At the head of the table sat Eztram. His thinly cut hair was wavy and silvery, with some remnant streaks of black, framing a face chiseled hard by decades of battle. The former commander was shorter than Pyrial, who was the shortest member of the last generation's Omni Ranger team, but his strong presence more than made up for that. Dark eyes, sprinkled with spots of gold that occasionally caught the light and shone, betrayed no emotion as, for what could well have been the hundredth time, he listened to their debriefing. Eztram wore a dark violet shirt made of some coarse and seemingly uncomfortable fabric, tucked into black pants held by a belt that contained a sheathed sword. The weapon that was the stuff of legend back when Omnis still existed. Called Cataclysm Vein, the stories said that it was the Lifeblade of the Starborn himself, and one of his descendents five thousands years ago sacrificed his life so that it would become a permanently-activated blade with no aging side effect.
Soleron sat at the foot of the table. He was solemn, his hands twisted together and placed unassumingly on the table before him. Since childhood Soleron had respected and admired his predecessor, and whenever in his presence Soleron assumed the mannerisms and conduct of an obedient little boy. The former Ranger's black hair hung loose, tied with the golden cord, and he had shed his long coat for the simple clothing of a dark red long-sleeved shirt and black pants. His Point Navigator and plasma blaster were sitting on the table but they were still in reach, while his icy blue eyes were trying too hard to look at Eztram at simultaneously avoid direct eye contact with him.
In the uncomfortable space between the two men, Seraide remained quiet and observant, deciding it best to watch and wait as arguably the best two tacticians alive today chose a course of action to take in these continuously trying times.
"I received a communique from Cecil Mercuric this morning," Soleron reported, glancing at the Point Navigator that still displayed the message. "Alpha Complex has fallen." When he had broken the news to her, earlier in the day, Seraide had been overcome with grief and cried uncontrollably. She remembered Soleron holding her in his strong arms as she tried to contemplate why everything dear to her in this universe had to be taken away. Her father Nyru, her mother Janoa, her innocence to become an Omni Ranger, her home planet Omnis, her brother Oriquin, her twin children who became Craig and Amber, her lover and mental equal Abner, and now the place she had lived and given birth in on Earth. "It appears Salodis was responsible for it and died in the aftermath. Bane was injured, but no one else."
Eztram nodded, rubbing one of his temples with his right hand, and concluded, "Then there is no doubt now. What remains of Rapture Hold is on Earth, and it must be being led by Corout."
A confused look from Laurasia said volumes about how complicated this situation truly was, and he struggled to piece enough together to say, "I still do not understand what their purpose is."
"They want to enter the Nexus," Seraide announced.
"What?" Eztram exclaimed, turning his head sharply to look at her. Underneath the table, Soleron kicked her hard in the shin, but she ignored the pain. It hurt nowhere near as much as keeping the truth from people she cared about.
Seraide swallowed and explained, "Soleron, Oriquin, Craig, and I know what Arcanza's goal was. He said, at the top of Digireign Spire, all the work he had done was to create the Nexus and create an army to take through it, and leave a path of destruction and suffering along the way."
"Absurd," Eztram countered instantly. "The Nexus is dead space."
"He called it 'a door to unending time and space' and said he wanted to find Infinity itself," replied Seraide. She brushed away some silver hairs that had fallen in front of her eyes during her speech.
Rubbing his jaw, Eztram considered the new information while staring blankly at Soleron, who was now ferociously avoiding eye contact now that his withholding of something of importance was revealed. "I do not doubt you, Princess," he said in a quiet, unnerving tone, "but it conflicts with the reason I believe the Rapture Legion exists. In my opinion, their ultimate desire is to bring the Eternal Demon back into our universe from the parallel dimension he was sealed inside three thousand years ago."
Talyserys opened his mouth to invoke the protection of the Lineage but, as he had grown notorious for doing lately, he stopped before he started. The Omnian priest had sworn fealty to Prince Hopwood, even before he was proclaimed the prince, and Craig had declared that religion dead. A man of his honor, Talyserys no longer considered himself a priest, but in his eyes Seraide could see he still believed. His pride and his faith weighed heavy on that mighty heart of his. "Maybe they want to do both," the former Green Ranger suggested. "Or maybe by doing one they are capable of doing the other."
"Possibly," Eztram allowed. "Although I have reason to believe there is an alternative pathway for bringing back the Demon. Just reason, mind you, no evidence."
"Anyhow," added Pyrial, frowning to himself and staring off into space as he thought back to their experiences of Meridian Eye VIII, "we've known all along their goal is to awaken their Trinity and seize control of the universe. Akai told me that much; they want pain and suffering to propagate throughout existence, and they want it enough that they're willing to kill—and die themselves—for it."
Laurasia exhaled nosily and threw her hands up in the air, exclaiming, "This is driving me crazy! What the hell do they want to do?"
"I have another piece of the puzzle that might help," Eztram answered her calmly as he stood and crossed the conference room in his cozy but lonely little home in the center of a forest of dead trees and dying animals. Outside, Seraide could hear a squirrel-like creature scratching at the windows; a while ago she would have taken pity on it and gotten up to throw some scraps of food outside, but with six mouths to feet inside their supplies had been consumed rather rapidly. Opening the drawer of his desk with a small key, Eztram produced a collection of papers, very aged and very brittle, and carried them like a fragile egg. Placing them on the table, he said with a smirk, "I am not the only person who has been hiding things until I decide whether you are enemies in disguise or not." The stab was directed at Soleron, but the recipient showed no emotion and made no attempt at defense or rebuttal.
Seraide gently touched the top page, which looked somewhat like a cover, and whispered in awe, "What is it? It looks so old."
"The journal of an Omnian priest who lived three thousand years," Eztram informed them as he returned to his seat and rest his own old bones. "Apparently, Rzodin was the first and only being to be corrupted by the Black Hole power before Arcanza. He fought side by side with the legendary White Ranger Kerith herself, and wrote some interesting theories and histories." Taking a drink from a glass of warm water, the elder ex-Ranger paused before continuing his explanation. "This journal was preserved in a place called Terra Memoria hidden and impenetrably sealed below Omnis Palace. High Lord Taerys and I theorized that Arcanza somehow discovered this place, broke its seal, killed Rzodin, took the Black Hole energy, and learned all the information that had been stored there. Apparently even holographic records of the Starborn himself were once contained inside Terra Memoria, but Rzodin never saw them, only heard about them secondhand from Kerith."
Talyserys eyed the journal like a viper. "And what does that say about Rapture Legions intentions, if it was written before its conception?"
"The Eternal Demon is prevented from returning to our universe as long as the three Seals of Hell remain intact," said Eztram, drawing three circles with his finger in a light layer of dust on the tabletop. "From what you have told me, and from what is written in those ancient papers, I think the Seal that young Craig broke after Arcanza was destroyed was one of those three."
"A voice from the past," mused Seraide, as she gently lifted the cover and began staring at the perfectly-written text and beautifully illustrated diagrams and sketches. Having thousands of years to work, Rzodin must have put in an incomprehendable amount of time into his efforts.
Soleron's eyes itched to move toward the journal, but he restrained himself and continued to act detached and forlorn. "Why didn't Arcanza just break the damn thing himself?" wondered Pyrial. "If they want the Demon back so bad..."
"I am not sure they can," Eztram answered. "I think they must be broken in ignorance to achieve the goal. The Starborn and the Tribe of Oryon were the first to break them, not knowing what they were for, and released the evil creature from his imprisonment. I fear Craig has done the same thing as they."
Clutching the edges of the wooden table hard enough to get splinters, Laurasia pleaded, "Then what are we hanging around here talking to one another for? We should be headed back to Earth to tell Prince Hopwood, or at least send a communique back to his friends to give him the message."
"I agree with your logic," Eztram answered with a smile. "But we do not even have to do that. One of the Seals is right here on New Omnis, inside Rapture Fortress. All we must do is seize control of that one and, as long as we keep it safe and intact, the Legion cannot resurrect its Demon."
Seraide corrected him, "Not a demon," without looking up from Rzodin's journal. "Here is a postulate that states Rzodin believes the thing we called the Eternal Demon is nothing more than a native creature of Omnis who has been soaking up stray energy on its way to Meridian-Omega since the Big Bang created the universe billions of years ago. Those eons of time gave this creature not only infinitely more powers than it could handle, but also complete mastery of this power, corrupting it so much to the point it became like an incarnation of evil."
Nodding his acknowledgement, Eztram added, "Imagine the catastrophe this universe would face against an opponent stronger and smarter than Arcanza could ever hope to be. That is what your ancient predecessors, using OmniTech, fought on a daily basis for three thousand years."
Pushing his chair back and standing up straight, Soleron closed his eyes and began emitting an aura of destabilizing tranquility. "Rapture Legion is trying to reach the Nexus, a doorway through space and time, because they want to travel through it and save Arcanza before he was incinerated by Starlight," he announced. "Then they are going to find someone, most likely Craig, to break the remaining two Seals for them, bringing the Eternal Demon back to life. With access to the Nexus and being led by the physical manifestation of evil, they will plunge reality into an age of darkness."
"Yes," Eztram replied.
"Over my dead body," growled Soleron, snatching his two weapons and turning toward the exit of Eztram's cottage. "Come with me, Rangers, we are storming Rapture Fortress."
Seraide and her friends stood to follow Soleron, but Eztram, remaining seated, challenged, "That is virtually suicide. Rapture Legion still exists here in small numbers, and they have firm control of both their Fortress and the capital city of Jyt, which is the only place on this planet the Fortress can be accessed from. They are being led by someone calling herself the Trinity Prophet, and without OmniTech powers to aid you this time, this is a fight we will need to use patience and discretion to win."
Waving forcefully, Soleron beckoned his teammates toward the cottage door and toward the other dead forest clearing where their ship Meridian Hope, reconstructed from the singed remains of Meridian Eye VIII, was waiting dormant. "Then we must liberate Jyt first," Soleron stated coldly, "before we storm Rapture Fortress."
Eztram sighed, and started rubbing his temples as the younger ex-Rangers filed out through the door. "Alright," Seraide heard him say as she stepping outside, "I will follow you in my Hypegon Shadow. Be careful, Soleron Naelra, the fate of the universe is in our hands now."
Four weeks later, as Balance Dawn rose, and the second moon was setting as the first sun was rising, the commanding Rapture Legion officers ruling the New Omnian capital city of Jyt were dead. An army of soldiers supplied by the real High Lady Feilia, who had emerged from exile to aid Soleron's efforts, systematically hunted down and destroyed the occupying forces. By Balance Dusk, when the second sun set and the third moon rose, Jyt was once again a city of freedom and prosperity.
"This is the underwater highway," Seraide announced happily, examining the large runway that began a mile before the ocean's edge and ended a mile out in the middle of the water, where an elevator then carried passengers below the water and into the network of tunnels below the waves.
Soleron, his fists clenched in anticipation, studied the design intensely. "We need a vehicle," he decided. "Perhaps Feilia will let us bor..."
"That is not necessary," Eztram interrupted him. Lifting a remote device, he activated it, and suddenly Hypegon Shadow, the tiny craft that could barely hold six cramped passengers, converted from a spaceship to a suitable planetary craft.
Blinking back surprise, Soleron took a deep breath, then turned to Seraide and ordered, "You and the others go with Eztram. I will meet you underwater."
"But..." she started to say, but a sharp glance from Soleron was all the silent warning she needed to withhold the rest of her comment. "Alright," she agreed.
The ride seemed to last forever. With Eztram driving, and Seraide in the passenger seat, with Pyrial, Laurasia, and Talyserys grumbling as they squeezed together in the back, she watched out the window in amazement. They drove out onto a road that seemed to be build entirely out of crystiglass, so to the naked eye it looked like they were moving over water. Eventually they reached the descending elevator that, when they parked on it, four walls emerged from the platform and a ceiling created itself above them. Inside the transparent cube, it began to move down, and the ex-Rangers openly gaped as they watched fish and dolphins and other marine life swim past. The sights below sea level were so serene she wished they never had to stop.
Eventually, however, the elevator stopped. The walls retracted, and Eztram drove Hypegon Shadow forward into the dark tunnels below the ocean. The road was lit by several high-powered lamps hanging from the ceiling of the tunnel and panels embedded in the sides and ground. "How far is the Fortress?" asked Pyrial.
"I am not exactly sure," Eztram answered. "I predict about one hour, though. I hope Soleron knows what he is doing."
"He does," Seraide defended him, and leaned back in her seat to rest.
About forty-five minutes later, Eztram announced, "We have company." Seraide glanced in one of the rear-view mirrors and saw a vehicle following them. It was rather large, with a capacity of about twelve or so people, and judging by her glimpse through the windshield it was completely full. Suddenly an arm came out of the side window, aimed a plasma blaster directly at her, and fired. The rear-view she was looking into shattered to pieces as the blast hit it.
"They're shooting us!" Pyrial exclaimed. "Get down!"
"I can't," grumbled Laurasia, elbowing Pyrial in the stomach. "Unless you sacrifice yourself and jump out," she added with amusement.
Eztram only needed to say, "Stop it," once and the two backseat jokers instantly reacquired their enhanced manners around the legendary commander. "I am worried because if they hit the fuel cell this ship will explode."
Frightened, Seraide turned around to watch through the rear window as more and more energy blasts were being fired, some striking Hypegon Shadow in various places, most missing and doing no damage or destroying a tunnel light.
Suddenly a motorcycle appeared alongside the large van, and Seraide began to worry that they were going to use the cycle to get closer for more accurate shots. The motorcycle's rider, however, aimed his plasma blaster at the pursuing vehicle's driver and fired two shot directly at his head. Two more shots took out the van's left side's wheels. Without a driver and with two flat tires, the Legionnaire carrier veered sharply to the right and crashed into the underground tunnel wall. It burst into a ball of fire, killing the other eleven Legionnaires and ending the threat behind them.
The motorcyclist sped up to drive alongside Eztram and removed his helmet with one hand. Soleron, his face solemn, long black hair being tossed by the speed he was traveling, nodded to his friends and master, then replaced his helmet and continued on alongside them.
"I told you so," Seraide said to Eztram, unable to contain an adoring smile.
Eztram frowned, shifting his eyes back and forth from the road in front of him to Soleron outside the side window. "Being cocky is not going to defeat the Trinity Prophet," he warned, "or the Eternal Demon."
The end of the tunnel did not impress Seraide near as much as the water highway or the submerged tunnels themselves, but she supposed it was meant to be as such. Before the Legion arrived and overthrew the inhabitants of what came to be known as the Fortress, it was a vertical city, with the workers living near the bottom and the rulers conducting their affairs at the top. Now the entire thing was decaying and decrepit, unmaintained and uncared for by its new people.
Eztram, Pyrial, Talyserys, Laurasia, and she emerged from Hypegon Shadow's automobile mode and stretched to get their blood flowing again. Talyserys was involuntarily breathing heavily, undoubtedly uncomfortable in this evil epicenter. Behind them by a minute, Soleron pulled his motorcycle up next to Seraide, shut it off, and jumped down, leaving his helmet and jacket hanging on the handlebars. "You were incredible," Seraide told him with a smile.
As hard as ever, Soleron took her hand, squeezed it tight, and turned to Eztram to begin discussing strategy. "I learned the Prophet's name," he informed them.
But, before he could say anything else, the giant doors connecting the underwater route to Rapture Fortress swung open. A small flood of seven Legion women and six Legion men flowed through, instantly positioning themselves in a circle around the intruders. Each one held a long stick with a dual blade strapped to one end, a primitive but still deadly weapon.
The final person to emerge from the Fortress was definitely the most ominous. Fiery red hair spilled down over a face more beautiful than not, reaching down far enough to be pushed over her shoulders and down near her breasts. She wore a black robe, slashed with random orange, violet, and silver stripes. In the same manner as Arcanza's eyes were clear crystal, the eyes on this mysterious figure were green crystals, reflecting the little light present and pulsing with intelligence. What caught Seraide's attention most, though, was the disc, about the size of an open hand, hanging from a cord around the woman's neck. It was the Seal they had come for, no doubt, a solid silver seal with the engraving of five human figures forming a circle around the center and sharing a single prism colored aura amongst themselves.
"Tyamat," Soleron hissed, "the Trinity Prophet!"
Tyamat bowed deeply, but her gaze never leaving her prisoners, and lifted her hands in what may or may not have been a calming gesture. "I know what happened with Akai," she said, amused, "so I know being surrounded by thirteen armed fighters is not exactly going to keep you contained."
"We know what you are after," Eztram told her fiercely.
Nodding, Tyamat suddenly lifted into the air, hovering about four feet over the solid floor below, and revealed, "Arcanza succeeded on Earth. The first Seal of Hell is broken. The return of our god is at hand. As Prophet, my words will come to pass."
Talyserys drew his Lifeblade and activated it instantly. Its bright green energy blade was accompanied by a soft hum. "Lord Oriquin utterly destroyed Arcanza on Earth. The other two Seals remain unbroken. Your Demon will stay captured in his own universe. As priest, my words are truth."
"Stop this," Soleron ordered sharply. "Talyserys, put your Lifebl..."
Tyamat pointed toward their group and said simply, "Kill them."
Without hesitation the Legionnaires moved in to follow through on the Trinity Prophet's orders and slaughter the former Rangers. Soleron pulled Seraide behind him and began firing shots at the closest targets, hitting one directly in the forehead and another in the hand, forcing her to drop her weapon. With deadly precision, Talyserys swept across the ground and cut down three Legion men before they had a chance to act. Pyrial, with his crystiglass-laced gloves, knocked out two of the women, then seized their spear-like weapons. Staying as close to him as possible, Laurasia knelt down and slid her warp knife into the throats of the unconscious to end their evil-dedicated lives painlessly.
A loud roar like thunder accompanied the removal of Cataclysm Vein from its sheath. It was a breathtaking sight: the long sword, an ordinary Lifeblade hilt attached to a solid red blade that millennia ago was condensed from raw energy, seemed to glow in the dimness of the battleground. In Eztram's hand it was the sight of a legend holding a legend. The elder swung at the one Legionnaire who had rushed him. As the blade connected with the man's flesh, his head exploded, showering Eztram in blood.
"Now you!" the old man screamed, rushing Tyamat. Cataclysm Vein thrust for her, but she floated out of its reach, laughing as she avoided death. Repeatedly Eztram attacked, seeking only to touch her with the blade, but Tyamat's skill at maneuvering and ability to fly kept her safe from harm.
Her skill was not enough, though, to prevent her from Soleron. Before she realized what had happened, Soleron had snuck up behind Tyamat, grabbed her under her armpits, and held her tightly in a locked position.
"You want to make me a martyr, I suppose," Tyamat giggled.
Eztram drew close, blood trickling down the sides of his wrinkled chiseled face, his dark eyes shimmering with the desire to end the Trinity Prophet's reign. He fought his dark urges, though, and struggled to return Cataclysm Vein to its sheath. "You are worth more to us alive," Eztram replied. "Soleron was always gifted at extracting information."
Taking his opportunity, Soleron let go and at the same instant grabbed Tyamat's necklace and pulled. With the Seal firmly in his possession, he pushed the Prophet away and returned to his place of comfort at Seraide's side.
Tyamat stumbled a step or two and then regained her footing. "How foolish of you," she growled in a low voice. "Behold my great dark magic!"
Suddenly both Eztram and Soleron screamed out in pain, Soleron falling to his knees and Eztram collapsing on the floor. A pool of blood was spreading out from the older commander's head. The younger's hands were pulling his own hair, his ocean blue eyes registering so much pain she was out of focus. "Sole!" Seraide screamed frantically, keeping one hand on his heart and rubbing his back with the other. "Sole!" Looking up at Tyamat, she demanded, "What are you doing?"
There was no chance to answer. Talyserys's Lifeblade arced out, and Tyamat's head was severed from her body in a heartbeat.
What followed was absolute chaos.
Three days later, at the debriefing, Seraide sat at the head of the table in Eztram's small cottage hidden in the dead forest. With one head propped up by her arm leaning on the table, she stared sadly at Talyserys as he spoke.
"I felt..." the priest tried to explain, struggling to find the right words. "It felt like a shadow of madness hanging over me. No, it was more like behind me. I could not control myself, and every part of my body and soul was commanding me to kill her."
"We tended to Eztram," Laurasia continued, motioning to include Pyrial in her part of the story. "He was still somewhat lucid, but we could see he was mortally wounded. Master Eztram then said to us, 'Seraide's boy will shape the future. His Lineage will guide him down a true path; give him this to light his way.' He gave us Cataclysm Vein, and his last words were 'Lineage shine on us all.'"
Pyrial nodded sadly and added, "I went up into Rapture Fortress itself and saw hundreds of Legionnaires jump into the ocean or commit suicide when they learned the Trinity Prophet was dead. The place was absolutely empty by the time I started coming back down. Later, when I talked to Feilia, she told me she plans to make it the capital of the new Legion-free world."
"Sole is awake," Seraide told them, and their relief was visible on their faces, "but I am afraid he is fully amnesiac."
"I'm sorry," Laurasia apologized.
Talyserys had regained his composure—at least, for now—and asked, "What about the Seal? Where is it hidden?"
"Inside Hypegon Shadow," Seraide answered softly. "I figured that, since he gave his life to acquire it, Eztram's spirit should be its protector as well." She reached out to touch the sheathed Cataclysm Vein resting on the table before her and smiled sadly. "When Soleron is well, we are going to deliver this to Craig, as per the Master's final request. Until then..."
Misunderstanding the trailing thought, Pyrial prompted, "Until then what?"
"We have a new home to start building," Seraide told him. She lifted her glass of fresh water in salute. "To our future."
The other Rangers toasted as well, "To our future!"
Original Publication Date: 23 January 2002
