Chapter Text
The sky over Angel Grove burned in shades of violet and black, the air thick with the sound of shattering metal and distant screams. United, the Rangers had believed nothing could tear them apart. The power drawn from a collective of light and goodness had always vanquished the dark... until "The Calamity."
No one knew where it came from. Only that it struck the universe with a force beyond imagination. Within months, trillions were dead. Worlds collapsed. Species vanished. And still, Earth clung to one last hope: gather every Ranger team it had, merge their might, and stand against the storm.
August 8th
"DriveMax Megazord is down!" Minh's voice cracked through comms, horror riding every syllable.
On the battlefield, the massive machine was being crushed in a brutal dance of destruction. Towering above every Zord was the Entity. It was an almost formless humanoid mass of swirling black and purple energy. Its presence seemed to stain the sky itself, a harrowing silhouette against the chaos.
The DriveMax Megazord scraped toward its saber, but the Entity's colossal foot slammed down on its head with a sickening crunch.
"NO!" Troy Burrows shouted. "Let's go, team!"
The Gosei Great Megazord roared to life, launching skyward.
"Victory Charge!" Troy's voice rang as the Dragon Sword ignited in a burst of flame, arcing toward the Entity with all the fury it could muster… but it never landed.
One moment, the Megazord was cutting through the air at mach speed; the next, a pillar of dark energy erupted from the ground, spearing straight through its chest.
Amelia's voice cut through the shock. "We have to surround it! Now!"
Over twenty Megazords moved into formation, encircling the Entity. Energy blasts, missiles, magic, and gunfire poured in from every angle, slamming into its form. The Entity staggered under the onslaught, roaring in pain.
But then it answered.
With a single, guttural cry, it unleashed a tidal wave of swirling darkness. Large sweeping clouds of energy tore outward in all directions. One by one, the Megazords fell, collapsing into lifeless heaps of steel and sparks. Downtown Angel Grove vanished beneath the devastation. The Ranger teams of Earth were no more.
The Entity stood still, as though its purpose had been fulfilled.
Then, a beam of pure light split the storm-choked clouds.
A golden Megazord descended, its red chestplate and helmet gleaming with bright red light. As it touched down, every ruined Megazord on the battlefield began to glow faintly. Hundreds of lights, like fireflies, rose from their wreckage, drifting toward the golden warrior and sinking into its frame.
A rainbow aura blazed around it.
The golden Megazord launched forward, streaking through the sky. It punched clean through the Entity's midsection and emerged on the other side. Turning, it watched as the monstrosity staggered, bellowed in rage, and crumbled into nothing.
The golden machine landed softly. Inside, its operator sat motionless for several long moments. Then the Megazord itself erupted in a blinding radiance.
Light poured outward, spilling into the ruins, the sky, the stars, flooding the entire universe.
"I thought the war was over… so we started again."
October 15th, 2032. The 2nd Chance.
Jason…
Scott!
Andros, look out!
Goodbye, Zayto.
We need Tommy.
My name is Carter Grayson.
I am Cole Evans!
You're my greatest treasure, Mack.
It's up to you, Shane.
Nora? Where are you?
Knowing Jack, he'll make it work.
That's Lauren… My big sister.
Jayden, please come back with us.
…
The world needs us, Rangers…
It was the crack of red lightning followed by explosive thunder that made a young boy of 13 recoil in fear. The cold rain relentlessly pelted him as his breath was full-on heaving. He trembled violently and made no effort to calm himself... he couldn't. The young boy had olive skin and stormy eyes. His pitch black hair fell over his eyes from months of being unkept. He inched away from his attackers, but each step felt like he was wearing cinder blocks instead of shoes.
He stood in an alley, but was cornered against a chain-linked fence. Blocking his only exit were figures in hooded cloaks. Like phantoms, they eerily drifted toward him.
The young boy screamed and cradled himself.
"Kairo!" He heard in the distance.
"Dakota!" Kairo shouted back.
A flash of red lightning struck again…
Bzzt… Bzzzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzzt.
"Woah!" Kairo gasped, as his eyes darted open. The 22-year-old rolled over and hit the disarm button on his Smart Phone. He groaned as the sun filtered through his shades, hitting him in the face. He flinched, grabbed his phone, and turned it on. His eyes widened when he saw several texts from a GC labeled, The Breakfast Club right under the time: 9:43 AM.
"Shit," he muttered as he opened the GC.
Daphne: We still on for Coffee?
Jasper: Hell yeah!
…
Jasper: I'm here.
Daphne: Same, I'm inside.
Loren: We're coming! Logan took forever to get ready.
Logan: Is Kairo there?
Daphne: Nope.
Jasper: Kai.
Logan: KAI! Hello?
Loren: Hey, hermano!
Daphne: He's asleep.
Jasper: Kai, when you wake up, we'll definitely be in class without you lol
Kairo rolled his eyes and shot out of bed. He quickly ran through his bathroom routine and threw on the first things he saw in his disorganized closet. After pulling down his red shirt with the Spartan insignia for the University of California, Angel Falls (UCAF) on the chest, Kairo stuck his keys, wallet & phone in his blue jeans and headed for the door of his shared-house. He snagged a granola bar from the pantry, harshly stepped into his shoes and awkwardly wobbled out of his house as he tried to stamp his feet to settle them inside. Luckily, his house was located across the street from campus, so he didn't have to walk too long to get to his lecture.
"Ah, Kai. Good of you for joining us," Kairo's TA joked as the young man sheepishly sat down between his friends. His TA, Clark Thomason, was about 5'11 with caramel colored skin. His amber eyes were soft with warmth, but at the same time had a heavy weight to them, giving Clark a mysterious, yet strong aura.
Kairo nodded and shot a glare at his two friends who were holding in laughter.
Daphne carried herself with the kind of quiet confidence that made people take notice before she even spoke. Her warm brown skin seemed to catch the light in a way that hinted at an inner fire, while her deep, dark eyes held a spark equal parts challenge and invitation, as if she was already three steps ahead in whatever conversation you were about to have.
Shoulder-length black hair framed her face in loose, effortless waves, swaying when she moved with a deliberate, almost catlike grace. There was an edge to her smile, as if sassy and knowing amusement found a perfect balance. She wore a pink shirt with black capris and brown sandals.
Jasper was quite muscular, but despite that had a soft-looking face. Perhaps it was his gently green eyes, or his dimples when he smiled. Or maybe it was his voice, which was deeper when compared to Kairo's, had an underlying kindness to it. He wore a forest green sweater, gym shorts, and basketball sneakers. Around his neck were black headphones, which he treasured more than most of his things.
"Ha ha," he whispered to them.
"What's your excuse this time?" Jasper teased.
"I-" Kairo began, but his friends cut him off.
"Slept through my alarm."
"I hate you guys," Kairo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
"We know," they replied, Daphne with a snarky grin and Jasper with a warm smile.
"Now that Mr. Beckett has joined us," Clark continued, "Let's get back to the discussion at hand. Kai, how bout you answer this next question?"
"Uh… sure." Kai shrugged. He looked at the holo-screen floating at the front of the room, which depicted numerous images. These images were of different works of art from across history. From early humans to as recent as a few centuries ago. Though different art styles and time periods, they all depicted images of multi-colored figures fighting monsters of all shapes & sizes.
Kai took his Tablet out of his backpack and placed it on the table. He turned it on and connected it to the holo-screen like the rest of his class.
"These figures… These so-called, "Aeon Warriors," are shared across so many cultures. Some scholars have compared them to Gods due to how frequently they're depicted. What can you tell me about them?"
Kai sighed and replied, "We don't really know a lot. But the Relics that they've left behind…" He hit a command on his tablet, which sent new images to the screen for everyone to see. The images were quite surreal, what appeared to be rusted Tiki Heads, cracked golden coins, even some that resembled old-fashioned cell phones inundated the holo-screen.
"These relics are technologically more advanced than the time periods they supposedly date back to. Edo Japan, the Renaissance, especially the dawn of Homo Sapiens, we still can't explain how those relics could've existed. Some say Aliens, but that hasn't been proven."
"I'm impressed," Clark nodded, "Nicely done."
Kairo nonchalantly shrugged and slouched in his chair.
The TA continued, "What else? Anyone?"
A hand raised in the air. "Um…"
"Yes, Loren?" Clark called on the hand.
Loren was a devilishly handsome man with tan skin and hazel eyes. His curly brown hair fell below his ears. He was a bit taller than Kairo, and had a similar athletic build. He wore a deep blue shirt and black harem pants with black sneakers.
"I was gonna say that even though the relics are completely different, they all seemingly connect to the same energy. Translated texts describe a 'Universal Power Source,' that they tapped into. But, we don't know what that means."
Loren glanced across the room. On the far side, his blonde adopted brother, Logan, caught his eye and shot him a toothy grin, followed by a thumbs-up. The boy in blue rolled his eyes, though the corner of his mouth twitched in a playful grin.
"Exactly," Clark said, nodding in satisfaction. "According to Dr. Bailey Cranston, a single water tower's worth of this so-called 'Power Source' could, theoretically, power an entire city."
The projector flickered, and an image appeared. Dr. Cranston, a man in his early fifties with weathered eyes, holding up his book: The Unseen Power.
The photo dissolved into a podcast clip.
"What my team and I have discovered," Cranston began, "is nothing short of extraordinary. We found an ancient manuscript at a site in Northern Greece."
"Where Mount Olympus is…" Jasper breathed, barely louder than a thought.
Only Kairo heard him. He turned his head slightly, catching the gleam in Jasper's eyes as the younger boy leaned toward the screen. Kairo's lips curved in a knowing, private grin.
Cranston went on, his voice steady and deliberate. "My assistant, Kelly Morgan, managed to translate part of the text. It speaks of these… 'Aeon Warriors' and how they claimed to draw some of their knowledge from dreams and visions. We suspect this belief even influenced certain Greek philosophers to treat dreams as something… more than imagination."
Wild, Loren thought, his pulse quickening.
"Fascinating…" Daphne whispered, her gaze locked on the screen.
"Dreams…" Kairo murmured, brows knitting as his eyes fell to his lap, shadows gathering in his expression.
When the podcast ended about 40 minutes later, Clark stepped forward, hands clasped. "Your assignment: write about your dreams. Email me at least one entry before our next discussion. With your consent, we'll share them in class. And don't forget! The extra-credit trip to the Aeon Exhibit with special guest Dr. Cranston is next Friday. Sign up at the front desk or in Professor Fairweather's office. That's it. See you next week."
Chairs scraped and the sounds of shoes filled the room. But for some, the word dreams still lingered in the air, heavier than it should have.
Clark sat at the front desk as his students filtered out, most of which thanked him for the lecture. He watched as some students wrote their names down on the list while others scurried out the door. The 27-year-old grinned to himself, knowing the feeling all too well. By the time the last student shuffled out of the class, Clark could count at least 12 of the 40 students in his Discussion Class had signed up. At the top of the list:
Jasper Frank, in blocky writing.
Daphne Thomason, written in eloquent cursive.
Loren de la Cruz, etched in sharp writing.
Cooper Price, written out in chicken-scratch.
Clark nodded at Loren & Jasper's names, who he deemed to be the 'usual suspects.' Daphne came as no surprise to him, as her older cousin, he had the pass to annoy her about skipping his excursion. Cooper came as a surprise. The Frat boy spent the discussion not paying attention alongside his brothers. He figured Cooper needed the extra credit.
He got to the end of the list and tilted his head. A name he thought he'd see was completely absent.
There exists a realm that is Earth's reflection, but one cracked and warped like glass left in the rain. There, the sky was a perpetual bruised twilight, heavy with the electric hum of neon veins that ran through the skyline like lifeblood. The Capital City, called 'Glass,' rose from the darkness in jagged spires of steel and holo-screens, its heart crowned by a towering cyberpunk castle. It was a fortress of chrome and circuitry, where holograms flickered against walls that seemed to breathe. Inside its royal chamber, light and shadow danced in an uneasy truce: pools of hot pink, electric blue, and acid green spilling across polished metal floors, while the darkness between them seemed alive, watching.
A figure that stood at over 6ft stood at the center of the room. He fell to one knee and bowed his head. He wore a gold shirt underneath a black kimono cardigan. He also wore black pants and black combat boots. He wore an emerald green scarf around his neck. Around his right index finger was a golden ring.
"Queen Juno…"
In front of the man was an energy tube of sickly, purple energy. Within it, was a beautiful woman with pale blue skin, glowing white eyes, and black hair that floated within the energy like eels. She was shrouded in black silky fabrics.
"Lucius… Can you feel it?"
"The shift in the barrier between realms?"
"Exactly."
Another voice, this one a younger woman, asked, "Is it time?" The owner was a woman of seemingly japanese descent. Her hair was tied in an intricate braid with a blue streak running down it. She wore a one-piece black combat suit. Holstered to her hips were dual blasters. "Are we making a move?"
"Finally!" An aggressive growl echoed in the chamber. From above, a figure fell and landed in a superhero landing. He had spiky blonde hair and deadly blue eyes. His combat suit was blood red with black accents. Attached to his back was a sword.
"Indra… Blaise…" Lucius politely greeted.
"The time is near," Juno told her disciples. "Very soon, I will generate a manifestation through the cracks in the barrier. It is time to mobilize. It is time to free ourselves."
"Yes, ma'am." Her servants bowed together.
Thank you for reading! I'd love the have you review your thoughts. It would mean a lot to me!
I have some face castings for some characters, and digital portraits done by a friend of mine for some others. I'll get them online so you can see how I picture them.
Face Castings:
Clark Thomason - Perry Madison
Daphne Thomason - Camille Hyde