Nick said, as the elder witch led him to the couch. "I don't know what happened. I thought I was a goner for sure."

"The prophecy of the phoenix was fulfilled." Udonna smiled.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked.

"There was an ancient prophecy that a brave wizard will be blessed with the phoenix spirit and help restore order to the realms." The witch said. "It's you. The phoenix spirit saved you. Like the firebird, you rose from your ashes."

"But I thought magic can't bring back the dead?" Neil asked.

"It can't but the phoenix is not a mundane creature like us humans. They are magical entities." Ryan said.

"So, I am a Phoenix now?" Nick asked.

"Not now. You were always a phoenix. You were always magic." The white witch smiled at him.

"So, I can't die?" The red ranger asked.

"Don't say that as if it's a bad thing!" Xander punched his shoulder.

"Everyone dies, even celestial entities." Udonna told him warmly. "But you don't have to worry about your mortality for a long time."

"Join the club." Vida smirked at him.

"Yeah… It is just a lot to take in." Nick breathed.

"It is more than just you being a phoenix." Daggeron told him. "When you were reborn, you created a cosmic event."

"What?" Udonna narrowed her eyes.

"We unlocked our ancient mystic modes." Lena said simply.

"But with the Mystic Mother gone, it's impossible!" The white witch protested.

"Apparently not." Darien shrugged.

"Okay, so I am a bit lost." Maddie asked. "What is an ancient mystic mode? Is it a power up?"
"It is so much more. Instead of harnessing magic, you become magic. You shed off your humanity and become a being of magic." Daggeron told them. "Every year, the Mystic Mother organises a trial for selected candidates. They venture into the Dimension of the Lost and undergo trials. After successfully completing them, the Tribunal of Magic themselves appear and initiate their ascension."

"It's the ultimate form any mystic can achieve… the truest harmony between mortals and magic." Lena added.

"And your rebirth facilitated that." Darien said.

"So, you guys got a cheat code because of Nick?" Chip asked.

"Maybe not. Maybe your actions as guardians had already made you worthy of having the ancient mystic powers and the celestial event just made it official." Daggeron told the two.

"I have never heard of anything like this happening before." Udonna grimaced. "But I am glad it did. We need all the help we can get."

"This does mean another thing." Daggeron mused, looking at Nick. "The Darkness will be out for you too, just like they are after Clare."

"Let them come." Nick said, flames flickering in his eyes. "I would love to see them burn."

Hope this chapter makes up for the last one. :)

Thanks to R.P.M. Shadow, D.J. Scales and Miley Pinkys for the reviews. :)

No, I haven't watched the original Sailor Moon except for the first ten episodes or so, but I did watch the new anime. Also, Koragg was destroyed along with Necrolai.