The Gatekeeper chapters are probably the shortest of the entire series, but I hope you like it!

Chapter 11: The Gatekeeper: Part 1

Titania's giggles were non-stop, and she couldn't help but squirm from the ticklish sensation of the snout that was pressed up against her ear, breathing hard enough to blow her hair aside as the owner tried to nibble on the tapered point.

"Stop," she pleaded through the giggles, backing away.

"I'm afraid that Brightstar is a little more difficult to deter than that," Taliesin said, watching without helping Titania, who was a source of fascination for the beautiful unicorn. "I wonder what her fascination is…do you remind him of your parents? Or perhaps you simply smell better than I do," he mused as Titania managed to move back enough to deter Brightstar with the oats and berries they had brought.

"Whatever it is, I am less appetising than this," Titania assured the unicorn, who seemed to agree as she immediately dug in. She laughed, and backed away to rejoin Taliesin. "It's good to see Brightstar back in this dimension. I thought we wouldn't see her again for a while," she admitted, leaning back against a tree.

"The same thought did cross my mind," the Satyr confessed. "Brightstar is one of the only unicorns left - at least to my knowledge. It could be more have chosen to settle in other dimensions, but either way, it is good to see a familiar face," he smiled faintly as he watched Brightstar.

"She helped you out before, didn't she? Back when you were still Mystics?" Titania remembered.

"It was more like we helped each other," Taliesin chuckled, and Brightstar snorted, her ears flicking as she made it clear that she was listening to their conversation. "Though I suppose she helped me more than I helped her," he amended, and Titania giggled as the unicorn went back to eating. "Her ability to jump between dimensions certainly helped us, especially once we lost the Solar Streak," the former Mystic mused, and Titania glanced at him as she heard the loss in his voice. Even Brightstar stopped chewing to glance over. "So, what is my wayward student doing today? Too princely to help bring what I asked for?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Tári is returning to Miramalos this morning," she said. Carvallain's betrothed had her own duties to attend to, and now that Obsidian was recovered, she didn't have the excuse to stay. Taliesin chuckled.

"An acceptable reason to avoid helping me," he allowed, the same knowing look on his face. It made Titania giggle. "Ah yes, and the Fireheart. Any progress?" Taliesin remembered, glancing to her with curiosity in his eyes. The moment he'd heard about the mysterious Fireheart being a Dragon egg, he had raced back to see for himself. Dragons had vanished from their world shortly after he was born, and as someone who dedicated their life after being a Mystic to tending to magical creatures, he was exceptionally eager to learn about it.

"Nothing yet," Titania shook her head. "Claire's keeping an eye on the egg, but there's been no signs of it hatching anytime soon," she told him. They had all been concerned about the egg, wondering if it would even hatch considering it had been locked away for so long. Taliesin had looked over it, determining that there were signs of life within, and a powerful life at that, and Dusk's Fire magic had lingered around it long enough that it was able to generate its own heat source to survive even after his death.

"I see. Well, please contact me when it hatches," Taliesin's request was polite, but Titania knew it was more of a demand, and it made her smile before her Morpher chimed. Brightstar snorted at the sound, returning to eating as Titania grabbed her Morpher quickly.

"You guys aren't gonna believe this," Chip's voice was breathless from running. "But Necrolai's back!" Titania went pale at his warning.

"Necrolai?! No way!" Nick groaned.

"How is that possible?" Carvallain spoke up. "The Dawn Crystal destroyed her. We saw it. How did she return?" he wondered.

"I don't care how she came back," Vida growled, her anger audible. Of all of them, she was the one with the biggest grudge against the Vampire who took control over her. "I'm gonna send her back to where she came from as many times as I need to!" she declared.

"It gets worse. She grabbed Toby and flew off with him," Chip warned.

"What does she want with Toby? He's a regular human," Titania breathed.

"Let's get out there," Nick growled. Closing her Morpher with a snap, Titania turned to Taliesin, who had been listening the entire time.

"It is troubling that the Dawn Crystal did not fully destroy her, Queen of the Vampires or not," Taliesin commented. "Go. I can finish tending to the creatures here," he urged her on, and Titania nodded. She turned and bowed respectfully to Brightstar, who bowed her head in response before watching as she pressed a hand to the tree behind her, vanishing in a flash of magic.

While Nick had gone ahead on his bike, the other Rangers met up as they used their Mystic Racers to fly across the city in the direction of the presence of dark magic. It didn't take long to spot Nick climbing off his bike while Necrolai snarled, getting to her feet after an attack had smashed her through a box. They leapt down as Titania's wings vanished, and each of them landed lightly before moving to stand with Nick.

"Back off, Rangers!" the Vampire shrieked, but they ignored her and launched their attack. Even now she was relentlessly strong, overpowering each one of the Rangers and tossing them aside. When Necrolai had a moment to look around, she spotted Toby cowering behind some empty crates. She snarled, charging towards him to grab him again.

"Stop!" Nick shouted, moving to stand between her and the man. Toby scrambled away to find another place to hide.

"Out of my way!" Necrolai warned coldly.

"What do you want with him?" Nick demanded, refusing to step aside. Necrolai's dark eyes narrowed at the Red Ranger.

"The Gatekeeper will be mine!" she declared. Her words didn't mean anything to Nick, or most of the others of the team. Carvallain was the only one who understood the meaning of her words, and pushed himself to his feet.

"Gatekeeper?"

"He possesses more power than all of you put together!" Necrolai taunted. Seeing her opportunity was wasted, she took a step back and spread her wings. "I'll be back," she vowed, and flew off with a cackle.

"No!" Vida growled. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides, furious that Necrolai had thrown them around before escaping.

"What was she talking about?" Nick asked, not understanding.

"What's a…Gatekeeper?" Titania tilted her head curiously.

"You don't know either? Figured it was some magical term we hadn't learned yet," Chip shrugged to the Black Ranger.

"I've never heard the term before," she admitted.

"I have," they turned to Carvallain as he spoke up. His words were grim as he turned to where Toby was peeking out at them, trying to determine if he was safe or not. "But Necrolai is mistaken. It's not him," the Elf let out a sigh. "We need to get back," he warned, deeply unhappy that Necrolai had turned her sights on the Gatekeeper now.

"What about Toby?" Maddie glanced over at their boss.

"I have something to help," Titania raised a hand that started to shimmer with rainbow lights. The same lights shimmered around Toby, who was oblivious to them.

"What did you do?" Xander asked.

"I've cloaked him so that anyone who seeks to harm him won't be able to see him. It's limited though, so hopefully Necrolai will give up soon," Titania explained.

"Thanks," Nick let himself relax a little. "Come on, let's talk to Udonna about this," he told them. The team ran off, leaving Toby wondering just what was going on.

Udonna was keeping herself busy restocking the potions that Penelope had sent over when she heard the Rangers return. The Crystal Ball had alerted her to the darkness in their world, and she was surprised that they had returned so soon after.

"Udonna, something weird is going on," Maddie warned as she looked up at them.

"We just had a close encounter with Necrolai," Xander explained.

"Who is as strong as ever," Titania said, rolling her shoulder as she climbed the steps. Udonna's expression had turned grave at the mention of the Vampire, just as surprised to hear that she was back.

"She was looking for the Gatekeeper," Carvallain said carefully. The grave expression vanished, and for the first time it seemed that Udonna was entirely caught off guard by what was said. Her fair skin turned pale and almost sickly.

"She thought it was their boss, but he's a regular human," Titania said, shifting on her feet uneasily.

"Do you know who she's talking about?" Nick pressed, needing to know the answer before Necrolai could find it.

"Nick," Carvallain surprised him by speaking up first. "Give her a moment," his warning confused the others, but none of them argued. Grateful for his defence, Udonna composed herself and took a breath.

"The Gatekeeper was a powerful Sorceress named Niella," she finally started to speak, walking past them and over to the Xenotome. When they turned to watch her, Udonna gave a sad smile. "She was my sister," the Rangers, except for Carvallain, stared at her. Her use of past tense didn't escape their notice. "In the final battle, our energies were spent. Those of the Mystics who remained were badly injured. I was too. We'd lost three of our most powerful Knights, and…" pain shimmered in Udonna's gaze, but she kept it together and focused on the memory of her sister. "Niella cast a spell that sealed the Gate and banished Morticon and his armies to the Underworld. The spell was so strong that it depleted all of her life force," Udonna's words shook as she recalled the darkest moment of her life.

The Rangers were silent, almost holding their breaths as they listened to the story of how the Gate was locked away. "When the Gate was lowered to the Depths, Niella was gone," Udonna's eyes shone with tears. Her grief weighed on them all, and even Vida took a shuddering breath at the knowledge of how much their mentor had lost. "But her spirit lives on in my heart…and through the legacy of her heir," again, the Rangers were surprised.

"She had a child?" Maddie understood, eyes wide.

"Yes, and that is who I fear Necrolai is seeking," Udonna admitted.

"So we have to find the child first and protect them," Vida growled, not about to leave Niella's child to face the threat of Necrolai.

"You won't have to look far," Udonna smiled softly. "Niella's daughter, and heir to the Gatekeeper's power…is Claire," her words not only stunned them into silence, but managed to disrupt Claire's magic enough for her invisibility spell to break, revealing her to them. Udonna lost her smile, horror returning to her face as she unknowingly revealed the secret she had guarded so closely to her niece.

While Udonna went after Claire to talk to her about the secret she'd kept from her, the Rangers returned to Rock Porium as the majority of them had to get to work.

"I still can't believe it, Claire has legendary powers strong enough to lock up the forces of evil?" Maddie couldn't help but laugh as she summed up what they had found out that morning.

"Or unlock them," Nick warned, thinking of the very reason that Necrolai would have been hunting for the Gatekeeper.

"And you knew about it?" Vida turned a look on Carvallain, who paused the music he had been idly been listening to. "Why'd you never tell us?" she asked him.

"You never asked," Carvallain pointed out, earning a glare. He then shrugged. "I was very young and not only did I not fully understand, my mind was…elsewhere," he glanced away, and they didn't push him. They were fully aware now that Carvallain had lost both his parents in the Great War, and as a result become acutely aware that he was to become the ruler of his kingdom much earlier than anyone expected. "Udonna asked me to keep it a secret, as the knowledge that Claire was heir to the Gatekeeper powers would place her in a lot of danger, as proven today," Carvallain pointed out.

"And you didn't know?" Xander asked Titania, who had been very quiet as she listened. She shook her head.

"Claire was a little older than me, and I was only a baby. I simply assumed that Udonna had taken her in when her parents were lost. I never considered there was more to it than that," she admitted. "But I don't entirely understand what the Gatekeeper is. How are they different to Knights or Mystics?" Titania turned to Carvallain, expecting him to have the answer.

"Well…" Carvallain folded his arms over his chest. "The Gatekeeper is a title and magic passed down through the bloodline. Eldest daughter to eldest daughter. The books say that the Goddess Lux, elder of the Moon Goddess sisters, bestowed her Moon Magic on a brave woman to grant her the power to open or seal away gateways between worlds, choosing her to represent the power of the Moon Goddesses within our Realm," his explanation left most of them with more questions than answers.

"Every time I think I'm getting the hang of this magic stuff, you come out with something else entirely insane," Nick complained. Carvallain smirked at him.

"That's the wonder of magic," he retorted, and Nick rolled his eyes.

"Elves worship the Moon Goddesses more than anyone else. You'll not find anyone more knowledgeable on the subject than Car," Titania said, seeing the awestruck look on Chip's face. "They also tend to be the most powerful practitioners of Moon Magic. King Aegis and Taliesin were…"

"Oddities," Carvallain supplied. "My father's control over Time Magic was powerful enough that nobody questioned it. And considering most can only control the magic of one Moon, the fact that Taliesin can manipulate the power of both Lux and Umbra meant he was perfect for the role of Moon Mystic before myself," Carvallain gave a shrug that he seemed to intend as modest.

"Again…I have so many questions," Nick groaned, feeling a headache coming on. He was well aware that the Mystic Realm had two moons by now - he had seen them for himself. But everything else that Carvallain had just said was too much for the young man who had struggled to believe in magic to begin with.

"Guys, guys!" they looked around as Toby walked in and spotted them. Somehow, he looked less frazzled than he had done deciphering puzzles. "You'll never believe what happened today. I actually met-" before Toby could finish, Xander's Morpher chimed loudly.

"Sorry boss, gotta take this," he apologised, moving away to listen. "Oh no…it's Necrolai. She's shown up in the city plaza," Xander warned them quietly.

"Let's go," not wasting any time, Nick charged out the door. Caught off guard, Toby didn't try to stop him or the others.

"Where are you going?" he shouted, stopping Vida as Titania and Carvallain both hurried out as well.

"Breaktime," Vida shot Toby a smile. "Back in a few!" she called, already starting to run again.

"I feel a little bad, he was so excited to tell us his news," Titania admitted as they ran.

"He was going to tell us how he met us," Carvallain rolled his eyes.

"I know! It would have been nice to hear that awe," she grinned back at the Elf. He rolled his eyes.

"Now you sound like Xander," he pointed out.

"Hey!" Xander protested as Titania laughed, finding that he was right.

Necrolai was standing in the now empty plaza as she waited for the Rangers. She'd already chased away all of the innocents who had been minding their own business, and as she expected, the Rangers showed up at last.

"Hold it right there!" Nick shouted as Necrolai turned her head to look at them over her shoulder.

"I'm glad you could make it, Rangers," there was an arrogance in her tone, as if she had already won against them.

"You're never going to find the Gatekeeper, so give it up," Vida warned her. Necrolai laughed as she turned to them fully, smirking widely so her sharp fangs flashed in the sun.

"Oh, I have another plan," the Vampire sneered. "I'll let the Gatekeeper find me," she declared, flinging out her arms. There was a crackle of dark magic, and sharp blades materialised on her arms. "Someone so noble would never stand by while the Rangers are being destroyed!" she laughed as she brandished the weapons. "Do you like my new power?" Necrolai taunted as the Rangers inhaled sharply.

"Like this! Magi Staff!" Nick yelled, grabbing his weapon before leaping through the air. Before he could reach her, Necrolai shot a bolt of dark magic at him that collided with his chest. Nick cried out in pain as he was knocked off course, crashing to the ground.

"Nick!"

"You alright?" the others ran to his side to help him, but the moment he was back on his feet, Necrolai gave a shriek and swung her arms to send out another burst of dark magic. She cackled with glee at their pain as the Rangers crashed to the ground.

"This is crazy…" Carvallain groaned, a hand to his chest as the pain burned. "She's got a whole new level of power…how?" he wondered. He still didn't like that she'd managed to resurrect.

"We have to stop her. She can't get the Gatekeeper," Titania pushed herself back to her feet, but Necrolai's new power borrowed from Koragg made her faster and stronger, catching any attack they tried to land.

"Oh, little Fae," Necrolai laughed mockingly as she grabbed Titania's wrist tight enough that it made her cry out. "You can't stop me from getting what I want. You're powerless," at the sneer, Necrolai threw the Black Ranger aside, and she crashed into Carvallain. The two tumbled to the ground as she cackled with laughter. "All of you are powerless! Either the Gatekeeper comes to your aid, or I destroy you. Either way, I get what I want!" Necrolai laughed at them.

"We won't go down so easily!" Chip shouted, leaping to his feet and charging back in with Maddie. Dodging their attacks, Necrolai kicked him hard before slashing down Maddie's chest, and launched another barrage of magic that threw them back down.

"Foolish Rangers!" Necrolai was laughing at her assured victory, enjoying the sight of the Rangers on the ground in front of her.

"You're the fool if you think I'm giving up!" Nick shouted, forcing himself back up once again. "You'll never get the Gatekeeper while we're around!" Calling on as much power as he could, the Red Ranger used his sword to deflect Necrolai's dark magic so that he could get in close, but her new bladed weapons on her arms were just as dangerous. With two slashes, she forced him back enough to land another blast of magic that sent him sprawling to the ground with the rest again.

"Nick!" the others groaned, but none of them could find the strength to rise again. Carvallain slammed a fist against the ground in frustration as Titania tried to use her shaky arms to get up, only for them to give in and cause her to fall once again.

"You're beat, and no-one has come to save you," Necrolai mused as she slowly stalked towards them, toying with her prey. "Maybe there is no other Gatekeeper," she considered, but before she could raise her blade to deliver a final blow, a burst of silver magic crashed against her chest and made her scream in pain as she staggered away, barely staying on her feet. "What?!" she screeched, staring at the young woman running towards the battle with her hand raised.

"Wrong, Necrolai!" Claire shouted at her, trying to hide the quiver in her voice. "My mother's spirit lives inside me!" she declared.

"Claire!" Nick groaned.

"No, get away!" Titania pleaded with the Apprentice. Fear clutched at her heart at the sight of their friend throwing herself into danger to save them. Claire didn't listen, clutching the silver circlet in her hand that practically hummed with magic. Fighting her fear, Claire placed the circlet on her head, and the magic within pulsed out as it changed her clothes to much more regal robes.

"Power of the Shining Moon! Behold, the Gatekeeper!" Claire declared. Carvallain couldn't help but shudder as his own Moon Magic reacted, warning him that the power of the Gatekeeper was far greater than his own.

"The Oracle was right…" hearing Necrolai's mutter, the Silver Ranger cursed. So that was how she'd learned of the Gatekeeper's existence. "So, there is another," Necrolai just laughed as she faced Claire, pointing her double-bladed claw at her. "And my plan to draw you out as worked perfectly!" she taunted. Claire stared her down.

"You're going to regret ever meeting me, witch," the Rangers stared in awe as Claire sounded entirely different. Full of confidence given by the sheer power stored within the Gatekeeper's Circlet, she was ready to help protect her friends. Moving instinctively, she held out a hand as her magic rose to the surface, creating a staff. She used it to create a shield, blocking the dark magic that Necrolai sent towards her.

"No!" Necrolai gasped, horrified that the magic she had gained from Koragg and the Master had been so easily deflected by the Gatekeeper. Without waiting for Necrolai to recover, Claire jabbed her Moon Staff forwards and created a powerful burst of magic that surrounded Necrolai. The Vampire screeched in pain, and the blades on her arms vanished into sparkles. "My new powers, they've gone!" she gasped.

"Incredible," Titania breathed as they got to their feet. They ran over to Claire, cheering her on. "You neutralised her power, that was amazing!" she smiled at her friend, who nodded as she remained serious. While Necrolai's new power was gone, the Vampire Queen was still powerful in her own right.

"Let's give her a hand, Rangers!" Nick called. The Mystics nodded, and they leapt into the air. Claire's circlet flashed, and they all felt their strength rising as they came back down, allowing them to deliver one powerful kick to Necrolai at once, sending her flying with another screech.

"You will still lose, Rangers…" Necrolai vowed furiously, her mockery long gone as she staggered. Her wings spread out behind her as she hissed. She then turned and kicked off the ground, flying away as she screeched once again. "I'll return!" she vowed, her voice fading as she disappeared into the distance.

"Great job, Claire!" the Rangers turned back to their friend, but she shook her head. Even now, she seemed like a completely different person.

"There's no time for that," she warned, and their cheers faded. "Udonna's been captured," as Claire explained to them of Koragg ambushing her and Udonna in the forest, Nick let out a pained yell and Koragg's dark magic flickered around him. He put his hands to his helmet, staggering as they turned to him quickly.

"Let me guess…Koragg?" Titania folded her arms over her chest with a scowl. Nick waited a moment to catch his breath before speaking.

"He wants to fight you. Alone," he panted as he addressed Claire. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"I accept," she said coldly.

None of the Rangers were happy as they paced in Rootcore. The Crystal Ball showed them Koragg, who waited patiently for Claire to arrive and battle with him as he had demanded. They had wanted to go too, but Claire had insisted they return to Rootcore and tend to their injuries.

"It's a good thing that Penelope sent a fresh supply of healing potions. You may need more before this day is over," Taliesin mused as the Rangers downed the potions and immediately started to feel better.

"I'm just glad that Claire stepped in when she did," Titania admitted, setting the empty glass bottle on the table beside her. "That new power that Necrolai was showing off was scary strong," she said. Taliesin hummed.

"I've been thinking about her. That form she has is unusual for a true Vampire, especially the Queen. That may be the reason why she was able to survive the Dawn Crystal," he told the team.

"Great. So we need to find something else entirely if we want to destroy her," Vida growled.

"One problem at a time," Carvallain said as he set his sword on the table and crossed his arms. "We can work on a way to defeat Necrolai once we find a way to keep Claire safe," he said, but the look on his face spoke volumes. They had barely survived against Necrolai, so how would they keep Claire safe from those stronger than the Vampire?

"We shouldn't have let Claire go on her own," after downing the potion in her hand, Maddie spoke up unhappily.

"You saw how she sent Necrolai running," Vida shrugged, trying to sound confident in their friend.

"Yeah…" Nick nodded, but sounded much less convinced as they turned to the Crystal Ball to watch. "But Koragg's a whole other story," he reminded them as they watched Claire arriving on the battlefield. The fight started quickly, and was destructive enough to tell the Rangers that both sides were far more powerful than they were.

"I can't believe how strong Claire is…" Xander breathed as they watched her not only match Koragg's power, but push him back. "Is this really the same girl?" he wondered aloud.

"Right now, most of the power is coming from that circlet she's wearing," Carvallain spoke stiffly. His dark eyes were locked on the Crystal Ball. "It's imbued with power, my guess from Niella before she died. Since Claire is her daughter and heir to the Gatekeeper power, she's able to naturally draw on it with a lot greater ease than her usual spellcasting," he explained.

"But she also believes in her mother's magic," Titania said softly. "Part of Claire's problem is that she doesn't believe in herself enough. She trusts her mother's magic, not realising that a part of it is hers. That's why she seemed so different out there," she told them. "We just have to hope that with the Gatekeeper's Circlet, she'll be able to tap into enough of that latent power to stop Koragg," Titania said, but had her arms around herself to keep herself steady.

The team fell silent, needing to keep watching Claire's battle with the powerful Knight. If they couldn't be out on the field with her, they owed it to her to watch, even when Koragg took a particularly powerful hit and remained unharmed.

"Quite impressive, I must confess," he told her, before holding up his shield. With his dark magic, he used it to send out his powerful Wolf Attack, and Claire tried to shield herself against it. Unfortunately the power was too great, and her shield shattered, leaving her vulnerable to the attack. She got back to her feet despite the blow, and used even more magic to conjure armour as she grew much larger.

"How did she do that?" Chip's eyes were like saucers as Koragg laughed and leapt through a spell seal to become larger as well before combing with Catastros to form his Megazord.

"The Gatekeeper has her own armour. It's just like Knights would have…if any of them were still around," Carvallain shook his head as they watched the battle become even more destructive. For a moment, Claire gained the upper hand as she restrained Koragg and fired another burst of Moon Magic at him. However, Koragg's shield opened and the dark magic within shattered his restraints, allowing him to then deflect her spell.

"No more holding back. Witness the strength of the Master himself," the magic that surrounded Koragg was even darker than usual. "Dark Magic Strike!" the blow was so powerful that it destroyed the armour Claire wore, forcing her to return to normal size. "It's over. You're all mine," Koragg shrank down as well.

"Enough," Nick slammed his fist on the table. "I don't care what Koragg said. We can't leave Claire alone with this creep," he growled.

"Claire didn't abandon us even when it meant revealing herself," Titania agreed with Nick. The others nodded, calling on their Mystic Racers to fly to the location of the battle.

Claire was winded, struggling to catch her breath. She couldn't even try to stand or use any magic as Koragg stood over her, his sword aimed directly at her chest as she scrambled backwards. When her back hit the full barrels behind her, she glared up at the Knight.

"You will open the Gates and the Underworld will rise," Koragg told her, knowing that he had won.

"Never!" Claire shouted. She refused to undo the work that her mother had sacrificed herself to do. Koragg raised his sword into the air, ready to bring it down.

"I said do it!" he roared. Even as her eyes widened and her fear made her shake, Claire refused to obey him.

"Koragg!" as he brought the sword down and Claire squeezed her eyes shut, Chip's yell rang out. Before Koragg could cut down Claire, a bolt of Lightning Magic caught his hand and knocked his aim off, causing him to strike the ground beside the terrified Apprentice instead.

"What?!" he looked up, just in time for Vida to swing her Magi Staff and create a burst of wind that shoved Koragg away from Claire.

"Rangers!" Claire gasped.

"Do not interfere!" Koragg warned them coldly.

"Too late for that," Titania called, and Nick leapt up from behind the team.

"Mystic Force Fighters!" he called on the enchanted gloves, and as he landed on Xander and Chip's shoulders, the two tossed him high into the air. "Spin Attack!" flames surrounded the Fire Mystic, who began to spin through the air. He collided with Koragg before the Knight could react, making him roar as he was thrown aside. "Pick on someone your own size!" Nick shouted. Claire gave a breathy laugh of relief, only for a clawed hand to grab her by the wrist.

"Claire!" Carvallain yelled as they heard her cry, turning to see her being restrained by Necrolai.

"Stop!" as they ran towards her, Koragg blocked their path.

"Let her go!" Nick yelled, but as they ran to try and get past the powerful Wizard, Necrolai twisted her clawed hand into Claire's hair and yanked her head back. Her dark magic twisted around the circlet that Claire still wore, forcing the magic to activate.

"By the power of the Gatekeeper, let the Gate rise up!" Necrolai shouted. Claire screamed as she felt the magic in the circlet, along with her own power, being forced to activate. It twisted, becoming dark as it mixed with Necrolai's own power.

Everyone looked up as blinding purple light shot into the sky, exploding out. Thick dark clouds began to cover the sky, casting darkness over everyone as the dark magic grew strong in the air. Necrolai laughed, tossing Claire aside once she was satisfied that she'd served her purpose. The ground started to rumble in the distance, and when they turned, the Rangers saw clouds of dirt and debris rising up, along with a massive gateway.

"The Gate!" Koragg hissed as the Rangers backed away to Claire's side, helping the injured young woman to her feet.

"Oh man…now what?" Nick growled, all of them unable to do anything but stare at the massive Gate that now. cast an even greater shadow over the city of Briarwood.

Unfortunately you'll have to wait a few days for an update - I'll be away for the Easter holidays. Once I'm back, I'll post Part 2!

Updates will probably slow after that, as for Camp NaNo I want to start working on Ryne and her Dino Fury story!

Anyway, let me know what you think!

Please review!