CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
HEZZO
It started with a storm. Hezzo looked at Grayzee, who shook his head. "This is it, Lads," he told the others.

"We're ready," Maegus replied confidently.

"How's Ling holding up?" Tinny asked.

Hezzo sighed as he looked at his best friend, who had been so injured when Keilah attacked Evianna he had barely survived.

"I've got Ling as healed as I can," Amello said.

"He's still burned, Mel! Do better!" Hezzo snapped.

"Hezz... He's trying his best," Ling replied weakly. "The device I gave Keilah was made to target Intangibles. It can't kill us, but it severely weakens us."

"You're an Intangible of Light! It was meant to attack Evi! It shouldn't have hurt you!"

"You know Evi and I are connected... Hezzo, you need to prepare yourself. If Evi's original vessel is destroyed tonight, mine will be, too. But I will always be with you."

"Shut the fuck up, Ling! You're not fucking dying, alright? We'll find a way. We always do!"

"Lads... They're coming," Nee pointed out.

"Here, Ling," Branz said. "This is a talisman of light that Maegus and I made. It should help significantly since you were not the one who was actually attacked. It's a temporary fix, but it'll do." He placed the talisman around Ling's neck. The burns began to heal, and Ling began to radiate with light as some of his strength returned.

Hezzo was relieved to see Ling looking more like himself, but he knew they still faced a much bigger problem.

As the Guild marched toward them, complete with several of their Coalition defectors, Hezzo braced for battle. "On my mark! Eight-Nine-Nine!" He cried. He waited until everyone was in position before he shot a spell into the air.

Sezzon smiled at them. "Hello, Old Friends," he greeted them with a sadistic smirk. "Jezzeff, allow me to offer you a special sword I have enchanted for this exact battle. It will be quite useful." He handed Jezzeff a sword that radiated with incredible power.

Jezzeff smiled. "Thank you, Sezzon," he replied as he held the sword in his hands. "Everyone... Begin!"

The battle started immediately. Coalition defectors pulled out weapons and began casting spells. The remaining Guild members joined in. And the Circle did what the Circle did best...

"Is this the real life?" Maegus began.

"Is this just fantasy?" Tinny chimed in as he effortlessly cast a spell that sent Jonah slamming into a wall headfirst.

"Caught in a landslide," Hezzo continued, using a spell that caused a minor landslide which swept several Coalition members away.

"No escape from reality," Ling added, stopping a portal from opening as some of the Coalition members attempted to flee.

"Open your eyes," Amello sang, before looking at Jezzeff apologetically and saying, "Oh, sorry, Lad... Eye."

"Look up to the skies and see," Davi added as he impaled someone with his sword and caused them to fall onto their back as they bled out.

"I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy," Vrennius sang as he sent two Coalition members flying backward with a wave of a water spell.

"Because I'm easy come, easy go," Nee sang pleasantly as he calmly dueled against Remo with his sword.

"Little high, little low," Keet added while he called forth every animal in the area to surround the Guild.

"Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me... To me," Hill sang as he had an army of faeries drag Zutan backward while he was trying to call a tornado forward.

"Mama..." Grayzee sang as he shot a Coalition defector in the head, "Just killed a man... Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead..."

"Mama, life had just begun," Branz continued as he used a telekinetic spell to knock four Coalition members through the air and into trees. "But now I've gone and thrown it all away..."

"Mama, oooh..." Ling sang while he sent Jonah crashing into a group of thorny bushes.

"Didn't mean to make you cry..." Maegus added while he cast two powerful attacks at the same time.

"If I'm not back again this time tomorrow..." Hezzo sang as he cast two of his own.

"Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters..." Tinny sang while he conjured ropes to wrap around six Coalition members and leave them dangling in midair, suspended despite not being attached to anything.

"Too late, my time has come," Keet continued as he jumped on the back of a horse and chased several Coalition members into a corner.

"Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time," Hill sang while the faeries he'd gathered in that corner began attacking Keet's group with glittery spells that both annoyed and severely injured them.

"Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go," Amello declared as he dodged an attack from Jezzeff and used a spell to send him and Jonah into the creek, calling the water up in waves that kept dragging both of them back under.

"Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth..." Davi sang as he skillfully dueled against five Coalition members and disarmed all of them with combat magic and his natural physical skill.

"Mama, oooh... I don't want to die," Vrennius continued as he and Grayzee cast a powerful spell that incinerated three of the Coalition members and nearly took out the former Florida Chapter of the Rebellion because they were standing too close. They barely dodged it in time.

"I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all," Grayzee chimed in.

"I see a little silhouetto of a man..." Sezzon suddenly sang, making the Guild freeze in confusion as they turned around to stare at him.

"Sezzon? What the hell are you doing?" Jezzeff demanded.

"Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango?" Bailey and Reid joined in at once.

"Stop that! What's going on?" Jezzeff shouted.

"Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening me!" Grayzee and Tinny replied.

"Galileo!" Ling and Hezzo began.

"Galileo!" Bailey, Reid, and Sezzon added.

"Galileo!"

"Galileo!"

"Galileo, Figaro..."

"Magnifico-o-o-ooooh!" Everyone sang at once, including Sezzon, Bailey, and Reid. That was when Sezzon impaled Jezzeff in the chest with a sword Tinny conjured and tossed to him.

"Sezzon... You were my most loyal! You killed Hudzon and Danzel!" Jezzeff protested as he pulled the sword out and visibly struggled not to scream in pain. He started healing right away, but magic began to rapidly flow out of him.

"Ah, yes... About that..." Sezzon replied before motioning toward two others.

Bailey and Reid suddenly dropped the glamours they'd been using for quite some time and revealed the truth... Hudzon and Danzel stood where they had been.

"What the hell is happening?" Jezzeff shouted. He tried to attack Sezzon with his sword, but it suddenly turned into a rubber chicken, causing him to scream in irritation.

"We infiltrated the Guild, Jezzeff," Sezzon replied calmly. "Hudzon and Danzel turned into Bailey and Reid, pretended to kidnap our rather gifted ally Angel, and convinced you to recruit them while Grayzee came in to 'rescue' her. Later that day, I destroyed two very convincing tulpas of them who were made by Hezzo, Tinny, and Hudzon himself. You really should have seen this coming, Jezzeff. This is what the Circle does best, after all."

"Now... Where were we, Lads?" Tinny asked.

"I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me," Danzel sang as he called forth an army of spirits. Jezzeff was still trying to recover from Sezzon's attack, which had torn several of his stolen powers away from him, so he couldn't take control of the spirits.

"He's just a poor boy from a poor family," Branz and Maegus chimed in as they resumed attacking the Guild and the Coalition defectors.

"Spare him his life from this monstrosity," Tinny sang as he conjured an enormous demonic-looking stuffed panda that came to life and proceeded to swallow the nearest Coalition defector.

"Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?" Ling sang as he grabbed onto Jezzeff and calmly restrained him.

"Bismillah! No, we will not let you go!" Everyone sang in response.

"Let him go!" Half of the Circle sang as they began to cast two massive attack spells on everyone present who was not one of their allies.

"Bismillah! We will not let you go!" The rest replied as they cast two others.

"Let him go!"

"Bismillah! We will not let you go!"

"Let me go!"

"Will not let you go!"

"Let me go!

"Never! Never let you go!"

"Let me go!"

"Never let you go!"

"Let me go!"

"Ah! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

"Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia, let me go!" Ling sang as the spells were finished and began to do serious damage to the Guild. He released Jezzeff.

"Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me!" Branz sang as he conjured a trident and stabbed Jezzeff in the chest with it. Jezzeff screamed in pain, hitting nearly the same pitch Branz did just as Branz nailed the ridiculously high note perfectly.

"So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye," Hezzo cried as he sent an ice attack at Jezzeff. A sharp piece of ice pierced his scarred eye.

"So you think you can love me and leave me to die," Grayzee added, hitting several of the Coalition defectors with strikes of lightning.

"Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby," Tinny chimed in, slamming a wall of magic into Jonah that nearly killed him on the spot. Jonah was extremely weak, and his only option was to flee, so he left Jezzeff and the others and escaped into a portal.

"Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here!" Maegus called after Jonah as he fled before he sent a similar attack at three of the Coalition defectors. They were not as swift as Jonah and they were killed instantly.

"Nothing really matters," Danzel sang sweetly as he calmed his raging army of spirits and released them back to the Underworld.

"Anyone can see," Hudzon added as he stopped the earthquake Heather had started in an attempt to save her allies. She collapsed onto her hands and knees as her magic failed.

"Nothing really matters," Sezzon chimed in, joining in the final attack spell the Circle was casting.

"Nothing really matters to me," Amello agreed, taking a moment to make sure none of his allies needed healing before he gave the spell a final bit of strength.

"Any way the wind blows..." The Circle finished singing in unison as Zutan carried the survivors of the fight away with a powerful tornado wrapped around them.

"Plan Eight-Nine-Nine was a success!" Hezzo declared.

"It's good to be back, Lads," Sezzon said.

Ling wrapped him in a tight hug as Hezzo grabbed Hudzon and Danzel and pulled them both into his arms. "You boys did great," he said.

"The OG undercover crew taught them well," Branz said with a smirk.

"And now, it is time we reveal the truth to everyone," Hudzon said stoically.

Maegus opened a portal to the training center where everyone was gathering. Hezzo took in the sight in front of him, mentally ticking off teams in his head. Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers slash Zeo... The Rangers of Aquitar... Turbo, Space, and Lost Galaxy... Lightspeed Rescue... Time Force... Wild Force... Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, SPD, Mystic Force... The last two members of Operation Overdrive... Jungle Fury, RPM, Samurai... Super Mimic Force... Dino Charge... Ninja Steel... The Legacy team, the Chosen, Stone Warriors, Mythical Guild, Wildcats, Celestial Force, Justice Fury... Beast Morphers, Dino Fury... Lazarus Rangers... Minh and Kat... Bulk, Lieutenant Stone, Professor Phenomemus... Rito, Squatt, Finster... Fran, Hayley, Doggy Cruger, Kat Manx, Clare, Jenji... All of the usual allies are here...

Hezzo continued studying the people present. Vitti seems to have summoned all of the former members of the Rebellion... Rey, Aiyana, Zell, Elgan, Anise, Keilah, Barty and his brothers, Mayor Sabree minus the Flames, the Counsel of Elders, the Elite Counsel, Drakaina, most of the Eltarian Guard and Peacekeepers... Levi and Rygano... Tiktah, Aliese, and Terridian... Rita, Zordon, Caius, Zedd... All of the surviving Children of the Flame... Briar, Dawn, Sellie and the kids... The Alphas... M'Telda... Diamond... Bourbon... Lia Selene and Lido's long-lost brother Colby... I can't even count everyone at this point...

"This is one hell of an army," he said.

"What's that bastard doing here?" Laby demanded as he spotted Sezzon. Then, he paused, turning pale. "Hudzon? Danzel?"

"Surprise!" Branz said with a grin.

"I knew it!" Keilah proclaimed. "Sezzon just killed a couple of tulpas, right? That was freaking brilliant, guys!"

The members of the Circle took a collective bow.

"Holy shit..." Laby mumbled. Then, he started laughing. "I should have known!"

"No one knew," Angel replied as she walked into the room. "Except for me. Welcome back, guys. I assume it all went according to plan? Sorry I'm late, Kira. I got your message, but I went on a field trip and brought a few friends back with me."

In walked the Legacy team from Ivan Ooze's realm, Dulcea, and a group of kids Hezzo didn't recognize. "Oh my God! You guys are here!" Dora cried in surprise. She immediately hugged as many of the kids as she could while Elliot hugged the others.

"This is the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers team from the realm in 2017 that Dora and I got stuck in," Elliot explained. "Meet Jason, Billy, Kimberly, Zack, Trini, and Tommi."

"Trin-nee?" Brian repeated, cautiously pronouncing it.

"Don't ask," Dora replied before Minh could question it, too. "You'll get a headache."

"You look cute as a teenage girl, Doc O," Kira teased Tommy.

"I figured since the Witch involved that team in the fight, they were meant to join us now," Angel explained. "And as for Dulcea's team, I always knew they needed to come back for our last battle."

"Did you tell her, bro?" 2017 Zack asked Elliot, who grinned and kissed Dora as a response. 2017 Zack looked thrilled. "Yes! That's what I was hoping to see," he said.

"I just want to take a moment to explain my actions and apologize for them," Sezzon began. "Briar, had I not attacked you, things would have been worse for you. I hated harming a child, however, it was the only way to save your life."

"It's okay, Sezzon," Briar replied. "I knew you were undercover because I'm from the future."

"Just like I knew Bailey and Reid were actually Hudzon and Danzel," Fred chimed in. "My Ninjetti powers let me see through all illusions. That's why I took over fighting them in our last battle, along with two of the Circle members."

"I sensed it, but didn't understand it," Lachlan added.

"That's why I jumped in and told you they were just Bailey and Reid before you looked deeper," Elliot said. "I've run into their cover identities in other realms. I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys. I knew we had to let their plan play out."

"You put a loyalty spell on me, Sezzon," Reyzzo said.

"I had to. Jezzeff would have done it himself," Sezzon replied. "I was trying to protect you, and to protect others from what he would have made you do."

"But you tried to kill Aiyana!"

Sezzon sighed. "Aiyana, I am so sorry for that. I knew Windzor was in terrible danger and it would take a Shaman to save him. I also knew it had to be you, because you had helped him before, and you have a powerful connection to the Yizaks. I never wanted to harm you, but there was no other way."

Aiyana nodded slowly as Zell put a protective arm around her. "I understand now, Sezzon," she replied. "I'm glad you did it. Windzor needed help, and Rinton would have returned had I not stepped in."

"It was you," Didi said suddenly. "You gave me the talisman that helped me escape. You were the little voice in my head."

"I was indeed," Sezzon admitted. "Hudzon was the one who created the talisman and alerted our friends that you were in need of their help, and Danzel had a spirit drop the talisman your pocket, but yes, I was the guiding voice."

Didi flung her arms around him. "Thank you," she said. "You saved me!"

Sezzon hugged her back before he explained, "Every horrible act I committed was to help stop Jezzeff and the Guild from the inside. The day Goldar nearly killed Rito, I knew which version of the future we were in, and I knew which of the Circle's plans we had to activate if we hoped to succeed."

"Eight-Nine-Nine..." Kizzie said as she suddenly understood. "That's what you lot were talking about when Zyxx and I brought Rito to you."

"Sorry we couldn't tell you, Kizz," Hezzo apologized. "We couldn't risk anything that might cause the plan to go off-track."

"The only ones we told the truth to were Angel, and Hudzon's wife and kids," Grayzee added. "We hid his family on a sanctuary planet so they'd remain safe throughout everything."

"That was one hell of an elaborate plan," Raffitty said. It was obvious he was impressed.

"These guys never do anything small," Topaz added with a laugh.

"So... You're Bailey?" Trevor asked Hudzon softly.

"I am," Hudzon replied.

"Thank you for being so kind to me... And for the comics."

"It was my pleasure. I missed my children and you needed a father figure. I was happy to fill that void. I wish we could have gotten you out of there sooner."

"I'm sorry I had to stab you," Danzel added. "Jezzeff ordered Hudzon to kill you, and he almost blew his cover because he couldn't bring himself to hurt you. We knew we had to get you somewhere safe, so we got word to our friends about the situation. Hudzon enchanted the knife so it wouldn't hurt, and the rest of the Circle got to us in time to save you."

Liza hugged Hudzon and Danzel tightly. "Thank you for protecting him," she said.

"No problem, lass," Hudzon replied.

"There is one more thing," Sezzon said. "I withheld the full prophecy from Jezzeff..." He looked at Zayto. "Did you figure it out?"

"I did, with help from the other two parts of the puzzle," Zayto replied.

Sezzon was visibly relieved. "I couldn't risk Jezzeff finding the true prophecy before you three were ready."

"Is anyone going to fill us in?" Jayden asked.

"It will be revealed shortly," Zayto promised. "For now, all you need to know is that we are prepared to fight with honor."

At that declaration, Jayden nodded, letting the subject go for the time being.

"Alright... Everyone's here except for..." Andros  said before he paused, looking over his list. "Actually, this was everyone we had listed, plus a few extras."

"Including my grandson," Anise said proudly, pointing to Petey, Jason's brother-in-law. "I've been training him as much as I can, and I'm sure he's ready to stand with us."

"Great! So we're ready. Let's go kick some ass!" Kira declared.

"I do hope you weren't planning to start the party without us," a voice said from the door.

"Eris?" Grayzee asked in surprise.

"It's the Huntress!" Karlton cried. Keilah immediately moved in front of the Elders and cast a protective shield. Hezzo noticed that Kris cowered behind RJ. Rygano looked terrified. Levi stepped protectively in front of him.

"I am considering retiring that name," Eris replied. "After today, anyway."

"Why have you come here?" Jayden asked bravely, stepping in front of everyone like a true leader.

"I have brought everyone who stood with me when I told the Coalition we wouldn't be killing at random anymore. They are right outside, along with T'Dania and Wisteria," Eris replied. "We're here to fight beside you. Assuming, of course, that the Mayor and Prime Minister don't arrest us or have Keilah drown us in lava first."

"You murdered my son," Anise began. "My son who had no idea about any of this. I'm very tempted to slaughter you myself, but that won't bring him back, and I know you were being controlled by the Witch just like my father was." She sighed. "If you truly intend to stand with us, you don't have to worry about the past right now. Don't fuck us over and I'll even consider pardoning you all."

Eris nodded. "You should know that the Guild, including our defectors, are approximately two blocks away. Whatever you are planning to do, it is time to set it in motion."

Kira nodded. "You guys heard her," she said. "Rangers, we're up!"

"It's Morphin' Time!" Zeke declared.

"Alien Rangers, Power Up!" Delphine replied.

"Power Rangers Zeo!" Rocky added, looking at his son with pride before morphing with Trey and Tanya.

"Shift into Turbo!" Cassie chimed in. The Phantom Ranger stood beside her, already fully morphed.

"Let's Rocket!" Andros followed up.

"Go Galactic!" Karone said as Leo smiled at her proudly, standing beside the Lazarus Rangers.

"Lightspeed Rescue!" Dana shouted.

"Time for Time Force!" Wes declared.

"Wild Access! Ha!" Denni cried.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!" Dustin said.

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!" Hunter followed up.

"Dino Thunder, Power up! Ha!" Conner shouted.

"SPD Emergency!" Jack chimed in.

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!" Xander cried.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" Mack declared.

"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" Casey said.

"RPM, Get in Gear!" Scott cried.

"Go, Go, Samurai!" Jayden shouted.

"Go, Go, Megaforce!" Troy followed.

"Dino Charger, Ready! Energize! Unleash the Power!" Tyler cried.

"Power Star, Lock In! Ready! Ninja Spin!" Brody said.

The 2017 Mighty Morphin' team morphed without words, simply looking at each other and connecting. It reminded Hezzo of how the Chosen changed, although they were currently not shifting into their armor. They tended to wait until it was absolutely essential.

Fred looked at his team and shouted, "Ninjetti! Ready!"

"Hyperforce! Power up!" Red declared.

"Stone Power, Activate!" Darcy shouted.

"Guided by Myths of Old, Mythical Guild!" Nessa cried.

"Go, Go, Wildcats!" Lee said.

"Celestial Force, Power Up!" Charleigh declared.

"Activate Beast Power! Unleash the Beast!" Devon cried.

"Link to the Morphin' Grid!" Zayto shouted.

"Lazarus Rangers, Come Alive!" Leo proclaimed.

"Justice Fury, Go!" Sakura commanded.

With all of the Rangers morphed, everyone else stood at attention, ready to fight.

Knowing it was time, Hezzo took a deep breath. Whatever came next, this was the end game. There was no turning back this time.

COOPER
The battle startled almost immediately. By now, Celestial Force had become a well-oiled machine, but they were all still a little shaken up by what had happened to Dora.

Things were going well until Heather turned her attention to their team. She was by far the smartest and fiercest of Jezzeff's new allies, and she seemed to be able to predict their next move before they made it.

Charleigh ended up face-to-face with Heather. Cooper was busy helping Patti and Stephanie hold off several Coalition defectors, so he couldn't reach her. "Lex, Lach, go help Charleigh!" He said.

"We've got her!" Lachlan replied as the two of them raced toward her.

Things were starting to shift in their enemies' favor. Cooper knew they were in serious trouble as a spell trapped each of his teammates in a funnel of magic. They couldn't escape, and judging from what Cooper was feeling, their powers were being drained. Their morphs began flickering like they might fail soon.

Jezzeff laughed as he declared, "You won't be so tough without your powers!"

"What do we do?" Patti asked.

"If we could just short out the funnel's power source, we could reclaim our powers and free ourselves," Stephanie replied. "Lex! It probably can't drain you as fast as some of us because of how unique your powers are. Try to wrap your funnel in a labyrinth."

Lex shrugged and began to try. His funnel soon blew apart and disappeared into a labyrinth. "Awesome!" Elliot cheered.

"Now get the rest of us out," Dora added.

"I have to do it one at a time," Lex replied. He went to Lachlan first, then freed Charleigh. As each funnel burst, their powers were released back into them. While Lex worked on Elliot and Dora, Jezzeff turned his attention to Cooper.

"I look forward to destroying you, Cooper Cates," he said. "You would have done better to choose my team."

"No thanks," Cooper replied. "I already worked for one asshole, and that's more than enough."

Just as he was certain Jezzeff was going to kill him, something unexpected happened. He spotted the giant purple pixie in the sky and shook his head.

I'm hallucinating, he decided. That, or I'm dead already.

The purple Zord fired off an attack. Not only did it blow Jezzeff several feet backward, but it covered him in glitter.

"Don't you touch my Coopie!" A voice shouted.

Didi, Cooper realized. Didi had become Dark Specter's Purple Ranger after Simone's death, but Cooper had never seen her power Simone's old Zord.

"Another Power Ranger?" Jezzeff snapped in annoyance.

"Hi, Jezzy-Wezzy! Did you miss me?" Didi asked as she fired off another attack.

The last of the funnels shattered as Jezzeff was hit. Jezzeff shifted his focus entirely to Didi. She was in trouble now.

"Patti, Steph, cover each other," Cooper said. "I'll be right back." He raced toward higher ground, scaling a building until he reached a roof. "Black Phoenix, Rise!" He shouted.

His Zord came toward him almost immediately. Cooper jumped in and hurried to Didi and the Purple Pixie Zord.

"Cooper! You came!" Didi cried.

"I've got your back," Cooper promised.

Together, they began firing at Jezzeff. Between the glittery bursts of magic from the Purple Pixie and the fire attacks from the Black Phoenix, Jezzeff seemed to realize he couldn't win this fight.

"Zutan!" He cried.

Zutan wrapped a protective tornado around Jezzeff, sweeping him away to safety. He quickly followed, holding on to a tornado of his own.

"That looks fun!" Didi declared. "I wanna ride a tornado!"

"Come on, Didi. My team still needs help," Cooper replied.

"Right! Just tell me what you need."

That was when Heather launched an attack too powerful to stop.

CHARLEIGH
She felt the magic a split second too late. Heather had launched an annihilation spell that would kill anyone it touched. Lex pulled Lachlan into a labyrinth with him. Patti released a shield that covered her and Stephanie. Charleigh knocked Elliot and Dora to safety, but she was still in the kill zone.

Suddenly, someone dove in front of her. A giant mirror was hit by the spell. It shattered and bounced some of the attack back at Heather. One of the lesser Coalition defectors took the bulk of the attack, saving Heather but losing her life in the process.

"That's seven years bad luck!" The person standing beside the mirror said.

"Dex..." Charleigh mumbled as she looked at her rescuer.

"Does this earn me a second date?" He quipped.

"If we survive the battle, sure," she replied with a grin.

"Yes! I knew I'd win you over!"

"Dexter, you are the bane of my existence!" Heather declared.

"I'm honored," Dex replied.

"This ends now!" Heather began to raise another powerful spell.

"Are you sure about that?" Missy asked as she snuck up behind her. She spun Heather around and kissed her, rapidly draining her magic from her.

"Hell yeah! Thanks for the assist, Miss!" Dex cheered.

"My pleasure," Missy replied.

Heather came back to her senses as Missy released her. "Ugh!" She cried in frustration before she drew her sword.

"Watch out!" Lex cried as he and Lachlan reappeared.

"Don't worry, guys," Charleigh said. "I've got this."

She drew her own sword and began to duel against Heather. Considering Charleigh had been trained not only by the United States Air Force but also by Captain Smith himself, she was rather skilled with a sword. Heather had clearly not anticipated that.

As the rest of her team focused on the former Coalition members who were closest to them, Charleigh put all of her effort into dueling against Heather.

She countered every move Heather made. An explosion went off nearby as one of the defectors tried to take a cheap shot at Charleigh. There was nothing left of him when the smoke cleared. Blast stood near Stephanie, smiling proudly and saying, "You're doing great, Charleigh!"

"Thank you!" She replied as she countered another strike from Heather.

Finally, Charleigh saw the opening she needed. As Heather lunged at her, Charleigh did a spinning heel kick, knocking her onto her back.

"Surrender!" Charleigh commanded as she pinned her.

"Never!" Heather replied furiously.

"Turn yourself in to the authorities and I'll let you live."

Heather glared at her. "That isn't living," she replied. "Death before capture!" She kicked Charleigh in her side, causing Charleigh to shift just enough for her to free herself.

Heather pulled out a gun. "Charleigh!" Dex cried in warning.

Suddenly, an arrow came through Heather's back and out of her chest. She fell on top of Charleigh, her eyes still open but completely vacant.

"What a shame," Eris said, shaking her head. "She had such potential, but she wasted it by choosing to serve a fool like Jezzeff." She offered Charleigh her hand. "On your feet, young warrior. The fight is not over yet."

Charleigh took her hand and got back on her feet. "Thank you," she said softly.

"You remind me of your mother."

Charleigh froze. "You knew her?"

"She was fierce, spirited, and extraordinary. If the Rebellion hadn't recruited her, I would have tried myself, although I suspect she was too honorable to join the Coalition." Eris paused. "I'm sure she's very proud of you."

Charleigh nodded before pulling herself together and saying, "Let's go see where else we're needed."

ANDIE
The battle was raging around them. Andie stayed close to Darcy and Greg, knowing they were strongest together. Spells and gunshots filled the air.

The Witch had been greatly weakened, but that didn't mean she wasn't still incredibly powerful. Anzella stood by her side, attacking both physically and magically. She was an incredibly skilled and sadistic warrior, and Andie knew they were in trouble.

As Anzella tried to kill Amos, Andie decided she must be psychotic. Before Amos could do much, Pierce knocked her through the air with a blast of water magic.

"Thank you, Little Fish," Amos called.

"No problem, Old Man," Pierce replied.

Suddenly, the Witch grabbed onto Andie. She bashed her head against the ground several times and shouted, "I'm going to kill every single piece of your soul today, little pest!"

Andie's head was throbbing. Her morph failed. Blood rushed down the sides of her face as the Witch continued slamming her head against the cement. Her vision was starting to blur. She couldn't focus enough to fight back.

"M'Lady!" Ivan shouted, racing toward her. "Unhand her, you fiend!"

He was stopped from reaching her as Anzella intercepted him. They began to duel as Ivan frantically tried to get past her.

"Andie, hang on!" Darcy cried. She tried to attack the Witch, but every time she did, the Witch became intangible just long enough to dodge the blows.

"Get off of her, you bitch!" Chelsea screamed. She was too fast for the Witch, and she wrapped her arms around her and ripped her off of Andie before the Witch could turn intangible again, flinging her into a wall with tremendous force and speed.

"Andie... Sis, are you okay? Talk to me!" Darcy begged her.

Andie couldn't form words. She struggled to keep her eyes open. "Pierce!" Greg called.

Pierce ran toward them. "Oh shit, Andie," he mumbled. He immediately began healing her.

"Pierce... Focus on protecting your team," someone said. "I can heal her."

"She's really hurt," Pierce said hesitantly.

"I know. It's alright. Healing magic is one of my specialties."

"Mom... Are you sure you can save her?" Greg asked.

It's Aliese, Andie realized. Aliese is trying to help me.

That was enough to make Daphne take control. She looked up at Aliese as she pulled her into her arms and managed to let out a soft whimper.

"It's alright, sweet girl," Aliese said soothingly. "You're going to be just fine now."

"Mother..." Daphne said softly as she remembered how to say the single word.

"I'm here, my sweet daughter... I'm right here, and I'm not leaving you."

Those words were comforting enough that Daphne became calm. Somehow, that was all she'd needed to hear for millennia. Aliese continued healing her until there was no more pain.

"Thank you... Mom," Andie said softly as she regained control of her body.

Aliese looked like she might cry as Andie finally acknowledged her as a mother figure. She pulled herself together as Darcy flung her arms around them both.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, Sis!" Darcy said.

"M'Lady, are you alright?" Ivan asked frantically. Darcy allowed Ivan to take Andie into his arms.

"I think so," Andie replied, "thanks to Aliese."

"Guys! A little help?" Nessa called as Coalition defectors surrounded her team. Logan was using fire to hold them off, but there were too many of them. Mena let out a cry of pain as a sword went through her side.

"Mena!" Greg screamed. He immediately opened a hole beneath her attacker's feet. The man fell in with an undignified high-pitched shriek of surprise.

Andie and Pierce both tried to reach Mena, but Coalition defectors blocked their path.

As Greg pulled Mena into his arms, she looked at him weakly. "I love you, Gregory Matthew Arnold Junior," she said softly.

"I love you, too, Mena of Eltar," he replied. "Don't you dare give up on me."

"Mena! Mena, hang on!" Nessa said. She used a spell to knock most of the people who were close to them away.

"Nessa... Tell my dad I..." Mena started coughing, unable to complete her sentence.

"Tell me yourself, my brave girl," Rey said as he rushed toward them. He knelt beside Mena and Greg and began to heal his daughter.

Elgan joined Rey in his efforts. Soon, Mena's wound began to heal. Andie was relieved. Greg started crying as he clung to Mena and whispered, "I love you" over and over again.

For a moment, it seemed like everything was fine. Then the Witch attacked Darcy. Before her spell could connect, Scott dove in front of Darcy and took the attack. He lay on the ground entirely too motionless.

A split second later, Van knocked Mena and Nessa to safety as Anzella shot at them. The bullet hit him in the center of his forehead.

"Van!" Allie screamed in horror. Freddy pulled her out of the way of an attack from the Witch. Mena collapsed in tears in her father's arms. Nessa flew into warrior mode, attacking Anzella fiercely. Logan hit a severe rage. The storm in the sky grew much worse.

Darcy let out a scream of grief as she pulled Scott's body into her arms. Pierce looked torn between running to her and running to his brother.

"You must calm Logan, Little Fish," Amos said firmly. "His powers are dangerously out of control."

Seeing that Andie and Greg were about to reach Darcy, Pierce hurried to Logan. Chelsea joined him.

"Breathe, Wolverine," Chelsea said soothingly.

"I can't... Van... He's..." Logan began before lightning started to strike around them.

"Hey, knock that off!" Chelsea snapped, sending the lightning away from them. "Don't you think I want to attack everything with lightning? Scott's dead, Logan. Scott. I am not okay, but you don't see me striking everyone down at random. Aim for the assholes, not our allies!"

Darcy was still clinging to Scott. "Darce..." Greg began.

She didn't respond. She was trembling, and she didn't look right. Andie tried to touch her arm, but took her hand away immediately.

"You're burning up, Darcy," Andie said in alarm.

Darcy still didn't respond. That was when Trixie came running toward them. Andie was ready to attack her when she realized Lianna and Rob were with her.

"Back away from her," Trixie said. "She's about to transform."

"What do you mean transform?" Andie asked.

"This is bad," Lianna said. "The first time is always the hardest, especially when it's dormant and triggered by trauma."

"Oh shit..." Rob mumbled. "They're right. Get away from her now, guys!"

"I'm not leaving her," Greg insisted stubbornly.

"Don't leave, just give her some space," Lianna replied.

Andie was confused until Talon came running toward them. He took one look at Darcy and smirked. "I knew it!" He declared. "Everyone, back off. I've got her."

DARCY
She was completely overwhelmed. Scott and Van were dead. Scott had died to save her life. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Grief, panic, guilt, and pure rage hit her at once.

Her entire body felt like it was on fire. She couldn't even hear what was going on around her. All she knew was that her heart was broken and she wanted to destroy everything in her path.

"Easy, Beautiful," a voice said soothingly. It was the only voice that she could understand. "Don't fight it, Darcy... Just follow my lead."

Talon, Darcy registered. Talon is with me.

Her body felt strange. Every single nerve was screaming. Every cell was changing into something new. The fire felt good as it flowed through her, and it eased the pain as she shifted into a different form.

Talon changed with her, guiding her through every step. Soon, Darcy was calmer as she and Talon took to the skies together. She exhaled fire toward the ground, releasing her emotions with that act. Her mind began to clear.

"Sera can turn into a dragon?" Laby asked as he joined them. His jaw was comically dropped, and Darcy playfully breathed a bit of fire in response before she remembered that, although Sera's best friend was incredibly immortal, Darcy's had just given his life for her. She almost lost it again, but Talon nudged her gently with his nose, encouraging her to focus purely on flying in circles with him.

"Talon always suspected she possessed the gift, but it was dormant," Stone replied stoically. "His death would have probably triggered it, but her trauma broke Zell's spell instead."

"Stone! Stone, we lost Van... And Scott..." Nessa said a bit frantically. "Please tell me you know how to fix this, Oh Wise Mentor."

"The first thing I need to do is calm this storm," Stone replied. "Keep fighting, just as you have been doing, Nessa. You are a fierce leader, and your team needs that right now."

She nodded. "Till the very end," she vowed, fisting her hand over her heart and bowing her head before going back into battle.

Stone took Logan's hand. "Logan, we must focus now," he said soothingly. "I know you grieve Van's loss. I do as well, but now is the time to fight back."

Logan started to calm down. Darcy was feeling significantly calmer despite her grief. Talon was keeping her grounded just like Stone was doing for Logan.

That was until Anzella slashed Pierce's throat.

PIERCE
It happened too fast. Pierce could do little more than think, Son of a bitch before he found himself falling into the Underworld.

At first, he saw only darkness, but soon he felt a light calling to him. Pierce raced toward it and found several spirits gathered in one place. He recognized Scott and Van immediately. He also recognized Tegus. Two women stood there as well. One looked a lot like Van.

The women must be Van and Scott's mothers, Pierce realized as they both doted on their sons.

"I am so proud of you, Vancello," Tegus said as he hugged him tightly. "You have lived with great honor despite my influence when I made poor decisions in grief."

"We are both proud of you," his mother added.

"Scott... You've grown so much!" The Asian woman Pierce had assumed was Scott's mother said. "I am so sorry I left you."

"It was my fault!" Scott blurted out.

"No, baby, it wasn't," she reassured him.

"You had postpartum depression, Mom... It was my fault."

"Oh sweetheart... Have you been carrying that guilt all this time?" She hugged him tightly. "I love you, Scott. I wouldn't change anything except the fact that I didn't seek help. I wish I could have stayed with you and your dad."

Scott was crying, and Pierce felt a broken part of his soul healing. Van also seemed to be healing as his parents both held him tightly.

"Guys..." Pierce said gently after a minute.

"Pierce! Did you come after us?" Scott asked.

"Actually, I'm kind of dead at the moment," Pierce admitted.

"Oh God... Darcy must be freaking out!"

"Darcy turned into a dragon."

"Whoa... I thought only Talon's line had that power!"

"Apparently, Serafine had it, too. She just didn't know it. Seeing you die triggered it."

"Pierce... Can you bring us back?"

"If you guys want it, I'll find a way to do it... But I won't rip you away from your parents."

Scott looked at his mom. She smiled and nodded at him encouragingly. "My dad still needs me, and apparently, so does my best friend, the dragon," Scott decided.

"Van? What about you?" Pierce asked.

Van hesitated. He clung to his parents with tears in his eyes, but then he nodded. "My team still needs me, and I'm not ready to say goodbye to Scott. If it's really an option, I'd like to see this thing through to the end," he replied.

"Then let's get out of here," Pierce said.

Van hugged his parents a final time. "I love you guys," he said.

"We love you, too, Vancello," Tegus replied.

Scott kissed his mother's cheek. "Mom..." He began.

"We'll see each other again, Scott... When it's the right time," she replied. She kissed the top of his head.

Together, Scott, Van, and Pierce headed through the Underworld in search of a way back to their bodies. Soon, they encountered Casey.

Pierce braced himself for a fight. "You better not tell me I can only save one this time, Casey," he said. "These two are a packaged deal."

"I'm not here to stop you, Pierce," Casey replied with a patient smile. "I'm here to help you find your way back. And if you find anyone else who has perished in this battle, bring them with you."

"What about the delicate balance?"

"Those who are truly meant to perish won't find their way out. I trust you to save those who need it, Pierce, but it will take a great deal of strength. Anchor yourself to my children. The three of them can help give you the strength you need."

"Thanks, Casey."

"Anytime, Pierce."

Pierce felt Casey connecting him to the triplets. He suddenly knew exactly where to go. "Come on, guys," he said, leading Scott and Van away.

"Pierce... Hang on," Van said after a while. He motioned toward someone hiding in the shadows.

"Tessa?" Pierce called gently.

She shrank further into the shadows. "It's okay, Tessie," Scott said soothingly. "It's Scott, Van, and Pierce. We won't hurt you, honey, but Pierce can help you get back to your body."

Tessa let out a slight whimper before she inched closer to them. She burst into tears in Scott's arms. At her side were three others.

"Oh crap..." Scott mumbled as he tried to comfort Tessa.

"Those bastards are attacking the kids!" Van said in horror. He knelt in front of Vinny and pulled him into his arms as the boy trembled in terror.

"Hurt... I can't fix," A'Vah said softly as she clung to the only adult in the group. Even Sellie's soul was damaged from whatever had killed her. She'd clearly put up a hell of a fight.

"A'Vah... Come here, honey. It's okay," Pierce said gently. "Van, bring Sellie to me."

A'Vah came closer but kept her distance. Pierce focused on healing the damage to Sellie's soul as Van and Scott tried to keep the kids calm. Pierce tried not to get upset at the sight of her broken soul, but Sellie had gotten him away from his abusive parents and had even helped Logan get custody of him. Without Sellie, Pierce might still be stuck in that hell with the monster he'd called a father. She'd saved his life. Now, he was determined to save hers.

Slowly, Sellie began to stir. "Are you okay?" Pierce asked as she opened her eyes and looked at him in confusion.

"Jezzeff called it an annihilation spell," Sellie replied. "I used telekinesis to fling some of it away, but I took the bulk of it. I'm surprised you were able to save me... Or the kids who were too close, for that matter."

"I pushed Luke and Lucy out of the way," Tessa said softly. "Vinny saved Imani. And A'Vah tried to save Sellie."

"You're all really brave," Scott said.

"I'm guessing your deflection made it weaker," Pierce said. "We need to get you back to the kids."

"Stephen's still with them," Sellie replied. "But yeah, going back sounds like a good plan."

Pierce led the way toward the gates of the Underworld. One by one, he guided Sellie and the kids out of the Underworld and back to their bodies. Then, he turned to Scott and Van. "Your turn," he said.

They held hands as they ran through the gates. Pierce focused on healing his own body. It was a lot harder to resurrect himself. He was weak from healing and resurrecting so many others. The energy from the triplets had helped, but he wasn't sure he had enough strength left to bring himself back.

Little Fish, Amos called.

Amos... I'm really tired, Pierce replied.

I know, Little Fish. It's alright. You have done well. Reach for me, and I will bring you back.

My throat was slashed... I can't heal it.

You don't have to. That is why you have me.

Pierce focused on Amos. Soon, he felt his body beginning to heal. Amos gently guided him back to it. When Pierce drew his first breath, he felt Amos holding him in his arms.

"Welcome back, Little Fish," Amos said with obvious relief and affection.

"Pierce!" Greg cried. He flung his arms around him and refused to let go for a minute. It surprised Pierce when Andie joined the hug.

"Are you okay?" Andie asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "Where's Darcy?"

"Playing with her food," Chelsea replied casually. "Thanks for rescuing my favorite couple, by the way. Life would suck without Scotty-boy and Quake Escape's beloved manager."

There were five dragons in the air circling around Anzella. He recognized Talon, Darcy, Rob, and Lianna's forms, so he knew the fifth one must be Trixie.

"Darce!" Pierce called. "We need to go help Sellie and the kids!"

Darcy turned toward Pierce and seemed to register he was alive. She exhaled a powerful blast of fire toward Anzella. The other four dragons joined in, and soon enough, Anzella was little more than ashes.

Talon guided Darcy back toward the ground. She landed next to Pierce and nudged him with her face, still in dragon form. Talon shifted back into a human.

"Easy, Darcy," Talon said soothingly. "Your friends are alright, and so is Pierce. Release it. It's safe to let go."

Slowly, Darcy began to calm down. She shifted back into a human as gracefully as Talon usually did and flung her arms around Pierce. "You're alive," she whispered.

"I'm alive," Pierce confirmed.

"I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Darce."

Darcy kissed him. Talon smiled at them and didn't seem bothered by it. Pierce figured having Drakaina in his life kept any jealousy he'd previously had from bring an issue.

Darcy finally broke the kiss. She turned toward Scott and Van, pulling them both into her arms briefly before asking, "What was that about helping Sellie and the kids?"

"They were under attack," Van replied as everyone started to head toward where Sellie, Stephen, and the kids were supposed to be. "Sellie and three of the kids were in the Underworld, but Pierce sent them back."

"Which kids?" Andie asked in horror.

"Tessa, Vinny, and..." Scott hesitated.

"A'Vah was there," Pierce finished for him.

"Oh God... Is she alright? She must have been so scared!" Andie replied.

"She's okay. She was trying to save Sellie. The kid was pretty calm considering she was in the Underworld." He paused.

"Because she's been there before," Amos replied.

"What?" Andie asked.

"Just as the first Aviary is a Shaman, so is A'Vah. She was also born of my people."

"She does look Native American," Greg said.

"Amos, you know who her parents are?" Allie asked.

"I know who they were," Amos corrected her. "Her mother was part of my Tribe. Her father was Aphell's son, Vereliaz. The boy had a kind heart. Aphell exiled him to Earth when he was eleven. He would have perished, but the Tribe took the lost child in."

"I'm surprised Aphell didn't just kill him," Nessa said.

"Vereliaz had incredible power, including Rinton's version of Actualization. Aphell hoped the exile would turn the boy cruel and into the kind of man he wanted him to be. Instead, he grew even gentler. The Tribe encouraged his love of art and his passion for nature. He lived a good life and grew into an honorable man."

"So why was A'Vah abandoned on Eltar?" Mena asked.

"The Witch burned their house down. I suspect she realized A'Vah was an Aviary and viewed her as a threat. What she did not realize was that A'Vah was a Shaman, and when she died, she simply underwent her Shaman's test."

"At four?" Pierce asked in shock.

"She was three, actually. Not only did A'Vah pass that test, but she woke up in the woods on Eltar. The birds cared for her because the people would not. Zell found her and rescued her without fully understanding the compulsion."

"Did the Witch make him do it?" Scott asked.

"No. I did. Despite being out of his mind by then, I knew Zell would protect A'Vah and that, ultimately, she would find her way to Lido because of it. I would have rescued her myself, but it was safer to let the Witch believe she was dead until the time was right."

As they arrived at their destination, Freddy mumbled, "What the...?"

"Holy Mother of Mythical Creatures!" Nessa cried.

"I don't think the kids need our help after all," Darcy said with a laugh.

Lilly was giggling in delight as her ophiotaurus attacked Jezzeff and the Coalition defectors who stood with him. He couldn't get near the kids, Sellie, or Stephen. He screamed as the ophiotaurus flung him into the nearest wall while Lilly clapped and said, "Good Ophi! I love you!" She wrapped her arms around her unusual pet's neck as it sat beside her. It rolled onto its back and let her rub its stomach as Jezzeff fled in a panic.

Imani excitedly joined in on showering the animal with affection. Soon, all of the kids who were old enough to move on their own were playing with the very happy creature. Sellie pet its head as Stephen wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"Are you guys good?" Pierce asked.

"We're fine. After the annihilation spell, Lilly freaked out and the ophiotaurus showed up. It attacked Jezzeff to protect her, and every time he started to heal, it did it again," Stephen replied. "As you can see, it took out a bunch of his allies. I don't think he'll risk coming back."

"Alright, my friend," Amos said to the ophiotaurus. "You stay here and keep them safe until the battle ends."

The ophiotaurus rubbed its head on his hand in response. "Let's go, guys," Darcy said. "We've still got a war to win."

THORN
Things were getting out of hand. There seemed to be an endless supply of Coalition defectors backing Jezzeff up, and every time they took some down, more showed up. The Legacy Rangers and the Chosen had their work cut out for them.

"Thorn, look out!" Caleb shouted.

A split second later, multiple gunshots pierced Thorn's chest. He collapsed on the ground as Sage screamed.

He found himself falling into the Underworld. He'd seen it before, but generally through Sage's eyes. This was different.

I died, he realized.

"Oh, my sweet tadpole..." His mother said sadly.

Thorn stared at her. Part of him wanted to be mad at her because of what she'd done to Caleb a year before, but he knew it had been Zell's fault, and right now, he just wanted to hug his mother.

She wrapped her arms around him. "Mom... I'm dead, right?" Thorn asked.

"Not yet, my tadpole," she replied soothingly. "However, I cannot send you back."

"But Mom, I have to go back. They need me."

"I know, sweetheart... But the journey is yours to make alone."

"I'm not Sage or Sakura. I can't just find my way out of the Underworld."

"You are very much like your father, Thorn, but you are also mine. The blood of a Shaman runs through your veins."

"A Shaman? Me? I'm no Shaman, Mom."

"Perhaps not yet, my tadpole, but when you survive this journey, you will be. And with all three triplets becoming active Shamans, you will be an unstoppable force."

"But... What if I'm not strong enough? My sisters are a lot tougher than I am."

She smiled at him. "You have tremendous strength within you, my little tadpole. I have complete faith in you, just as I always have."

"Mom... I'm scared," he admitted.

"I know, and that's okay. Conquering that fear is part of the journey."

He nodded, determined to return home. Caleb needed him. His siblings needed him. His dad needed him. He could do this. He had to.

"I love you, Mom," he said softly.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," she replied.

He forced himself to leave the comforting safety of her arms and began his journey through the Underworld. He felt something calling to him. It was like two pieces of him were reaching toward him, trying to guide him.

Sage and Sakura, he realized. He began running toward them, but stopped short as a dozen scorpions blocked his path. Someone slowly stepped into view.

"Merkhet..." He said in horror.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" She asked. "Your team ruined everything! And now I'm stuck here, rotting away, while you get to live your happy little lives. I'm not letting you leave, Thorn Park! You will rot beside me!"

He could have attacked her. It would be easy enough. After all, Merkhet had given Katherine the venom that killed Caleb the first time and activated his powers. Instead of giving in to his anger, however, Thorn chose compassion.

"You're lonely," he said softly.

"I am not!" Merkhet snapped, but her tone shook slightly.

He touched her arm gently and realized he could see into her soul. He felt her pain. He felt the terror she'd experienced in childhood. He felt everything that made her who she'd become.

"You were good once, Merkhet," Thorn said. "You were a terrified little girl in an unthinkable situation. Chaos took advantage of you and then abandoned you. Zell did the same thing. You had no choice but to accept their help because the only other options were enduring torture or death. As far as your childhood, you remind me a little bit of Felina..." He paused. "Felina needed someone to believe in her ability to make the right choices. I believe that broken child is still inside of you, Merkhet... And I'm going to help you."

Without warning, he hugged her. Merkhet tried to fight it, but as Thorn connected to the lost little girl inside of her, she stopped. He followed his instincts, helping her heal from her trauma and restoring some of the light she'd lost long ago.

When he released her, she was crying. "You showed me kindness, even after all I have done," she said in confusion.

"You deserve a chance to get it right the next time," he replied. "Whenever you reincarnate, make better choices, okay?"

She laughed sadly. "I will try, Thorn Park," she replied. "Thank you."

The scorpions slowly spread apart, allowing him a clear path forward. He followed the path and headed toward where he felt his sisters. He spotted the gates to the Underworld.

"That's it?" He asked in surprise. He was expecting more opposition.

"You showed compassion to one of your greatest enemies and healed her soul," his mother replied. "That is the hardest part of being a Shaman. We are not here to judge, only to help. I am so proud of you."

That meant more to him than he could express. "I miss you, Mom," he told her.

"I miss you, too," she replied, "but now, you are a Shaman. You can visit me anytime you want to."

That helped. He smiled and said, "I'm ready now."

"I know you are." She motioned toward the gates. They opened, and Thorn ran through them.

When he started breathing, he heard a voice ask, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm good," Thorn replied as he opened his eyes. He was confused as he realized it was Ichigo standing over him, not his father.

"Did you just call me Dad?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

"Thorn! Oh, thank God!" His father cried as he knelt beside him. Sage flung her arms around him. So did Sakura and Caleb.

Through all the love, only one thought voiced itself aloud. "Wow... Did you guys ever notice that Ichigo sounds freakishly like Dad?" Thorn asked.

"I don't hear it," Ichigo and Adam replied in unison.

"Whoa... That's uncanny," Sage said in surprise.

"I never noticed that before," Sakura admitted.

"Thorn, don't you ever scare me like that again!" Caleb scolded him.

"Now you know how he feels," Ollie pointed out.

"Okay, you're right, but he knows I wake back up!"

"I can, too, now," Thorn said. "Because I'm a Shaman."

"What?" Adam asked in surprise.

"Mom told me I had to do it on my own, but she met me at the start and the end. I passed my test."

Sage and Sakura both beamed at him. "Congratulations!" Sage said.

"I knew you had it in you," Sakura added.

An army of spirits suddenly swarmed around them. Caleb was trembling from cold. "Guys... We need to do something about this. He's draining the spirits for power," he said.

"We have to help them," Orihime said.

"We'll keep the Coalition defectors busy," Zeke said.

"Zeke, kiss me," Maddie said, taking off her helmet.

He took his own off and replied, "I thought you'd never ask." He dramatically dipped her back and kissed her.

Maddie fed on Zeke's happiness, showing she finally had full control of her succubus side. "You're getting good at that," Taylor said.

"You and Zedd are great teachers," she replied. "And now I don't have to be afraid to kiss my boyfriend. I'm powered up! Let's kick some ass!" She and Zeke put their helmets back on.

Zeke and Kenny led most of their team into battle as Sage and Thorn stayed with the other Shamans and Caleb. Ollie led the Chosen in their own fight, focusing on Zutan and Jonah, who's come to help Jezzeff. Brian turned his body into flames.

"That is so cool!" Minh declared.

"Minh, use the Mighty Morphin' power," Liza said. "I'll switch to the Ninjetti powers since Carrie and the Ninjetti are on the other side of the fight. It should be safe." She shifted her morph as Minh powered up. "Adam, you should go to the Retro Rangers so you can morph safely where Thorn isn't," she added.

Adam sighed. "She's right," he admitted. "Be careful, kids. I love you." He hugged Thorn and Sage tightly before kissing Sakura on top of her head and holding her for an extra moment.

"I'll be okay, Dad," she promised him.

He nodded. "I'll see you soon," he said before running off.

"Ichigo, I have an idea," Sakura said. "You distract Jezzeff."

"With pleasure," Ichigo replied as he pulled out his Zanpakuto. He immediately went for Jezzeff, attacking him fiercely.

"Everyone else, keep the souls busy until you can send them back where they belong," Sakura said.

"We're on it," Uryu promised.

"Caleb, will you help my team?" Sakura asked. "As a necromancer, you can try to calm the spirits down."

"Of course," Caleb replied. He immediately focused on the spirits who seemed the most in need of help.

"Some of the spirits are pure darkness," Toshiro said. "We need to put them down first before they hurt anyone."

"Not a problem," Uryu said as he hit one with a dozen Reishi arrows.

"Got it," Chad added, summoning his full power as he began to punch some of the stronger dark spirits.

"Orihime, use your shielding power and I'll use Kido to keep some of them from attacking," Rukia said.

"Soten Kisshun! I reject!" Orihime shouted, creating a powerful barrier to hold the spirits back.

"We need to focus on Jezzeff," Sakura said to Thorn and Sage. "I think I know what to do. Take my hands."

Thorn and Sage each took one of Sakura's hands before also joining their own. Sage smiled as she said, "I know what you're planning, and it's brilliant."

"He had to give up the necromancy he stole from the Grant line," Sakura explained to Thorn. "If we can sever Jezzeff's connection to his Shaman powers, he'll lose all control over the dead."

"Can we do that?" Thorn asked.

"With all three of us becoming active Shaman, and with the fact that we're from the same Tribe he descends from, I think so." She paused. "Micky broke into Katie's room a while back because he felt something calling to him. He found the piece of the arrowhead she had and kept it hidden and safe. He gave it to me after we met because he said it felt right."

Sage pulled out her own piece. "It was never meant to be Katie's," she said. "Uncle Tommy gave it to her because there was no one to inherit it, but I think it was meant to be yours, Sakura... When Katie started turning evil, I used a spell to hide it. I knew it was our mission to keep it out of the hands of evil, no matter what. Uncle David gave his piece to Thorn because he said it felt right, like his kids weren't the ones meant to inherit it. It's meant to be passed down to triplets."

Slowly, Sage and Sakura pushed their pieces together. Thorn watched the two of them connect as sisters before he added his own piece in, completing the arrowhead. It radiated with tremendous power.

"Mom always said a great warrior imprisoned evil spirits inside of the arrowhead, and when it was united, it could be used to control them," Thorn remembered.

"Jezzeff received more than his fair share of Shaman powers because of an evil spirit from his bloodline," Sakura said. "Because of how his ancestor gave him that power boost, if we remove that energy, it will also remove Jezzeff's Shaman powers."

"This will work," Sage said confidently. "We just have to work together as a family, connecting to the love we share even if we don't always like each other."

"I think I can do that," Sakura agreed. "For today, anyway."

"Our uncles fight like cats and dogs but they'd still do anything to protect each other when it counts," Thorn said.

"We're triplets," Sakura replied. "We've been bonded since before we were born. This is our destiny."

As the arrowhead dangled in the air between them while they rejoined hands, Thorn felt Jezzeff's ancestral magic being pulled out of him.

Jezzeff let out a cry of shock as the magic was torn from him. Ichigo was knocked backward as the magic flew toward the arrowhead.

"Impossible!" Jezzeff cried as he seemed to realize what was happening. Some of the spirits he had been controlling turned their attention to him, preparing to strike.

"Let them go," Sakura told her team. As they did, the spirits began to attack Jezzeff.

"Stop! I command you to stop this at once!" Jezzeff shouted to the spirits.

"Your powers of necromancy are gone," Sakura informed him. "So are most of your powers as a Shaman, aside from the most basic skills you possessed before your journey, and something tells me you skipped right over learning how to use the basics."

Infuriated, Jezzeff fled. Zutan and Jonah followed quickly behind him. As the spirits began to return to the Underworld, the arrowhead split apart.

Each of the triplets reclaimed their piece. "We just did that..." Thorn mumbled.

"We totally did," Sage agreed.

"It was kind of nice to work together as triplets," Sakura admitted. Then, she turned stoic. "Come on. It's not over yet. Let's go see if anyone needs our help."

BULK
He was moving from group to group to see who might need his help. It surprised him very much when a Ranger got knocked out of his morph and he found himself looking at a very familiar face.

"Hello, you handsome devil," Bulk said to the Hyperforce Ranger named Jack. "Do you need a hand?"

"That would be appreciated," Jack replied as he grabbed Bulk's hand and got back to his feet. "You're a good looking fellow yourself."

"What are these things?" Izzy asked as some terrifying creatures descended upon them.

"Ugly freaks?" Javi suggested helpfully.

"They're uglier than the Tengus," Jessie agreed. Bulk had finally stopped calling her Little Kimberly just before her team left with Dulcea to return to their realm.

"And a lot scarier," Johnny Little Billy the Second chimed in.

"They're really vicious," Christian Little Adam Two agreed.

"Guys! A little help!" Carrie New Little Aisha cried as she held off three creatures at once.

"Holy crap they're strong!" Sabrina Girl Rocky said as she ran to help her teammate.

"We need to find a better way to fight them," Junie Tommy Junior said.

"Stick together, and whatever you do, don't let these things escape," Fred said.

"I'll round them up," Devon said. He started running around the perimeter impossibly fast, preventing the creatures from breaching the barrier he created.

"Let's try this!" Zoey suggested before she jumped into the air and landed on one of their heads. It screamed in rage and flung her off of itself.

"I've got her!" Ravi cried, catching her easily and carrying her to safety as if she weighed nothing.

"Normal techniques won't stop them," Nate said. "Even the ones we attack seem to recover almost immediately."

"It's like we're flicking them in the arm," Steel agreed. "They're annoyed, but not really hurt."

"They are called beyzans," Vesper said. "Time Force's research lists them as an almost unstoppable demonic beast from Eltar. The Witch is the one who summons them."

The Witch cackled as she appeared. "You get a gold star," she taunted Vesper.

"Stay back!" Marvin said firmly to the Witch.

"Or what? You'll bore me to death?" She replied. "You're just one more team of Power Rangers I need to eliminate!"

"We're not afraid of you, Witch!" Jack insisted.

"You're looking a little overcooked," Eddie pointed out.

"Extra crispy," Chloe agreed.

"Who likes barbecue?" Javi quipped.

"Delicious," Izzy replied.

"She looks kind of bitter, though," Ollie chimed in.

"Like Brussels sprouts!" Zayto said enthusiastically. Everyone looked at him in confusion. He paused before adding, "I apologize. I am still adjusting to Earth's humor."

"Well, no one likes Brussels sprouts or the Witch, so you're not wrong, Zayto," Amelia pointed out kindly.

"So, Tommi, how's life without me?" The Witch asked.

"Much brighter," Tommi replied.

"Admit it. Trini likes me better!"

"Not a chance, you donut-flinging psycho!" 2017 Trini replied as she pulled Tommi protectively into her arms.

"Look out, Crazy Girl!" 2017 Zack yelled. He knocked a beyzan away from her. It grabbed him and tried to tear him apart.

"Zack!" 2017 Kimberly screamed. She and 2017 Jason kicked the creature in the head. It dropped their friend hard, but the kid didn't look too injured.

"Are you okay?" 2017 Jason asked. 2017 Zack gave him a thumbs up in response.

"Bulk!" Kat shouted, getting his attention just as one of the creatures was about to grab him. Kat got between them and put her hands up to block the attack. Fire burst from her hands.

"Whoa!" Kat cried in surprise, but she kept the fire flowing freely. It burned the creature.

"No! My poor baby!" The Witch cried. "Don't you hurt my precious pets, Kitty Cat!"

As more of the creatures surrounded them, Bulk was pretty sure they were screwed. Then, a group of Eltarians arrived.

"Beyzans, just for us? How fun!" Ezzex declared.

"It's not a party until we show up, right Boys?" Braydee added.

"You all keep doing what you're doing," Vallen said. "You're great!"

"And we'll show you how to finish them off," Tadd added.

"Once and for all!" Zolan chimed in.

"Ugh! You five are so irritating!" The Witch shouted.

"I think you mean delightful!" Ezzex replied.

"Or fun!" Vallen added cheerfully.

"Or powerful," Tadd suggested.

"Or clever," Zolan added.

"Actually, now that you mention it, perhaps we are a bit vexing to people who want to destroy the world," Braydee said, "but I can live with that."

With that, the Boys began to destroy the beyzans like it was the simplest task in the world. The Witch uttered a stream of what Bulk suspected were Eltarian curse words before she fled the area.

When the last of the beyzans had been destroyed, Bulk grinned. "Well, that was fun," he said. "Where to next?"

LABY
The Rebellion of Eltar might have disbanded a year before, but they stood together now. Laby noticed Garron standing very close to Shaniece. She might not have ever joined the Rebellion, but currently, the father and daughter were still celebrating their reunion.

Zell really came through this time, Laby thought. As much as he hated the things Zell had done while evil, even he couldn't deny how much he'd changed since breaking free from the Witch's control.

"What happened to the Rebellion being disbanded?" Remo taunted them.

"What happened to joining the Guild being beneath you?" Felina retorted.

"Unfortunately, the Huntress's ideals no longer aligned with ours," Remo replied. "The Guild became the better option."

"You will pay for this treachery, traitors!" Kizzie declared.

"Perhaps," Mayzee replied, "but we shall take all of you down with us!"

Zevah fired a gun at Stone. Hezzo threw a wall of ice up that stopped the bullet from reaching its target.

"Even the healer's shooting at us," Laby said. "That's just wrong."

"Hey, Zevah?" Angel called. "I may not always get along with my father, but he's still my father, and no one gets to screw with him except me." She sent lightning straight into Zevah's heart, killing her instantly.

Grayzee grinned. "Beautifully done, my angel," he said before taking a moment to kiss her.

Lezt tried to use that moment to attack. Without removing his lips from Angel's, Grayzee sent lightning at him. Lezt didn't die, but his flesh was severely burned.

"Protection spell. Clever, but not strong enough to fully spare you," Zyxx said. He sent an attack at Remo as Remo tried to attack Kizzie. "And doing foolish things like that will get you killed, Remo," he added as the attack blasted him through the sky and he landed several feet away.

"Come on, Floridians," Maegus said. "Can't we settle this like civilized adults? You were part of our family once. We do not wish to spill your blood."

"Speak for yourself," Andru corrected him.

"Remo, you are not a fool," Nigel said. "You know you cannot take all of us on at once. Surrender before you force us to end this the hard way."

"Surrender?" Remo laughed as he got back on his feet and Mayzee cast a healing spell on Lezt. "And what happens to us if we do that?"

"We spare your lives," Vitella replied. "On my honor."

"No offense, Vitti, but that's not good enough." He smirked at her before mockingly adding, "Bizzeh mada alebastes! Hail to those who resist!" With that, he flung a spear straight at Vitella.

"Vitti!" Laby shouted. Unwilling to watch the last fully surviving Founding Member of the Rebellion die in front of his eyes, Laby dove in front of her.

The spear went straight through his chest. "Laby!" B'Danna shouted.

Amareese's eyes began to glow with power. She cast a spell that knocked Remo through the air and tore him in half. His body started to heal itself almost immediately as he screamed in pain.

"He's got a regeneration spell on him," Raffitty said.

Amareese tore him apart again. "Then I'll simply keep this up for a while," she said. "No one harms Laby on my watch!"

"Laby... Laby, are you alright?" Captain Smith asked as he covered him and Vitella so no one could try to harm them.

"Well, fuck... That hurt," Laby replied with a groan.

Draze ran to his side and began healing him. Vitella knelt beside Laby and stroked his hair soothingly. "You shouldn't have done that, Laby," she said softly. "I hate seeing you in pain."

"The pain of losing you would have been a lot worse," Laby replied before wincing as B'Danna carefully pulled the spear out of his chest. "Besides... I knew it wouldn't kill me."

B'Danna slapped the back of his head. "Ouch, Bee-Dee!" He protested.

"Stop being a dumbass," she said firmly.

"I mean, I'll try, but it's hard to break a habit after so many millennia."

His wound began to rapidly heal as Draze continued to work on it. That was when Mayzee tried to kill Amara.

"Amara!" Captain Smith shouted in warning, but it proved unnecessary, as someone else stepped into view and deflected the attack.

"M'Telda..." Laby whispered in surprise. She hadn't showed herself before.

"No one will harm my mother's reincarnation or my little sister," M'Telda said firmly.

"M'Telda..." Captain Smith said gently.

She smiled at him. "Hello, Father," she replied.

Mayzee cast an impressive spell that sent everything into chaos. Darkness began to fill the area. It was getting hard to see.

"Here comes the Sun, bitch!" Zee shouted. He summoned sunlight through the darkness just as the Witch tried to attack Aileen. The Witch recoiled, shrieked, and fled back into the shadows.

Remo, who had finally escaped from Amareese, attacked Leela and Jessa. Aylane looked homicidal, but before she could do anything, Annabrooke set Remo on fire and shouted, "Stay away from my sisters, asshole!"

Every time Remo seemed to start healing, Annabrooke released more fire. Stone finally gently took her into his arms and said, "You'll wear yourself out, Annie."

"I can do this all day!" Annabrooke replied.

"He's not worth that much effort," Aylane said.

Lezt was mostly healed from the lightning. He tried to attack L'Teia, Tutty, and Chaz. Pietra impaled Lezt with a sword and smiled as his body hit the ground. Trerry wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

"Make out later," Lia joked as she, Calix, Trinity, and Sid joined them. "There are still two traitorous assholes left."

Mayzee created a massive army of tulpas that proceeded to swarm and attack everyone. M'Telda led Kizzie, Amareese, Felina, Amara, Dezzanna, Rayne, Zizi, Zydia, Lola, Imogen, Angel, and Eloise in destroying them as quickly as they could. The army of Sorceresses were soon joined by the members of the Circle. This was taking most of their focus.

As Mayzee tried to attack Lido, Eva Leigh and Maizon stepped in. Maizon deflected the attack and Eva sent a stronger one back at Mayzee. She turned into solid gold before shattering into thousands of tiny pieces.

Remo let out a cry of alarm as his Lieutenant was killed. He finally looked afraid.

The Sorceresses and the Circle were caught in a massive wave of energy as the army of tulpas vanished. Insu quickly began to help them navigate their way through it. She may have given her tulpa powers to Allie, but she still knew how to clean up their residual energy.

Wu, Chung, and Kyoko started to move in around him. Vagris, Rhanna, and Stone joined them. Boom and Blast stood beside Garron and Shaniece, ready to attack. Ace stood with Jeirmi, who looked more determined than Laby had seen him since Wynter's death. Leopold put a reassuring hand on Jeirmi's shoulder to encourage him. Phestian stood with Mya, Reyes, Bartello, and Zee. Soon, everyone stood together, blocking Remo from any chance of escaping.

"You made a fatal error, Remo," Felina informed him. "You betrayed your family. We don't take kindly to traitors."

"And we know exactly what to do with them," Garron added. "B'Bodian, Raffitty, if you would...?"

Captain Smith and Raffitty stepped forward. Remo drew his sword. "I will not go down easily," he said.

"We did not expect you to," Raffitty replied.

"You have no honor, Remo," Captain Smith added. "This ends now."

A spell swept toward them as Remo smirked, but before it could hit either of them, Bartello absorbed it. He sent it back toward Remo, knocking him off of his feet.

Amara stepped into the circle and grabbed Remo. She began to pull energy from him. "His regeneration spell has broken," she said after a moment. "Do with him what you will."

Raffitty and Captain Smith took turns attacking Remo with their swords. Remo was able to counter many of the attacks, but as Raffitty slashed Remo's arm open, Captain Smith moved in and finally managed to impale his heart. With a final gasp of surprise, Remo collapsed on the ground, dead at their feet.

"That was awesome!" Laby declared.

"It was definitely a fun family reunion," Rupi agreed.

"Alright, everyone," Captain Smith said. "Let's go see where else we are needed."

ANISE
She had gotten separated from most of her extended family and siblings, but Zordon, Zell, Petey, and Aiyana were beside her. Jezzeff, Jonah, Zutan, and several Coalition defectors had them surrounded.

"Hello, Aiyanah," Jezzeff taunted her. "How lovely it is to see you again. Jonah, feel free to eliminate her."

Zell moved protectively in front of Aiyana. "If you try to touch her, I will end your life before you can plead for mercy," he said sharply.

"I second that," Drakaina said as she approached. She was not alone.

The Elite Counsel came toward them, and Hayley and Truth were with them. Looking at her Counsel, Anise realized why. Zell voiced it aloud in surprise. "Adina and Dawna... How did I not see this before?" He asked.

"To be fair, we only found out today," Vagris replied as he squeezed Hayley's hand and wrapped his free arm around Truth's shoulders. Anise had never seen him look so at peace before.

"Zutan... Dispose of your old friends," Jezzeff said.

"With pleasure," Zutan replied. He began to gather energy. He sent a tornado at Vagris, Truth, Rhanna, and Hayley, but Truth deflected it with a shield.

Talon looked at Drakaina and asked, "Are you ready?"

"So ready," she replied with a mischievous grin.

Talon transformed into a dragon. Drakaina followed his lead. It took her a minute, but once she transformed, she seemed to adjust to her new party trick immediately, soaring through the sky like she'd done it a thousand times before.

"Holy shit!" Zutan cried in surprise. "Sera's a dragon, too?"

"That was so cool!" Petey said.

"Incredible..." Zell whispered. "I never suspected..."

"She's beautiful," Aiyana said softly.

"I'll make her my pet after I use you up," Jonah said to Aiyana with a sadistic smirk.

Zell tried to attack Jonah with magic, but Jezzeff snuck up behind him and impaled him. "Dad!" Anise cried in alarm as she ran toward him. Someone nearly took her head off with a sword, but another met it halfway through the attack.

"There is no honor in attacking when someone does not see you coming," a voice said.

"Caius..." Anise realized aloud.

"Hello, Anise. It's lovely to see you again," Caius replied charmingly. "Pardon me for a moment." He dueled against two Coalition defectors at once, taking them both down gracefully with his sword.

"You are impressive," Jezzeff informed him. "Perhaps you will duel me."

Caius raised his sword again. "I accept your challenge," he replied.

As the two began to duel, the Elite Counsel focused on the Coalition defectors. Three of them teamed up to cast a death spell on Vagris. Stone and Dawna stood together to deflect it. Plurri released a lightning attack that made everyone stop in their tracks except for Caius and Jezzeff. Half of the defectors were killed instantly.

"I despise harming others," Plurri said, "but no one harms my friends."

"Hell yeah! Nice one, Plurri!" Rhanna cheered.

"Thank you, Plurri," Vagris said softly. Plurri nodded in response.

"Take that, Assholes!" Petey shouted as he used telekinesis to fling several of the surviving defectors into trees at once. Anise beamed with pride at how well her grandson had adjusted to battle.

She stood with Zordon as Caius and Jezzeff continued to face off. This drew all of her focus until she heard Aiyana shout, "Look out!"

Hearing the fear in part of her mother's voice was enough to draw Anise's attention, but not in time to stop Phoenix from slashing Zordon's throat. Anise wanted to help, but she felt like her own throat had been slashed, too. She struggled to focus through the shock and pain.

"Daddy!" Briar shouted as she ran to him. She looked at Anise and said, "I think it's time."

Anise nodded weakly. "Dad... Call them," she said as he and Aiyana tried to heal Zordon and ground her.

Zell cast a spell into the sky. Moments later, the Tempus Force Rangers stepped into time.

ELLA
"Dad!" Carissa cried out in horror as she spotted the still-fatally-wounded Zordon. Then she covering her mouth with a squeak as she realized she'd outed herself as his kid.

"Carissa, help us heal him," Zell said urgently. "Pax, keep Anise grounded."

The twins hurried to their father and aunt's sides. Ella kept herself focused on the enemy. The team was fully morphed, but this would be the first true test of their powers.

We're ready, she told herself. She prayed it was true.

"Another team of Power Rangers! I should not be surprised anymore, yet I am," Jezzeff admitted. "I did not expect any new teams at this point of the battle."

"We like to make an entrance," Ella replied.

"And who, may I ask, are you?" Jezzeff asked.

"We call ourselves Tempus Force," Kenji replied.

"How quaint. Well, Tempus Force Rangers, I am so pleased you came here to perish at my hands."

"The only one who shall perish today is you, Jezzeff of Eltar!" Edmund declared stoically.

As Zordon finally recovered and Anise was able to function, Pax and Carissa joined the Tempus Force team. They'd practiced their plan a number of times, but no one was sure if it would actually work. They focused, and Ella could feel their energy coming together.

Jezzeff tried to attack, but Edmund absorbed the magic. The attack had been fire-based, so Edmund sent the fire back at Jezzeff. He barely dodged the blow.

Phoenix became enraged by the fire magic. She attacked with a telekinetic burst of magic. Edmund quickly absorbed that, too, before flinging one of her defector friends away from them with the new power.

Carissa cast a spell that made flowers bloom from the Earth around Phoenix. Vines popped up and held her legs in place. Before she could free herself, Pax used a spell of his own to magically bind her so she could not use any spells against them.

Kenji focused on battling more of the defectors, sensing what moves they would make before they moved purely by reading their auras. Libby blinded several of them with powerful light attacks. Ella followed this up with spells that knocked them off of their feet and left them unable to think clearly enough to attack. Pax began rounding them up, wrapping a magical rope around them.

"Where should I send the package?" He asked Anise.

"The prison," she replied. "Keilah and I cast a spell that will keep them there until we can deal with them properly. They'll receive a fair trial, and if need be, a swift execution."

Pax opened a portal and the defectors he had captured vanished. He turned toward Phoenix. She broke free from her bindings and drew her sword.

Left with no choice as she charged at them, the Tempus Force Rangers fought back. Carissa and Pax hit her with spells meant to slow her down. Libby used her light magic to strengthen their spells. Kenji blocked her from landing an attack on Libby, countering it with one of his own. Edmund met Phoenix's sword with his.

Realizing she couldn't defeat the young Knight of Zandar, Phoenix tried to target Libby again. As soon as Phoenix attacked, Ella knew her hair had turned red. She could feel nothing but rage.

"Don't touch my girlfriend, you bitch!" Ella yelled. Even with Libby wearing a helmet, Ella knew she was smiling at her word choice.

As Ella hit Phoenix with her strongest spell, the Eltarian blew apart, leaving nothing behind but blood.

Jezzeff tensed. He stopped dueling against Caius and tried to flee into Nowhen.

"Now, guys!" Briar shouted.

The Tempus Force Rangers joined hands and focused on their biggest trick yet, the one that might not actually work, but they had to try.

Jezzeff nearly escaped when suddenly, an invisible wall slammed up. He staggered backward in shock.

"What did you do?" He demanded.

"We sealed the time line against you," Carissa replied proudly.

"Impossible!"

"It is our duty to guard the time line against those who would abuse it," Pax said stoically.

"You won't be going anywhen else!" Kenji added.

"You are children! You cannot stop me!" Jezzeff insisted.

"I do believe he is in denial," Edmund commented lightly.

"By all means, try to jump through time again," Libby suggested.

"Yeah, I'd love to see what happens," Ella added.

Jezzeff was obviously furious. "Zutan! Get Jonah and I out of here, now!" He said.

"Sure, Jezz," Zutan replied. He raised his hands into the air to call a tornado, but at the last second, he closed his fist.

Jonah began to struggle for breath. As he tried to grab Aiyana as a shield, Drakaina and Talon both breathed fire toward him. Zell launched a pyrokinetic attack at him. Jonah burned to ash in seconds.

"Zutan..." Jezzeff whispered in horror and disbelief. "We were friends! I trusted you!"

"You killed my sister, Jezz," Zutan replied. "We were never friends."

"Surprise! Another loyal follower was nothing more than a spy for our side!" Talon said as he took his human form again.

"You have lost, Jezzeff," Stone added. "You have no true allies left."

In a complete panic, Jezzeff tossed an emergency portal to the ground and barely escaped.

"When were you planning to introduce me to this team, Anise?" Zordon asked.

"When the time was right, so... Today?" Anise replied innocently.

He shook his head. "They are quite remarkable," he said after a moment.

"Thank you, Father," Pax replied stoically.

Zordon smiled at Pax and Carissa. "I am quite proud to know the sort of people my children will grow up to be," he said. "All of you," he added, opening his arms for Briar to join them. She eagerly ran to him.

"I'm so impressed you guys sealed Jezzeff in this time," Grace said. "That takes a lot of strength."

"We've been practicing," Kenji replied cheerfully.

"Well, it certainly paid off!"

"So, Zutan," Plurri began. "Are you ready to join the Prime Minister's Elite Counsel?"

"If she'll have me, I'd be honored," Zutan replied.

"After the performance you put on today? You're hired," Anise said with a laugh.

"Come, my friends," Zordon said. "It is time we finish this."

KEILAH
The last of the Coalition defectors had come exactly where Keilah expected... She stood with the Counsel of Elders, ready to defend them no matter what.

Keilah, Pasha, and Jinnifer were all eager for a fight. Karlton seemed resigned to the fact that it was necessary and the lives of the terrorists could not be spared because they would never surrender. Bezzy was trying to keep everyone's spirits up. Even Hanry, her incredibly gentle grandfather, had accepted that there was only one way for this to end. Stone wasn't initially with them, but he joined them now.

At first, it was almost fun to stand with the rest of the Elders and fight. They'd never worked together in battle before. Pasha excelled at warlock magic. Jinnifer was an extremely badass warrior. Stone's magic was incredible to experience up close. Bezzy's endless supply of energy and light was both helpful and comforting. Karlton rarely used his powers in public anymore, but his affinity for Water worked very well with Stone's, and he seemed to calm Stone's furious energy a bit. Hanry had an affinity for all of the Elements just like Keilah did. She'd never seen him wield them in public before, and she was slightly shocked by how much power he radiated now. His magic was more impressive than she'd even realized.

The defectors were in over their heads until Daneenah showed up. As a former Elite Coalition member, she had leadership skills, and she took control of the battle immediately. With someone to guide them, the others became much more dangerous.

Suddenly, someone tried to put a bullet in Hanry's head. Keilah was about to interfere when a blast of powerful magic wrapped around him.

"Hanry Yizak is a good man, Children," T'Dania said as she killed about a dozen of the defectors with one spell. "You must not cause him harm."

"T'Dania Treygan..." Karlton said in surprise.

"Do not worry, Karlton Vretiz," she replied. "I am here to assist the Elders of Eltar."

"Why would you help us?" Pasha asked. "You hate us."

"My hatred was misplaced, Pasha Blykanz."

"Isn't this group's leader one of your special ones?" Bezzy asked curiously.

"Daneenah was an Elite, yes," T'Dania confirmed. "Unfortunately, she has chosen the wrong side. I stand with you and your friends, Bezzy Zerralnoz."

Bezzy laughed. "Most people don't know my family name."

"I have done my research. Now... Wisteria, B'Danna, join us."

Wisteria looked nervous but determined as she walked to her mother's side. B'Danna showed no fear. She immediately sprang into action, killing someone who tried to attack Bezzy. The smallest of the Elders was barely taller than Tazzan, but his smile was as big as could be as he nodded at her in appreciation.

Keilah focused on the fight, using magic and her sword to take out those who were foolish enough to get close to her or Hanry. She was wrapping one of them in lava when she heard a gun go off twice.

Jinnifer remained on her feet, still wielding her sword, but it was in her left hand now instead of her right. Keilah noticed her right shoulder was bleeding from a bullet wound. So was her chest, and that wound was far more concerning, but Jinnifer still looked determined to fight. Wisteria looked horrified as she tried to stop the bleeding from the chest wound.

T'Dania snapped her fingers and broke the neck of the man holding the gun before he could fire again. She hurried to Jinnifer's side.

"Jinnifer Farmell... You saved my daughter's life today," T'Dania said. "Allow me to return the favor." She cast a spell which rapidly healed Jinnifer's wounds and used telekinesis to extract the bullets.

"Thank you, T'Dania," Jinnifer said after a few moments.

"Forgive me, Jinnifer. I have judged you based on your ancestor who was truly pure evil, but in watching you in recent months, I have learned you are an honorable, fierce woman I would be proud to call my ally." T'Dania paused. "Thank you for protecting my beloved Wisteria."

"Get down!" B'Danna yelled suddenly.

Keilah pulled Hanry to the ground as an explosion went off. When the smoke cleared, she took a quick headcount and was relieved to see that everyone had survived, but Bezzy was severely injured. He lay several feet away, covered in too much blood.

"Bezzy!" Pasha shouted as he rushed to his side. "Come on, buddy, don't do this to us..."

Hanry and Keilah immediately rushed to help. Bezzy was beloved by all of Eltar in that rare way that people like Daphne and Celestia achieved. His nickname was the Light of Eltar. He had the ability to inspire hope in even the darkest of times. It would devastate the entire planet if he died.

Suddenly, Keilah felt the arrival of two others. Grazziella was chasing after Iris, who ran straight to Bezzy.

"Iris, what are you doing here?" Keilah asked her daughter.

"She had a vision," Grazziella explained. "I'm sorry, Keilah. She came out of the vision really upset, and before I could stop her or even ask what she'd seen, she opened a portal to Earth. I didn't even know she could do that."

"Neither did I," Keilah replied with a sigh. "I know she has the same limitless potential for new powers as Jezzeff, but she's only six. I didn't expect the more complicated ones to start manifesting yet."

"She can control hezkans, create light shows, and is starting to show elemental magic. It was only a matter of time... Now we can add being a Seer and opening portals to other planets to the list."

"Baby, what did you see?" Keilah asked softly.

"Bezzy got hurt," Iris replied. "He needs help."

"We have healers, sweet girl."

"No, he needs me." Iris began to manifest light. Her version of the gift was unique because it came in many colors. It kind of looked like she was using strobe lights. That was the first power she'd ever displayed, shortly after Keilah had aged her to five the day she was born to hide her from Jezzeff and the Witch. The different colors flowed around Bezzy now, moving in and out of him and healing him in the way that only pure light could.

"There is not a shred of darkness in that child," Hanry said with a smile. "Despite her biological father's blood, Iris remains pure light."

Daneenah came out of nowhere and tried to grab Iris. Instinct kicked in and Keilah covered her in lava. Her screams were quickly silenced as she melted into a pile of ash.

Keilah glanced at Iris and was relieved her daughter hadn't actually witnessed the act because she was too preoccupied with fixing Bezzy. He sat up looking like he'd never been injured to begin with.

He smiled at Iris. "Well, if it's not my favorite little person!" He said pleasantly as he hugged her.

"She's gonna be taller than you in a few months," Pasha teased him. His relief was clear on his face.

There were still a few Coalition defectors left standing. Keilah looked at Grazziella. "Want to have some fun?" She asked.

"Absolutely," Grazziella replied. "I never get to join in the big fights."

Keilah scooped Iris up and said, "You did well, Baby. Now stay with your great-grandfather for a couple of minutes."

Iris happily snuggled into Hanry's arms. Keilah nodded at Grazziella.

As they began using their magic together, Keilah realized how natural it felt. She actually felt stronger with Grazziella by her side. I never knew half of me was missing, but now I understand, she thought. Part of her wondered if Grazziella had been by her side growing up if their mother would still be alive, but she couldn't dwell on that now.

As they took down the last of the defectors, Keilah hugged her sister. Then, she turned to T'Dania. "Was that all of them?" She asked.

"Oh yes," T'Dania replied with an amused smile. "The defectors have all perished, as have the Guild members who were not merely spies working undercover to destroy them. Only Jezzeff and Evianna remain."

Keilah nodded. "This is it," she said. "He has no one left to hide behind. Let's end this!"

ZAYTO
He had remained close to his team throughout the battle, but now, Zayto knew it was time to find his other allies. AJ had also wandered away from her team, and he found her staring at the carnage and destruction around them with a worried expression on her face.

"Are you alright, AJ?" He asked.

"I keep looking for familiar faces," she admitted. "I'm so scared I'll look down and see the body of someone from our side."

"Has that happened yet?"

"No... So far, I've only found dead Guild members and Coalition defectors."

"That is good news. Come. We need to find Oz." He offered her his hand and a reassuring smile. AJ relaxed slightly as she took his hand.

They found Oz soon after. He nodded at them. "About time you got here," he said. "I found our mark."

"Are you sure we're ready?" AJ asked.

"I'm sure it doesn't matter," Oz replied. "Ready or not, this is it."

"We can do this, AJ," Zayto said firmly. "We have trained for this moment. It is our destiny."

"Are you scared?" AJ asked.

"I am nervous, but I believe in our ability to succeed."

She nodded. "Then let's do this."

Jezzeff was pacing nervously by himself. It was clear he was trying to plan his next move. Zayto drew his sword and stepped into his view.

"You..." Jezzeff said. He drew his own sword. "Welcome, my worthy foe."

They began to duel. As usual, Jezzeff proved to be quite skilled, but Zayto was able to hold his own. He countered most of Jezzeff's attacks. To his surprise, Jezzeff did not slip out of time to steal a victory. Somehow, Zayto understood that Jezzeff could no longer do that.

Instead, Jezzeff tried to attack with magic. He sent a wave of water toward Zayto, but Oz jumped in front of it. Zayto watched in wonder as Oz pulled the magic right out of Jezzeff. The water flowed in spirals up his arms and vanished.

"My hydrokinesis... It's not working... I cannot feel it!" Jezzeff mumbled in concern.

"That's because it is mine now," Oz replied.

"What? That is not possible. You cannot steal what is mine!"

Suddenly, vines burst from the Earth. Jezzeff tried to trap Oz, but AJ grabbed onto the vines. They wrapped around her arms as flowers began to bloom. Then they vanished. Air began flowing from Jezzeff, building into the winds of a hurricane. This, too, wrapped itself around AJ and flowed up her arms and into her heart.

"No... How are you doing this?" Jezzeff demanded as the wind stopped.

"You wield the Elements, Jezzeff," Zayto replied. "We are the Elements."

As Zayto raised his sword again, fire burst from an enraged Jezzeff's hands. He seemed confident that nothing could take fire from him as he attacked.

The fire was stronger than the other attacks. For one brief moment, Zayto was worried he would fail. The flames struggled to hurt him, but Zayto was able to absorb them. As he did, he felt his own fire purifying Jezzeff's. He knew AJ and Oz must have felt the same thing happen with their Elements.

"My fire..." Jezzeff whispered. The panic was clear in his eyes as he fled on foot.

"Should we stop him?" AJ asked.

"We played our part," Oz replied. "It's up to the others to do the rest."

DENNI
Wildforce had been successful in defeating a bunch of Coalition defectors before B'Danna ran off to help her mother and the others found where they were the most needed. Denni and Marco had gone in search of the other Children of the Flame. Now, all three generations stood together against a double threat. The Witch and Jezzeff were united and out for blood.

Reyzzo, Elliot, and Jy held hands as they cast a protective circle of magic around the area. No one else would be able to enter that space as long as they remained connected.

Dale was visibly nervous, but Sharon took his hand and said, "We've got this, Dale. Together."

He nodded and began casting a spell to protect them. Sharon telekinetically deflected a tree as the Witch tore it from the ground and flung it at Dale.

"The Witch had Zell kill most of the original generation of Children of the Flames because she believed our kind are a threat to her," Edmund said stoically. "Let us prove her correct!"

"You children don't know your place!" The Witch snapped. She sent a burst of dark magic at Edmund. He absorbed it and suddenly, the shadows began to obey his command. He moved one closer to Denni. She ducked into it and popped out of a shadow that was behind Jezzeff. Denni did a roundhouse kick that she knew left him seeing stars.

The Witch flung a spear at Denni. She barely slipped into a shadow in time to dodge it.

"Come on, guys," Marco said as Denni emerged beside him. "Can't we talk about this?"

"The time for talking is over!" Jezzeff declared. He began to cast a spell. Denni could feel how powerful it was.

"Guys... Something's wrong," Jared said. He sank to his hands and knees as his energy rapidly began to drain.

"Jared!" Denni cried in alarm. She knelt beside her youngest sibling, but she started feeling dizzy before she could do much.

"I feel strange..." Elliot said.

"We're getting weaker," Dale realized.

"The Flames... He's trying to pull their magic out of us to restore his pyrokinesis!" Jy shouted.

Reyzzo began looking rabid as his energy was stolen. Denni knew if they didn't do something soon, he'd attack, but even she was starting to feel the effects of Jezzeff's magic. It was hard to think through the pain. That had never happened to her before. She usually healed instantly, so pain wasn't much of an issue for her. This was different. The damage wasn't to her body; it was to her soul.

If he drains the Flames out of us, we'll die, she realized. Even me. This is the only way to kill me.

I can stop this, Callie telepathically said suddenly.

How? Denni replied.

As the pyrokinetic, I'm the one with the strongest connection to the Flames. If you guys focus on our connection to each other, I can return what he stole to you. Everyone focus. Hold on to each other and don't let go.

This seems dangerous, Callie, Edmund protested. Can I help?

Sorry, Edmund. This is something I need to do on my own.

Cal, what exactly are you going to do? Marco asked nervously.

I'm going to protect my family, she replied firmly.

Be careful, Cal, Sharon said, her concern for Callie clear.

I love you guys, Callie replied. With that, she began to rapidly heat her body up. Denni watched in fascination as Callie became covered in flames.

All of the energy Jezzeff was stealing redirected itself to Callie. She burned brighter, and Denni realized how much energy she was channeling and cleansing all at once.

"Callie, stop! Your body can't handle this!" She shouted.

Callie turned toward Denni, her eyes glowing with fire. "I know," she replied. "I am the Flames, Denni. I'll always be part of you all." As her body began to burn up, Callie added, "Take care of them." With that, she disintegrated before their eyes.

The power of the Flames returned to them, and with that energy was an extra boost of power from Callie's life force. They each held a piece of her now.

With the sudden loss of power, Jezzeff fled, clearly realizing he stood no chance of fighting them now. The Witch remained.

"On my honor, for my sister, I shall slay this fiendish foe!" Edmund declared, raising his sword in the air.

"What he said!" Marco agreed.

"For Cal," Jared said softly, visibly holding back tears.

"For Cal," Denni echoed.

Sharon was crying, but she looked just as determined as the others. Dale, Elliot, Jy, and Reyzzo nodded in agreement.

Reyzzo was still visibly rabid from the energy drain. Denni was worried he would attack one of them, but to her shock, he grabbed the Witch and kissed her hard, draining a significant amount of her life force. It wouldn't kill her, but it threw her severely off balance.

"Damn, Reyzzo... That was kind of a Boss move," Denni said.

"I'm not hurting innocent people ever again," Reyzzo replied, "but she's anything but innocent."

"He's got me there," the Witch admitted as she regained control of herself. She slapped Reyzzo. "You're a damn good kisser, Rey-Rey, but whatever happened to consent?" She demanded with a cackle. "Wanna do it again?"

"No thanks. I'm good," Reyzzo replied.

"Party pooper."

Jy slammed a wall of energy into the Witch, knocking her away from Reyzzo. Marco made the trees start to dance. They pulled up their roots, attacked the Witch, and replanted themselves as Sharon telekinetically flung a bench at her head. Dale began casting a powerful spell as Edmund and Elliot used their swords to slash the Witch from either side. Jared pulled out a device and proceeded to electrocute her. She began phasing between her physical and intangible forms uncontrollably.

Denni looked her dead in the eye as she said, "This is for Callie, you bitch." She shoved a sword right through the Witch's chest while she was in her physical form.

With her body fatally wounded, the Witch was forced to remain in her Intangible form as she retreated into the shadows.

BARTELLO
He looked at D'Dodi as the dark portal opened. His brother nodded and Bartello knew this was it. The Witch stepped out, but she was weaker than he'd ever seen her. She took a moment to regain her energy, trying to heal the severe injury to her chest. It only partially mended, so she tried to stay in her Intangible form.

"Holy shit... Someone did a serious number on her," Zydo said.

"Which means it's our turn," Mydo added.

Zee grinned and called down sunlight. It chased away the shadows. The Witch screamed before lunging at him.

"Freeze!" Mydo cried as he attacked her with ice. She was just physical enough that it trapped her. The twins both cracked up as Mydo added. "Literally."

D'Dodi smirked at the bad pun. "I see what you did there," he said. He flung a moon spell at the Witch designed to cause confusion.

It seemed to work as Zydo melted the ice and shouted, "We are on fire!" He paused for a moment while the Witch burned before adding, "Oh, wait, that's just you!"

She screamed in pain and frustration as she put the fire out. Tante moved closer to her. "Tante... Tante, you were always the nice one! Please, show me mercy," she begged.

"You took my children from their mother before we even knew they existed," Tante replied. "I'm afraid I am all out of nice."

Bartello watched with pride as Tante summoned the shadowlings. They swarmed around the Witch, lashing out at her with small attacks that combined into a massive assault. Despite their darkness, she could not harness their power because Tante had full control.

"Darkness!" She screamed. "I require darkness!"

"Unfortunately, it's a very sunny evening," Zee replied, increasing the power of the sun so there was no darkness for the Witch to try to touch. "Gosh, I'm sorry... Evianna."

"That's... Not... My... Name!" The Witch screamed.

Bartello looked to his brothers before touching the Witch's arm and refusing to remove his hand. He grabbed onto the life force that was left within the body known as Evianna and began pulling it out.

She tensed, but she was too weak to fight him. The heart in her chest stopped beating as she exhaled a final breath.

Darkness burst from her dead body. Her true form showed itself briefly before it began to fade into nothing but shadows. Soon, even the shadows were gone.

"Is she dead?" Mydo asked.

"Like, really dead?" Zydo added.

"Keilah greatly weakened her, the Children of the Flame further damaged her vessel, and we finished her off. The Witch's original vessel is dead," Bartello replied, "and in killing Evianna, her remaining energy has been banished to the Realm of the Intangibles."

"Will she be back?" Tante asked.

"The Witch can never return to this world, or to any of the worlds whose people stood against her today," D'Dodi replied. "Her future is set. She is banished for eternity."

"Ding, dong, the Witch is dead," Zee sang cheerfully with a big, goofy grin on his face. "Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch! Ding, dong, the Wicked Witch is dead!"

As the Brothers of Legend laughed, Bartello smiled peacefully. For the first time, he was certain they were going to win.

LING
He felt like he was torn in half. His heart was racing and he couldn't breathe. Ling understood what was happening.

"Evi's gone," he said softly before collapsing on the ground.

"Ling!" Hezzo cried in alarm. He pulled him into his arms. "Don't do this to me. I need you! You're what keeps me from giving in to my evil side."

"I love you, Hezz."

Hezzo began to cry as even he could no longer deny that Ling was dying. Maegus put a comforting hand on Hezzo's back as Amello tried in vain to heal Ling. The entire Circle was with him, united in their love for him, and it comforted Ling as his vision started to blur.

"Father!" Libby cried as she ran to his side. "We have an idea!"

"We?" Ling asked weakly.

Didi Vile knelt beside him. "You shouldn't have to die just because my mommy did, Uncle Ling," she said. "Libby comes from you and I come from her. We think if we try to work together, we might be able to save you."

"That may actually work," Sezzon said as he considered it.

"If there's even a chance, we have to let them try," Grayzee agreed.

Libby and Didi joined hands and held them over Ling. He could feel their energy combining. It was soothing to feel their perfectly balanced energy flowing around him.

"Are you ready?" Libby asked.

"I'm ready!" Didi replied.

The energy shifted. Ling felt himself grounding as his vessel's life became tied to something again. Libby began healing him as Didi took a moment to catch her breath.

"His wounds are gone and the color's returned to his cheeks," Nee announced.

"He's okay!" Angel confirmed. She wiped a couple of tears from her eyes.

"I'll drink to that!" Tinny cheered, conjuring a shot glass and doing just that. He conjured one for Hezzo and added, "I think you need this more than any of us, Lad."

Hezzo ignored the drink so he could hug Ling. For a minute, Ling relaxed in his arms and hugged him back, trying to comfort his best friend. Then he said, "Hezz... Can't breathe."

Hezzo loosened his grip but didn't release him for another minute. By the time he did, everyone had a shot glass in their hands except for Libby, Didi, Hezzo, and Ling, so Hezzo took his. Ling hugged his daughter and his niece.

"You tied my vessel to your life force," Ling said to Didi. "Thank you, sweet girl."

"You deserve to live," Didi replied with a shrug.

Tinny gave Ling a shot glass before giving Libby and Didi cups of soda. "To Ling!" He said, raising his own refilled shot glass. "And to the kids who kept us from losing our light tonight!"

"Hear, hear!" Branz replied. Everyone toasted and downed their drinks.

"Alright, Lads," Hezzo said. He looked much more like himself as he declared, "It's time to find out how this story ends!"

LAUREN
The Samurai Rangers were in trouble. Jezzeff had set off an explosion in a desperate attempt to get away from them. They had all lost their morphs in the blast.

Mia had a broken leg. Spike was trying to protect her while he was bleeding from the head. Emily was on the ground unconscious. Antonio was struggling to crawl toward the rest of the team, dragging both of his badly injured legs behind him. Jayden's arm was bleeding freely, but that didn't stop him from casting a healing Kanji to try to help his teammates.

Only Ren had managed to get back to her feet. She stood holding a sword, bravely ready to face Jezzeff to protect her team.

"We have to help them," Lauren whispered in horror.

"Not yet," Diamond whispered back, offering Lauren a sympathetic glance. "M'Telda said we had to wait for the right opening."

"Why don't you face me like a man, Jezzeff?" Ren demanded.

Jezzeff smirked at Ren like he found her challenge amusing. He bowed to her grandly before drawing his sword. The two began to duel. Lauren was impressed at how well Ren held her own, but she knew even the skilled Samurai Ranger could not keep that up forever.

Mia's leg audibly snapped back into place as it began to heal. Spike's head stopped bleeding. Emily groaned as she regained consciousness. Antonio slowly rolled onto his back and cautiously moved his legs. Only Jayden still looked completely injured. The Kanji only had the power to heal the others, not the one who'd cast it.

Emily seemed to realize what was happening. She cast the same Kanji on Jayden, and he slowly started healing, too.

Jezzeff whispered something and began moving impossibly fast. Just as he was about to slash Ren's chest open, a different sword met his.

"There is no honor in using magic to cheat in a sword battle," Deker said firmly. He proceeded to cut off the arm Jezzeff held his sword in.

As Jezzeff screamed in pain, Dahlia helped the Samurai Rangers get back on their feet.

Jezzeff's arm regenerated, but it took a little longer than it would have before. Lauren realized he was weak. As he bent down to reclaim his sword, she knew it was time.

Diamond began to cast the spell she'd been training to cast. At the exact same time, Lauren cast her Kanji. Being hit with a water-based Shaman spell and a Fire-based Kanji at once left Jezzeff too off-balance to deflect either attack.

Diamond washed away Jezzeff's ability to steal the powers of others. He would no longer be able to gain unlimited new gifts. Lauren burned away the one thing Jezzeff needed the most... His power of regeneration.

Jezzeff was now as mortal as any man. If he was injured, he would stay that way. If he was dealt a fatal blow, he would die. Assuming, of course, that the Kanji had worked.

Jayden slashed at Jezzeff's arm with his sword. The wound bled freely and showed no signs of magical healing. Realizing what that meant, Jezzeff ran from them as fast as he could.

"It worked," Lauren whispered.

"Of course it worked," Diamond replied.

"The Kanji worked!" Lauren repeated in excitement. Before she even realized what she was doing, she kissed Diamond quickly on the lips.

"Awww!" Emily cried with delight.

"Sis... Who is this?" Jayden asked.

"This is Diamond," Lauren replied. "They helped me train and master the Kanji while they learned their own spell. We have become rather close."

"I can see that," Jayden replied with a smirk. Lauren felt herself blushing.

"What happens now?" Mia asked, gracefully saving Lauren from further embarrassing discussion of her personal life. Lauren offered her a grateful look.

"Jezzeff has lost his ability to acquire new powers and his ability to regenerate," Lauren replied. "He has no allies left to rescue him. A fatal blow will actually be fatal."

"Then let's go figure out where he ran off to," Spike suggested.

Jayden nodded, focused entirely on the mission again. "This way," he said. Everyone followed him, eager to see Jezzeff finally meet his end.

LIDO
He sensed someone in extreme distress and headed toward the energy. Lido was somewhat surprised when he realized the person was Jezzeff.

Somehow, Lido knew what he needed to do. He focused on his ancestors, calling on their knowledge and grounding to them as he began to touch Jezzeff's energy.

Jezzeff realized what was happening. He pulled out his sword and lunged at Lido, but Zuzu flew into his path and started pecking at his face. As the phelinx drew blood, Jezzeff became too distracted to focus on Lido. Instead, he tried to kill his familiar.

"Zuzu!" Lido cried in warning. He knew he had to finish what he'd started, but he refused to let Zuzu be harmed.

Suddenly, a portal opened up. To Lido's surprise, Dawn stood in front of him. She held a black candle in one hand and a sword in the other.

"Where did you get that?" Jezzeff demanded as he spotted the candle.

"You probably didn't realize I could use the talisman Daphne gave you to take control of your sacred space," Dawn replied.

Jezzeff looked nervous then. "Daphne... You know I adore you. You are basically my little sister. Please, help me now. The Witch turned me into this! You know there is still good in me. You always find the good in people."

"I do believe there is good in everyone, Jezz," Dawn replied. "Everyone except for the Witch and you." With that, she cast a simple spell to light the candle.

Jezzeff became motionless. "What is this candle?" Lido asked.

"Jezz uses it to anchor his powers," Dawn replied. "It recharges him when he lights it."

"Then why would you light it?"

"Because during the process, Jezz is frozen in place. He can't move or fight back. This will buy you time to finish your spell, Lido, but hurry. It won't last."

It might have seemed more logical to use the sword and simply kill Jezzeff while he couldn't move, but that was not Lido's role in things, and he finally understood that.

Lido refocused with Zuzu and Dawn by his side. Soon, he pulled Jezzeff's remaining powers from him one by one until almost nothing was left.

When only Jezzeff's first known ability, the gift of the Sight, remained, Lido nodded at Dawn. She used the sword to destroy the candle, splitting it down the middle and extinguishing the flame.

Jezzeff tried to launch a magical attack. It didn't work. Dawn smiled and Lido found his heart filling with light.

"It's just you and your sword against the world now, Jezz," Dawn told him.

"That is all I shall ever truly need," he replied harshly. He hurried off as Lido pulled Dawn protectively into his arms.

KIRA
She'd been moving from place to place to check on everyone. So far, despite some uncomfortably close calls, all of the Power Rangers were alive. As Merrick and Denni came toward her, Kira tensed, sensing something was wrong.

"Guys... What happened?" She asked.

"Callie has perished," Merrick replied stoically as Denni refused to say it.

Kira's heart ached at the news. "Are you okay, Kiddo?" She asked Denni.

"He was going to kill us all," Denni replied numbly. "He was taking the Flames from us. He couldn't fully do it to Callie because of how strong her connection to the Flames was, so she reversed what he did, but her body couldn't handle it. She turned to ash. She saved us. Callie, of all people, sacrificed herself for us. It should have been me. I'm the leader."

Kira hugged her. "I'm sorry about your sister, but she was the pyrokinetic one, Denni. She was the only one who could have done it, and this just proves that she loved you guys."

Denni nodded. "We fucked the Witch up. I think someone killed her."

"The Brothers of Legend put her down."

"What about Ling?"

"He survived. Didi and Libby connected him to Didi and Libby healed him."

"Thank goodness..." Merrick said softly. He frowned as he noticed blood on Kira's arm. "You are injured," he said angrily.

"Relax, Merrick," Kira said quickly. "It's not my blood. I took down an asshole who tried to kill Conner and Ethan."

He nodded. Then, he tensed. Kira also tensed as she felt it, too. Denni looked like she was going to rip Jezzeff's head off herself as he appeared.

"The Wolf Prince and the Siren..." Jezzeff hissed.

"The traitorous asshole," Kira replied in the same tone.

He moved to slash her throat. Merrick met his sword and began to battle against him. Denni pulled out her own sword and joined the fight. Kira waited for an opportunity to make a move.

Suddenly, a team she didn't recognize came into view. Kira knew they must be the Tempus Force team Anise had told her about a few minutes earlier. With them were the Lazarus Rangers.

Leo raised his scythe into the air. Tori raised her trident. Kelsey held her battle axe with pride. Trent added his sword into the mix. Zack clicked his pocket watch and time seemed to stand still for a moment. Shelby tossed her boomerang at the watch. Suddenly, all of the weapons came together to form one massive weapon unlike any Kira had ever seen.

"Armageddon Sword, Ready!" The Lazarus Rangers cried in unison.

"What is this?" Jezzeff demanded. "I did not authorize the weapons being able to join together in battle!"

"Well, you see, we're Power Rangers, Jezzeff," Tori explained.

"Nearly every team has the ability to join their individual weapons together to form a Mega weapon," Zack added.

"It seemed logical that we might have the same ability," Leo said.

"We figured we'd give it a try," Kelsey chimed in.

"And what do you know?" Trent asked.

"It worked," Shelby finished.

"Shelby... After everything I did for you, this is how you repay me?" Jezzeff demanded.

"This is what you deserve, Jezz," she replied.

"I resurrected you! I gave you all a second chance at life!"

"You turned us evil and enslaved us to serve you," Kelsey corrected him.

"And you even managed to mess that up," Trent added with a laugh.

"And now, we're going to prove who we really are!" Leo said. As the Red Ranger, he wielded the Armageddon Sword.

Jezzeff began to duel against the powerful weapon, but that was no easy task, and soon enough, Leo managed to slash his chest open.

Jezzeff cried out in disbelief as blood poured out of his chest. It wasn't instantly fatal, but he'd bleed out soon enough if it wasn't treated.

The Tempus Force Rangers suddenly flew into action as Jezzeff grabbed a talisman from his pocket and began to cast a spell. Ella used telekinesis to pull it from his hands into her own. Edmund put his sword to Jezzeff's throat to prevent him from attacking Ella. Carissa and Pax quickly cast a joint spell to keep Jezzeff's spell contained. Libby filled the talisman with pure light, negating all of the dark magic within. Kenji smiled as he announced, "Now it's a Good talisman!"

"And now, we finish this!" Tommy said as he and the rest of their allies joined them.

Kira swept Jezzeff's legs out from under him as he tried to use his sword to slash at Merrick. Denni kicked him in the head when he sat up.

Keilah and Grazziella came forward. Grazziella stopped the storm Jezzeff had been drawing power from by making a fist. Keilah smiled at Jezzeff sadistically as she wrapped a shield of air around him. Lava appeared outside of the shield, waiting for the freedom to attack. For the first time ever, Kira saw genuine terror in Jezzeff's eyes.

"Any last words?" Keilah asked.

"This is not the end!" Jezzeff declared. "I shall return, stronger than ev-"

The air shield vanished. The lava crashed down on Jezzeff, burning his body into nothing but ash.

Everyone waited in silence for a moment. Jezzeff did not regenerate. Something still lingered, however, and Kira knew they still faced a threat.

"Is it over?" Zeke asked.

Jezzeff's soul suddenly manifested in front of them. His chest still had the gaping wound from the Armageddon Sword. He was clearly weak, but he still tried to attack Keilah and Grazziella.

"Bankai!" Ichigo, Rukia, Sakura, and Toshiro cried in unison. Their Bankais all attacked at once. Orihime threw a shield around everyone else to protect them. Chad used both of his arms to punch Jezzeff's soul. Uryu fired a dozen Reishi arrows into Jezzeff at the same time.

Kira watched in fascination as Jezzeff's soul exploded from all of the attacks. This time, there was nothing left as the shards disintegrated.

Once again, no one dared to move. There was no hint of dark magic in the air this time. The heaviness that had been lingering over Angel Grove ever since Zell's evil days was finally gone.

After a minute, Zeke repeated, "Is it over?"

"It is now," Sakura replied.

"Are we sure?" Anise asked.

"Jezzeff's spirit was destroyed," Tante confirmed. "He won't be coming back from this."

"It's over..." Zell whispered as it began to sink in.

"We did it!" Kira cried. "We actually did it!"

People began to cheer. There was a lot of hugging, kissing, and general revelry. Tinny's booming voice cried out, "Come on, Friends! This is definitely worth drinking over! Party at our pub!"

For the first time in over two years, they could finally rest. Kira smiled sadly to herself, thinking of everyone they'd lost along the way as they worked to reach this point.

We did it, guys, she thought. We won.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is only one chapter left!