Streaks of Purple Saga Volume One - Heather Ray (phonics reader .txt) 📗

counter-swing with his own rod. A light film of sweat glistened on his forehead, and ice blue eyes narrowed with concentration as he expertly blocked another jab, and jumped over a low blow to the feet.

She frowned slightly, grunting as she thrust the rod forward once again. This time, she just missed his jaw, and was unable to prevent a sharp blow to her side from his staff.

She gasped sharply at the pain. It didn't hurt tremendously, but it did fuel her anger.

As the two sparred heatedly, a pair of dark eyes watched from the entrance to the training room. He leaned casually against the wall just beside the door, absently twirling his own practice baton.

He was so involved in the ballet before him that he didn't notice the arrival of his own sparring partner. But he wasn't quite watching both

combatants.

"Cherise's form has improved tremendously, hasn't it, Sener?"

The Black Ranger shrugged. "I always found her form the very essence of perfection."

Kazu smirked. "I meant her fighting

form, Sener."

"Oh," Sener stammered, blinking as if suddenly released from a spell. He grinned at his friend. "Of course. What else could you have meant?"

The former hunter chuckled as he strode past the Black Ranger toward the sparring duo. Cherise had managed to deliver a rather fierce blow, but it didn't prove as damaging as she would have liked.

"Cherise, you cannot mimic Zale's moves so diligently," Kazu advised, his voice breaking up the duel for a moment.

Cherise tried to catch her breath. "Why? Don't think... I can do it?"
Kazu's eyebrow rose. "It's not a matter of ability. It's a matter of nature."

Cherise's hazel eyes narrowed, and Kazu took a step back. "So it's because I'm a woman

that I can't match Zale?"

The Red Ranger grinned at the dispute, cautiously making some room between himself and his former opponent.

Just then, the entrance slid open again. Sener turned, and watched as Erol strode into the training room hesitantly. His eyes widened when he saw the expression on the Green Ranger's face.

"Are you all right, Erol?" he inquired.

Erol shrugged. "I'm fine. I was hoping Kreia would be here. I haven't seen her since last night."

Sener frowned thoughtfully. "I haven't either."

"Kreia was with Regita in his study this morning," Zale reported, stepping away from Cherise and Kazu. The Red Ranger gazed into the troubled eyes of his Green comrade. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Erol said quickly, "I just need to talk to her..."

Chapter Six

“…and so I called it, the Ascension.”

Kreia stood aghast at the very notion. “I don’t…believe it.”

Regita nodded, perfectly understanding her reaction. “I believe it was rage that triggered the transformation. Rage, coupled with a determination that transcends most people. Ghedaliah was a mostly peaceful man, but when the High Lord destroyed his family and friends, he became hollow. When Zordon died in that final battle, it was more than Ghedaliah could stand. He somehow…resolved

himself to victory. He delved into his soul, and manifested the Power in its raw form. I had never seen anything like it to this day.”

The former Purple Ranger closed his eyes as the memories played in his mind. Memories of the final battle, in which both Zordon and the High Lord were destroyed.

“Ghedaliah loved Zordon like a father. He was awed by his wisdom and selflessness. Ghedaliah wanted to emulate him, to make him proud. He had already suffered so much, only his will kept him standing. So when he saw Zordon fall like a broken doll, all the barriers were broken. Ghedaliah died, and only the Red Ranger remained.”

Regita opened his eyes, and met Kreia’s astonished eyes. “The Power he unleashed was…unfathomable. It disrupted the entire Morphin’ Grid. The other Core Rangers were stripped of their power completely, and an eerie whiteness blanketed his body. It was all we could do to run away. Thank the gods we made it out of the palace before Ghedaliah demolished it.
Kreia swallowed. “And he…died in that explosion.”

Regita nodded solemnly. “No human being should be able to manifest such power. Not even a Power Ranger.” He bowed his head in remorse. “We didn’t witness his death, but I am sure the Power exploded within

him, causing the destruction we found. When the dust settled, the six of us returned to the palace to find him. We found no trace of Ghedaliah…except his Power Coin.

“We were devastated to lose Ghedaliah. He was the strongest of us all. But, his death liberated Earth. The remaining servants of the High Lord fled after his defeat, terrified that a force even existed that could overthrow their god.”

“Why didn’t you even mention this Ascension before?” she inquired. “You told us about the battle against the High Lord, and you said that the Red Ranger sacrificed himself to destroy him, but…you never mentioned how.”

Regita nodded. “I didn’t want you to know about this ability. It is far too dangerous for a Ranger to try and utilize…for now.”

Kreia blinked. “Why now?”

“Because that is the ultimate goal of your training,” he revealed with a small smile. “If all goes well, you

will Ascend, Kreia. And your power will destroy Rita Repulsa and her servants once and for all.”

The Purple Ranger was thunderstruck. “What? Me? But…I’ll die…”

“No, you won’t. I have studied this phenomenon for decades, Kreia, and I feel I understand it. When a Ranger Ascends, he will himself to absorb the Power itself. However, the Power is like a poison…it kills in large doses, but if slowly acclimated to it, one can develop an immunity.”

“An immunity,” Kreia repeated.

Regita nodded excitedly. “Exactly. Together, we will hone your defensive skills magically, and make you invulnerable to the short-out Ghedaliah experience. You will be able to sustain the full power of the Ascension, and survive. And then the war will be won.”

He reached out, taking her hand. “So you see how practice is so essential?”

Kreia stared at his hands grasping hers, her mind mulling over the surprising information Regita had shared with her. After a long moment, she nodded slowly.

“Excellent,” Regita breathed, rising to his feet. “So let us continue our training with more durability exercises. I think the other Rangers are done with their bo-staff drills –“

Suddenly the shriek of the alarm claxons interrupted Regita’s train of thought. Both Purple Rangers automatically responded to the alarm, dashing to the Command Center with full urgency. Once there, they saw Linis and Alpha tinkering with the main console.

Regita glance up, and saw sparks flashing within the empty cylinder in the front of the chamber. “Alpha…” he breathed.

“Aye yi yi!” the android shrieked, filling the chamber with an echo of cheer, “I think I found him!”

Kreia folded her arms, her eyebrow arching as she hurried toward Linis. “Found who?”

The Blue Ranger shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know what’s

going on!” he sighed irritably, “Alpha and I were just running a basic system check when that device began beeping. Alpha hit the alarms right then.”

Kreia frowned deeply, gazing the device in question. She hadn’t noticed it before, but now it flashed with life. “And what is that thing?”

Linis shook his head. “It’s somewhat similar to a scanner, but…it doesn’t seem to scan physical

space. It’s…baffling.”

“What’s going on?” the Red Ranger demanded, as he and the rest of the
team raced into the Command Center.

“Is it Rita?” Cherise asked.

“No,” Alpha said, his voice a mixture of awe and excitement. “Sensors recognize the psi-pattern,” he explained. “We finally found Zordon!”

The entire assembly of Rangers gasped in absolute astonishment. Kazu was the first to recover from the surprise. “Zordon of Eltar?” he breathed.
“He was killed by the High Lord in the final battle!”

“Yes, that is what I have told you,” Regita admitted, facing his Rangers, “but that wasn’t the entire truth. “You see, Zordon’s body

was obliterated in the battle. But I witnessed just how Umbriel achieved that feat. I perceived Zordon’s consciousness…his soul

being torn from his body. But not in death.”

Erol frowned in confusion. “Then where did it go?”

Kreia’s eyes widened with insight. “Another Realm?”

Regita smiled at her deduction. “That was my assumption.”

“I…I don’t understand,” Linis admitted. Kazu, Zale, Cheris, Sener, and Erol nodded in agreement.

“Umbriel had an uncanny ability to step outside of reality, into dimensions beyond human perception. I felt Zordon fade, but not necessarily out of existence. Further research with the help of the Edenoids led me to conclude that Zordon could in fact have survived.

“We decided not to tell you this before because we weren’t sure whether Zordon was still alive,” Alpha explained. “We had no evidence, but Regita’s sensation was enough for King Lexion to send me here to help recover Zordon. Lexion designed this multiversal scanner to track Zordon’s unique psi-pattern, and establish a connection with his consciousness. That way, we can bring him back to this

reality.”

Regita smiled widenly, his eyes lighting up with hope as he turned his attention back to the large glass cylinder. “Shall we contact King Lexion, and make sure we’re doing this right?”

Alpha shook his head. “The King programmed me to efficiently find Zordon of Eltar’s consciousness, and establish a link with this Transdimension Cylinder. I am equipped with all the knowledge necessary to perform the task.”

“Then let us bring Zordon home. Alpha…proceed.”

Chapter Seven

He continued floating in the swirling void aimlessly, until he felt a sudden tug on his mind. Closing his eyes, he surrendered himself to the pull, and instantly felt the sensation of falling down a cliff.

He stopped falling with a jarring suddenness, and slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes widened when he perceived the interior of his Command Center, exactly as it appeared before.

"WHERE...?" he began, his words freezing as he reacted to the peculiar depth they seemed to have. His voice was oddly booming, considering he was always