RANGERS OF LIGHT, MONSTERS OF SHADOWS
ARC 1: RISE OF THE EMERALD KNIGHT
PROLOGUE
The Master surveyed the three generals, the lone vampire queen and handful of hidiacs as they knelt before him. The Underworld was supposed to have legions of monsters and beasts, ready to tear down all worlds, not the scraps he saw before him. His tentacles slammed against the wall behind him, reducing it to rubble and the hidiacs and Necrolai scurried backwards fearfully while the Three Terrors remained where they were, eyes fixated on his feet, waiting for his command, giving him the respect he deserved…
Where was his army? His generals?
In a single year, his grand army had been depleted by five novice mystics! Preposterous!
Morticon, destroyed. The other Terrors, destroyed!
However, what irked him the most was the loss of his most loyal knight, Koragg! He had taken much pride in using his dark powers to subvert the will of the greatest warrior of the light, turning the brave and valiant knight into his deadly hound, who would follow his every order to a fault…
He had lost his knight, the knight he had dreamt of parading around like a trophy when he stormed into the Mystic Mother's castle, of boasting that her defeat came at the hands of her prized pupil!
No, Leanbow's honour had prevailed through his dark powers and his love for his wife and son had enabled him to break free!
Maybe, he just needed another knight to replace him?
His lips twisted into a sinister smile as he thought of turning the Red Mystic, the fabled Light into his new puppet, but while it would be a treat to see the novice mystic fight for the Darkness he so despised… to see the look on Leanbow's face when he realised he had lost his son to him instead… Oh, to imagine Leanbow pleading to his son, or better, pleading him to take him instead in place of his precious Bowen… It would weaken the mystic's morale but ultimately, turning Bowen to his side wouldn't contribute much to his plans of taking over the universe. True, the boy had power and magic that he could feast upon for centuries, but he was hardly a sorcerer, let alone a general! He wouldn't be able to lead his forces! Koragg was invaluable to him only because Leanbow was already a powerful wizard and a born leader, having trained for years and earned his title as a warrior by winning several battles against foes with unspeakable power. Bowen on the other hand had won his battles through sheer power and no strategy, relying on luck instead of talent.
Oh, he wasn't dismissing the Light. After he conquered the surface world, he would take great pleasure in making Leanbow watch helplessly as he corrupted his son slowly. He would train Bowen himself, tutoring him in all sorts of dark magic that would leave his soul tainted forever… Instead of phoenix fire, he would channel hellfire! He would throw away his honour and become everything Leanbow despised… backstabbing, deceitful… He would slowly snuff out the Light piece by piece till Bowen knew nothing but darkness!
The Master smirked. But for now, he would spare the young mystic. Let him have whatever little time he could with his long-lost parents…
He closed his eyes and extended his senses into the Astral Plane… He needed a warrior who could rival Leanbow, someone who had fought before in battles…
He hissed in dismay as his search in the magical realms yielded nothing. The last great war had truly devastated the realm, nearly all warriors and mages killed or maimed, the reason why the white witch chose the current Mystic Force from the human realm.
That only left the human realm, and that was a lot of psionic energies to scan. Thousands upon thousands of humans, all living their pathetic little lives, uncaring of the world around them except for their own petty selfish issues… There were those who had fought and survived wars yet they were too rigid in their ways. Even if they were brainwashed, magic wouldn't come easily to them. Then he found them… those who radiated power and belief… people who had been touched by the Power and while all their souls were delectable, he desired only one for even his magic had limits. He kept Leanbow under his thrall for nearly two decades and he fought and nearly killed his own wife without even recognising her. His power could bend his subject's mind to his will and ensure undying fealty, but it can only bind one person at a time.
He searched through them, swatting aside the feeble protection of their grid avatars. Most of them were mundane animals, some based on the magical creatures from the forest and few were modelled after beasts he couldn't recognise but could sense that they were no more… Rarely, he saw vehicles, weapons and insignias too hovering protectively.
In the distance, he saw a bright light and as he approached, his grin widened. He had found his champion. Beams of white, black, green and red light shot up from the soul of his intended victim, a shiny beacon in the bleakness of the astral plane. Something about this soul seemed familiar though he couldn't place it.
Before he could approach, a strange vehicle in red slammed against him. His tentacles wrapped around it, wrecking the glass windows as it was compressed on itself before throwing it at the white falcon that lunged at him. He watched with glee as the bird avatar screeched in alarm and vanished in a puff of white feathers to avoid getting hit by the car, which dematerialised in red sparks midway through it's flight.
He continued walking towards the psionic signature and his hands lit up in hellfire as he threw fireballs at a giant black creature with an enormous neck and a white tiger who stood protectively in front of their champion, only for the fire to stop mid motion.
"You can't have him." A voice said from behind him and his eyes shot wide in recognition. No matter how many centuries had passed, he could never forget that damned voice… the voice of the man who had stolen his beloved away and attempted to turn his own daughter against him.
"Zordon of Eltar!" He snarled, turning around to see the faint spectral projection of the blue skinned eltarian. "Even in death, you continue to pester me…"
"My spirit lives on in all that is good and especially those whom I consider my family… Begone, foul sorcerer!" The eltarian guardian warned, his form solidifying with every word he spoke. A wave of bright light burst from him, momentarily blinding him. When he opened his eyes, he saw Zordon covered in bright ivory armour with a regal blue cape flowing down from his shoulder. He wielded a silver sceptre.
His tentacles shot towards the guardian, who swiftly swung his sceptre, sending arcs of crescent silver energy that cut through his tentacles, making him wince as he felt the psychic backlash.
Zordon charged at him, his sceptre twisting into a sword with a blade of blazing blue flame. He dodged the attack, manifesting his own weapon – a scythe of obsidian which met Zordon's sword with a clang that reverberated across the astral plane.
"Why won't you leave me be, Zordon!" He yelled maniacally, pushing his opponent back before charging at him again.
Zordon narrowly avoided getting stabbed by the scythe as he leapt backwards.
"You are the one trying to claim an innocent soul, Vi-" Zordon was slammed backwards by a blast of dark energy that nearly extinguished the flames of his sword.
"I no longer go by that name! I am the Master!" He roared, jumping at the guardian.
"You delude yourself!" Zordon spat, jumping back to his feet and readying his sword. He parried the Master's attacks before retaliating with an energy attack from his sword which didn't even phase him.
"What have you done?" The eltarian's eyes widened as he stepped back warily and circled the leader of the underworld.
The Master laughed.
"I have become more powerful than you remember, Zordon… Far more powerful than the false god I once worshipped! Even Dark Spectre's powers don't hold a candle to mine!" He gloated, mimicking the eltarian before stopping suddenly and charged.
Zordon swiftly manifested a energy shield to protect himself but a single motion from his scythe shattered it. The guardian met his attacks with his sword but it was obvious that he couldn't keep it up much longer. Sword met scythe blow for blow before in one swift strike, the scythe cut through the sword, the solid flames fizzling out as the shards hit the ground. Not giving the eltarian spirit a chance to recover, he swung his scythe in a wide arc. Sparks flew from his ethereal armour as Zordon was forced to his knees.
"As always, you lose, Zordon!" The Master smirked, kicking his opponent, forcing him to fall back on the hard ground. The eltarian looked up at him defiantly, though his form was swiftly fading.
"Thank you for finally giving me a chance to end you myself!" He cackled. He tossed aside his scythe and knelt beside the defeated warrior. His hands lit up with black flames and he smirked at the eltarian.
To his surprise, Zordon smiled at him. "You never did understand, did you, Eldin? You won't be able to corrupt him, just like you failed with your daughter. Whatever you do, good will always prevail."
"We'll see, Zordon. We will see." He slammed his fist into the eltarian's chest and watched with sadistic glee as the flames spread across his body, blue skin disintegrating into sparks of mana. Gathering up the last of his might, Zordon tried to crawl away from him towards the spirit tiger and the other creature.
The tiger ran towards him and knelt down, allowing the eltarian to lean on him even as his legs faded away completely.
"Forgive me Tommy, I couldn't stop him…" He gasped painfully, his fingers grazing the tiger's golden stripes. "But you will persevere regardless…"
"May the power protect you always." The eltarian finished with his last breath before the black flames devoured him completely, singeing the tiger's white fur.
"A beautiful end but an end anyways…" The master smirked.
The tiger roared before pouncing on him.
He thrust his hands forward and let loose a wave of dark energy that obliterated not only the tiger but also the creature in black.
"Oh, Tommy, was it?" The Master tilted his head, his eyes lighting up in recognition. He stepped closer, only for a blast of fire to force him back. A ring of fire surrounded him and smoke threatened to obscure his sight. He looked up to see a green dragon and a red phoenix flying overhead.
"So many powerful totems…" He murmured in delight before snapping his fingers. Tendrils of crimson chaos energy burst from his arms and tore through the mystical creatures. He watched with delight as they fell unceremoniously to the barren terrain.
"Finally, you are mine!" He licked his lips as he extended his hand towards the astral body of his target. Dark energies spread out from his fingers, piercing the soul of the warrior Zordon had failed to protect from him and expanded within the spirit, till the darkness had completely blanketed him, suppressing the red, black, green and white grid signatures.
He laughed victoriously, securing a hold on the energy signature of his next puppet, a black string connecting their astral bodies. When he returned to his physical body, he would be able to summon the warrior to him in the Underworld and complete the bond, solidifying his absolute control over the champion's mind as well as body.
Hope you guys liked this prologue from the Master's perspective. If you look closely, you will spot clues as to how the Master knows Zordon and recognises Tommy but I won't spoil it right now. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews.
Anyway, I am writing this story as a tribute to my favourite season (Mystic Force), my favourite characters and Power Rangers as a whole. While big team-ups and references to other seasons is common nowadays in the Hasbro era and the Boom comics, it was rare when I watched the show as a kid and was often the muse for my fanfiction ideas, including this one.
All the rangers from MMPR to Mystic Force and a few others would be showing up, but I will be focusing on Mystic Force and MMPR teams for the first arc.