CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
ELLIOT

As Jezzeff glowed with power, he vanished into a portal. The shield shattered. Elliot ran to Dora and pulled her into his arms.

"Not again... Not again..." He began whispering over and over as tears streamed down his cheeks.

No one dared to move at first. Then, slowly, Patti began to cry. Cooper wrapped her in his arms and tried to comfort her. Stephanie and Lachlan were both crying, too. Lex was clearly struggling not to. The cats made mournful sounds.

"Not again..." Elliot continued to repeat, his voice only a whimper now.

Charleigh knelt beside him, remaining stoic as the leader because someone had to. "I'm sorry, Elliot," she said softly as she diligently checked for a pulse. "Jezzeff stole all of her life force. Dora is gone."

"No," Elliot insisted stubbornly. "No, she's not... I'll fix this. I'll stop it..."

"El... You aren't dreaming this time," Lex said gently.

"We can find a time traveler. We can prevent this!"

"Jezzeff will only go back in time, too," Stephanie pointed out sadly.

"It's not real... It's not real!" Elliot insisted. He couldn't do this again.

He felt himself starting to slip in and out of the realm. His body was becoming unstable. This had never happened before, but Elliot understood he was losing control of his powers. If he didn't get a grip on himself soon, he'd be torn apart, scattered across different realms, and he wouldn't come back this time. He wasn't sure that he cared anymore.

"Elliot..." A new voice said. Elliot looked up and saw Reyzzo approaching him with someone he didn't know by his side. The stranger seemed oddly familiar.

"Stay back, Mother Fucker!" Cooper snapped.

"We're here to help," the other person said. "I'm Jy, Son of Braydee and Ezzex, and the only other survivor of the original Children of the Flames."

"Reyzzo works for Jezzeff!" Stephanie replied. "He's not here to help!"

"Consider this my resignation," Reyzzo said. He paused. "Between Jy breaking Sezzon's loyalty spell and Aiyana attaching Leffy to me, I've seen the error of my ways. I want to help. Elliot is my brother. I've never had a real family before."

"Why the hell should we believe you?" Cooper demanded.

"You shouldn't. You have no reason to trust me... But only Jy and I can ground Elliot now."

A portal opened. Tazzan landed in front of them with Leopold. He looked at Dora and genuine sadness appeared on his face before he turned angry again.

"Let them help," Tazzan said. "If you don't, we'll lose Elliot, too."

The team reluctantly stood down. Tazzan looked at Reyzzo and Jy and said, "No funny business, Incubi, or I'll put you both down myself."

"Understood," Reyzzo agreed. He and Jy each put one of their hands on Elliot. As their energy filled him, he felt his power surge. The Flames wrapped around all three of them. Only then did his energy calm down. His body stopped phasing in and out and he was able to breathe again.

Elliot began sobbing as the truth sank in. "I came back to save her and I still couldn't stop this," he whispered.

Reyzzo and Jy did not release him. Jy used his free arm to gently rub Elliot's back. It was soothing, but it wasn't enough. Nothing could comfort him now.

"Some visions can't be prevented," a voice said sadly. Elliot recognized it very well.

"Who the hell are you guys?" Cooper asked.

Tazzan let out a gasp of shock that sent him into a violent coughing fit. That was enough to make Elliot look up.

The Brothers of Legend stood in front of the Celestial Force Rangers with Keilah. She pulled Tazzan into her arms and began healing his lungs so he could breathe again. "Sorry, Tiny Tazzan. Had I known you were here, I would have warned you we were coming," she said. "We were going to go to Team Leadership first, but-"

"I sensed my son needed me," D'Dodi finished.

"How is this possible?" Leopold asked in wonder.

"Amos," Zee replied with a laugh. "The crazy old Shaman brought our brothers back before Jezz killed me and Barty. Bartello knew ahead of time that Amos would bring us back, but he decided not to tell me." He shot a brief glare at Bartello before adding, "Anyway, the two of us were only dead for a few minutes. We've been at Keilah's place training with our brothers. Only a few select people knew, and over time we told Laby, because he was broken. Andie and Kira found out because they were dying and we had to help them."

"That's how Andie recovered from me feeding on her so quickly..." Reyzzo mumbled.

Bartello tensed before looking Reyzzo in the eye. "Hello... Son," he said awkwardly.

Reyzzo looked conflicted. "Talk to him, you idiot," Jy said. "This is your chance."

"Did you know about me?" Reyzzo demanded.

Bartello looked surprised. "No, Reyzzo... Not until recently," he replied. "I would have protected you from Zell, and from everyone else who caused you harm."

"Why? You have no reason to care."

"Not only are you my kin, Reyzzo, but you are Serafine's. She was my dearest friend. I would never allow harm to come to her child, let alone when that child was also mine."

"She didn't know either, did she?"

"No. Zell viewed Sera as a treasured trophy, a possession he owned. It is not surprising he stole her energy to create a powerful child, especially since he lost control of her and Talon's son."

"Their son?" Reyzzo repeated.

"D'Dodi had a vision of the truth after the boy's daughter told some of the Stone Warriors. Ignatius was meant to be Zell's weapon, but he escaped. That was when Zell created you." Bartello paused. "I am truly sorry for the life you have lived. I know Zell was unkind to you and you had a difficult upbringing."

"I became a monster. I assume you hate me."

"I do not. I worry for you, and I wish I could have guided you to a better path. It seems you may be ready to walk down it now."

The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of John Taylor, Zack's oldest son. As soon as he ran by them, Jezzeff reappeared.

"You are clever, my dear boy, but you cannot escape from me!" Jezzeff taunted him. "The power of the Taylor line will be mine!"

"We have to help him!" Patti said through her tears.

"He's just a kid, you bastard!" Lex added.

"This is for Dora, ya Goddamned cunt!" Lachlan cried out. He flung an elemental spell at Jezzeff that knocked him away from the boy. Lachlan began ranting in a thick Scottish brogue. Elliot couldn't quite follow what he was saying, but he understood the meaning of the outburst.

"Lach's gone homicidal! Should we do something?" Stephanie asked.

"Honestly, I kind of want to see where this goes," Lex admitted.

Elliot wanted to join Lachlan in murdering Jezzeff for what he'd done, but Jy and Reyzzo held him back. They kept him grounded using their combined energy.

Don't, Jy thought. You have to let this play out. I promise there's a reason.

He killed my girlfriend! Elliot protested.

I know. Just be patient, Brother. You'll understand soon.

Lachlan cast a shield around John. It glowed for a minute before shattering. "You cannot keep me from my destiny any more than your pathetic father could!" Jezzeff taunted Lachlan.

History repeated itself as Elliot was powerless to do more than watch as Jezzeff stabbed the knife into John's chest. The boy's eyes widened in surprise before he quickly died.

This is the end, Elliot thought. In the other realm, once Jezzeff gained all seven Chosen line powers, he became unstoppable. We lost. I came back to stop this and we still lost.

As the Taylor powers began to settle, something strange happened. Jezzeff began to radiate with light. Soon, the light seemed to burn him. He screamed in pain as the power became his and promptly began to destroy him from the inside out.

That was when Bourbon appeared. "Bourbon... Help me ground! It is too much too fast," Jezzeff said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jezz. Did you think I came here to save you?" Bourbon replied. He grabbed the knife from Jezzeff's hands and plunged it into his chest.

"You would betray me?" Jezzeff demanded between screams of pain.

"That was always my plan, Jezz," he replied.

"Damn you, Jozzuah of Eltar! You shall pay for this treacherous act!"

"Not before I thoroughly enjoy watching your plan blow up in your face," Bourbon replied calmly.

Jezzeff struggled to fight back, but the Taylor light was too strong, and his body could not handle all of the Chosen powers actively flowing through him at once. He collapsed into unconsciousness.

"Shit..." Jonah mumbled as he appeared. He tossed a portal at the ground and dragged Jezzeff's body into it, vanishing.

Feeling broken and defeated all over again, Elliot clung to Dora's body. He couldn't even bring himself to check on John. It was too horrible to process the fact that Jezzeff had murdered a kid who hadn't even hit his teen years yet.

"Do not lose hope yet, my dear boy," Zell said soothingly as he stepped into view.

"She's dead, Zell," Elliot whimpered. "Dora's dead..."

Zell knelt beside him. Reyzzo stepped so far backward he bumped into Bartello, who steadied him gently. Reyzzo looked shocked by that, and suddenly, his eyes were that of a lost little boy. Elliot knew how he felt.

Zell noticed the Brothers of Legend then. "Oh my..." He said in surprise. "This, I did not see coming. Although it cannot make up for the harm I did, I wish to offer an apology for all that I put the six of you through... I am very pleased to see you standing here now."

"We know it was the Witch who made you kill us," D'Dodi said. "Keilah explained it all to us. We may hate your actions, but considering they were not actually yours, we forgive you. Let's just focus on moving forward."

"Speak for yourself, D'Dodi," Zydo said. "Mydo and I reserve the right to kick this guy's ass as soon as the battle is over."

Zell nodded. "I understand, and I deserve that," he replied.

"Zy... Zell is genuinely full of remorse," Mydo said after a moment. "I can feel it."

"Ugh. Stupid empathy! Fine. You're forgiven, Zell... For now," Zydo replied.

"Good boy," Keilah said, patting him on the back. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you they were back, Zell. I believed in you before you did, but I still couldn't take the risk of the Witch pulling it out of your mind."

"You wanted to trust me with this? Even after I killed the man you loved?" Zell asked in surprise.

"I hate the monster who took Tante from me, but you have never really been that monster, and you have been proving it for a little over a year now."

"Thank you... All of you," Zell said softly. "And now, I am going to try to further set things right." He pulled out four talismans. They radiated with power, but what made Elliot notice them was the fact that one of them felt familiar.

"Brilliant!" Jy cried.

"Zell... Is it possible?" Bartello asked. Clearly, the two incubi understood something Elliot did not. Even Reyzzo seemed to catch on as he cowered slightly behind Bartello.

"Zell, what are those?" Elliot asked.

"When Zyxx told us that we needed to allow Jezzeff to collect all of the powers of the Chosen line, I realized he was correct. The only way we could attempt to defeat him would be to allow him to obtain seven powers which were never meant to be active in one body at once. I tried to do the same thing when I was still out of my mind and under the Witch's influence. Maddie held all of the powers, but they were not active at once. The Grant power is tricky. Someone must die for it to become active. She had not. By activating that power last, it would have been the most dominant, and it would have tamed Raven's light a bit, making it safer for me. Jezzeff, however, activated the Taylor line last. Beings like Jezzeff are not meant to hold such pure light inside of them, especially not when it controls the rest of the Chosen line powers. It was too much for him, and instead of making him unstoppable, it has weakened him."

"I still don't understand what the talismans are," Elliot said softly.

"Since I knew Zyxx was correct, I enlisted the help of Galaxia to try to protect Jezzeff's next victim. I knew it would be Shaniece, who I was rather fond of, and I also knew that Galaxia would want to save her as much as I did. She was always rather skilled with this sort of magic, as am I, and I hoped we could do it without Jezzeff realizing what we were up to. Unfortunately, it all rested on me correctly predicting his victims. Visions are not one hundred percent reliable. The future is always changing based on the decisions of individuals. In each of these talismans is a little bit of the life force of a Chosen line descendant."

Elliot couldn't bring himself to hope. Hope was dangerous. Hope could break him for good if he was wrong.

"Out with it already, Zell!" Tazzan snapped. "Can you help or not?"

"I correctly predicted four of the five targets," Zell replied. "Shaniece, Sylvia, Dora, and John."

"You can save them?" Patti asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

"I do not have enough of their life forces stored to simply revive them; however, I believe I can use the Flames to do it."

"But, Da, tha's tha darkest magic there is!" Lachlan cried in alarm, his accent still out of control because of his emotions. "It could turn ya evil again."

"And that is why I require Keilah's assistance," Zell replied. "She successfully turned her own Flames of Evil into Flames of Light. My cousin... Can you help me do the same?"

Keilah nodded. "I'm in. Let's do this," she said. She took his hands as the three talismans hovered in midair, telekinetically suspended in place. The magic flowing between them was intense, and Elliot couldn't bring himself to look away as he waited to see if the impossible could be achieved.

The Flames shot up from the ground. Reyzzo and Jy stepped closer to them, seeming to be as drawn to them as Elliot was. The Flames were familiar. They were soothing. And as they grew light instead of dark, they gave Elliot the hope he feared.

Two bodies appeared in the Flames. They began to heal in front of their eyes. John's body flew toward the Flames, and soon, it also began to heal.

"Elliot... You need to let her go," D'Dodi said gently.

Elliot shook his head. He stood up, keeping Dora in his arms, and said, "I'm not leaving her side." With determination, he marched toward the Flames, walking straight into them as he carried Dora to her only hope.

The Flames embraced him, wrapping around him as they recognized him. Soon, they flowed through him and into her. Dora's body began to heal.

"It's working..." Lex said.

"Yes, but the Flames have only healed their bodies," Tazzan replied. "It remains to be seen whether or not their life force will settle into their bodies and be strong enough to revive them."

That was when Shaniece sat up. She smiled at Zell like she immediately understood what was happening. He smiled back, looking relieved, before he focused entirely on the ritual again.

Suddenly, Sylvia began to cough and opened her eyes. She stared at the Flames and started to panic, so Jy ran into the fire and held her, sending soothing energy into her as he said, "It's okay. You're safe now."

John let out a startled cry as he asked, "Where am I?"

Reyzzo nervously entered the Flames, careful to avoid Zell. He stood beside John and touched him gently to try to calm him.

Suddenly, Elliot felt Dora begin to breathe in his arms. She groaned before looking at Elliot and the Flames surrounding them in mild confusion. "Okay, what did I miss?" She asked.

Elliot began to sob in relief as the Flames vanished. He kissed Dora, too stunned to form words. She relaxed into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him back. For a moment, he forgot anyone else was even there.

"That was one hell of a date," Dora teased him gently.

"I love you!" Elliot blurted out.

She smiled. "I know," she replied. "And now, you know I love you, too."

"Zell..." Tazzan said. Zell turned around to face him. "You did well today... Cousin."

Zell looked like he might cry. "Thank you, Tazzan," he replied softly.

"Pandora, I am quite pleased to see that even your complete destruction could not keep you down for long," Tazzan said as he approached her.

"Awww... I love you, too, Tiny Tazzan," Dora teased him. He scowled. "There's the mentor I know!"

Patti flung her arms around Dora. Charleigh, Lachlan, and Stephanie weren't far behind her. Lex soon joined in. Finally, even Cooper came over and joined the hug. Elliot took comfort in the presence of their team and knew Dora did as well.

"The war isn't over," D'Dodi said. "In fact, the true fight is about to begin... But at least we won this battle. Now, let's find everyone else so we can figure out where to go from here."

PLURRI
The Coalition had cornered them. The Elite Counsel was stuck in the building Anise had designated as their new headquarters. It was still under constructions and the protective wards were not up yet.

"We can take them," Talon said confidently. "They're just lackeys."

"Grayzee says the Huntress has suspended all attacks," Vagris replied. "This group must be part of the uprising against her. They may not be so easily defeated, Talon."

"Nonsense. We are the Prime Minister's Elite Counsel! We can do anything," he insisted.

"I can get us out," Rhanna said, "but I can only take two of you at a time."

"Take Talon and Plurri," Stone said. "Grace can slip out of time and escape on her own. Vagris and I will hold the line until you can get us out."

"I'm not going anywhere without you, Stone," Talon argued. "Rhan, take the twins. I'll stay with Vagris and Stone."

"That means an extra trip," Vagris pointed out. "It would not be practical."

"Do we have any emergency portals stashed away?" Plurri asked.

"I think so," Rhanna said, "but they're in the armory."

"Can you get there by crossing between realms?" Talon asked.

"Of course I can. This isn't my first day, Talon."

"Alright, Rhanna... Get the portal and we'll all leave together," Stone said.

Rhanna vanished. Plurri hoped she'd be safe, and that they could hold the Coalition off until she returned.

The ceiling was hit by a blast of powerful magic. Part of it came crashing down.

"Look out!" Grace cried as she knocked Plurri out of the way of falling debris. He could tell she'd slipped back in time a few seconds to protect him.

"Oh, hell no!" Talon declared. "I am not getting a building dropped on me again. It sucked enough the first time." He transformed into a dragon and knelt beside his friends.

"Plurri, Grace, climb on," Vagris said. "I'll hold them off with Stone."

Plurri helped Grace climb onto Talon's back. He joined her before offering Vagris his hand. "Come with us," he said.

"Talon cannot carry everyone at once," Vagris pointed out.

Rhanna reappeared with nothing in her hands. She was bleeding from the head and looked furious.

"Rhan, what happened?" Plurri asked as he jumped off of Talon's back and rushed to heal her.

"They were already in the armory," she replied. "I got ambushed, but I walked away. They didn't."

"That's our girl," Vagris said. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. If Plurri gets my energy back up, I can still get two of you out. With the hole in the ceiling, Dragon Boy can escape with a couple of you... But, seriously, Talon needs to go now."

"Vagris, go in Plurri's place," Stone said. "Plurri and I will heal Rhanna and she can get us out of here."

Vagris hesitated. "I'll be alright, my friend," Plurri promised. "Go. I'll see you soon."

Talon seemed to be growing more agitated by the second. Vagris sighed before climbing onto his back. He held onto Grace as they flew through the air and vanished.

"You're almost healed, Rhan," Stone said. "Just hold on."

As more of the ceiling crashed down, Rhanna cursed. "There's no time," she said. "If we don't leave now, we don't leave at all."

A huge chunk of debris came toward them. Stone jumped in front of Rhanna and Plurri. He knocked some of it away with a burst of water, but not all of it. The part that hit him caused a large gash in his head as it knocked him to the floor.

"Stone!" Rhanna cried.

"Rhan... You have to get him out of here," Plurri said. There was too much blood, and Stone was unconscious.

"I'll get you both out," Rhanna insisted.

"You're still weak from the attack. Trying to take two passengers through the realms will be too much and you know it."

"Plurri, I can't leave you."

"You have to. Stone needs a healer, and I can't heal him with the roof coming down on us. I'll find another way. Just go. Get to safety."

Rhanna cursed again. "Don't you dare fucking die on me, Plurri of Eltar," she said sharply. "I won't ever forgive you."

"I love you, Rhanna. Now go!"

She grabbed Stone and vanished. Plurri looked at his surroundings and sighed. "Well, Plurri... You've really gotten yourself into a mess this time," he mumbled. There was no way out that he could access.

As debris came straight for him, Plurri accepted his fate. At least my friends are safe, he thought. Feeling at peace with that, he braced himself for the inevitable.

Suddenly, a hole was blown in the side of the room. Someone grabbed him through the smoke and pulled him to safety. As he took in the fact that he was outside and safe, Plurri turned to see who had rescued him.

"Are you okay?" Boom asked.

"Amy..." He mumbled. No one else was around to hear it, so he used her true name. Very few people knew Boom and Blast's true identities. Plurri was one of the only people they'd trusted with that information.

"Are you hurt? I'll get you to a healer and then blow up the bastards who did this to you!"

"Amy... You saved me."

"Of course I did. Along with my brother, my niece, and Garron, you are one of the most important people in the universe to me. Arthur's with Stephanie, or he'd be here, too. She's had a pretty traumatic day... Come on... The whole building's coming down. The debris will go everywhere. We need to be as far away as possible when it does."

"I'm not dead..."

Boom looked concerned. "I think you're concussed."

"I just... I was certain I was about to perish... Stone was severely injured and Rhanna was only strong enough to transport one of us. I stayed behind."

She sighed. "I'd be mad at you for sacrificing yourself to save your friends, but that's just who you are." She shook her head. "Let's get out of here."

They started to move away. That was when someone sent a lightning attack at Boom. Plurri dove in front of her and took the attack.

"Plurri!" Boom cried. She sent a bomb straight at the attacker. He blew up instantly.

Plurri was radiating with lightning. He allowed it to flow through him, taking it into himself as easily as most people took in air. It had been a very long time since Plurri had allowed himself to use his lightning affinity so powerfully, but he embraced it now.

Boom stared at him in wonder as lightning visibly flowed through his veins. She moved closer to him as the energy calmed down a bit. She put her hand to his chest gently.

"I'm okay," he reassured her.

"You're beautiful," she whispered.

Plurri didn't know how to react to that. His chest and back were covered in scars from his time in prison. He generally covered himself up to hide the memory of the horrors he'd endured. Boom was one of the only people who'd seen the scars. The only other one Plurri was comfortable enough to be topless around was Vagris.

As the power flowed through him, Plurri became overwhelmed. Sensing this, Boom leaned in even closer before kissing him. This grounded him immediately.

Plurri broke the kiss quickly. "Amy..." He began.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," Boom said softly.

"Amy, we shouldn't-"

"I have loved you since the day I met you, Plurri of Eltar," she cut him off. "I was a vulnerable child then, and you were the first person who did not take advantage of me or use me. It was the right call then, but I am not a little girl anymore."

Looking into her eyes, he knew that much was true. He had always had a special connection to Boom, but he'd certainly never considered acting on any feelings that may or may not have developed as she got older. Plurri had not allowed himself to be intimate with anyone since his time in prison. His trauma was simply too great to allow him to even think about letting someone touch him like that.

I love her, he admitted to himself. I can be broken with her and she simply helps piece me back together and accepts that some parts will forever remain missing. She accepts me. She understands me. And she is correct. She is not a child anymore.

Plurri took a deep breath and thought, What would Talon do?

The next thing he knew, he found himself pulling Boom into his arms and kissing her, shyly at first until she eagerly deepened the kiss. When he finally released her, he felt the lightning in his veins spark in excitement and grow stronger, but he remained in control.

"Are you ready to go fight?" Boom asked afterward.

Plurri smiled at her as he replied, "With you by my side? Always."

HAYLEY
She was pretty startled when two people appeared out of nowhere and landed at her feet, but Hayley still flew into action.

"Rhanna!" She cried as she realized who one of them was. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Stone needs a healer," Rhanna replied, "and honestly, I'm not much better. It took all of my strength to get us here."

"Come on. I'll drive us to a healer." She helped Rhanna carry the still-unconscious Stone to her car. They carefully put him in the backseat before Hayley helped Rhanna into the passenger seat. She buckled her in, then got behind the wheel and put on her own seatbelt.

They arrived at the safe house of Captain Smith and the others. Kizzie's eyes widened in horror as she opened the door and saw them dragging Stone from the car.

"Tedi! Draze! We need you straight away!" She called into the house.

Most of the residents of the safe house came outside at her tone. Raffitty and Captain Smith immediately took Stone from the two women and carried him into the house.

Rhanna paled as she spotted someone Hayley didn't recognize. "Rupi?" She asked in obvious shock.

"Hey, Rhanna," the Eltarian greeted her with a grin. "I'll explain after Tedi and Draze get you and Stone healed, but Zydia's back, too. The short answer is Soul Reapers." He guided her toward Draze as Tedius worked on Stone.

"Captain Smith, I just received word from Laby that the Brothers of Legend are alive, and have been for about a year," B'Danna said as she rushed outside.

"What the fuck? Is everyone back from the dead?" Rhanna demanded.

"Wait... Bartello and Zee aren't dead?" Amareese asked in surprise.

"It's not just them," B'Danna replied. "It's all of them. Laby's known for a while, but was sworn to secrecy."

"I'm gonna kill Laby for not telling me this!" Rhanna said.

"He's highly immortal," Draze reminded her pleasantly as he continued healing her.

"So I'll have fun trying."

Stone groaned as he regained consciousness. "He's going to be fine," Tedius said. "I'm almost done healing him."

Suddenly, a dragon landed in front of them. As soon as Vagris and Grace got off of his back, he raced toward Stone. Talon shifted back into his human form and hugged his brother tightly, refusing to let him go.

Why do I feel like I've seen that before? Hayley wondered. I should be impressed, but it almost seems normal to me.

"Where's Plurri?" Grace asked frantically.

Rhanna looked like the question might break her. "Stone was injured, and I was too weak to transport both of them at once," she replied. "He stayed behind."

"I'm going back for him," Vagris said firmly.

"Don't bother, my friend," Plurri said as he arrived with Boom. Hayley was pretty sure she'd never seen Boom without Blast before. "Boom saved me."

Stone looked at her as he shifted in Talon's arms. "Thank you, Boom," he said. "You did well today."

"I'd never leave Plurri in danger," Boom replied, "but I appreciate the compliment. By the way, Rhanna, Elliot needs you. Jezzeff stole Dora's life force today to get the Grant powers. Luckily, Zell saw it coming and had a backup plan. Dora's alive, but Elliot's pretty traumatized. My brother is with his team so he can comfort Stephanie."

Rhanna stared at her. "Okay, first of all, I have never heard you say so much on your own before, so let me process all of that for a second," she said.

"Blast and I are perfectly capable of speaking on our own. We just choose not to." Boom turned to Draze. "Are you done healing her?"

"I am," Draze replied.

"Go to your kid, Rhanna. His dad's apparently already there."

"Wait... What?" Plurri asked.

"D'Dodi is alive?" Talon added.

"Apparently, they all are," Rhanna replied.

"Oh, right! Sorry. I forgot you didn't know yet, Plurri. It's a long story," Boom said, "but Blast says Amos did it, and that's good enough for me. Crazy Mystics are gonna Crazy Mystic I guess."

"This is amazing!" Talon declared. "With the Brothers of Legend at our side, we are so going to win this. I should know. Stone and I trained them ourselves."

"Hayley, would you mind driving me to Elliot?" Rhanna asked.

"Not at all," Hayley replied.

Vagris tensed. "Be careful," he said.

"What's wrong, Vagris?" Rhanna asked.

"I just... I don't like the idea of you two in a car alone right now."

Rhanna softened, and Hayley remembered that she'd mentioned her wife had been Vagris's little sister. It would explain why cars concerned him. "We'll be okay," Rhanna said as she hugged him.

Vagris nodded. Hayley and Rhanna headed toward the car. As Hayley drove, they made pleasant small talk. Everything felt natural until Hayley suddenly felt something slam into their car.

The vehicle flipped over, flying through the air and down a hill until it crashed right into the water below. Rhanna and Hayley began screaming for help as they struggled to free themselves from the sinking vehicle.

"Cover your eyes!" Rhanna shouted. Hayley tried, although she was badly injured. Rhanna broke the windshield with her legs before using a shard of glass to cut the restraint keeping Hayley in her seat. When she went to move her, however, she realized how bad things were.

"Dee... Love..." Rhanna whispered, as Hayley's blood was pooling around them in the water.

Dee? Hayley thought in confusion. She's talking to Adina... She began to realize she was not actually the one who was dying. She was reliving something someone else had experienced.

"Rhan... Go. Save yourself..." Hayley said weakly. She had no control over the words.

This is a memory, Hayley realized. This is my memory...

"You know I shall not leave you here, so do not even ask," Rhanna said stubbornly.

"Don't let it happen again!" Adina shouted at Hayley. "We have a second chance. Don't let them take it from us."

Hayley suddenly snapped out of the vision. She was still driving. The car had not been attacked.

"You're a Seer," Rhanna said breathlessly as she released the wheel she had apparently grabbed as Hayley lost awareness of the present. "That was a shitty time for a vision." She was clearly trying to calm herself down.

Hayley pulled the car over and parked on the highway's shoulder. She unbuckled her seatbelt and kissed Rhanna for a moment, finally connecting to a truth she'd never suspected until now. A rush of memories flooded her mind, and with them came a new strength Hayley had not previously felt.

"Wow. That must have been some vision," Rhanna joked when Hayley broke the kiss.

"I remember, Rhanna," Hayley said.

"Remember what?"

"Everything... You, Eltar, the Elite Counsel... I remember all of it."

Rhanna stared at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?" She asked.

Hayley saw a flash of a vision in her head. Her car was on fire. She snapped put of it just in time to yell, "Get out of the car, Rhan!"

They both jumped out of the car. Seconds later, a blast of magic slammed into the engine and the entire thing went up in flames.

"Hayley!" Rhanna screamed. She ran to Hayley and found her staring at the car in shock. "Are you okay?"

"I saw it, and then it happened... It's true. I'm her..." Hayley rambled.

Rhanna pulled her further away from the car. "Hayley, what's going on?" She asked.

"I was her, Rhanna... I was Adina."

Rhanna tensed. She shook her head. "That's not possible."

"I saw the accident, Rhanna. I relived it. I heard you refuse to leave, even though I told you to." She paused. A phrase came to her suddenly. "Minasha vahlu tecore'eh luminez l'donn," she whispered.

Rhanna had tears in her eyes. "My soul is complete, forever two hearts joined in the light as one," she translated softly. "Those were Adina's vows to me..."

"I didn't know... My soul was locked off, but it suddenly woke back up..."

"You came back to me..." Rhanna whispered as she looked into Hayley's eyes.

"I promised you I would."

Another blast of fire magic came toward them. Suddenly, a shield was flung up around them. "I hate to break this up, but you two are still under attack," a voice said.

"Truth?" Rhanna asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Shielding my oldest friends," she replied.

"I don't understand," Hayley replied. "Who are you?"

"Truth is Hanry's great-great-granddaughter," Rhanna explained. "Her grandfather is Meegan's oldest son, Joh. She was part of the Rebellion, and she's a member of the Eltarian Guard."

"Yes, and my great-grandfather was Marzos, the Wolf Prince, who reincarnated as the Wild Force Ranger, Merrick. Speaking of reincarnation, there's something I need to tell you ladies," Truth said. She smiled mysteriously before throwing up a new shield.

"Dawna..." Hayley whispered.

"Wait... Seriously?" Rhanna demanded. "You reincarnated as a fucking Yizak?"

"It was the last place Zell would think to look," Truth replied.

"I've known you since you were a toddler, Truth! How long have you known who you were?"

"Not very long... I recovered the memories when the Guild murdered my little sister... Losing Kora was very difficult for me. As I broke a bit, Dawna began to awaken. She gave me the strength to keep fighting."

"You should have told me as soon as you remembered... Vagris is gonna flip his shit... Then again, he's always been very fond of you."

Truth smiled. "I admit, I was drawn to Vagris long before I understood why."

"I can't believe it... The entire Elite Counsel is back!"

"And the three of us are still under attack," Hayley pointed out, although Truth's shields were deflecting the attacks effortlessly. On Eltar, only Dawna could make a shield that strong. "What do we do next?"

"I've got this. Hang on, Girls," Rhanna said. She grabbed each of them and crossed into another realm. As she tried to cross back, a spell slammed into them.

"Shit!" Rhanna cried.

"It's a time spell," Truth said in alarm. "The energy signature is Sezzon's."

"Great! It figures that bastard would hit us with this when our time traveler wasn't with us!"

They landed roughly in an unfamiliar place. "I know that symbol..." Hayley mumbled as she saw a logo on a building. "It seems we're in Time Force's time! That's pretty far into the future."

"How the hell are we supposed to get back?" Rhanna asked.

"Perhaps someone at their headquarters will know," Truth suggested.

"I hope so. Time Force is our best shot right now, and this is an emergency."

"An emergency, you say? Maybe I can help," a man said.

Hayley stared at him in surprise. "Bulk?" She asked.

"I'm sorry?" A man who looked remarkably like Bulk replied.

"You remind me of someone."

"I have one of those faces. Jack Thomas. Yellow Ranger of the Hyperforce Power Rangers."

"Hyperforce? I've never heard of that team, but it's nice to meet you. I'm Hayley Ziktor. I helped mentor the Dino Thunder team."

"No way! With the Tommy Oliver?" A young man in blue asked. "That guy's a legend!"

"Oh great," Rhanna replied dryly, "a Tommy fanboy. We're saved!"

"Hey, I'm a Power Rangers fanboy, not just Tommy," he corrected her. "I'm Eddie, by the way. Eddie Banks."

"Eddie, Jack, we need your help," Hayley explained. "Do you know about Jezzeff of Eltar and the Guild?"

"Of course. They keep changing the future. Jen updates us regularly," Jack replied.

"We need to get back to the fight. Can you send us home?"

"How bad are things?" A man in red asked.

"He looks so much like Preston," Hayley mumbled.

"Seriously, this time is weird," Rhanna agreed.

"Things are quite serious," Truth replied stoically. "I believe we are about to enter the final fight."

"I'm Marv, the leader of the Hyperforce team," Red explained. "Eddie, go round up Vesper and Chloe... We're going to the past!"

"We didn't invite you," Rhanna said as Eddie ran off to get the rest of his team.

"You're here," Marv replied. "Of all the places you could have ended up, this is where you landed. I believe that there's a reason for that."

A flash hit Hayley. She saw the Hyperforce Rangers fighting beside everyone else in the battle. The added team seemed to help tip the scales because no one had expected their arrival.

"He's right, Rhanna," Hayley said as the brief vision passed. "We need their help."

"Then I guess Sezzon's going to be pissed we landed here," Rhanna replied. "I trust Hayley, and I want to get back, so I guess you guys are coming with us."

"Yay! Road trip!" The Pink Ranger said as she arrived with a girl in Black.

"A female Black Ranger? That's new," Hayley said with a smile.

"I'm Vesper," she replied. "That's Chloe."

"Alright, Team... Who's ready to go save the past and, most likely, the future?" Marv asked.

Jack grinned. "Let's do this," he said.

"Everyone, follow me, and we'll head straight to Jen and the others."

Hayley, Rhanna, and Truth followed him and his team as Hayley prayed what she'd foreseen was accurate and this wasn't going to end disastrously.

JEZZEFF
He was in bad shape. Every time his body tried to heal, his powers seemed to injure him again. He was full of tremendous power, but it had left him paralyzed and half-dead.

His body was barely alive. He could not regain consciousness. His soul was in the Underworld. Luckily, he was a Shaman. He began searching for the way out.

What he found was his mother. He glared at her, but he was too unstable to touch her. For once, his mother seemed almost sane and calm.

"Oh, Jezzeff... My vile offspring... The great evil I birthed into this universe... It pleases me to see you in such distress. The term for that is karma," she said.

"Mother... I shall destroy you," he replied.

"You cannot do that currently. You have the power, but you lack control. The Chosen gifts shall only destroy you in your current state. You must release them, my little abomination."

"Never!"

"Then watching you rot for eternity, always just a step above death, shall be my favorite form of entertainment."

"You're mad. The vizu made you despise me."

"Not anymore. Lido healed my soul. I am perfectly sane. I still despise you. I know what you are, my son. I know what you have done. And in the end, it was your own pride which doomed you, for you truly believed you were unstoppable."

"I am unstoppable. I have a limitless capacity for power. Look at all I have unlocked within myself!"

"Yes, but a body can only actively use so much power at once before it burns out. As all seven Chosen gifts became one, they became unsustainable. Your body will not wake."

He could feel the truth in her words. "What must I do?" He demanded.

"Your body will be able to reawaken if you give up the Chosen powers."

He frowned. "Very well. I will regain them in other ways. I will cast the combined magic out. How?"

"There is an extraction spell. Come, my son. Let me help you."

"I do not trust you."

She nodded. "That is fair. Let me bring forth someone you do trust to do this with you."

He was startled to see Veevrant standing in front of him. Vee had once been his only friend in the world. He'd stood by Jezzeff through thick and thin until Jezzeff shoved a sword through his chest as he slept.

"Vee..." He whispered in surprise.

"Hey, Jezz," Vee replied with a patient smile. "It has been a long time."

"You stand here as I am vulnerable, yet you do not attack me."

"You are my best friend, Jezz. I could never betray you."

"Even after I betrayed you?"

"You only did it because Zell told you to. You would not have harmed me without reason."

"Vee, I murdered you! How is it you remain so calm?"

"Did you expect death to change me, Jezz? I've never been the type to hold a grudge."

"Will you truly help me now, Vee?"

"I promised to always be your friend, Jezz. Of course I'll do this. Take my hands."

Vee had always been exceptionally loyal. He'd beaten up Jezzeff's bullies when they were in school. He'd shown him kindness when no one else would. He shouldn't have been surprised Vee would stand by him, even now.

As Vee began the spell, Jezzeff felt significantly more stable. "There's one more thing," Vee said. "We must tie the powers to one which is even stronger, or they won't be able to be removed properly because of how unstable they are becoming. That power must be sacrificed to save you, my friend."

"Very well. I can regain whatever it is later."

Vee conjured a sword in his hands. "I must warn you, Jezz... This involves you impaling your soul. It will hurt, but not for long."

Jezzeff read the sword's energy. He sensed it would only extract the Chosen powers and the one power he would be wrapping the others in. Vee was telling the truth.

"Alright. What is the last power?"

"I shall call it forth as I complete the spell," Vee replied. "You must be the one to stab yourself. It won't work unless we do this together, Jezz. Are you ready?"

"I am."

Vee nodded. He began chanting. Jezzeff felt the Chosen powers fading as something else wrapped around them. He realized too late what it was as he stabbed himself in the heart.

"My immortality..." He whispered in horror. He tried to remove the sword, but it would not budge while the spell was still active. "Veevrant, how could you?" He asked.

"It was the only way to save you, Jezz," Vee replied. "You still have your regenerative abilities. If you're swift enough, you can still survive, and you have always been swift."

"You betrayed me."

"No, my friend. You betrayed me. I did exactly what I said I would. I helped you." He smirked at him and Jezzeff realized that death had changed Vee after all.

The spell finally ended. Jezzeff pulled the sword from his chest and immediately tried to impale Vee with it. Jezzeff was stunned when his mother jumped between them. The blow should have destroyed her soul, but instead, a shield of light wrapped around her. A hundred birds swooped in and worked together to tear the sword from Jezzeff.

"Lido! Show yourself!" Jezzeff snapped.

Lido stepped into view. "You have lost this round, Jezzeff," he said. "You can't harm Laurel or Vee ever again. It's time to go back to the real fight."

Jezzeff cursed before running from the Underworld and returning to his body. He sat up to find Jonah, Zutan, Sezzon, Bailey, Reid, and the Coalition members who'd pledged their loyalty to him in the room surrounding him.

"Jezz! You're back!" Zutan cried. "We thought you were both goners."

"What do you mean?" Jezzeff asked as Sezzon helped him to his feet.

"It's the Witch," Sezzon said grimly. He motioned toward her. She was twitching on the ground, her body severely burned. She was coming in and out of a physical state, turning intangible at random.

"We can't heal her," Bailey added. "We've tried every spell we can think of."

"I can stabilize her," Jezzeff said. He called on the pure darkness within himself and sent some of it into her. He didn't want to waste the energy, but now that he'd lost his immortality, he needed the Witch to stand at his side.

"Jezzeff..." She groaned as she finally held her solid form steadily. "Keilah really fucked me up... I want that little bitch dead. Dead, dead, dead!"

"Fear not, Witch," Jezzeff replied soothingly. "Today, all of our enemies shall fall! The battle begins now."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: There are only two chapters left! The next one is probably going to be pretty long because I decided to write the entire final battle as one chapter, so it may take me a little while to post. Brace yourselves, because this ride's not over yet!