Disclaimer: Power Rangers is owned by Hasbro, not I.

So I decided to write another story set within the Mythic Cycle. For those who are new, it's a self-made continuity of OC Ranger stories focusing on themes drawn from magic, folklore, and world mythology. The universe has grown over time to include the works of a few other authors here who I consider my good friends. This story is meant to be a tribute to all those series and to tie them together at least in a loose way.

I'll mention the related stories that all feed into this one at the end of the chapter, but I want to give a special thanks to Stormasius and ChibiDawn23 in particular for their help in planning this story as well as their continued advice and friendship. If you haven't done so already, check out their work because they're both great writers and even better people. That said, sit back, relax, and enjoy the story.

The Citadel was in complete chaos as William Sheppard sprinted down the narrow passageway into the large central hall of the fortress. The Skywarden's royal blue cloak fluttered behind him as he wove past a few columns of the marble arcade and into the center of the Romanesque style building carved of ancient stone. To his horror, he saw his only other path to escape was barred by more Pariahs at the front gate. The menacing creatures from the black realm of Stygia closed in like hungry predators with their freakish elongated arms, sharp claws, and the disc shaped faceplates that masked their hideous features. Upon those foot soldiers' helms glowed a familiar demon sigil… one of Cambion origin.

William skidded to a halt and panted as his mind worked furiously to think of another plan. By now, the other members of his wizard order had been slaughtered and he was likely the only one left. All he knew was that he had to protect the parcel that his master had entrusted to him. He gripped a leather satchel in one hand while waving a straight sword in the other to ward off his foes. He called out an incantation and the blade flared to life with crackling electricity that lit up the hall, "Light from the heavens! Shattering the seas and skies! Storm Seeker, release and dispel!"

The air rippled with arcane power as the warden slashed his sword and created a great thunderclap. A bolt of searing lightning ripped through the horde of Pariahs and incinerated several of them to give the warden a little more breathing room. As the light faded, Will's plain sword had transfigured itself into a new form, that of a katana glowing with bright blue light. Several of the shadow-beasts recoiled from the light and snarled in fury at the Skywarden's defiant stand. Those that were foolish enough to lunge at him were quickly cut down with a few practiced sword strokes.

Will gripped his blade and tensed his muscles to prepare for a new attack when when he was surprised to hear the sound of applause. He turned and saw some of the Pariahs back off and make way for a figure clad in long dark robes outfitted with assorted pieces of jagged armor. The newcomer wore a horned helm that looked to be of vaguely draconic design that obscured his face. He clapped his hands in a mocking manner, "Very impressive Warden Sheppard. You never did care much for fighting, but I see you have it in you after all. Master Alvarez was right to be very proud of you."

"He would be more ashamed he ever taught a traitor like you, Damon!" Will spat back venomously as his sword crackled angrily with lightning.

"Damon Kincaid is dead," the dark warrior snorted as he calmly ambled forward through the Stygian troops around him. "I am General Noctis now."

The malevolent knight eyed his former classmate and comrade with a mixture of amusement and derision. William Sheppard was a man in his early thirties with handsome patrician features, short black hair, and striking blue eyes. Noctis had always hated Will for being a model Skywarden: studious, disciplined, and honorable to fault. Ever since they had joined the order, Damon had considered him his rival and that festering animosity was on full display here.

"Spare me any more righteous indignation Sheppard. You should be lucky I'm even letting you live right now," Noctis sighed.

Will scoffed sarcastically, "How generous of you. I think this is the first time you've ever shown me such a courtesy."

"I think it's time you do us all a favor and hand over those morphers," Noctis retorted.

"You know I can't do that... Damon," Will answered in defiance.

Noctis growled at the taunt and reached to draw his own blade but he stopped when he heard a sinister laugh quietly echoing in the hall. It sounded like it came from a woman as a tall figure emerged from the murky shadows. The Pariahs backed away in reverence and began to cower while the ambient light of the hall grew dimmer. In the wake of the shadowy gloom, a tall woman materialized and glided forward slowly. She was adorned in a flowing black gown that trailed away into the darkness and she carried herself with a regal air. Her skin was a pale marble white and her thin build had an almost skeletal quality to it. While her figure still possessed a sinister allure, there were equally monstrous aspects to her appearance. Her arms were elongated, stretching into menacing claws that were covered in blackness. Upon the regal witch's head was an elaborate ornamental headpiece shaped into a metal disk with jagged radiating blades forming a sinister mockery of a sun motif. The headpiece covered her features halfway down her face leaving her sallow ghoulish lips exposed and they curled into a sadistic smile.

"Enough Noctis. If your friend was wise, he may yet join us. What say you, Skywarden? Surrender to me."

Will paused and felt the air ripple with a powerful psychic energy. It tugged at his will as the words washed over him and for a brief moment, the Skywarden felt his own resolve begin to falter as he questioned himself. He fought through the disorienting psychic effects of her demonic magic and he shook it off, "Forget it Shemhazai. I don't know what rock you crawled out of or how you even got back here, but if you want these morphers, you'll have to kill me first."

The demon sorceress gave a sardonic sniff, "Impressive willpower... for a mortal. If that is your wish, then so be it."

Before she could signal her Pariah shadow-beasts to tear him apart, Will gathered all the remaining light he could into his blade and used it to open an escape portal. At the moment, the only place he could think of fleeing to was home and the one safe place that remained. Noctis drew his sword and shouted out in frustration as he saw the blue cloaked Skywarden escape, "No! Damn you, Sheppard!"

"Stay your blade General," Shemhazai said calmly.

"But the morphers!" Noctis insisted, "He might find a way to use those weapons against you."

"Weapons that are yet untested," Shemhazai replied as she turned and began to walk up the Great Hall, "For now, we've accomplished our goal. Destroying the Skywardens and seizing the Citadel."

Noctis took a moment to look around at the former headquarters of his wizard order. The extra-dimensional fortress had been a bulwark against dark forces for centuries and because of his treachery, the Citadel had fallen in less than an hour. Perhaps he should have felt some sort of remorse or sentimentality... but he didn't. Not anymore. He turned back the Shemhazai, "My Queen?"

"From here we can work on opening the gate to our true goal, Confluence... the Heart of the Worlds," Shemhazai smiled as she neared window and looked out on the dying orange light of twilight setting in outside, "In the mean time, I will let you worry about dealing with that last pesky Skywarden. I trust you can handle that task, General?"

Noctis gave a dark wolfish grin as he prepared himself for a hunt, "It will be my pleasure."

Elsewhere, the same orange twilight hung over the skies as Alex Everett stood along the edges of a riverbank and watched the sun setting in the distance. He had made his way down the trail of one of his town's many forest preserves. This trail in particular was one of his favorites to hike as it followed the course of the winding river which hooked around the edge of town and gave it its name of Riverbrook. As Alex stood and listened to the gentle sounds of rippling waters, he noticed the warm balmy air had already cooled. It was nearing the end of August and summer would be over soon. He gave a deep sigh and lamented the end of vacation as school would be starting again.

Of course it wasn't all bad. There was a lot to do and plenty of fun left to be had... yet the dying sun in the sky couldn't help but remind Alex of one fact. High school wouldn't last forever and the start of junior year would mark the time to get serious. Things like colleges, entrance exams, careers, and futures would have to be considered. He hadn't expected to have such a sobering thought while out on his evening walk, but there was a melancholic beauty in the way the light of the early evening sun glittered on the waters right now and the people of the town had always been very attuned to the mood of the river.

Alex took another moment to breathe in the warm summer air when he froze and heard some rustling nearby. He turned quickly toward some bushes at the edge of the trail and was surprised to see a girl there. She looked to be about his age though he didn't recognize her from school. She wore a plain yellow t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts and despite her simple fashion style, she was kinda cute in a girl-next-door kinda way. The girl adjusted the glasses she wore on her nose and hurriedly brushed aside some of her blonde hair, "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I can be such a klutz sometimes. I really didn't mean to startle you just now. I promise I'm not some weirdo who was trying to stalk you and..."

"Whoah... hey, slow down," Alex replied with a bemused chuckle, "It's okay. No harm done... really."

The girl gave a sigh of relief and returned the smile with a slightly nervous laugh, "Oh good. I didn't want to get off on the wrong foot and make everyone around town think, Oh look, there goes the crazy new girl, hehe."

"Err... right," Alex answered as he raised an eyebrow and tried to get a read on this person. She seemed friendly enough... if a little awkward, "You said you're new around here?"

"Yeah, my family just moved here from Wisconsin a couple weeks ago," she said before giving herself a light smack on the head and thrusting her hand forward, "Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Julia Walker."

"Alex Everrett. Nice to meet you," he said taking her hand and shaking it, "And I guess, welcome to Riverbrook."

"Thanks," she said as she hesitantly walked over to join him at the riverbank, "I will say this. It's a beautiful little town, all nestled away in the forest preserves. And here I thought the all the suburbs of Chicago were going to be noisy, dirty, and crowded... oh, err, no offense or anything."

Alex smiled gently, "None taken... but the towns here aren't all that bad. I guess you just have to go find the beauty where you can, even if it's in unexpected places."

Julia blinked at him and now it was Alex's turn to fumble a little. He hadn't intended to suggest anything or give this girl the wrong idea either, "Or... at least that's what my English teacher Mr. Sheppard taught me."

"Ah..." Julia nodded as she looked out over the river, "So I'm guessing that's what you're doing right now? Finding the beauty out here?"

Alex shrugged, "Something like that, I guess. School is starting up tomorrow so I guess I just had a lot on my mind. I figured I'd go on a little walk tonight, you know?"

"Tell me about it," Julia sighed, "I'm still trying to find my way around all the trees and winding roads of this town. Wouldn't it have been something if I missed my first day of class tomorrow because I got lost?"

Alex looked at her for a long moment before crossing his arms, "I'm guessing you need a guide... because you're lost right now?"

"If you don't mind," she answered sheepishly.

Alex shrugged and began to head back toward town. If he was going to have a new (odd) classmate come tomorrow, at least he wanted her to be a friendly one, "Aright. Come with me. I'll walk you home."

Further up the riverwalk, Jung Eun-Kye pedaled his blue bicycle toward town. This wasn't the particular type of cruising he was hoping for, but it would have to do while his motorcycle was being fixed up the local auto shop. Admittedly this was still a nice change of pace from what he was used to back home in Seoul. He had been eager to get on his bike and take a ride into the city of Chicago to see the sights and experience what things in a big American city were like, especially before his first day of American school too. For now at least, a nice bike ride though the suburbs would have to do. He was enjoying the hues of the pretty skies above, the feel of the summer air though his perfectly styled dark brown hair, and the colorful locals as a figure in a dark blue cloak sprinted across the trail... followed by a pack of monstrous creatures? Jung gasped in alarm and slammed the brakes, only to crash into one of the shadowbeasts.

The Pariah was staggered as Jung flew off his bike and landed hard on the grassy parkway nearby. He rolled through the crash and was fortunate to have not suffered any major injury. He simply lay on the ground with the wind knocked out of him. For a moment, the other shadowbeasts turned and reared up on the helpless teenager who was still dazed on the ground. Jung rolled over and stared with a mixture of fear and awe at the monstrous humanoid creatures who stalked forward. He couldn't see their faces at all, but if the low sounds of their growls were any indication, they were not friendly creatures at all. The man in the blue cloak stopped and whirled around when he saw Jung was in trouble. The Skywarden muttered a low curse to himself and sprinted back toward the fray. Jung continued to stare in wonder as the man with short dark hair and blue eyes seemed to pull a sword of light out of nowhere and slash aside one of the monsters to get to his side. Jung was hauled up quickly by the arm as the wizard fixed him with a tense look, "You alright kid? Get out of here, now!"

Jung simply stammered a reply and jumped when several of the creatures charged forward and tried to gangpile the man who saved him. What the hell was going on here? Amid the tussle, Jung saw the man drop a satchel while three objects tumbled out from a tear in the side of it. Jung picked one of the artifacts up and saw that it was a circular object made of gold. It looked like some sort of compass with rings of arcane runes etched into it and a blue gemstone fixed at its center. Just then, he spotted two more figures coming down the road, except these weren't monsters. He spotted a young man and woman about his age, a blonde girl in yellow and a dirty blonde boy wearing khaki shorts and a red open faced button up over a white t-shirt.

Alex halted and stared at the freakish scene unfolding in front of them while Julia took one look at the Pariah shadow monsters and yelped in fear as she grabbed her new friend's arm, "What's happening? What... are those things?"

"I don't know, but those guys are in trouble," Alex said trying to shake off the fear that was gripping his heart, "We have to do something."

Julia blinked in surprise, "What? Are you insane? Look at those things!"

She was probably right, but there was strength in numbers too. If they didn't try something now, those monsters would keep rampaging across the town and hurting others. Alex broke free and picked up a large tree branch that had fallen nearby. He took his improvised club and sprinted forward to help causing Julia to throw up her arms and reluctantly follow behind hoping she wouldn't have to drag anyone's bloody carcasses back to town. Jung watched as the boy in the red shirt threw his shoulder into one of the Pariahs like some football linebacker before he bashed aside another one that was clawing at the cloaked man. Alex gasped as he saw his club had broken on impact and hurried to help the man up. He froze when he saw the cloaked man's face and recognized him as a teacher from his school, "Mr. Sheppard? Are you okay?"

Will Sheppard stared in alarm at his student before grabbing him and whirling him around to dodge an enemy attack. Will parried aside one of the Pariah's claws and struck back in a riposte, swiftly cutting it down with his blade. "What are you doing here Alex?"

"What the... what are those things? And is that a freaking sword?"

The Skywarden ignited his blade with lightning energy and leveled it at the Pariahs in warning, "This isn't the time or place! You have to get out of here now!"

He growled as he saw the three fearful young people gather around him for protection while the monstrous foot soldiers closed in around them. Julia whimpered, "What do they want?"

"No idea. Maybe it has to do with these things?" Jung asked as he tossed her the yellow compass and Alex the red one.

Will's eyes went wide in alarm, "What are you doing? Don't touch those! You don't know what those are..."

It was too late. Whether it was the curiosity or the desperation of the three teenagers that took hold, he couldn't be sure. They flipped open the artifacts and the morphers began to resonate before detonating into a brilliant nimbus of colorful light.

A/N: For any and all who are curious about further reading, here are is the list of authors and stories who are connected and contributing to the lore of this PR metaseries.

My works: Vanguard, Oceania, Hibernian Knights, Advent Horizon

Stormasius: Mythos, Occult Circle

Blackvvater: Kamen Rider Page

Chibi Dawn23: Power Rangers Storm Surge

PR: Infinity Faceclaim/Casting

Alex Everett: Kevin Quinn

Jung Eun Kye: Cha Eun-woo

Julia Walker: Sophia Anne Caruso

Will Sheppard: David Giuntoli

Kara Bishop: Tabrett Bethell