Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by Heather Ray (early reader chapter books TXT) 📖

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Her unsteady voice fell into a faint whisper. "I cannot believe that, after all my hard work in searching, my Chosen had to die such a pointless, idle death. I simply cannot believe it."

Thanatos blinked, those words resounding in his mind. That sentiment passed through my own mind when I saw it happen. The circumstances of Tommy's death were nigh impossible. Almost... manufactured...

New resolve building, Thanatos lowered himself to one knee beside the overwhelmed Huntress, who continued to stare blankly at the orb that showed her the fate of her Chosen. Thanatos gingerly touched her face, and lifted her chin so he could meet her blank gaze.

"Castimonia," he said gently, "perhaps... all isn't lost yet."

Castimonia's gaze focused, and she looked at Thanatos in puzzlement. "But... he is dead..."

"True, yet if his death were caused by the Evil, as I suspect it was, then a rule has been broken, and that means we can undo it!"

Castimonia's face wrinkled in confusion. "What makes you think his death was caused by the forces of Corruption?"

Thanatos took his hand from under Castimonia's chin, and held it palm up once again. The sphere, which lay on the floor, leapt at his command, and hovered above his palm again. The black mists swirled, and again, the circumstances of Tommy's death were displayed. This time, as Castimonia watched, Thanatos brought out several oddities.

"Tommy said Billy told him to meet with him atop the cliff at the Power Chamber, yet he couldn't teleport. However, we both know very few events could disrupt the Power Chamber's teleportation relays. Also, the sky was perfectly clear, yet a cloud passed over the Moon, making the sky almost pitch black. Then, there was an avalanche, yet there was no apparent cause for it. And, why did Tommy's vehicle skid out of control? The streets were perfectly free from ice or rain, and he wasn't moving at a very fast speed. And finally, why weren't the iron gates sufficient in keeping the vehicle on the road? After all, that is what they were designed for. I suspect he was murdered."

Castimonia's grief stricken eyes narrowed with newborn fury. "You're right, Thanatos. This entire situation smells of trickery." Then, her expression softened slightly, and her resolve weakened. "Yet, it could have been anyone. Tommy has made a great many powerful enemies during his stint as a Power Ranger. It could have been a trap constructed by Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, Mastervile, or the Machine Empire. If this is the case, we still cannot interfere, for although they are evil, they are not servants of the Evil with which we are contending."

"We can still manipulate events in our favor," Thanatos said, rising to his feet. He offered his hand to Castimonia, and helped her stand as well. "I shall send you back in time."

Castimonia blinked in shock. "What?! You have never done that before!"

Thanatos waived the comment aside. "I am the Servon of Time, as well as Death. As such, I am free to navigate the rivers of existence, so long as there is reason for it. I think this situation calls for drastic action, agreed?"

Castimonia nodded slightly in response. "But, the rules..."

"If you are careful, you won't be breaking any of the rules of the Conflict. However, you will not be able to directly interfere on Tommy's behalf. That is strictly against the rules."

A knowing smile stretched across Castimonia's pale face. "I know how to save him, without fighting on his behalf. Please, send me now."

Thanatos nodded, and stepped back several paces. He held his palms together, both sparking with a murky form of electrical energy. Then, he drew his hands apart slowly, leaving a tear of space-time between his hands. Finally, once the tear was about four feet wide, he disconnected his hands from it, and clasped the top and bottom edges. Then, he stretched it lengthwise, until it was about seven feet in height. The edges of the tear still sparked with energy and wobbled slightly. Within the tear was a black void, seemingly endless and daunting.

"Once you are through, I shall maintain the tear for one hour," Thanatos explained, "Then, you must return through it."

"To what date are you sending me?"

"Exactly twenty-four hours before Tommy's accident."

Castimonia nodded, slowly approaching the portal. As something of an afterthought, she glanced back to the hovering sphere, and beckoned it approach her. She caught it as it sailed through the air, and gazed at it for a moment.

"This will prove useful," she decided, cradling the Death Orb in her hand. She then smiled gratefully at Thanatos, and stepped through.
Chapter Five

Something akin to hurricane winds slammed into Castimonia's body, hurling her through the black void quite roughly. Still, although she was certain she had the strength to fight against the current, she instead went limp, allowing the winds to pull her through the strange nothingness. Finally, she saw a faint light in the distance. The winds kept pushing her forward, until she sailed ungracefully through the opening. She gasped quietly when she found herself within the dreary palace of Pluto once again, and managed to catch herself before she collided with the cold marble wall.

A breath of relief escaping her, Castimonia gently lowered herself to the ground, and absently straightened her dress. She then glanced up, and locked eyes with a calm and collected Thanatos, sitting idly upon his throne.

"So how was your voyage through time, Castimonia?" he asked, rising to his feet.

Castimonia was dumfounded by the question. "How did you --?"

Thanatos smiled in amusement, a rare twinkle in his navy eyes. "As Servon of Time, I exist at all times. It is a little difficult to explain, but that is part of my role."

Castimonia accepted this explanation for what it was. She wasn't particularly interested in the workings of Time, which were quite simply not her field of expertise.

"I must go," she said her bright form vanishing from the dark lair, "I shall return in one hour, so I can go back to my time."

Thanatos remained seated, and kept his eyes on Castimonia. After a handful of milliseconds, all that was left of the fair Servon of Purity was a dimming ripple of silvery white light.

Chapter Six

Saturday, February 8, 1997

A strange whisper in her dreams roused the young woman from her blissful sleep. Her eyes opened in alarm, yet she saw nothing else but darkness. Confused, she glanced at the bright alarm clock beside her bed.

Two a.m.

she thought, the heaviness of her eyelids returning, and I have a six o'clock practice tomorrow morning...

"You cannot return to your slumber," the voice said again, this time while the young woman was still conscious. She startled, sitting straight up and peering into the darkness. She reached for the lamp, yet hesitated when she thought of waking her roommate.

"Who's there?" she finally responded, sliding off her bed. Yet, as soon as her bare feet touched the carpet of her apartment, the darkness surrounding her rippled, fading away into a flash of white and silver light. She gasped in shock, and her breath caught in her throat as the light faded, only to be replaced by a large chamber, with elegant white and silver marble creating the walls and floor. Stunned, she lost her partial balance completely, and fell upon the soft carpeted floor clumsily. After a few moments, she regained her senses and rose to her feet. She spun around on her heels, her exhaustion from a hard day's practice melting away completely as her confusion and fear escalated. She barely registered the large canopy bed, furry white carpeting, or the vanity and other elegant white and silver furnishings. Her sweeping gaze halted when her sights fell upon the balcony, which was only a handful of feet from her.

Her mouth hanging open, she slowly approached the balcony, her eyes wide with shock and awe. Hanging in the flawless blanket of the night sky was a large blue orb, with wisps of white and patches of blues and greens.

"Earth?" she whispered in a barely audible voice. She tightened her eyes closed, and shook her head fervently, determined to clear her mind and wake herself from this bizarre dream. Yet when she opened her eyes, she was once again feasted to the incredible display of the Earth, glittering like a gemstone in the deep blackness of outer space.

"Yes," said the same voice she heard in her apartment, "that is the Earth. And it is in terrible danger, Kimberly Hart."

Kim whirled around in surprise, and stared at the source of the voice. She looked human enough, except for the strange manner of dress, ethereal glow surrounding her body, and the deep, powerful glint of her eyes, that spoke of wisdom and knowledge far beyond her apparent years, which were comparable to Kimberly's own.

"Who are you?" Kim demanded, albeit rather weakly, "And why's Earth in danger?"

"I am Castimonia, Servon of Purity," the blonde woman explained, "and the Earth is threatened by an alien threat unlike anything you have experienced as the Pink Ranger."

Kim blinked in astonishment. "...what?"

Castimonia smiled gently. "You see, I am one of the Servons, who are a species of powerful aliens pledged to protect the Earth, which is universally situated as the greatest focus of magical energy in all of existence. Our desire is to make sure this great well of power does not fall into the hands of Corruption. Out of all the Servons, it is my responsibility to protect Purity, the opposite of Corruption and Pollution. Therefore, I am the one left to protect Earth, and prepare for the Conflict. However, because it isn't the fate of my own species primarily involved, but that of humanity, it was decided long ago that the Conflict would be decided by human warriors. Therefore, I created the Zeo Crystal, which could only be won by an individual of the utmost purity. The one who found the Zeo Crystal would be the Champion of Purity, my Chosen."

Kimberly blinked,