CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
REBECCA
Someone was watching her. Of that much, Rebecca Scott was certain. She looked up from the novel in her lap and studied her surroundings.

On the surface, everything was fine. Her father, Lee, was playing with the twins, Nikolas and Dimitri. The identical seven-year-olds were prone to mischief when left unsupervised, so their parents tended to stay close to them.

Rebecca noticed her older sister, Tiffani, looking at their mother, Ronnie, in concern. She was on break between semesters at her college and had joined them in Angel Grove. Their mother had only come back to them recently after getting abducted and hiding out in a magical labyrinth with their aunt Roxy for a bit. She seemed tense now, and Rebecca wondered if her mother sensed the same thing she did.

Her older brother, LJ, was nowhere to be seen. As the only one of the siblings who had already graduated from college, LJ lived on his own, but he'd joined them in Angel Grove after learning they all had magic and needed to train. LJ had inherited the Scott family ability to shadow travel. Tiffani was hydrokinetic. Nik was pyrokinetic and Dimi was telekinetic. As for Rebecca, she had an affinity for Air and also had the ability to levitate.

Rebecca... A voice called.

Rebecca was extremely intelligent and rarely impulsive. She knew better than to follow a disembodied voice. That didn't stop the chill from running down her spine as it tried again.

Rebecca... Come to me, the woman encouraged her.

Rebecca focused on her mystery novel, trying to ignore the voice. Her mother moved closer to her. "Becca, I want you to go to your father. Stay with him," she said firmly.

"Mom, what's going on?" Rebecca asked.

"Just go, sweetheart."

Rebecca... If you do not come to me willingly, I will find you when you are alone and force you to, the voice insisted.

"I'll stay with Mom," LJ said as he emerged from the shadows. "Go help Dad and Tiff with the twins."

Reluctantly, Rebecca headed toward her father. Tiffani was entertaining the twins. Her father looked nervous. "Do you feel it, too, Dad?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes," he admitted. "Something's lurking..."

"I hear her calling to me."

"Who is she?"

"I'm not sure."

I am Baizena, the voice said.

Somehow, Rebecca knew not to speak her name aloud. She tried her best not to even think it. "She's dangerous, Dad. I feel incredible darkness coming from her," she said.

"Stay close to me, alright? Whatever this is, I won't let it hurt you," he promised.

Rebecca nodded. "I don't think she wants to hurt me... Not yet. She's got a bigger plan at work."

"That sounds ominous."

"It's just a feeling... Like I need to be careful, but not because she wants to kill me. There's more at play here than we're realizing."

"I think it's time we visit the Reservation again," her father decided. "Ronnie! LJ! We're leaving."

There was no answer. Rebecca looked around before saying, "I don't see them..."

"Shit," her father mumbled. "Ronnie! Ronnie, where are you?"

"Dad, what's going on?" Tiffani asked.

"Keep the twins and Rebecca safe," he replied. "I need to find your mom and LJ."

"Lee!" Roxy shouted as she came running toward him with Hannah by her side. "Where the hell is Ronnie? Something's wrong..."

"Roxy asked me to have Alpha Three teleport us here," Hannah added.

"We felt something kind of off," Lee explained. "Ronnie and LJ went to investigate and seem to have vanished."

"You let her go alone?" Roxy demanded.

"LJ can shadow travel and use a sword. I was pretty sure he could keep Ronnie safe while I was with the rest of the kids."

"Aunt Roxy, what do you feel?" Rebecca asked. She knew her mother and aunt shared a bond that meant one usually knew when the other was in danger or hurt.

"Something scared the hell out of her," Roxy replied. "Then it all went black. I think she's unconscious."

"There's no way LJ would just let someone hurt Ronnie. They must have knocked him out, too," her father said.

"Dad... What do we do?" Tiffani asked.

"We go to the Reservation. You guys stay with Sam and David. I'll go with Roxy and Hannah to find your mother and brother."

"We can help!" The twins protested in unison.

"I'll fling stuff at the bad guys' heads and Nik can set them on fire!" Dimi declared.

"Pretty fire!" Nik added enthusiastically.

"Not this time, guys," their father replied with a kind smile. "I need you to be safe right now."

"That's no fun," Nik said with a pout.

"Safe is boring," Dimi added.

"Sam and David can help you work on your magic," their father replied.

"Yay!" The twins cheered.

"Alpha Three... Please teleport the kids to the Reservation," he said.

"Be careful, Dad!" Tiffani said.

"We will be," he promised. "Keep your siblings safe."

They suddenly found themselves being teleported away. Rebecca landed easily, catching herself with air to slow her descent. Tiffani's many years as both a cheerleader and dancer enabled her to stick the landing as well. The twins fell on their butts, then immediately stood up and started to laugh.

David came across them shortly after. "Uh... Hey kids," he said. "To what do we owe the spontaneous visit?"

"Mom and LJ are missing," Rebecca explained. "Dad went with Aunt Roxy and Aunt Hannah to search for them."

"That can't be good... Come on. You can stay at my place for a little while." He led them to his house. He'd barely gotten them snacks when someone knocked on the door frantically.

Rebecca watched David as he answered the door. Tommy stood on the other side. "David, I need your help," he said.

"Really?" David replied. "It must be bad for you to come all the way here instead of just calling me. Come in... What's going on?"

"It's Casey... Something's wrong with her," Tommy replied as he entered the house and closed the front door.

David turned immediately serious. "What do you mean?"

"I can't explain it... I just feel her, and she's weak. Like her magic isn't working. Do you feel it, too?"

David frowned. "Vaguely... I can usually feel her just fine, being a Shaman in addition to our womb mate bond. She's definitely hurt."

"She's a spirit. Hell, she's a Goddess. Who could hurt her this badly?"

"A super powerful Shaman might stand a chance... Sage and Amos are the only two I know who are definitely strong enough."

"Amos wouldn't, and I know Sage and Casey fight a lot these days, but I don't think she'd do this either."

David frowned harder. "Something's not right in the Underworld... There was a disturbance."

"What was it?"

"I don't know everything, Tommy," David replied dryly. "I just feel that the energy is wrong. Something upset the balance."

"Then call Amos. He does know everything."

"Almost everything," David corrected him.

"Can't you go see her? Use your Shaman abilities!"

"You know, if you hadn't been so stubborn about magic as a teenager, you'd probably be a Shaman, too. Instead, I get stuck doing everything myself. Jerk." He rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't raised like you and Casey. And I'm not a jerk."

"Debatable. Watch the kids for me. I'll go check on our sister."

"Your kids are home? I thought they were out."

"Not my kids, idiot." He motioned toward Rebecca and her siblings.

"Hi, Tommy," Tiffani said with a smile.

"Oh! Hey guys," Tommy replied, suddenly realizing they were there.

"You, babysit. I'm going upstairs so I can meditate and focus. If there are any issues, call Sam," David said. He headed upstairs.

"So, what do you kids want to do?" Tommy asked, forcing himself to sound calm for their sake.

"Fight stance!" The twins declared. They assumed identical fighting stances in front of Tommy. This was a habit they shared with their cousin Robby. Rebecca decided it was a good thing Robby wasn't there, because he and the twins tended to get into trouble whenever they were together, and Tommy probably couldn't handle all three at once. Few could.

Tommy smiled and indulged them. As they began to spar, Rebecca went back to reading her novel while Tiffani stretched and started practicing a dance routine.

After a little while, Tommy dramatically threw himself onto his back after the twins kicked him in unison. "Ahhhh! You got me!" He declared.

They laughed and ran off toward the kitchen to celebrate. Tommy took a minute to stand back up.

"So, why are you kids here?" He asked the sisters.

"Mom's missing," Tiffani replied, the concern clear in her voice. "So is LJ. Dad, Aunt Roxy, and Aunt Hannah are on it, but they just vanished, Tommy... Aunt Roxy thinks Mom is unconscious."

"Ronnie's tougher than she looks, Tiffani," Tommy replied soothingly. "And LJ's a Scott man. If anyone can protect her, it's him. They'll be okay."

"I know, but... Mom's been through so much, you know? What if this goes back to the stuff she doesn't talk about with us?"

"Tiff-" Rebecca began.

"I have an awful feeling..."

"Tiff! Listen..."

"I don't hear anything," Tiffani said after a few moments of silence.

"Exactly. Where are Nik and Dimi? They're never this quiet."

"Oh no... I forgot they ran off," Tommy mumbled.

The three of them stood and ran toward the kitchen. The back door was wide open.

"Nik! Dimi!" Tiffani called.

"It's okay," Tommy insisted. "We're on Reservation land. It's safe here."

"No it's not," Rebecca reminded him. "Jezzeff can get onto the Reservation."

"We'll find them. I'm sure they just wandered off to explore."

"My dad's gonna kill us..."

"David might kill me first. Come on... Let's see if we can figure out which way they went."

"This way," Tiffani said. She pointed toward a pile of leaves that had been set on fire before she put it out with her magic. They followed the path that led away from the leaves.

Eventually, they reached the edge of the Reservation. "Stop," Tommy said. "Girls, go back to David's. I'll find the boys."

"I smell smoke," Tiffani said.

"I see fire over there," Rebecca added. "A big fire this time."

"It's barely off the Reservation. I'll put it out," Tiffani volunteered.

Seeing the flames growing dangerously high, Tommy nodded. "Okay. Rebecca, stay right here. I'll go with Tiffani and see if there is a clue about where the boys went."

Rebecca sighed, but she knew the fire needed to be handled and Tommy didn't have water magic. "Be careful, Tiff," she said.

"I will," Tiffani promised.

Rebecca obediently waited for them to return. After a few minutes, the fire went out. Then, she heard her sister scream.

"Tiffani!" She shouted. There was no reply. "Tommy! Tommy, what's going on?"

Still receiving no response, Rebecca knew they were in trouble. The smart thing would be to get Sam, but what if there wasn't time? She sighed before heading toward the source of the fire.

There had obviously been a struggle. The fire looked accidental and had been very large, which meant something had scared the heck out of Nik. There were marks from where Dimi had most likely attacked with his telekinesis. There was no sign of the twins now. Tiffani was also missing, but her scarf lay where she had been standing. It had blood on it.

Tommy was on the ground in a pool of blood. Rebecca ran to his side and checked for a pulse. When she found it, she sighed in relief. He was injured, but it didn't look fatal, at least if she got him help soon.

"Tommy... Come on, Tommy, wake up," Rebecca said urgently. She gently shook him.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then Sam and David came running toward them. "Tommy!" David cried in alarm. He moved to heal him.

"No, David," Sam said. "You are too weak. Your spirit sustained terrible injuries. Let me heal your brother. Then I will finish healing you."

"Injuries?" Rebecca asked in concern as Sam tended to Tommy.

"I didn't find Casey, but the Underworld is in chaos," David explained. "As soon as I tried to enter, it was like it protected itself. I sustained a pretty big blow to my life force. I'm lucky Sam was able to pull me back. I don't think anyone is getting in or out of there until my sister is okay."

Tommy let out a groan as he regained consciousness. "Easy, Tommy," Sam said soothingly. "You're alright now."

"What happened?" Rebecca asked.

"This woman came... Actually, she didn't feel human. She was too dark... But she appeared out of nowhere and attacked Tiffani and I... I tried to fight her, but suddenly I saw Kat and... And Katie. They're back! They attacked us!"

"No they didn't," Sam said firmly. "This woman you saw was some sort of demon. She created an illusion to torment you psychologically. Rest assured, Tommy, Katherine's soul was basically destroyed when Zell killed her. Elgan cleansed her energy, so if she ever does reincarnate, she will have a chance to change and make better choices. As for Katie, her ashes rest in a place meant to prevent evil from ever rising again. It has been blessed by every generation of Shaman from its creation until Sage, and it is powerfully protected by the Ancestors. Katie cannot escape or be freed."

Tommy sighed. "I keep wishing there was a way to help her... She did unforgivable things, but... She was my Punk. I still miss her," he admitted. "I still want to believe there was good in her."

"There was, once," David replied. "I loved that kid, too, Tommy. I know she had good in her, but it rotted away. She can't be saved."

"Do you think she can be purified, like Kat was?"

"Honestly? I don't know... But it's too dangerous to risk letting her out to find out. She tried to kill Jayden and Kenny. Whoever she was in the end, she wasn't Katie." David paused. "Rebecca, where the hell are your siblings?"

"The twins ran off while Tommy was talking to Tiffani. We followed their tracks and they led here. I stayed behind while Tiff put out this fire and Tommy stood guard... Now they're all missing," Rebecca explained, trying not to panic.

"Damnit, Tommy, you had one job!" David snapped.

"I know, David... I'm sorry. I got distracted," Tommy replied.

"You always get distracted! All I asked you to do was fucking babysit while I checked on Casey!"

"Did you find her?"

"No. The Underworld is on lockdown. I barely made it out alive, and that only happened because Sam sensed my distress. Speaking of Sam, I told you to call him if anything happened, but what did you do when the boys vanished? You ran off to play the hero and lost another one of Lee's kids! I cannot believe you screwed this up!"

"Boys... Fighting won't fix this," Sam pointed out. "Rebecca is still safe. Let's ensure she remains that way. Come with me. I will call on Amos and see if he knows this demon. While we wait for his arrival, I'll heal David."

No one argued as Sam led the way back to his home.

ANTONIO
He was working on the device again. If Antonio wasn't checking on Jayden or training with the other Power Rangers, he was pretty much always working on the device. He couldn't remember the last time he'd even attempted to sleep properly. He took ten-minute power naps just to keep himself from collapsing.

He tried hitting one of the buttons. He was immediately blinded by a blast of light. "Ack! Well, it's not that button," he mumbled.

Suddenly, a portal opened. It took the form of a door. Antonio had never seen anything like it before. Two people entered before the door swung shut and vanished.

"Um... Hi," Antonio said. "Can I help you?"

"No," the boy replied, "but we can help you."

"Who are you?"

"We're wizards," the girl replied.

"Like Harry Potter wizards or like Eltarian wizards? Because you don't seem Eltarian, but sometimes it's hard to tell."

"Neither. We're from another realm," the boy explained. "I'm Kunhang, and this is my sister, Chunhua. We're really good with tech."

They are truly here to help, Antonio, Mentor Ji said in his mind. You can trust them.

Antonio shrugged. If Mentor trusted them, that was good enough for him. "Nice to meet you. I'm Antonio," he replied. "So, Wizard Twins, do you have any experience with alien technology?"

"No, so this should be fun for us, too," Chunhua replied. "We'll figure it out together."

"And don't worry about your friend. Our friend is going to heal him," Kunhang added.

"You mean Jayden? He doesn't need a healer. His body is healed, he just can't wake up," Antonio replied in confusion.

"Xingxing is a sprite. She has magic and can heal anything, even magical issues. Jayden will be up in no time."

Antonio believed them. For the first time in too long, he felt the weight of Jayden's situation and being the only one who knew about Ren lifting off of his shoulders.

"Okay then," he said, "let's get to work."

EMILY
She was still clinging to Jayden's hand when Zordon entered the room. "Emily, help is coming for Jayden. She should be arriving any moment," he explained.

"Help? Who's coming?" Emily asked in confusion.

"Outsiders from another realm have offered their services with several of our current problems. Their mission is to keep order and balance in their world, and upon realizing how unbalanced our world has become, someone decided to deploy them to help."

"If it brings Jayden back to us, I'm all for it," Emily replied eagerly. Ever since Jayden's situation began, she'd put an enormous amount of energy into the Universe to help him. She'd been anchoring him and she knew on some level that was the main thing keeping him alive whenever his body started to give out on him. Every time Jayden's spirit tried to move on, her words brought him back.

The promise of someone being able to wake him up was the best news Emily had heard in ages. "You're going to be fine, Jayden," she told him. "You'll see..."

A door appeared in the Command Center and opened. A girl entered before the door vanished. "Xingxing," Zordon said. "Welcome. I am Zordon, of Eltar, and this is Emily."

Emily waved to Xingxing with her free hand. "I'm really glad you're here," she said.

"Thanks," Xingxing replied. Looking at Jayden, she nodded. "It may take me some time, but I can help him."

She stood beside him and set to work. Emily watched in mild fascination, still holding Jayden's hand. "You're gonna be okay now, Jayden," she said soothingly. "You've got this, and I'm going to be right here when you wake up."

Jayden didn't respond, but that didn't matter. Emily had faith he'd wake up, and until he did, she'd believe it enough for the both of them.

It took about forty-five minutes for Jayden to squeeze Emily's hand. She nearly cried with relief. "It's working!" She said. "I'm here, Jayden. Everything's going to be okay!"

He slowly began to open his eyes. "Emily..." He groaned out weakly.

"I'm here," she said again.

He looked at her. As they locked eyes, Emily started crying. "I knew you'd be okay," she said.

"You never give up on me, even when things are bad," Jayden replied with a smile.

"And I never will," she promised.

As Xingxing continued healing him, Jayden asked, "Is Liza okay?"

"She's safe," Emily replied. "I think she feels guilty about what happened."

"She shouldn't. Liza's still pretty much a kid, and she's been through a lot. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant protecting her."

"How do you feel?" Xingxing asked.

"Honestly, I'm numb. I don't feel like myself. Being a Power Ranger is sort of my entire identity, and it has been for most of my life, even though it was my sister's destiny. I don't know how to not be one... I guess I can still help train the others."

"I am going to try to reconnect you to the Morphin' Grid once you're stronger," Zordon said.

"And if it fails?"

"Someone reminded me there are other ways. The entire Operation Overdrive team was severed from the Morphin' Grid once. Adam and Alpha Six were able to reconnect them. I will seek their assistance if it comes to that." Zordon paused. "Jayden, no matter what happens, you are still one of us."

"I was never meant to be," Jayden reminded him softly.

"Lauren was meant to be the Red Samurai, Jayden, but you were as well. Sometimes, our destiny is not what we believe. You were the leader the Samurai team needed at the time. Lauren's role was different. You are equally gifted and each contribute something of great value to your team."

"But there can only be one true Red Ranger in the end."

"On most teams, this is true... However, I believe your team is different. You have shared the role for quite some time now, Jayden. The Universe won't just take that away."

"What if I'm just meant to fill Ji's role?"

"You are an excellent mentor, Jayden. Your time here in Angel Grove has proven that. With that said, I do not believe your time as an active Ranger is meant to end yet."

Jayden nodded. Emily squeezed his hand again. "We still need you, Jayden," she reassured him.

"Thanks, Em," he replied. "I'm sorry for being so emotional. It's not like me."

"It's okay to be scared, Jayden. You don't have to be strong for me."

"It's just, sometimes I feel like I'm just pretending to be a Power Ranger because Lauren's the one meant to hold the position."

"I get it. Technically, I'm just filling in for Serena," she reminded him.

"You've done an amazing job, Emily. No one will ever doubt you earned your place on the team."

"The same is true for you, Jayden."

He smiled at her. Xingxing yawned as she finished healing his energy. "You're okay now," she promised. "Just try to rest for a day or so and you'll be fine."

"Thank you... Who are you, by the way?" Jayden asked.

She smiled. "Xingxing. I'm a sprite. Okay, bye!" A door opened and she went through it before it immediately vanished.

Jayden raised an eyebrow at that. "A sprite?" He repeated. "That's different."

"We went outside of the box. Nothing else was working," Zordon admitted.

"Thank you for allowing it, Zordon," Jayden replied. "I felt Emily anchoring me, but no matter what I did, I couldn't wake up."

"Of course. Get some rest, Jayden. We will see about reconnecting you to the Morphin' Grid tomorrow."

"Come on," Emily said, still holding his hand. "Let's get you home."

GIA
She was sick and tired of being stuck in a stupid room in a stupid safe house on stupid Eltar with stupid Keilah trying to talk her into letting her "fix" her. Gia wasn't broken... She was free. For the first time in too long, she had stopped being broken. Why should she let anyone change that?

I killed a Power Ranger, she thought. Dillon's dead because of me. I played him like a fiddle, and Keilah's just mad because I'm smarter than those goody-two-shoes losers.

Suddenly, a door appeared where one had never been before. Gia was confused but also curious. Maybe it's someone to beat up, she thought with an eager smirk. She needed to punch someone. She was getting sick of punching the walls of the room that had become her prison.

The door opened slightly and a strange powder came through. It shimmered as it surrounded Gia. In a panic, she tried to escape from it, but there was no way out.

Suddenly, Gia felt the darkness receding and light filling her. Then the weight of her grief for Emma, Orion, Noah, and everyone else she'd lost slammed into her, filling her with fresh pain. On top of that, the realization that she'd murdered Dillon in cold blood suddenly fully hit her, and it threatened to crush her. She couldn't breathe, so she punched the wall again. It didn't help.

The door opened more as Gia pulled her knees to her chest and started to hyperventilate. She didn't know what to do with her emotions if punching stuff didn't work.

"Gia?" One of two people who entered the room asked. Gia didn't recognize either of them.

"Who are you?" She demanded, jumping to her feet and ready to fight.

"I'm Sicheng," he replied. "I'm the one who fixed you."

"You call this fixing me?" She demanded. "All you did was make me feel so much pain I wish Keilah had just killed me."

"The faerie dust removed the darkness of the flames, but only you can heal your heart."

"You sound like a hippie."

"I'm not a hippie. I'm a faerie. And you're welcome."

Gia sighed. "I didn't deserve to be saved," she said. "I murdered Dillon... He was my friend."

"It wasn't your fault, but we're not here to talk. My friend and I are here to spar." With that, he attacked.

Her reflexes kicked in and she dodged the attack. She hadn't expected a faerie to be violent, but then again, she was pretty sure she'd never met one before. His friend was even more fierce, and she had to focus all of her energy to fight back. Soon, Gia's emotions began to relax slightly as she physically released her pain. She knew the second she stopped, they would overwhelm her again, so she embraced the moment and continued to spar against them.

After a little while, Gia shouted "Vriktaz vriktez vazz!" A powerful blast of magic emerged from her, knocking both of her sparring partners down.

"I still have combat magic," she realized. "It wasn't just the Flames..." After a moment, she smirked and said, "Boss level, Bitches!"

Sicheng and his unidentified friend exchanged grins before intensifying their attacks. Gia realized they'd been holding back before. Thrilled to have a real challenge, she forgot about her pain and focused entirely on the unusual sparring session.

REN
She was listening to the others as they tried to figure out how to rescue her. She was very surprised when Antonio cried, "Guys! I think I've got it! Ren, listen... Now that Kunhang temporarily disabled the light and Chunhua was able to neutralize the spikes this thing kept shooting out, I figured out how to unlock it!"

"Be careful, Antonio," Ren advised.

"I can do this, Ren. Trust me."

"I do."

"Alright... Kunhang, Chunhua, stand back, just in case there are any other surprises."

"We're ready," Kunhang promised.

"You've got this, Antonio," Chunhua added.

Antonio took a deep breath. "Here we go," he said a little nervously.

A few panels clicked and groaned before the top of the device opened. Ren was suddenly sucked out of it with a burst of light. She felt her body growing to its proper size and took a moment to adjust as the light show continued, creating a fog around her. This light wasn't blinding and it didn't attack anyone, but it gave her strength. It glowed like the moon and she knew she was finally free.

As the fog faded, the light remained around her, but she could see her rescuers, and they could see her. "Ren?" Antonio asked.

"Hey, Antonio," she replied. She ran into his arms and hugged him tightly. "I knew you could do it!"

"I had a lot of help," Antonio pointed out.

"It's okay to need help sometimes," she replied. She turned toward Chunhua and Kunhang. "Thank you both for coming. I'm so grateful to be free..."

"No problem," Kunhang replied.

"Can you reverse the memory spell? If not, we can help," Chunhua said. They each pulled out a wand.

"Aha! You are like Harry Potter wizards," Antonio declared with a laugh.

"I can reverse the Kanji," Ren replied. "I just need a little time to adjust to being back at my full size again." She stretched, exercising her aching muscles and trying to release some of the tension in her body.

"Welcome back, Chica," Antonio said. "Now we just need to fix Jayden."

On cue, Antonio's cell phone rang. His eyes widened before he answered, putting it on speaker. "Jay?" He asked, his fear clear in his voice.

"It's me, Antonio," Jayden replied.

Antonio had tears in his eyes. Ren understood. She'd been worried, too, and it was incredible to hear the voices of both of her best friends again after so long.

"Are you okay?" Antonio asked.

"Mostly. A sprite healed me. Tomorrow, Zordon's going to figure out whether or not he can reconnect me to the Morphin' Grid," Jayden replied, keeping all emotion out of his voice.

He hasn't changed, Ren thought. He still goes straight into Leader Mode in a crisis.

"There's something I need to tell you, Buddy... It's pretty shocking," Antonio began.

"Tell me later, in person. I want to see you," Jayden replied. "In a few hours. Emily brought me home."

"I'll be there," Antonio promised.

He hung up. Antonio turned toward the others. "Do you guys want food? I'm craving tacos," he said. "My treat."

Ren hadn't eaten in a very long time. "Oh God, that sounds like Heaven," she admitted.

"We should get back..." Kunhang began.

"Screw that, I'm starving," Chunhua replied. "We can eat, then we'll call Sicheng to bring us home."

"Great! Come on, Chica," Antonio said. "It's time to return to the real world."

As he offered her his hand, Ren took it and tried to relax. She was free, Jayden was okay, and after she ate she'd probably be strong enough to reverse the memory Kanji. Everything was going to work out... She hoped.

JEZZEFF
The Witch had gathered six random citizens of Angel Grove for the sacrifice. Jezzeff had quickly enchanted them so they wouldn't fight him. He didn't mind a fight, but this ritual needed to go perfectly.

The Flames burned furiously around them. The Witch had summoned Ninjor, who was eager to help. They both stood with Jezzeff, enjoying the show.

As Jezzeff slashed the sixth and final sacrifice's throat, he began rapidly speaking in Eltarian. Slowly, he focused on each of the Rangers he wanted to resurrect.

He began with Leo. After all, the team leader should be the first to return. Besides, his body had been destroyed. Jezzeff had to reverse time in Leo's body to reform it, meaning it would take more work than the others, whose bodies he could simply heal. The healing magic would reverse any decay they'd suffered in addition to healing the injuries which had killed them.

As Leo's perfect body appeared within the Flames, the Witch cackled. "Wonderful choice, Jezzy!" She declared. "Watch out for Astronema, though. She'll skin you alive for this."

"Nonsense. I am giving her back her husband, Witch. Astronema will be grateful to me," Jezzeff replied.

Leo opened his eyes as he sat up. He emerged from the Flames with a blank expression on his face. Jezzeff had included an extremely powerful loyalty spell inside of the resurrection spell to keep the Rangers from betraying him. Seeing the evil settling into Leo, he smiled. Then he moved on to his next target.

Shelby revived easily. She hadn't suffered much physical damage except for her internal organs, which had quickly shut down from the pills she ingested. She opened her eyes quickly and smiled at Jezzeff.

"Oh, Jezzy-Wezzy!" The Witch cried in delight. "That girl is possibly the most brilliant choice you could have made!"

"Thanks," Shelby said. She was much more alive than Leo. Jezzeff had left her with far more free will than the others, but the loyalty spell was still present. After all, one could never be too careful when recruiting minions.

"The Dino Charge Rangers won't know what hit them! This was truly devious, Jezzy," the Witch continued.

"And I came of my own free will," Shelby said proudly. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Witch! The Witch, the Witch, the Witch..."

Shelby looked at Jezzeff in confusion. "Is she alright?" She asked, clearly realizing the Witch was unhinged.

"She's fine, my dear," Jezzeff replied. "It's best not to question her."

He moved on. The Flames resisted for a moment, as though something was fighting against them. He realized it was water magic.

To revive them, I have to break my mind control spells, Jezzeff realized. Tori is fighting back.

He focused on his task, reforming her body before releasing her soul into the body. Tori opened her eyes. Unlike the others, she screamed and tried to resist as her light was torn away from her. When she finally stopped, Jezzeff saw tears still lingering in her eyes, but they'd turned cold and dead. She emerged from the Flames obediently and stood before him.

"All is well, Tori," he promised. She did not reply.

He resurrected Kelsey next, reversing the damage she'd suffered as Felina repeatedly slammed her body against a ceiling. She awoke confused and didn't struggle as the Flames ripped out her light. She emerged and stood beside Tori.

The next one he revived was Dillon. That was when something very strange happened. Dillon stood in the Flames, his eyes furious and dark. Nothing changed.

"This one has no light to steal," the Witch said in surprise. "He had light when Gia killed him... Not much, but enough that the Flames would still turn him."

"Are you saying he is not being turned?" Jezzeff asked in alarm.

"Something's wrong, Jezzy," the Witch warned him. "I get that the newly dead lose their way for a bit, but he has no light at all. Someone interfered."

Dillon stepped out of the Flames easily. He immediately attacked Jezzeff with an almost feral rage.

"Oh my... I do believe the loyalty spell has failed as well," Ninjor said with mild interest. "You'll need another Black Ranger, Jezzeff... Or a Green one. Those two colors are fairly interchangeable."

Jezzeff was too busy trying to defend himself from the crazed Black Ranger to respond. Leo, Tori, and Kelsey immediately tried to intervene on his behalf and joined the fight. Shelby grinned before she joined in, too.

Dillon didn't seem bothered by the fact that he was outnumbered. He fought with a fury Jezzeff had never seen before. Just as the Lazarus Rangers were about to get the upper hand, a portal opened and Dillon was sucked through it.

"What just happened?" Jezzeff demanded.

"That was a Rebellion portal," the Witch said with a frown. "Someone here would have had to open it."

"It is only you, Ninjor, and I here."

"I think we're wrong about that... Someone has cloaked themselves. Revilliuz!" She shouted.

What appeared next was unexpected. A spirit manifested in front of them. She glared at Jezzeff.

"Zydia..." He said in surprise. "The granddaughter I never knew was my kin. What brings you here?"

"You know what you did, Jezzeff," Zydia replied harshly. "You crossed me, so now I've crossed you. My brother helped invent those portals. It wasn't hard for me to activate one, despite being dead. You made the wrong enemy."

"Zydia, we are family."

"You are not my family, you piece of shit! You had no hand in raising me or my mother, and thank all of Eltar for that. You are insignificant to me. I would have ignored you, had you simply not crossed me. Instead, now, I'm going to make your life hell. After all, I have an eternity of time to kill." She vanished before he could react.

"You know, I miss her," the Witch said. "Zydia was delightfully unpredictable."

"I still have work to do," Jezzeff said, brushing off what had happened. He was a Shaman now. He would deal with Zydia later.

Focusing, Jezzeff began to revive Trent. He could feel great power coming from his White Ranger as he awakened. Trent tensed as the Flames surrounded him, but he didn't scream. He took a deep breath and seemed to embrace their effects. When he emerged, he smiled calmly.

"Flames, huh? That was dramatic," Trent said with a dark laugh. "Tell me, Jezzeff... What is it you want us to do now?"

"Ninjor... Can you create the new team now?" Jezzeff asked.

"Not until you have all six. We'll need to keep the others contained in a safe place until I can give them their new powers, especially Shelby," Ninjor replied. "She has no connection to the Morphin' Grid currently. Clever or not, that leaves her very vulnerable to attack."

"I have a place," the Witch replied. "They'll be safe and comfortable there. Come with me, Little Rangers." She opened a portal to a pocket realm.

They obediently followed her through the portal. Jezzeff paused thoughtfully. "Now... Who should Dillon's replacement be?" He wondered. Suddenly, he knew. He smiled to himself as a plan began to come together in his mind. "Yes," he decided. "This shall be perfect."

MERKHET
The Underworld had been flung into chaos. Whatever had happened to Casey had left her severely weakened. Merkhet certainly knew an opportunity when she saw one. Being dead had changed nothing for her.

Her loyal minion, Virges, still followed her around faithfully. They moved through the Underworld now in search of allies. This was their only chance to return to the world of the living. Merkhet had enough magic to free them if Casey didn't stop them, and if she went to Jezzeff, he could resurrect them. Any enemy of Zell's was an ally of hers.

She went for Nick first. After all, no one had been screwed over by Zell worse than the formed Red Mystic Force Ranger. He frowned as he spotted her.

"What do you want?" Nick snapped.

"Our Goddess is severely wounded, Nick," Merkhet explained. "I want to assemble a group of allies to escape back to the world of the living and thought you might be interested."

He paused. "You can resurrect us?"

"No. I had the power once, but now that I'm dead, I cannot bring people back to life. That said, there is an enemy of Zell's who can. I am certain he'll help us."

"Zell promised to resurrect me but betrayed me. Why should I trust this guy?"

"Because he needs more allies, and we all have a reason to despise Zell as much as he does. Come with me, Nick. I believe you will contribute much to this cause. We will destroy Zell and everything he cares for."

Nick nodded. "Alright," he said, "I'm in... But betray me and I'll make you regret it."

"I have no doubt of that." She smiled at him. "Join us, Nick." She began to walk with Virges. Nick followed. Soon, she found another familiar ally.

Dax tensed at the sight of her. "Merkhet... Nick... What's going on?" He asked.

"We're going to take advantage of Casey's turmoil and escape," Nick replied. "Merkhet knows someone who can bring us back. Are you in, Dax?"

"No," Dax replied. "I am never working with you people again. I betrayed my friends and all of the Rangers to try to help my family, but it was the wrong choice. I'm not evil, and I have been doing everything I can to prove that."

"Come on, Dax," Nick pushed. "This is a chance to be alive again."

"I haven't earned that yet," Dax insisted. "My place is here, helping only when Rangers like Andie summon the spirits of lost Rangers. So do you, Nick. Our time as living Rangers is over. We need to make up for the harm we did."

"Bull. We both made our choice, Dax. Don't act all holier than thou now, because you made the same one I did. We aren't Power Rangers anymore."

"I am, Nick. In my heart, I am still a Ranger, and I regret everything I did for Merkhet and Zell. If you had any sense, you would, too."

"Whatever. You're weak. We're done here."

"Come, Nick. Dax has made his choice. We will move on without him," Merkhet said firmly. She could care less about Dax Lo. She didn't need him.

As they approached the exit of the Underworld someone called, "Yoo-hoo! Wait for me!"

Merkhet groaned internally. Really? Did it have to be her? She thought.

"Off on an adventure, Merkhet?" Divatox asked.

"We're going back to the world of the living," Nick replied.

"Really? How delightful," Divatox replied. "And how, exactly, do you plan to do that?"

"Jezzeff can resurrect us once we escape," Merkhet replied reluctantly. Divatox was an idiot, but she had her uses. Maybe it wasn't a terrible idea to let her come along.

"Jezzeff? Yes, I've heard his name being tossed around down here. He's the one with the rather attractive scar over his eye. You're working with him?"

"I plan to. If you're joining us, come quickly. This window to escape may close at any moment."

Divatox grinned wickedly. "We're going back! Viva la Diva!" She declared, raising a fist into the air.

They reached the exit. "Yeah, I don't think so," a voice said. "Back where you belong, all of you."

Merkhet let out a scream as she was flung deep into the Underworld with the others.

"Curses!" Divatox cried dramatically. "Foiled again!"

SAKURA
She had never seen a world in such chaos, and considering the insanity she'd witnessed in the Soul Society, that was saying something. It had taken a significant effort just to enter the Underworld, but it seemed to respond to her energy as she pushed through. The first thing she saw upon succeeding were four souls trying to escape. She recognized them as four of the villains the Power Rangers had previously defeated.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Sakura said. "Back where you belong, all of you." She waved her hand and was startled to feel an enormous amount of power flow out of it and toward the souls.

Merkhet screamed as she vanished, while Virges let out an indignant bird-like squawk. As he was hit by the energy, Nick mumbled, "Shit!" Then, he disappeared, returning to his rightful part of the Underworld.

"Curses!" Divatox cried dramatically. "Foiled again!" She finally returned to where she belonged as well.

Sakura took a deep breath before walking through the Underworld. It was different from the Soul Society, but in the end, it was still a place for the dead to rest before reincarnating. She adapted fairly quickly, like she was meant to be there.

It took her a little while to find Casey. Several souls surrounded her. Some seemed concerned. Others clearly wanted to harm her. One seemed stronger than the rest.

"Leave my descendant alone!" That soul said firmly, keeping the other souls at bay.

"You must be the infamous Rose," Sakura guessed. "Lost love of Caius Grant."

"Indeed," Rose replied with a smile. "And you have finally come home, Sakura."

"This isn't my home," Sakura pointed out.

"It is, just as much as the Soul Society is. You were accepted and trained as a Soul Reaper, Sakura, but this place is your birthright. You may traverse it freely, just as any Shaman."

Sakura considered this. She'd excelled in her training, breaking records with how quickly she achieved milestones that took others years, decades, or even centuries. Her power levels were incredible, but she didn't let herself think about it too often. It was just the way things were for her.

"Sakura... You are the oldest of the triplets," Rose continued. "Sage inherited an enormous amount of the family's power. Each generation of women are stronger than the last... But you inherited the full power. If you allow it, I can teach you how to embrace it. Jezzeff has become a Shaman and is wielding power that should never have been his. We need more Shamans to balance him and counteract the damage he does."

"I'm okay with helping. I'm even okay with giving Casey a chance... But I really hate Sage," Sakura replied.

"I know that, and I know why. You two will work things out if and when you are meant to. My only concern is seeing to it that you are at your full strength. Now... I assume you came here to help Casey."

"Yes. I think I'm the only one who can."

"You are correct, Sakura. Even Sage would be unable to enter the Underworld right now, but as one who is both Shaman and Soul Reaper, you are able to navigate through the chaos that is intended to keep Shaman out." Rose took Sakura's hand. Her touch was surprisingly soothing. "Repairing the damage Jezzeff did to Casey will not be easy. It is going to take time."

Sakura nodded. "Then I guess we'd better get started," she replied. As they began healing Casey, Sakura sensed she'd started on a new path. She wasn't sure where it would lead, but she knew in her heart it was the right one.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Xinxing, Chunhua, Kunhang, and Sicheng belong to Aura MacKenzie. They will most likely only appear in this chapter, but I appreciate her letting them play with my characters to help move things forward for the Samurai Rangers as well as for Gia. Also, I hope you enjoyed the brief cameos from Merkhet, Virges, Dax, Nick, and Divatox. Good for Dax, learning from his mistakes! There's hope for him yet. As for the rest of them, at least their attempted escape provided a bit of entertainment before it was thwarted by Sakura! If you're reading this the day it was posted (August 28, 2022), Happy Power Rangers Day! As always, thanks for reading. I appreciate you all so much. See you in the next chapter.