LIZA

The storm brewing was mildly concerning. It wasn't the fact that thunder shook her enormous house or that there was enough lightning to make it look like her parents were putting on a light show, but the fact that this was all occurring inside of the house that unnerved Liza a bit.

Maybe if I turn around and go back to school, they won't realize I came home, she thought. Cheerleading practice had ended a little while ago, but there was a good chance Mrs. Peabody was still in the auditorium getting things ready for the drama club. She never minded it when Liza hung out and ran lines with her or just did her homework. She also never questioned why Liza so rarely wanted to go home after school.

"Liza! Come in here!" Her father said harshly.

Liza sighed. "So much for that," she mumbled. She walked into the house with her head held high and greeted her parents with a casual shrug. "Hello, Mother. Father."

"Give Consuela your school things and join us," her mother demanded.

Liza handed the head housekeeper her bag. Connie looked at her apologetically before taking it and walking away. The very well-paid domestic had worked for the Edwards family since before Liza was born. She was a kindly older woman who spoke just enough English to get by as a servant for the wealthiest family in Ridgeview. The Edwards prided themselves on being the only wealthy family of color in town. This bothered Liza, who knew damn well that the Liu family, who were Asian, and Gloria Ramon and her son, who were Hispanic, were technically also minorities who had acquired a great deal of wealth. Gloria's status as a single mother had somewhat tarnished her reputation, however, and the Lius were the whitest Asian people Liza had ever met, so maybe that was why no one counted them among the minorities.

"Give me your hand," her father said.

"May I ask what this is for?" Liza asked dryly.

"We have another merger. This will ensure it goes smoothly and we profit greatly," her mother said. Of course, Samantha wasn't really her mother, but she was expected to address her as that. Keeping up appearances was essential.

Of course it's for money and status... What else do they care about? Liza thought. She extended her hand toward her father, knowing she had no other choice. He took the ritual blade and cut her wrist, holding her wrist painfully tight over a chalice.

"With the blood of this Campbell, I summon the Granter of Wishes to bless our merger!" Her father declared.

Liza rolled her eyes. Most teenagers were expected to come home by a certain time for their safety. Her parents demanded she come home so they could use her blood and her magic in rituals. She was starting to feel a bit dizzy when a figure appeared. It took the chalice and drank her blood. Liza felt sick as it laughed and got drunk off of her magic.

This will end, a voice said as Liza struggled to stay conscious. A woman appeared, but it seemed only Liza could see her. Find me, Liza. Come to me. I will free you from this life.

The words were nice, but Liza felt threatened. She knew who the woman was... Her mother, Aisha Campbell. Her father had spent Liza's entire life bragging about the way he'd tortured and broken her mother before making her forget Liza had been born and escaping back into the time he'd come from. Aisha had been a terrified, innocent fourteen-year-old girl at the time. It was a couple of decades later, but thanks to the manipulation of time, Liza was only sixteen.

I'm hallucinating from blood loss, Liza thought. Her mother didn't know she existed. Her father was too powerful. His magic wouldn't have failed... Still, it was nice to think she might escape this life eventually. Her whole life had been about giving her parents power in their dark rituals. She was pretty damn sick of being used, and in spite of an exterior she admitted was quite bitchy, Liza was actually a good person. She behaved as she did mainly to push people away so they'd be safe from the evil world she'd been raised in.

"Liza! Focus!" Her father shouted.

Liza forced herself to pay attention to him as Aisha vanished. Something very odd was going on, but she'd have to figure it out later. She knew her father would only be rougher with her if she didn't do what he was demanding, and that never ended well.

AISHA

She was getting stronger every day. "That was excellent, Aisha," a voice said.

Aisha jumped. "You startled me!" She said.

"My apologies, my dear. Tell me, did she respond?"

"I don't think she believed I was really there."

"But she knew you?"

"Yes. She was engaging in dark magic, like you said she would be... She really is evil... But so powerful. It radiated."

"Liza is a very powerful sorceress even at such a young age. She is going to be a threat to you... And to all we are working toward."

"Why is she a bigger threat than the others?"

"Because she was never meant to happen, Aisha. I never saw her coming... And she is stronger than the others, and trained... She can hurt you, my dear... And she will."

"There's more you aren't telling me... I can tell. Why are you so afraid of her?"

"She has the potential to cause a ripple I cannot allow...She may give Zedd back something I took from him, and then he would be unstoppable... Together, they will destroy you, Aisha. I promised to protect you and help you protect yourself, but if those two come together, I will be unable to save you."

Aisha felt panic hitting her. Be strong, she told herself. He can't hurt you anymore... None of them can. You are strong. You are a Campbell... A powerful sorceress, even if you're just learning the magic now... Fear is weakness. Don't be scared.

"Aisha? Are you well?" He asked.

"Yes, Zell," she replied.

"Good. Let's continue with your lessons."

TAYLOR

He wasn't thrilled with forced group activities, but going to training seemed like a better option than going home and dealing with his mother's unpredictable mood swings. Taylor arrived at the location he'd been instructed to go to and saw two others already present. Tia nodded at him in acknowledgement. Ollie was leaning against a tree looking nervous. Taylor had been getting to know Ollie slowly because they were in a few of the same classes. He was the closest thing he had to a friend in his grade.

"Sup, Man?" Ollie asked him.

"So, this is Chosen Training, huh? What's that even mean?" Taylor asked.

"We must learn to follow our legacies," Tia said proudly. "I knew this day would come... Galaxia's story is honored in our family. Every descendant knows her story. She was the greatest sorceress of our family line."

"I just know she was crazy enough to have a thing for my father, which makes me question her decision making abilities. Oh, and apparently, she created me somehow. I'm iffy on the details."

"She kept that a secret, Taylor... It is not in her journals or her Book of Shadows... I am certain Caius will be able to clear that up for us."

Taylor shrugged. "I'm here. Whatever happens happens."

"Sage knows a lot about it," Ollie said. "She told me the family history, but even if she hadn't... Well, my great-great-terrible-grandfather made things pretty clear when he took over my father's body and held us all at gunpoint..."

Taylor automatically touched Ollie's arm. He knew what had happened to Ollie's mother and he felt bad for the kid. Ollie relaxed slightly as Taylor sent soothing energy toward him.

Angie and Maddie came toward them. "So, what are we doing here?" Maddie asked.

"Waiting," Taylor replied.

"Am I the only one who's nervous?" Angie asked. "The last time I let someone 'mentor me for my destiny,' she turned out to be an evil, lying, manipulative skank."

"Caius isn't evil. He's Zordon's friend," Maddie replied.

"It'll be fine," Taylor said. "If he fucks us over, I'll kick his ass. Immortal or not, Caius can still bleed."

"Um... Taylor?" Maddie said nervously.

"He's right behind me, isn't he?" Taylor asked.

"Indeed I am," Caius said gently. He smiled at Taylor kindly. "And indeed I can. Bleed, that is."

Caleb stood with Caius and Taylor realized how much he looked like his father. "Hey, guys," Caleb said awkwardly.

Zack came over with Tamira then. "Hello, Caius," he said.

"Zack. Tamira. Welcome," Caius greeted them.

"I hope you don't mind if I stay. I'm not comfortable leaving my daughter here alone... No offense, but I don't know you and I do know my daughter. She pushes herself, and I don't want her getting hurt. Tammy's the youngest one here."

"Dad," Tamira said with a roll of her eyes. "You're embarrassing me."

"That's my job and my right as your father," Zack said with a laugh.

"You're welcome to stay, Zack. I'd expect no less," Caius said.

"So, is this everyone?"

"Almost..."

Right on cue, an Asian boy Taylor vaguely recognized from school came running toward them. "Sorry I'm late! I'm new in town and I sort of got lost," he said with an impish grin. He looked at Tia. "Hi. I'm Brian." He laid the charm on thick.

"Yes, I am aware," Tia said with a shake of her head. "You told me that three times already in math class."

"And twice in history... You know, most girls would introduce themselves back at that point."

"Tia. There, we've met. Kindly move on."

Brian shrugged and stood beside Taylor. "She digs me," he said to him. "Or she will, anyway . Everyone likes me eventually. I'll win her over."

"Tia? Yeah, good luck with that," Taylor said with a laugh. His sister had little patience for goofballs, and it was clear that Brian was a professional goofball.

"Welcome, everyone. For those of you who do not know, I am Caius Grant," Caius said. "You are all here because you descend from the members of a group called the Chosen. Now, get comfortable, because I'm about to tell you all the story of the original Chosen... All of it. Maybe then you can begin to understand what's happening here."

Caius had a way with telling stories. He sucked all of them in almost immediately, even Zack. They listened in silence as he introduced each of the original Chosen to him. Several of them laughed at the visual of an angsty, rebellious teenaged Zordon. Maddie snorted when Caius told them Zordon had once had long hair and an earring. Taylor could almost see the Chosen as Caius told their story. He didn't expect to feel much of anything when Caius told them about his father, but he was suddenly overwhelmed.

"He was good? Like, genuinely good?" Taylor asked.

"Zedd was the purest of us all, Taylor. He was born to a powerful but entirely evil family. His father abused him... He tried to break him routinely. Then, Zedd met Xia, and he defied his father. He refused to hurt her, and his father punished him severely. He used his claw-like nails to slash Zedd's face open, straight to the muscle, and he poured acid in the wounds... Even as an incubus, Zedd was never able to heal the wounds."

"But... That's what he did to my sister!" Taylor shouted, rage hitting him all over again. Taylor was so close to Tye, he'd actually felt what their father had done to her.

"I know... I honestly believe Zedd may have flashed back on the trauma his father inflicted upon him when Tye did the same thing he'd done and automatically given her the same punishment his father gave him. Zedd was deeply traumatized by that attack. I'm not sure he ever got over that. I do not believe he would have done it in his right mind."

"Why not? He's evil."

"There is more to your father than you know... Zell made him what he is. He turned Rita, too. We didn't learn the truth until much later, after she killed Dimitri and Master Vile killed Morgana..." Caius hesitated, taking a moment to compose himself. His grief was still obvious. "Zell attacked Rita when she needed help. He tried to seduce her. He forced her to kiss him, and when she fought, he tried to rape her. She still fought and Zell shoved her into the fire that stole her light."

Angie stiffened. Taylor put his own issues aside and pulled her closer to him, worried she'd fly into a panic attack or even a flashback. She surprised him when she said, "That bastard did what to my mother?"

"Yes, Angie... He tried to do it to her, too. I'm sorry. I know this must be difficult for you to hear."

Angie began radiating purple spirals of magic. Everyone stared at her as her anger grew and she demanded, "So how do we destroy the son of a bitch?"

Caius smiled. "I knew you had that fire in you," he said. "For the Chosen, I'm afraid our strength comes from our trauma. I'm happy to see you're embracing yours. It took Morgana a lot longer. She did not have an easy path."

Caius finished the story. By the end of it, Tia and Ollie looked more determined than ever, Tamira looked like she was torn between crying and letting out a battle cry, Angie was sparking, but not out of control, Maddie looked excited, Brian was nervously nibbling on a candy bar, Caleb was trembling from what Taylor suspected was the energy of the spirits in the story, and Taylor was fighting the urge to scream. His father had been the strongest force of good in that group but he'd chosen to be evil... He'd let Zell turn him, and according to Caius, his motive had been to protect Xia, although they didn't have the details. He'd often said Galaxia was worth any price, the very words Taylor had found himself saying about Josh.

That's why he saved you, Taylor realized. He couldn't save himself. You're exactly like him. He even liked to draw... There's nothing original about you. You're just Zedd, two-point-oh. Maybe that's why your own mother hates you... Because she can see you're an exact clone of the monster who hurt her.

'"Taylor?" Caius called gently. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Taylor lied.

To his relief, Caius didn't push him. Instead, he began training them, and Taylor forced himself to focus.

MADDIE

It was hard to "train" when she had no idea what her powers were meant to be. Luckily, Caius took time to work directly with each of them. He told Ollie to pick up his sword. Ollie began to spar with him, and Caius looked impressed.

"You're a natural with that sword," Caius told him. "Dimitri would be proud. It's the magic side you'll need help with."

Angie didn't appear to need any help. Stronger now in her anger at the real story of how her parents had become evil, she fired off spells easily. Caius watched and nodded encouragingly. "You are very strong, Angie," he said. "And well-trained."

"Merkhet was a very thorough mentor. Evil or not, she taught me well," Angie replied.

Tamira tried to pick up a sword. "Hold on, Tammy," Zack said. "Swords aren't toys."

"Dad, I already know how my superpower works. If I sing, I create light... Now I need to learn to fight," Tamira said. "Zell already tried to kill me once, and that psycho Merkhet kidnapped me, and I was totally defenseless and I'm sick of it. I have to be able to defend myself. This is real. It's happening. I need to be ready the next time they come for me."

Maddie was impressed with the younger girl. Most kids would be terrified, but she was just determined to follow her destiny and kick some butt.

"You know how to fight. I taught you the basics," Zack argued.

"Look, Dad, Hip Hop Kido is fun, but it only does so much... I need to learn how to use weapons," Tamira said. "This is a battle. I need to be a warrior, not a little kid playing superhero."

Zack sighed. Then, he picked up a sword and handed another one to Tamira. "Come at me," he said.

"Seriously?" Tamira asked excitedly.

"Yes. Show me what you've got."

Tamira ran at Zack with her sword. Zack barely dodged the attack. He let her try again. She stopped just before hitting him with her blade. Caius observed them thoughtfully before saying, "When you're ready to allow it, I'd like to see her in action with Ollie. Dimitri and Raven complimented each other extremely well in battle, and her style is unpredictable and unorthodox just like Raven's, while it's clear Ollie has trained extensively with a sword, much like Dimitri."

"My father collects swords," Ollie said with a shrug. "Luke and I have both trained with them for years. Hell, even Vinny knows how to use a sword. .. He just chooses not to. Robby's not trained yet, but I'm sure he will be soon enough. Dad said every Scott man needs to know how to use a sword. It's a family tradition." Ollie seemed a bit bothered talking about their father. Maddie wondered what that was about.

"I'm trained, too, actually," Maddie admitted. "I've incorporated swords into some of my Martial Arts competitions."

"It's a useful skill to have," Caius said.

Caleb looked nervous as Caius handed him a sword. "I don't believe in violence," he said.

"Nor did I," Caius said gently, "but evil does not always leave us an option. I can train you, if you like... I'm still pretty fair with a sword."

Maddie suspected that was an understatement. Caius had certainly had a long time to learn how to perfect the use of a sword in battle.

"Um... Sure, I guess," Caleb said awkwardly. "Thank you... Caius."

Caius looked just as uncomfortable as Caleb sounded, and Maddie knew they must still be struggling to figure out exactly how they fit into each other's lives.

"So what do I do?" Maddie asked.

"We'll need to see what gifts you have inherited, Maddie," Caius said. "Your physical training has been extensive. It's the magical side I'm concerned about."

"You think I have magic?"

"I'm certain of it."

"Look out!" Brian shouted as he lost control of a fire ball he'd somehow created. It flew straight at Maddie. She put her hands out on reflex and caught the fire ball. Maddie let out a squeak of surprise as she realized it didn't hurt. She didn't burn.

"Holy... Wow," she mumbled.

"Nice!" Brian said. "How 'bout you toss it back? We can play catch!" He added cheerfully.

Maddie looked at Caius. He nodded. Maddie shrugged and tossed it back at Brian. He caught it easily, and they began tossing it back and forth as the others watched. Finally, Maddie lost her focus for a second and the fire hit the ground.

"I've got it," Brian said as Maddie began to panic that the whole forest would burn. He put the fire out easily.

"You need to teach me that one," Maddie said.

Brian smiled before creating another ball of fire. He controlled it as he walked Maddie through putting it out. It took her a few tries, but she finally got it to work. She let out a victory cheer and hugged him.

"Tia, show me what you know," Caius said, moving on.

Tia began to levitate. Then, she opened up a portal. She floated through it and vanished, reappearing across the room.

"Wow! That's some party trick!" Brian exclaimed.

"That was lovely, Tia. You have excellent control," Caius said.

"Thank you. I am also familiar with much of Galaxia's spellwork," Tia said.

"What about you, Taylor? What can you show me?" Caius asked.

"Nothing special," Taylor said with a shrug. "If anyone gets hurt, I can heal them. That's about it."

"Taylor, you're capable of more than that," Caius said.

"Yeah, I can steal your life force. Wanna see that party trick? Look, my abilities aren't the sort you want me using in public."

"He can fight," Caleb said. "I've seen it at Dustin's training sessions."

"I'm okay at it, I guess."

"You're good, Taylor. Especially with a sword. Don't be so modest." Caleb smiled his best encouraging smile at him. Maddie wasn't surprised. Despite their awkward history, that was the kind of guy Caleb was. If he saw someone putting themselves down, he'd try to make them feel better.

"Zedd was hard on himself, too," Caius said kindly. "Don't sell yourself short, Taylor. Without his contributions, we never would have survived as long as we did."

"Great. Even my emo angst isn't original," Taylor mumbled. "I'm not my father, okay? Would everyone please stop telling me how much I'm like him? I don't want to be anything like him."

"Taylor-" Tia said with obvious disapproval at his tone.

Caius put up a hand to quiet her. "It's alright, Tia. I want Taylor to express himself. I want all of you to be honest with me, no matter what. Taylor has a right to be upset. I apologize, Taylor. You are your own person."

"Apparently not," Taylor said. "I'm just a science experiment a sorceress cooked up because she was crazy enough to love my bastard of a father... So now I'm him, right? That's my purpose? To do what he failed to do? Fine. Don't worry, I won't be dumb enough to sell my soul. Can we move on now?"

Maddie noticed Taylor was trembling. He hid it well, but she could see how upset he actually was. There was obviously more to his emotions than he was admitting.

"I don't want you to be Zedd, Taylor. I want you to show me who you are," Caius said softly.

"I'm Taylor. I have inappropriate outbursts, rage, and tantrums because I'm fifteen but have only existed for a few months. Beyond that, I'm still trying to figure myself out. Sorry. I'll try harder."

Caius smiled. "You're doing fine, Taylor."

Suddenly, Maddie noticed shadows moving nearby. Instinctively, she reached toward one. "Maddie, don't!" Ollie shouted, but it was too late. Maddie shrieked as she fell into a dark realm. She looked around but only saw more shadows.

"What the heck?" She asked aloud.

Suddenly, Ollie appeared. "Are you stupid?" He asked her.

"That was rude," Maddie replied.

Ollie grabbed her hand and dragged her back out of the shadow realm. "Maddie, you know about my power to walk the shadow realms. You know it comes from Dimitri, and you know you may or may not have the powers of all the Chosen. Why would you touch a shadow?"

"I was curious!" Maddie said defensively. She didn't appreciate her younger brother lecturing her.

"She gets that from Rita," Caius said kindly. "Morgana was too traumatized to give in to curious whims, but her daughter did it frequently. It's alright, Maddie, but please be more careful in the future. The shadows can be a very dangerous place to explore."

"Did you just compare me to Rita Repulsa?" Maddie asked in horror.

"Before she was turned, Rita was extremely innocent and pure of heart. She was an exceptionally curious girl."

Maddie wasn't thrilled to have something in common with Rita. "Sorry," she said. "I'll be more careful."

"Alright, I think that's enough for today. We'll train again tomorrow."

Maddie nodded, determined to do better. She might be the unplanned freak of the group, but if she had superpowers, she was damn well going to learn how to use them the right way so she could help.

KATIE

She was doing a lot better. Her head was starting to clear. She wasn't trying to dry-hump Zedd anymore. Things were looking up. The only problem was that Katie was experiencing something she wasn't used to. For the first time in her life, Katie didn't trust her instincts. She was terrified of Zell, and even more terrified of losing control of her own mind again.

"What's wrong?" Zedd asked, reading her easily.

"I'm scared," she admitted. It seemed so wrong to admit her weakness to her mortal enemy, but right now, Zedd was actually the only person she knew she could trust not to hurt her.

"You're safe, Katie. He cannot find you here," Zedd reminded her.

"And when I leave?"

"You are strong. You'll be okay."

"He said... He said he was my grandfather, Zedd."

"Yes. And I believe him. You aren't easy to manipulate. Powerful or not, he had to have a blood tie to you to do it so easily."

"But he's been dead for several millennia! How could he be my grandfather?"

"He existed outside of time, like Zordon used to. The difference is that Zell chose to do that for power, while Zordon was cursed into that existence by Rita. Zell most likely traveled to the future."

"Dad's one of triplets... There's no way he's their father, unless Aunt Casey kept even more from us than I thought."

"No, I don't believe he's their father."

"Then..."

"Katherine. Think about it, Katie. Did anyone ever meet her parents?"

"They died right after she graduated from high school."

"When she conveniently no longer needed them. She was a legal adult. Tell me, how did she meet everyone?"

"She moved to Angel Grove from Australia. Then Rita put that spell on her to turn her evil, and she stole Kim's power coin and nearly made Kim kill herself because she was training by herself... She had no time to do it with supervision because Rita was keeping her busy with monster attacks and that bitch was messing with her, too. She only stopped when she flashed back on a diving competition where she got hurt and realized what she was doing to Kim was wrong, or so she claimed. Then she told the truth and gained everyone's trust and Kim left the team to pursue her dreams and had Zordon make my bitch of a mother the new Pink Ranger."

Zedd seemed to consider this. "Katherine was pure evil. We know that now... Rita didn't force her to turn the second time. Your mother chose that destiny, and we caught glimpses of how evil she truly was inside. Although she tried to play the innocent girl, there were many occasions when her behavior was, at best, questionable. The fact that Zordon was able to make her a Power Ranger means she was powerful, but the fact that she absorbed part of the Zeo Crystal, as they all did, is odd. If she was as pure evil as I suspect, it should have destroyed her... Trust me, the Zeo Crystal doesn't tolerate evil touching it. Unless Zell made sure that even Katherine had no idea who she truly was. If he cast a spell to make her energy read as good..." He shook his head. "It would take an enormous amount of power to fool everyone into believing she was a force of good, but... Well, Zell had the entire universe convinced he was the greatest force of good ever to exist, so it's definitely conceivable that his daughter could fool everyone, too."

"But her parents-"

"Were tulpas, Katie."

"What's a tulpa?"

"It's an illusion, brought to life by the power of belief. Groups of people believing in a ghost story can cause the ghost to take on a physical presence and actually exist in our world. If a massive number of people all believe the same story, they give it life... Or, if an individual with an especially powerful mind decides to create something, they can meditate and focus on it until it comes to life. They then have complete control of them. When Katherine no longer needed parents, they vanished."

"They have headstones."

"But did anyone see their bodies?"

"Dad said my mother refused a funeral... She took care of burying them alone."

"At eighteen. With no support. And no funeral. Are there death certificates?"

"I... Actually, no. I asked her once about that, for a project on family heritage. She claimed she lost them, but... I think she was lying."

"Because a tulpa would never have legally been born, so they couldn't legally die, either. Your mother wasn't born in Australia, Katie. She was born outside of the timeline, given false memories, innocent looks, and a pretty accent and sent here... To Rita, and to Zordon's Power Rangers. Zell left nothing to chance... He knew he'd need her."

"Why?"

"To combat Zordon... The son he couldn't turn evil. The boy he couldn't fully break, no matter how hard he tried... The one person who could ruin his plans to destroy the Chosen by destroying him himself."

"But she's dead."

"She is... But look at all the harm she did. She killed the second Red Ranger. More importantly, she killed Caleb... Who came back... And who... Oh, son of a bitch!"

Katie stared at him. Zedd almost sounded like a normal, pissed-off teenager. It was kind of amusing and it made him that much more human to her. He's not human, she reminded herself. He's a monster and you have to destroy him soon... The problem was that she didn't believe that anymore. There was so much more to Zedd than she'd expected.

"What is it?" She asked.

"The boy... Caleb. Is he Chosen?"

"Yes."

"Caius... He looks so much like him... And the boy had to die and come back, and now he has the same abilities as Caius."

"Caius is his father. Caleb's adopted."

"Zell knew Caleb would have to die to inherit his father's legacy... And he used the poor boy to come back, which he was only able to do because the Chosen were complete..." He muttered another curse. "I played right into the son of a bitch's hands... Again."

"What do you mean?"

"Even with Caleb's birth, the Chosen were not complete. I had children, but none who could be what I once was. There was... The abomination... And then, Angeline, but she was meant to inherit Morgana's destiny..."

"What abomination?"

"Thrax. He was Angeline's older brother. I tried to destroy him before he was born. That's why he looked as he did. The team of retired Rangers took care of him, though. He's dead. Good riddance. He was pure evil, disobedient, and a mistake."

"How very paternal of you."

"Ask your uncle or Kira about him and you'll understand. Anyway, he was far too dark and too weak to inherit what would have been my legacy. It would take something very specific to bring my line back to the light... I don't know how, but Xia... She kept the light I once had and ensured it could return to my line if it joined with hers."

"Aisha..." Katie realized.

"Tanner is as evil as I am... His birth didn't affect the Chosen. But-"

"Taylor."

"Taylor is so much like I was as a boy, it's unnerving. And with his birth, the Chosen were complete, and Zell began to find his way back... And once he found Caleb, he was able to use his power to resurrect himself."

"And Caleb only got his powers because of my mother."

"Exactly. Zell left nothing to chance."

"How could he possibly know it would work?"

"Existing outside of time made seeing the future especially easy for him."

Katie shuddered. "He's too strong, Zedd. How the hell do I fight something that strong?"

"With everything you have... And not alone."

"But not with you... Because we're on opposite sides."

"When it comes to him, we're on the same side... So, assuming we both survive our own battle, I will help you stand against him."

"Zedd... I don't want to have to fight you."

"Nor do I, Katie." He sighed. "Some things, however, are inevitable."

RITA

The search had been endless. Even though she'd sensed her energy, she couldn't find her. Rita was about to give up when she saw her. Although some time had passed, Scorpina was as beautiful as ever. She was cloaked with a glamour to make herself appear more human, but Rita would know her anywhere.

"Scorpina!" She cried in delight.

Scorpina looked up from the desk she sat at, startled. She saw Rita and immediately put down the telephone she had been on. "Empress!" She replied. She stood and wrapped her arms around her. "At last!"

"What is this place?" Rita asked in disgust.

"A lawyer's office. I was stranded here and wounded, so I needed to find a way to blend in as I recovered. I worked as a receptionist, answering phones, dealing with paperwork, filing, collating... It was torture!"

"You poor thing!" Rita shook her head. "Don't worry. You'll never need to do those horrible things again!"

A man came out. "Get back to work, Sabrina!" He shouted.

Scorpina looked at Rita and grinned before turning back to the man. She manifested a golden weapon and impaled him with it. "I quit," she said with a laugh as her former boss bled out slowly. She removed the weapon and he died as Scorpina linked her arm through Rita's and left with her.

SAGE

She still needed to let her body rest, but Sage's mind was another story. After Zedd gave her an update on Katie, she decided to do something else she shouldn't.

It was easy enough to project herself onto Onyx. It was even easier to spot him. "Master Vile." She said flatly.

He turned to stare at her. "Green Ranger," he replied coldly and with mild surprise.

"I have a proposition for you. I can free you from this place, but only if you agree to a magical contract. You will only be allowed to do what must be done to protect your daughter and her husband from Zell."

"Zell has returned? Yes, that would be what I sensed. Of course I will protect Rita."

"And Zedd. Also, if Zedd's son Tanner becomes an issue, you may stop him. Don't get any bright ideas, Vile. If you do anything except protect Rita and Zedd or keep Tanner in line, my magic will destroy you. Unless you are destined to interfere, you won't be able to without consequences. Those are my terms."

"Anything to leave this place. I accept... But why are you helping my daughter? "

"Rita is terrified of Zell, and while she is my enemy, she's also my friend's mother. I am protecting her for Angie. As far as Zedd, he did me a favor. I'm repaying that debt."

Vile seemed to accept that. Sage cast the spell and sent him directly to the safe haven Rita and Merkhet were staying in. She prayed she had done the right thing, but she knew no one would understand her choice.

GOLDAR

He was very confused when Master Vile appeared in the sanctuary. So was Merkhet, who looked mildly alarmed. "This is unexpected," she said, "but welcome, Master Vile."

"Pops!" Rito cried. He ran to his father.

"Rito, my boy! Excellent!" Master Vile declared.

At that moment, the door opened and Rita burst in. "Goldar, I have-" she began before she spotted her father. "Daddy!" She cried. Rita ran to her father and hugged him.

"Empress? You were saying?" Goldar asked after a minute.

"Oh! Right! I have excellent news," Rita said. She opened the door again and suddenly, it was like Goldar drew breath for the first time in two decades.

"Scorpina?" He asked softly.

"Yes, my dearest husband," Scorpina said. She ran into his arms. "I'm finally home."

He held her tight, breathing in her scent. He'd missed her so much he ached. She was as beautiful as he remembered, maybe even more so. He dipped her backward so he could kiss her.

"Oh, Goldar, I've missed you!" She cried as she broke the kiss to breathe. She immediately pulled him back into another kiss.

"Scorpina!" Squatt cried, killing the mood as he raced toward her. "You're here!"

"Sister," Babboo said awkwardly.

"You two have terrible timing," Scorpina informed them.

"Hello, my dear," Finster said. He kissed her hand. "It is good to see you have survived."

"Finster," she said kindly. "It's good to be back. So tell me... Where is Lord Zedd?"

Rita rolled her eyes. "He's with the White Ranger, protecting her for some bizarre reason. I've given up on trying to figure him out," she said.

"The White Ranger is a girl?"

"The daughter of Tommy and Katherine," Goldar explained. "She's quite a pain in the ass, actually."

Merkhet had apparently decided it was time to speak up. She said, "Hello, Scorpina. I am Merkhet. It is a pleasure to meet you. I've heard such wicked things."

Tanner came over then. He looked at Scorpina in a way that made Goldar furious. "Why, hello," he said. "I'm Tanner, son of Lord Zedd."

"But not me. Let's make that clear," Rita said. "I am not responsible for him."

Tanner got even closer to Scorpina. He reached toward her hand. "Keep your paws off my wife, you little ingrate!" Goldar snapped, putting himself between Scorpina and the incubus.

Scorpina laughed. "Oh, Goldar! Still so protective," she said. She kissed him and his anger melted away.

"Tonight, we celebrate!" Rita declared. "Our family is reunited!"

"What about Lord Zedd?" Squatt asked.

"What about him?" Rita snapped. "If he can't be bothered to be here, why should I care?"

No one argued. Goldar didn't mind celebrating. He had finally been reunited with the only entity he'd ever loved.

SAGE

She was checking on Troy when she sensed he was holding something back. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I took the boys away from Jason," Troy admitted. "I've been staying with them at Uncle David's house."

"Why?"

"He got really drunk, Mom. He was totally wasted when I brought them home. I didn't trust him... And today, Luke told me that the day he did that was Ollie's birthday. Jason completely forgot, and he sent Ollie away so he could get drunk. Ollie didn't tell anyone what day it was, but he's been really upset since."

"I can't believe him!" Sage was horrified. "Troy, bring Ollie to training. I'll call Dustin and have him do something special for the kid."

When she called Dustin, she told him she was sending Thorn with her debit card to cover doing something for Ollie. Dustin was more than happy to help, and Sage hoped Ollie would realize that he still had people who cared about him.

OLLIE

The last thing he expected when he arrived at training was for everyone to jump out and yell, "Surprise!"

Ollie stared at them. "Happy belated, Kiddo," Dustin said cheerfully. He unveiled a cake. Kira presented him with a table full of gifts, and Maddie hung a final decoration as she smiled at him.

Ollie was stunned into silence. He nearly started to cry, but Tamira wrapped him in a hug and he could feel her light soothing him. He finally managed to say, "Thanks, guys... I... I'm not sure what to say."

"Happy birthday, Kid," Kira said, patting him on the back. "Eat up. Dustin went crazy on munchies today."

His mother was dead. His father might as well be... He was drinking and walking around like a ghost, and he'd forgotten his birthday... But for just this one moment, Ollie knew he wasn't alone in the world.

THREE DAYS LATER.

KATIE

It was time to go, but Katie was nervous. "You're ready," Zedd promised her. "Don't worry."

She hesitated. "You're sure the bond is broken?" She asked.

"I severed the last of it this morning. You are in full control of yourself."

"Thank you, Zedd... Really." She paused before giving him a quick hug.

Zedd stared at her. "A hug? Really?"

"Just this once. You saved me." She sighed. "I wish I could save you."

"No one can, Katie. I made my choice long ago, and I stand by it."

"Even after all this time?"

"Her happiness and safety were well worth the price I paid."

"You aren't fully evil, Zedd."

"Perhaps not, but I cannot be saved, Katie. Only death can free me and I am immortal. I can never be good again, so stop hoping for it. At the end of the day, I love only power, and I will do anything I can to get more of it. When we meet again, we will not be allies."

"I know. I just hate it."

"Take care of yourself, Katie." With that, he pushed her through a portal.

Katie landed safely in the Command Center. "You, too, Zedd," she whispered.

"Aye-yi-yi! Katie! You're back!" Alpha declared.

"I am," Katie said.

Zordon looked relieved to see her. "Welcome back, Katie," he said.

"Thanks... Zordon, can we talk?"

"Of course." He led her to a more private area.

"I'm your niece," she blurted out.

Zordon froze. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"Your father had another kid... He hid her in the future to ensure his plans would come to light... And to ensure Caleb died so he could come back."

"Katherine?" Zordon asked. "You're saying that-"

"My mom was your little sister. Yes, that's what I'm saying."

Zordon visibly paled. His skin was nearly white. Katie thought he might collapse, but he composed himself. "I should have anticipated this. His contingency plans had contingency plans. He never left anything up to chance." He shook his head.

"Do you think this is why I can do things I shouldn't be able to? Like use the samuraizers? Or manipulate the morphing grid? Or travel to Corinth to retrieve and befriend an untamable Zord?"

"I do... It makes sense." He paused thoughtfully. "It may also be the reason why I am especially attached to you."

"So... I'm part alien," Katie realized.

"You have the blood of Eltar in you, yes."

"But I'm not blue, and neither was my mother."

"You look like your father. As for Katherine... He may have manipulated her appearance so she would blend in here."

"Zordon... Are you disappointed in me for letting him into my head?" She was terrified of his answer, but she had to know.

"Oh, Katie..." He shook his head. Then he surprised her by pulling her into a tight hug. Zordon wasn't generally much of a hugger. "No, I'm not. He raised me, Katie. I know exactly what he's capable of. I know how he manipulates people, and I know how he makes you want to believe him. He excels at it. He did it to me for much of my youth."

"Is it weakness that I'm terrified of him?"

"No. It's practical. He is a monster, Katie, and he's unlike any you have faced before."

"How do I fight him?"

"With help. I will protect you from my father with everything I possess, Katie. You have my word."

Katie nodded, but she couldn't help but wonder who would protect Zordon.

TAYLOR

He walked into the kitchen to find his mother helping Tanya prepare Thanksgiving dinner for the next day. Taylor had been learning to cook from both Josh and Tanya, and he was pretty good at it. When Tanya stepped out, he approached his mother.

"Can I help?" He asked.

His mother spun around so fast, he jumped back. She grabbed a very sharp knife off of the counter. Taylor stared at her, both hurt that she'd pulled a knife on him and terrified. "Mom-" he began.

She was dangerously close to stabbing him. "Mama! What are you doing?" Tia demanded.

"Mama, no!" Imani shouted as she started to cry. Tia stepped between Taylor and their mother protectively.

"He scared me," his mother said, but she was too calm. Tia looked at her suspiciously as she put the knife down. She turned to Taylor.

"Are you alright?" Tia asked.

"I'm fine," Taylor lied.

Imani ran to Tia for comfort, sobbing against her, obviously terrified at what she'd just witnessed. Taylor took that opportunity to run upstairs to his room. He closed his door and sat on his bed trembling.

"She hates me..." He whispered. "She'll never love me."

Because you're evil, he thought. Bleed out the evil, Taylor. Bleed out your father's blood.

On some level, he knew the thought wasn't his, but it wouldn't go away. Finally, he picked up the knife he'd stolen to protect himself while he was living on the streets. "Bleed out the evil... Then maybe she can love you," he whispered. He started crying as his emotions overwhelmed him. Then, he began to make several cuts on his arm. Somehow, it made him feel better, or maybe it just made him stop feeling all together... He wasn't sure anymore.

He tried to heal himself, but it didn't work. Apparently, he couldn't just heal injuries that were self-inflicted. He settled for covering them with a glamour before he left for a training session with Caius.

Taylor was the first to arrive. When everyone else showed up, he stayed on autopilot, going through the motions. When Caius finally let everyone leave, he stopped him.

"Taylor... What happened today?" Caius asked.

"Nothing," Taylor said quickly.

"Let's agree that neither of us will lie to the other. Please, Taylor... Tell me."

Taylor sighed. "My mom kind of freaked out."

"And you hurt yourself."

"Wait... How can you see that?"

"You aren't the first incubus I've known, Taylor. I can spot a glamour from a mile away."

"I... I didn't mean to," he blurted out. "But she pulled a knife on me, Caius... I scared her and she grabbed the knife, and I'm pretty sure if Tia and Mani hadn't walked in, she would have... I mean..."

"She would have hurt you."

"It's not her fault. I startled her. She wasn't thinking straight."

"Taylor... Drop the glamour. Let me see how bad it is."

Taylor knew it was pointless to hide his injuries anymore. He dropped his glamour. Caius gently took his arm and examined the wounds. "These are a little on the deep side," he said with concern. He pulled out a jar with an unidentified substance in it. "This will disinfect the wounds and help you heal faster." He began rubbing the concoction on Taylor's wounds.

"What is it?" Taylor asked.

"Something I learned from the Mystics. It works extremely well and it's entirely natural."

When he'd finished caring for the injuries, Taylor said, "Thanks... I need to get home before Mom flips out. "

"Taylor, you are not going home tonight."

"What?"

"You're coming home with me. You can stay in my room. I usually sleep on the couch anyway, on the rare occasion I do need rest."

"But-"

"Your mother is a threat to you right now, and I'm not sending you back into an environment that makes you want to hurt yourself."

"I just kept thinking I needed to bleed out the evil in me... I don't know... It was like, 'maybe she can finally love me if I'm not evil anymore.' I'm sorry. I know it was dumb."

"Taylor, you are not evil. I promise you that. And it wasn't dumb, but I don't want you to do it again, okay?"

"Then why?"

"Why what?"

"Why does she hate me?" He whispered. It surprised Taylor when he started crying. "Everything I've done was about protecting her! Every horrible thing! And she still hates me. She literally can't love me, and she never will, and... And it hurts!"

Caius quickly pulled Taylor into his arms. The hug was so paternal that Taylor almost started to cry harder. His father could never love him and he understood that. Evil couldn't love... But his mother was one of the good guys, and she hated him, too. He desperately needed one parent who cared about him, and Caius had just shown him more kindness than either of them ever had.

"None of this is your fault, Taylor," Caius promised him. "And you will be safe tonight. I'll even prepare a Thanksgiving meal for us tomorrow...I knew I needed the ingredients, I just didn't know why." Caius looked a bit sad and Taylor could feel his emotions on him. It was clear Caius had spent every holiday since he'd lost Caleb's mother alone.

Taylor didn't know what to say to him. Instead of speaking, he dropped his guard a bit and clung to Caius tighter until he felt better. Caius patiently held him, and when he finally let go, he didn't bring up his meltdown. Taylor appreciated that.

He sent a text to Tia. I'm staying with Caius tonight. Apologize to Tanya and Mom for me missing Thanksgiving.

Be safe, Tia replied, not even questioning him. He took a deep breath and said, "Okay... Let's go."

THREE DAYS LATER.

LIZA

She hadn't expected what came next. Liza was mid-ritual when she felt herself being pulled out of her home. She landed on her feet, barely, and saw a girl looking back at her. "Who are you?" Liza asked.

"My name is Sage," the girl said.

Liza's energy was a mess. She nearly collapsed. "Liza," she managed. "I have to go back."

"They were hurting you... I sensed it."

"My energy is unstable. I have to go back."

"I can help... Liza, who are you, really?"

"You want my credentials? I'm Liza Edwards, descendant of the Edwards Warlocks and the Campbell Sorcery line. Now send me back, before my father literally kills me."

"Campbell... My God. Are you Aisha's?"

"So my father tells me. I've never met her."

"Okay... You're safe here, Liza. I can stabilize your energy... But you can't go to your mother. She's having issues. You can stay with my family until it's safe."

Before Sage could say more, Liza blacked out.

ZEDD

He didn't appreciate being summoned again. "You know, Green Ranger, I am not your errand boy," he snapped.

"I need your help, and I think you'll want to," Sage replied.

"We are enemies, Sage."

"It's not for me. It's for her." She motioned toward an unconscious girl.

Zedd felt his breath catch. He stared at the girl in shock. He couldn't remember how to speak.

"She's Galaxia's descendant, Zedd... And her monster father and step-mother have tortured her in every way you can imagine," Sage said.

There was no denying she was related to Xia. She looked exactly like her. Zedd felt rage at the idea that she'd been hurt. "Then they will pay for it," he said.

"I thought you might say that. Take Rita. Galaxia saved her life once. I think she'll want to help, and it will be a good outlet for her."

"Why on earth would you trust us to do as you wish?"

"Because it's not about me. It's about someone who mattered to you both. I can heal her or go destroy her parents... I think I need to stay here. So go. I know you can track them, and I'll get Liza conscious and take care of her."

Zedd wasn't sure why Sage was involving him, but he did know that seeing a girl who looked and even felt so much like Xia in bad shape infuriated him. He had to make them suffer for harming her.

"They will not survive. You know that. You're allowing me to kill two people."

"Two monsters. And the way I see it, monsters killing other monsters is totally acceptable."

He nodded, then left, eager to get away from this child who reminded him too much of his lost love.

Rita saw him and scowled. "Where were you now?" She demanded.

"I am about to go destroy two humans. Would you like to join me?" Zedd asked casually.

Rita's face lit up. "Destroy humans? How romantic! Oh, Zeddy, you know just how to cheer a girl up!" She took his arm, and off they went.

THE NEXT DAY.

TAYLOR

He was back home, mostly because he didn't want Caius to get arrested for kidnapping him. His time with Caius had been the only time in Taylor's entire life that he genuinely felt safe. It had been a nice break, and when he had returned home, his mother had seemed much calmer.

Now, Taylor was in his room. He started drawing. He settled for drawing Josh again, because that always calmed him down. Then, he found himself drawing Caius, sitting on the couch reading a book. The art soothed him. He was pretty calm when someone knocked on his door. Considering he knew Tanya had taken the rest of the kids out, he wasn't sure who might be there. He opened the door cautiously.

"Mom?" He asked as he saw her.

She smiled at him and he let her inside. That was when she revealed the knife she'd hidden behind her. "Mom... What's going on?" He asked cautiously.

"Shhh... Everything will be fine," his mother said. She came closer, raising the knife, and Taylor panicked.

"Mom, don't... Please."

"You're an abomination, Taylor. You have to be destroyed!"

His chest hurt. "Mom... Please, Mom, don't hurt me... I love you."

She came closer and Taylor felt a sharp pain as she stabbed him. "Mom..." He gasped out as terror consumed him. "Mommy, please..."

She stabbed him again, and again he cried out, "Please, Mom..." It hurt more than he expected. He felt like his insides were on fire. She stabbed him again, but he couldn't bring himself to fight back. He couldn't hurt her, even now.

"Please don't... Please, Mommy..." He whispered.

That was when he felt a powerful energy enter the room. "Get away from him!" Tia shouted.

"Stay out of this, Tia!" Their mother screamed.

"No! Leave him alone, Mama! I don't want to hurt you, but I will."

Their mother turned toward her. "No you won't," she said. She raised the knife again.

"Mama, no! Don't make me do this! Please!" Tia begged.

"You're not the only Campbell Sorceress in this room, Tia!" Their mother sent a spell at Tia, and Taylor was too stunned to process what he was seeing as pain began to consume him.

TIA

She knew she had no choice. Her mother was too out of control, and if Tia didn't step in, she'd kill her little brother. Taylor was innocent. Her mother, it seemed, had given in to evil.

As she got hit with the spell, Tia knew she was doing the right thing. Her mother was too powerful. Someone had trained her, and she'd turned against everything the Campbells stood for. She had embraced evil, which Galaxia had sworn no Campbell would ever do again. Tia couldn't let her undo everything Galaxia had fought for.

They exchanged spells for a bit. Tia was hurt badly, but she kept fighting, using everything she knew. Finally, when Tia was certain she was nearly dead, she managed to send out one final spell. "Light will always be stronger than darkness," she said as she cast it.

Her mother let out a scream and fell to the floor. Her eyes were open, but it was clear she was dead... Tia had killed her mother, just as Galaxia herself had once done, but unlike her ancestor, it broke everything in her.

"I'm sorry, Mama," she whispered. She crawled to her and closed her eyes. "You left me no choice..." She crawled toward Taylor.

Her brother was sobbing hysterically and struggling to breathe as he continued to lose blood. Tia tried to heal him. Some of the bleeding stopped, but she knew his internal injuries were serious and she was too hurt to fix them.

Taylor looked up at her and continued to cry. Tia sat beside him, gently pulling him closer until his head rested in her lap. She stroked his hair as they both cried, wishing she knew how to comfort him. "It's okay... It is over, Taylor... You are safe," she promised him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He began chanting it over and over again, like a mantra. Tia continued to stroke his hair, trying to soothe him and focus her own mind enough that she could do whatever she must do next.

Her cell phone rang, and Tia pulled it out automatically and answered it. "Tia?" Sage asked when Tia said nothing. "Tia, are you there? What's wrong? I can feel that something happened."

"My mother is dead. I... I murdered her. I had to. My brother is hurt... I am hurt... I tried to heal him, but he... He's still injured..." She said numbly.

Sage took a deep breath. "Tia, I need you to portal to my house. Can you do that?"

Tia wasn't sure how much strength she had left, but she decided it was worth a try. "Yes, I believe so," she replied.

"Do it. I'll take care of you both."

Tia closed her eyes and opened the portal. "Taylor... Come with me," she said. "We have to go."

He didn't protest, but he didn't respond, either. Tia gently took his hand and helped him stand up as she walked through the portal. They were in front of the Park house moments later.

"Oh God..." Sage said at the sight of them. "Tia, can you walk on your own?"

"Yes," Tia said.

"Get inside. I've got Taylor." Sage helped support him as they walked toward the house. Taylor was trembling violently. "It's okay, Taylor. I won't hurt you," she promised.

"I'm sorry..." Taylor whispered. He began repeating it again.

They made it upstairs to Sage's room. Sage began healing Tia, and she felt significantly better. "Thank you," she said.

"Of course," Sage replied.

"Taylor... I tried to heal him, but I failed... Something is wrong. The weapon... It was magical, Sage. I believe it was meant to kill an incubus."

"I'm going to summon Galaxia. I think she can heal him."

Tia felt it when Galaxia joined them, but Taylor still wouldn't heal. Instead, he crawled into a corner and kept his back to the wall as he cried and trembled.

"I'm calling Josh," Sage said. "If anyone can calm him down, it may be him." She left to do that.

Tia wrapped her arms around Taylor. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Tia promised him.

"I'm sorry..."

Tia sighed, her heart breaking. She hoped Taylor's friendship with Josh would be enough to help him.

JOSH

He arrived at Sage and Thorn's house in seconds, deciding this was worth teleporting. He raced upstairs and found Taylor curled up on Tia, hysterical.

Tia moved aside to let Josh get closer to Taylor. "Taylor... I'm here," he said. "Talk to me. Please."

At first, Taylor didn't respond. Josh gently tilted Taylor's head so he was looking into his eyes. "Taylor, please, talk to me."

"Josh..." Taylor croaked out.

"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"She's gone, Josh..." He whispered.

"I know... I know, and I'm so sorry, Taylor... I know how hard it is to lose your mother."

"She's gone... It was all for nothing..."

"What?"

"Everything I did... Hurting Thorn, hurting Caleb... Hurting you... Letting my father hurt me so he wouldn't hurt her... Getting between her and Tanner, knowing what he'd do to me... All of it... Just to protect her... But now she's gone, and it was all for nothing... She hated me... She hated me, and she tried to... To kill me... And she... She's gone, and all I want is to bring her back, even though she stabbed me! She stabbed me... Over and over and over..." He began shaking harder, sobbing hysterically, unable to breathe.

"Taylor... Oh God, Taylor, I'm so sorry..." Josh whispered. He held him tighter, desperate to comfort him. He hated to see Taylor in pain, and the weight of his grief was too much. This was the one thing that had finally broken him.

"It's not fair..." Taylor whispered.

"No, it's not."

"And it's all my fault... If I'd been better... If I hadn't been evil..."

"Taylor, you are not evil!"

"If I hadn't been born, she'd still be here!"

"Taylor, you don't know that."

"Tia had to kill her to save me! And I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I just... I'm sorry..." He was crying even worse now.

"I'm here," Josh said again. "You're not alone."

As Taylor clung to him, he pressed his face against Josh's cheek. "I love you..." He whispered.

Josh stiffened. Had he heard him right? Had Taylor really just said that to him? He had no idea how to react or feel.

"It's okay," Taylor added quickly. "I don't expect you to say it back. I know you don't feel that way about me, but-"

"I care about you, Taylor," Josh said. "A lot. I just... I don't know if-"

"It's okay. I get it... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it, but I had to get it out... I had to tell you... Because I know you care about me, and she... She couldn't, and... And you should know, Josh. You should know. But I don't want to freak you out..."

"It's okay, Taylor," Josh promised. Did he love Taylor? He wasn't sure. Love was something Josh didn't easily feel. He loved his father. He had loved his mom. He loved Kenny and Katie and the others... But did he love Taylor? Could he love Taylor? That was a huge step... He wasn't ready. The only thing he knew was he cared about Taylor deeply and he didn't want him to be in pain. "I'm not mad or freaked out... Just... Surprised."

"Yeah... Me, too. I didn't plan on saying that. It just sort of slipped out."

"We're okay. I promise."

Taylor nodded. "Okay."

"Taylor... You need to let Galaxia help you."

"It's her fault..." He mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"It's her fault I was born, Josh. It's her fault I exist, because of the spell she did... She made it so my father's light could only come back into his line when it crossed with her... And he was evil but her line was good, so really, how did she think that would happen? Because she didn't stop to think about it, her spell made sure my mom had to be raped for me to be born! My father put her through hell! It changed her... She was good, right? She was a Power Ranger! But he raped her, and he tortured her, and she lost her mind... And she blamed me, and you know what? She was right! She had to go through that just so I could exist! It's my fault!" Taylor became hysterical again.

"It's not," Josh said. "It's not your fault. It's not even Galaxia's fault. She couldn't have known... And you didn't ask to be born. Your dad chose to attack your mom, and your mom... Your mom chose to turn evil. A lot of people go through terrible things... I would know... And most of them don't choose to turn evil. That isn't your fault, Taylor. So please, let Galaxia help you... I can't lose you, Taylor. I'm not attached to many people, but I'm attached to you... So you can't die, okay?" His voice cracked slightly with emotion.

Taylor looked into his eyes. It seemed to register just how much Josh cared about him then. "Okay," he agreed. "Okay, she can fix me... But will you stay with me?"

"Nothing could possibly make me leave you," Josh promised.

Finally, Taylor stopped fighting, and he began to heal. Josh stayed by his side, determined to help him through this.

SAGE

She was walking when she saw Zedd. "What happened?" He demanded.

"Excuse me?" Sage asked.

"Something's wrong with Taylor. I can sense it. What happened?"

She was surprised he cared, but not entirely. "Aisha is dead," she said flatly. "Tia had to kill her."

"Tia... Her daughter."

"Yes."

"The likely new Chosen Yellow."

"She is, yes."

"Xia murdered her mother, too... But they weren't close."

"Tia's taking it hard, but she's the strongest person I've ever met. She'll get through this."

"Why did she do it?"

"Aisha tried to kill Taylor... She stabbed him repeatedly."

Zedd stiffened. "He survived?"

"He did. He's at my house, finally healing... The weapon was some sort of incubus killer."

"How is he? Emotionally?"

Sage stared at him. Was it possible Zedd genuinely cared about Taylor's well-being? "Not good," she admitted. "He blames himself. He's broken. I've never seen him like this."

"Is he still at your house?"

"Yes... Why?"

Zedd snapped his fingers. "I just sent something to your home... Please see that he gets it."

"What is it?" Sage asked suspiciously.

"Nothing bad... A sketchbook and pencils."

"Wait... What?"

"I recently learned that the boy likes to draw... On lined paper with ink... I was horrified, of course. That's sacrilege. I went out and purchased these for him in the hopes that he will stop wasting his talent on lined paper. Anyway, with what just happened... He needs them, Sage. It may bring him the slightest bit of comfort, and I want to do that for him."

She stared at him. "That... That's actually extremely kind of you, Zedd," she said in shock. For a while, she'd felt in her gut that Zedd was changing. She realized now that it wasn't in her imagination. She sent Thorn a text to get the package to Taylor before she turned back to him. "I think I can help you, Zedd."

"Help me with what?" He asked.

"I think I can restore you to who you used to be."

Zedd stiffened. "That is impossible, Sage."

"What if it's not? You're changing, Zedd. You have been for a while, maybe since the day Taylor was born."

"What was done to me cannot be undone. I chose it, and it's irreversible."

"I don't think that it is... It's already starting, Zedd. You're not pure evil anymore. Pure evil would have taken advantage of Katie when she was vulnerable to you. Pure evil would have cheered the people who tortured a teenage sorceress, not killed them. Pure evil sure as hell wouldn't send a teenage boy who lost everything art supplies to try to comfort him. You're not evil."

"Stop! Just stop, Sage! I can't be saved. It's not possible. I accepted that long ago. These things... They mean nothing. Maybe they're from being around Tamira, I don't know... But they are an illusion."

"No, Zedd. They aren't. You feel. Not love, and not everything, but things like remorse and sympathy... And you couldn't feel them before."

He shook his head. "It is not possible," he said firmly.

"Damnit, Zedd, I'm sick and tired of people telling me what I am and am not capable of! I feel this with every ounce of my soul! I can save you! Just let me!"

He stared at her for a moment. "Well... If you feel that strongly about it..." He finally said with a hint of amusement at her outburst.

Sage took his hand. "We need a place to go where no one can find us... A sanctuary."

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She looked down, expecting it to be Thorn. It wasn't. Instead, the message was from Caius. The farm is a sanctuary from everyone, including Zell. I own the property. It is maintained with magic. If you truly believe you can do this, I believe in you. Bring him there. Good luck.

Sage stared at her phone for a moment, then laughed. She looked at Zedd and showed it to him. He seemed stunned. "Caius... Well, he's rarely wrong," he admitted.

"Bring me there," Sage said.

"I can't. I'm not allowed there anymore. I cannot teleport us."

"Then Zordon can." She called the Command Center on her communicator. "Zordon, if I told you I could save Zedd, would you help me?"

"Save him? What do you mean?" Zordon asked.

"I believe I can restore his light, but I need to bring him to the Chosen's farm. Can you send us there?"

Zordon hesitated. "You truly believe it is possible?"

"Yes."

"It was said he had to die to be free."

"I can strip his immortality... I think. But I may be able to save him without killing him. I feel it, Zordon."

"I trust you, Sage. If you believe it is possible..." He sighed. "Zedd was my brother once. If there's any chance you can save him, I owe it to him to try. I will send you there now."

Moments later, they were teleported. Zedd stared at their surroundings and began to shake. "Zedd... Are you okay?" Sage asked.

"I never believed I'd come back here," he admitted. "I haven't been here since that day."

"Come on. I'll gather supplies. Take a few minutes to adjust to being back while I do."

Zedd nodded, and they split up. This is crazy, Sage told herself. Still, she knew she had to try. She was meant to do this. She would find a way.

ZEDD

He walked to the stables first. The animals there reacted in panic, so he didn't stay long. He didn't want to scare them, but the stables had been his home once. Once he headed toward the house, he found himself walking straight to the very last room in the house... Xia's.

He stepped inside, touching her things, and wished he could cry. He didn't feel grief as he should, but he knew it hurt to be there. He clung to her pillow, wishing she were there. He spent the rest of his time in there until Sage opened the door and guided him out of the room.

They walked to what had been his room. That hurt slightly less. He let Sage take his hands and watched as she began working her spell.

At first, he felt nothing. Then, slowly, about three hours into the spell, he began to feel everything. The grief hit first. It was so extreme, he thought his mind would explode. He thought of his family... Raven, who'd comforted him so many times when no one else could, crushed beneath a building by the man who'd claimed to be their mentor... Quin, murdered for trying to save Zordon... Dimitri and Morgana, killed while trying to save her daughter from Master Vile... And Xia... Oh, Xia... She'd lived a long, happy, extremely full life, but her death had crushed him. The last piece of good that might have clung to him had died with her.

He couldn't breathe. He nearly died more than once, so he knew that somehow, Sage had broken the immortality curse. He could finally die and end this miserable existence.

Tye, he thought. You have to fix her. You're the only one who can heal her face because you did that to her... Don't leave her like that. He knew he had to do it. Disfiguring her had been his deepest regret... Then, slowly, he remembered what he'd done to his other children... He'd raped them. He'd tortured them. He'd made them hurt people... He's tried to rape Angeline, who'd been through a special kind of hell growing up in the foster care system and who had believed he and Rita were her salvation from that world... How could he have done that to her? What kind of monster was he?

Everything hurt. Every evil thing he'd ever done came back to haunt him. Every death he'd been unable to process properly seemed fresh. Every loss, every trauma hit him all over again.

"Zedd? Zedd, stay with me," Sage said gently. "You've made it ten hours... The spell is nearly done."

Xia, he thought. It was all for Xia. It was worth the price... She lived a good life... But now, she's gone... He felt completely overwhelmed as that sank in... And then, Zedd began to cry.

"You're crying," Sage whispered in shock. She pulled him into her arms. "You feel it! You feel it all, don't you?"

"Every bit..." Zedd whispered. "And it all hurts."

"What do you feel most of all right now, Zedd?" She asked.

"Xia... I love her... I..." He froze, suddenly realizing what he'd said. "I love her!" He shouted. "I love her! I can feel it! I don't just remember, I actually love her!" And then, he wept harder, because somehow, Sage had pulled it off. He was himself again... And he'd forgotten how much that could hurt, but he didn't mind. The pain was a small price to pay to finally be able to touch the light again.

"You did it..." He whispered. "You're my angel, Sage... You did the impossible. You saved me." With that, he wrapped Sage in his arms on his old bed and passed out, too exhausted and overwhelmed to do anything else.