Chapter 13: Rita of Lutus
9300 BC - Land of Magic
Several powerful warlords are in a meeting room
"Do you know what she wants?" one of them asked
"It doesn't matter" another said "she's not going to get it"
"Oh, I always get what I want, eventually" a voice said as she enters the room "the question gentlemen, is whether or not you get what you want"
"Nimue" one of the warlords said
"What are you proposing?" another warlord asked
"We all want to conquer this universe" Nimue said "but that's not going to happen, only one of us can rule over this universe. Unknown to you, I've already conquered not just various universes, but entire multiverses. I will conquer this universe sooner or later, but with your help, it could be done very quickly. If you all agree to help me, I will allow you to govern entire multiverses under my rule"
"It sounds like we'd just be your puppets" a warlord said "I became a warlord because I was tired of being someone else's slave"
"Now, it's not that bad" Nimue said "I have more interest in conquering than ruling. I'll check in every now and then, ask for the occasional favor, and as long as don't try to overthrow me or to go to war with a universe I've already conquered, you can pretty much do whatever you want"
"What's to stop us from killing you?" a warlord asked "surely you can't take us all on" and Nimue freezes them all in place with a wave of her hand
"Because I can do that" Nimue said "hard to kill me if you can't move. Oh, I believe I also forgot to mention, I'm immortal. You can all release your full arsenal on me at once and I'd survive" and she releases them from her spell "however, as a bonus, I'll teach all of you magic"
"Magic?" a warlord asked
"Yes" Nimue said "imagine how easy it will be to conquer armies when you can turn them into toads with just a simple spell"
The warlords look at each other and nod
"We swear ourselves to you" the warlords said
"Then welcome to my team, Scorpius, Org, and Dai Shi" Nimue said
9299 BC - Lutus - Land of Magic
A young couple named Lady Fienna and Eldin are searching for a unicorn
"C'mon, Fienna" Eldin said "I think I see a unicorn just up ahead"
"Don't you think the idea of touching a unicorn's horn to see our future child's fate is a bit far fetched?" Fienna asked "sounds like an old wive's tale"
"Well, an old woman did tell it to us" Eldin said "but don't you want to see how our child will turn out"
"I think it would be more fun to just wait and see" Fienna said "looking into the future rarely ends well"
"But isn't searching for a unicorn fun?" Eldin said "regardless of whether or not we find out or child's fate"
"I suppose so" Fienna said "and it looks like our search is over" and she reaches into her bag and pulls out an apple and holds it out to the unicorn, who takes it. Fienna and Eldin reach to touch the unicorn's horn.
In Fienna's mind, she sees an older sorceress, a powerful protector of light magic. She sees the sorceress creating six wands, one topped with a red phoenix, another a green minotaur's head, another a blue mermaid's tail, another a yellow garuda, another a pink sprite, and the last a white snowflake. She sees her battling a great darkness, in the form of a humanoid octopus, but it is unclear who will win the duel
In Eldin's mind, he sees a young witch, a powerful user of dark magic. He sees her forging a powerful wand for herself. He sees her dueling a great light, in the form of a blue skinned sorcerer, but it is unclear who will win the duel
As they return to reality, Fienna is overjoyed
"Our daughter is going to be a great force for good!" Fienna said
"… yes… that's what I saw too" Eldin lied. He knew Fienna would not be happy if she knew what he saw
Later that night, after Fienna had gone to sleep, Eldin went to find the old woman who told him about the unicorn in the first place
"I saw my daughter becoming a great evil, but my wife saw her becoming a great good" Eldin said "what does it mean?"
"That is not good, not good at all" the woman said "your child has something in her future that is going to pull her either to the dark or the light. It is something outside of this world's control… or any world's"
"Outside of any world's control, what does that even mean?" Eldin asked
"It means there is a being outside of time and space that wants to interfere with your child's fate" the woman said "there is only one being I can think of that is outside of time and space: Dark Specter"
"So if I am going to guarantee my child's fate…" Eldin began
"There's no way to stop Dark Specter if he wants your child" the woman said "all you could do is help him. He will most likely come for her not long after her birth. She could be torn apart if your wife fights him"
"She will" Eldin said
"The only thing to do is to prepare your child for Dark Specter to due with as his pleases" the woman said "if there's any interference, your child will certainly die"
"I will do anything to ensure my child is safe" Eldin said "I've never bought into the whole light vs dark magic, good vs evil thing either. I do not care if she becomes a user of light or dark magic, only that she survives. What do I have to do to ensure that?"
"First thing is to get her away from your wife" the woman said "as soon as possible after birth. I will teach you magic and how to perform the ceremony to offer your child to Dark Specter"
"Thank you" Eldin said
"We begin tomorrow" the woman said and he left. After he was gone, Arius walked out of the back room as Nimue dropped her glamour spell
"I don't think you were being entirely truthful with her" Arius said "I'm pretty sure that children are born with a blank slate, so when both parents touch a unicorn's horn, they each get a vision, one of their child as a hero and one as a villain. And couldn't he stop Dark Specter by infusing the child with light magic?"
"They don't call me the Dark One for nothing" Nimue said "necessary lies to get that fool to stop Lady Fienna from interfering"
"Yes, this is a rather brilliant plan, Nimue" Arius said "if all goes well, you'll get a powerful ally in Dark Specter, get rid of a powerful enemy in Lady Fienna, and get another new apprentice… and I get a new rival"
"Don't be jealous, Arius" Nimue said "you are the Dark Apprentice, the polar opposite of Merlin's Apprentice. Eldin comes nowhere near either of you in turns of power. He's just another ally, he's not going to know all of my plans like you do"
"Of course, Nimue" Arius said
The next day, after Eldin leaves to train with Nimue, while Lady Fienna is checking on her cat, she hears a knock on the door. She opens it to see a man with blue skin
"Can I help you?" Fienna asked
"Lady Fienna" the man said "my name is Zordon of Eltar. I'm afraid I bring you terrible news. Your husband, Eldin has given into darkness. He plans to sacrifice your child to Dark Specter not long after she is born"
"No" Fienna said "you're lying"
"Where is your husband now?" Zordon asked
"Out digging for artifacts" Fienna said
"No" Zordon said "he's at the old woman's house learning dark magic from her"
"I don't believe you" Fienna said
"You have magic, see for yourself" Zordon said
"I think I will" Fienna said and she grabs her crystal ball and uses it to look into the old woman's hut and she sees that he is indeed learning dark magic "No… no… I can save him"
"But to do so would be to risk your unborn child" Zordon said "if you fail, you're not just dooming yourself, you're dooming her. And you're dooming this entire realm, as Dark Specter would be loose. Come with me, I will hide you"
"I don't have a choice" Fienna said "I will come with you"
"Very well" Zordon said and he teleported her away
That night, Eldin returns from training with Nimue to find his house empty, except for his cat
"Fienna, Fienna!" Eldin asked "where are you?" And when he can't find her, he races back to the old woman's house and knocks on the door and she opens it
"Aren't we done for the day?" Nimue asked
"My wife, she's gone, without a trace" Eldin said
"What?!" Nimue said "show me" and she teleports them back to his house
"See, she's gone" Eldin said "can we figure out what happened
"Perhaps" Nimue said and she summons a dreamcatcher and waves it over the cat
"What are you doing?" Eldin asked
"Extracting it's memories" Nimue said and the dreamcatcher shows the conversation between Zordon and Lady Fienna, without the audio "Zordon"
"Who?" Eldin asked
"I'm not entirely sure" Nimue asked "he's been a nuisance for nearly a hundred years. Annoyingly, his species seems to last for thousands of years, so I can't count on old age to take him out. He shows up, destroys one of my armies, and then vanishes. He's very powerful and it's clear he's lied to your wife about what's happening"
"Give me more power" Eldin said "help me find my wife"
"Are you sure?" Nimue asked "if I give you even a fraction of my magic, it will be pretty rough on your system"
"I don't care" Eldin said
"Very well" Nimue said and she charges him up with dark magic, transforming him "now go find your wife… Master Vile"
9298 BC
In a home, Lady Fienna is giving birth
"Every beginning is forged in pain" the midwife said "when the universe was conceived, it was so violent, time itself was torn asunder"
"If you don't…" Fienna said "please stop talking… I'll show you what real pain looks like"
"You're almost there, dear" the midwife said "you're doing superb. Just one more big push now, and…" and Fienna screams and she pushes the baby out
"Congratulations, Lady Fienna" the midwife said "it's a beautiful baby girl"
"Well, it's a good thing you're so cute" Fienna said to the baby "because… you've already caused me… a world of distress. You have your father's eyes, little one"
"But I have a feeling she will have her mother's heart" Zordon said as he entered "I come bearing a gift for your gift, Fienna"
"He'll be coming for us, Zordon" Fienna said "especially when he discovers I've just given birth. Are you sure it was a good idea to hide back on Lutus? There's so many different planets and realms we could've hidden on"
"We've been over this before, Lady Fienna" Zordon said "the Dark One is really the one who wants your child, so she can free Dark Specter. She knows me as someone who shows up, destroys her armies, and then appears on the other side of the realm, if not in a different one altogether. The last place she think I would hide you is in the exact same place I found you. And with my magic stopping her, or anyone, from casting a locator spell to find you, you'll be safe. And I will do everything within my power to protect you both. But, now is not the time for concern… only celebration. Do you have a name chosen for this little beauty?" as he hands the baby a rattle
"I believe so" Fienna said "There is a word amongst my people that means 'order to the universe.' What do you think, little Rita, do you like that name?"
9292 BC
Lady Fienna and a young Rita are fleeing from their home
"Hurry now, Rita" Fienna said "don't look back"
"But Mommy… I'm tired" Rita said
"I know, baby" Fienna said "we're almost there" and she hears Master Vile's Tenga Warriors approaching "okay, baby. We'll just… we'll rest here for a moment. Just huddle right down here for me, okay?"
"I'm scared" Rita said
"I know" Fienna said "everything's gonna be fine though"
"I just need you to close your eyes for me, okay?" Fienna asked "keep them closed so tight.. and don't open them… no matter what you hear" and Rita does as Fienna turns to face the Tenga Warriors and charges up a blast of magic "Tenga Warriors! If one of you lays a hand on my child, I will end you where you stand! Go home! Now! And tell Master Vile he will not have her!" and the Tenga Warriors attack her. She blasts them with magic, but they just shrug it off and continue attacking her "you shouldn't be this strong"
"That's because I charged them up my magic" Nimue said as she appeared in black smoke
"Nimue" Fienna said "how did you find us?"
"Honestly, complete accident" Nimue said "you see, your husband, Master Vile"
"Eldin" Fienna said
"I heard he prefers Vile now" Nimue said
"I do" Master Vile said as he appeared in black smoke
"Anyways" Nimue said "Vile wanted a galaxy of his own to rule, most of my warlords have them, so I agreed to give him his own, the M51 Galaxy and we started by trying to conquer Lutus. A Tenga Warrior was scouting for a place to land our troops and saw you. Now hand over the girl, and we'll be on our way"
"Over my dead the body" Fienna said
"If you insist" Nimue said as she rips out Fienna's heart "would you like to do the honors, Master Vile" as she tosses him Fienna's heart
"With pleasure" Vile said
"Eldin, please" Fienna said "don't do this"
"Why not?" Vile asked "you left me, took my child"
"You we're going to sacrifice her to Dark Specter!" Fienna said
"It was the only way to save her!" Vile said
"What?" Fienna asked
"Dark Specter is going to try and possess her one way or the other" Vile said "if we try and stop him, the process will kill our daughter"
"Don't listen to Nimue's lies" Fienna said
"I've never lied to Vile" Nimue lied
"You left me for another man" Vile said
"Zordon?" Fienna said "he helped me escaped and helped develop my magic further, but we're nothing more than friends, and even that is pushing it"
"You broke my heart" Vile said "so I can think of no better thing to do than return the favor" and he crushes her heart.
Rita can no longer keep her eyes closed and looks and sees her mother's collapsed body
"Mommy?" Rita asked
"Your mother's not here anymore, child" Vile said "I'm your Father"
"Daddy?" Rita asked
"Right you're Daddy" Vile said and he looks to the sky "will she suffice?… What do you mean no?… What do you mean she's been infused with Light Magic?"
"Your wife must have infused her with Light Magic" Nimue said "and apparently that makes her incompatible as a host for Dark Specter"
"I thought you said there was no way to stop Dark Specter from trying to possess my daughter" Vile said
"I didn't know Light Magic could stop him" Nimue lied
"If I had just told Fienna about Dark Specter and what I saw, we could've avoided all this" Vile said "I could've been with Fienna these past few years, witnessed my daughter's birth"
"But then you wouldn't have had power" Nimue said
"Would you give up the love of your life for power?" Vile asked
"How do you think I got my magic" Nimue asked "magic always comes with a price, and the price of both our magic was our love"
"I do enjoy my power…" Vile said "what about my daughter?"
"Raise her for a few more years" Nimue said "then I will train her like I trained you"
"Very well" Vile said "can you lead the first few battles, I need to get my daughter settled"
"Of course" Nimue said and she teleported away. Looking at his wife's body, Master Vile decides he doesn't regret what had happened, it got him his power, but he now knows that Nimue lies to him and will toss him aside when he's no longer useful. He can't openly rebel against her, but he must not let his guard down around her. He turns to Rita
"Now come, little Rita" Vile said "I'm going to take you my home"
"I want to go back to mine" Rita said
"You're home is gone, child" Vile said "at my home, I have a neighbor who has a girl about your age that you could play with, her name is Scorpina"
The Underworld
Lady Fienna has grown used to the Underworld. She knows that she can't move onto Mount Olympus until she completes her unfinished business, which she assumes has something to do with Rita. She also knows to stay away from the River of Souls. Part of her wants to try and overthrow Hades, just to pass the time if nothing else, but she lacks the power, and trying to find allies to help her is a real quick way to get tossed into the River of Souls
"I'm sorry" said a familiar voice
"You failed me" Fienna said "more importantly, you failed my daughter, Zordon of Eltar"
"But you didn't" Zordon said "infusing her with Light Magic did indeed stop Dark Specter. The Omniverse is in your debt"
"Well, at least it wasn't a total loss" Fienna said "so, Nimue got you too, huh?"
"No" Zordon said
"What… how… are you…?" Fienna asked
"The Underworld can be traveled to if you have a portal" Zordon said "it's similar to most other worlds. The primary difference is that the dead can't leave here through a portal"
"Where were you?" Fienna asked
"I was in another realm at the time that needed my help" Zordon said "I'm sorry, I'm powerful, but I can't be in two places at once"
"I know" Fienna said
"I will try and help your daughter" Zordon said "the fate you saw when you touched the unicorn's horn is still a possibility"
"But it seems like that whatever Eldin saw seems more likely" Fienna said
'I'm sorry" Zordon said
"I know" Fienna said "I know you can't promise to help my daughter no matter what, I know that you're saving entire worlds… but I also know that sooner or later, one way or the other, you will cross paths with Rita and when you do, promise me you'll tell her that her mother loves her"
"I promise" Zordon said
Edenoi - Land of Magic
"You cannot blame yourself for not being able to save Lady Fienna and Rita because you were helping us" King Lexian said to Zordon
"If I had been there I could've saved her" Zordon said
"And Edenoi would've fallen to Nimue's armies" Lexian said
"I just feel so guilty" Zordon said "but I suppose I shouldn't, I can't be in multiple places at once"
"What if you could be?" Lexian asked
"What?" Zordon asked
"Edenoi has been working on a series of androids to assist us" Lexian said "most of them are meant to be assistants, but one early prototype is meant to be a warrior. Walk with me and I'll take you to him" and they begin walking towards the laboratory "he's nowhere as strong as you and has no magic, but he could still take on large groups of foot soldiers and even a monster or two with ease"
"That would be helpful" Zordon said "it could take on the armies while I take on the generals and run special missions" and they arrive at the laboratory to see a red and gold android
"Zordon of Eltar, meet Alpha 1"