The Gathering: Purple Spirit
Ocean Bluff
R.J. knew that he was a pariah amongst the other Masters. It didn't matter that he was a prolific warrior and his involvement in several missions had assured their victory against seemingly unbeatable odds or Master Mao's faith in him, his decision to live amongst the mundane folks bothered the Masters.
Tradition dictated that after earning their stripes, the Pai Zhua Master must live in isolation from the world within the sanctuary of the Temple and devote their immortal life to training the next generation of protectors.
It was one of the many reasons why Dominic refused to earn his Stripes, instead deserting the Order, and roaming the world.
"Losing mortality was the first step to losing humanity." Dom had told him before leaving the temple.
Like everything, RJ had seen it as a challenge.
He had not meant to be a Master. He had not even appeared for the Trials.
The stripes had appeared on his arm after he saved a fellow Guardian from getting blasted to bits by a bolt of demonic magic. Earning the stripes without a trial wasn't something that hadn't happened before, but that didn't make the phenomenon any less rare.
Everyone, including his father, had expected him to take his place as Master Mao's successor, but all that attention had made him question his place.
Master Mao had told him to follow his heart.
And Pai Zhua wasn't where his heart was… His future was beyond the gates of the temple, in the mortal world with humans.
He wanted to experience all humanity had to offer. Meet new people. Discover new places. Learn about the amazing technology that pops up every other year and most importantly, treat his taste buds to a variety of dishes instead of condemning them to the plain old melted rice pudding and same vegetable curry every day.
R.J. spent some years, wandering from city to city, meeting different people and eating delicious delicacies, ultimately finding his passion… Cooking.
He loved pizzas, except for the fact that the delicious cheese was not good for his health. Sure, he could not die but becoming obese and suffering from atherosclerosis wasn't the way he wanted to live for eternity.
He took it as a challenge. Cooking 'healthy' pizzas with nutritious herbs and blending different cuisines started as a hobby before he turned it into a thriving business. He had his own restaurant – Jungle Karma Pizza, and out of what he earned, he used what was necessary to maintain his restaurant, pay his employees and the rent, save a bit so he could eventually buy the building, but he donated the rest to charities like the Hillard Fund. It was not much but enough to make a difference in the lives of those who desperately need help.
He was sitting in the couch, enjoying a lazy evening, surfing through channels when he felt it.
He cried out in response to a strange sensation wracking his brain. It was not necessarily pain but a deep discomfort.
Then he heard it – a howl … a wolf howl to be precise and it was calling him somewhere.
R.J's hands started to shake and his vision clouded as momentarily, he was transported elsewhere. He saw a man shackled in chains surrounded by darkness, his face contorted in pain and tears rolling down his eyes.
Before he could call out to him, he felt his surroundings shift again. This time, he was in the middle of a battle between a group of power rangers and a purple knight who was aided by monsters, who appeared to be werewolves, but the dark waves emanating from their forms suggested it was something far more sinister.
Then he felt the surroundings change once more and he saw himself surrounded by white fog and somehow, he felt a sense of serenity wash over him. Wherever this was, it felt like home. The fog subsided to reveal a jungle and several wolves slowly walked out from the middle of the trees to face him, before they turned into humans. In the center was a man with blind hair wearing a blue business suit. On either side, stood a handsome man with brown hair and a goatee wearing blue and silver clothes and a beautiful woman in a yellow bikini and something about her told him she was not human, but not immortal either. They were joined by an attractive well built man with a scowl on his face and wearing a black leather jacket, red headed teenage boy in yellow, an Indian woman in pink, another boy whose appearance reminded him a bit of his own father but he wore silver, a blond man with haunted eyes in a grey uniform and many others. The only person not human amongst them was a warrior in obsidian armour with a wolf like face, wielding a crescent blade. Despite his monstrous looks, his eyes were kind.
They looked at him but he could see that they were not conscious of their surroundings, not like him. It was as if they were in a trance.
"Your pack needs you, Wolf Master of Pai Zhua."
He turned around to see a purple power ranger, whose suit closely resembled those of the rangers he saw before. He hovered in the air, his cape bellowing backwards.
He looked up to see the ranger and noticed his helmet bore the same mark as the purple knight he had seen before, yet unlike the knight, he did not exude evil energies.
"Who are you?"
"Someone who is powerless to help you in this conflict." His voice boomed. "You must go to Briarwood and find your pack before it is too late."
"I don't understand…" He murmured.
"Trust in your instincts." The ranger said just as the surroundings started to fade away and he found himself back in his loft.
R.J. sighed. There went his plans for catching up on some of his favorite shows, but on the bright side, an adventure might be just what he needs right now.
It had been barely half an hour since the last battle with the wolfblades, when the monitors in Rootcore flared to life and their morphers chimed in response to dark energy signatures. The crystal ball showed a pack of rabid werewolves attacking a bustling shopping area in the city, citizens fleeing in terror but being surrounded by the creatures.
"We need to go now!" Nick said.
"This is most definitely a trap to lure you out, rangers." Udonna warned. "And we haven't found a way to stop them yet."
"Maybe, but if we don't face them, those civilians will be mauled to death and that's something we can't let happen at any cost." Ryan said firmly.
"Well, then I will go with you." Clare said.
"But they might capture you." Darien protested. "We can't take that risk."
"Right now, I am the most powerful in this team and my magic can make a difference." She pointed out.
"She is not wrong." Lena agreed. "I know it is risky…"
"No riskier than what you all do everyday since you were chosen." She rebuffed before turning to Udonna. "I know what you are going to say but-"
"Go." The white witch sighed. "I am not going to stop you. You have more than proved you can take care of yourself, Clare, and it's time I start seeing you as the warrior you are instead of the niece I swore to protect."
Clare smiled at her.
"Go now. I will keep watch on the Xenotome, if it decides to reveal any clue on how to defeat this threat."
The rangers nodded before rushing out of Rootcore.
He had been a prisoner for so long, he had lost track of time. Had it been years, decades or maybe even centuries?
His mind had been numbed and his body taken over by a malevolent spirit. All he got were brief glimpses of the world outside… flashes of fighting against the Mystic Ones instead of with them.
He was nothing more than a puppet.
When he told Niella to seal the gates behind him, he had not expected to survive. Death would have been preferrable to this accursed fate, his body now an instrument of destruction. He could feel the taint of dark and demonic energies within him.
He struggled against the chains that wrapped around him in the astral plane but it was in vain.
Leanbow knew he had no autonomy or powers even here. The Master's dark magic and Koragg's spirit had violated every part of him, made him the very monster he had sworn to slay as a knight.
Still, he struggled and would continue to do so, till the moment Koragg's darkness finally snuffs out his light or his body falls in battle and frees his spirit from this prison.
Bandora finally let herself feel the sweet sensation of victory.
The mystic ones could not have thwarted her plans all the time. This was it… Today, she would finally destroy the Mystic Force and take her rightful place as the Empress of all that is.
She danced in the halls of the Underworld, ignoring her husband's glare.
"Need I remind you, we haven't won yet." He growled.
"But my liege, victory is undeniable." Imperious said, bowing his head.
"I am not talking to you, worm!" Morticon thundered.
The vizier did not answer, promptly sinking into the shadows. Bandora finally stopped herself and grimaced.
"Must you always sour the mood, husband?" She snarked.
"Your plans are hardly as successful as you think they are." Morticon grumbled but quickly fell silent as Bandora's eyes cackled with lightning.
"Wait and see, husband." She promised. "Koragg won't fail me."
Hope you liked this chapter and please review. :)