In the suffocating, pitch-black void of the Nightmare Realm, Simon walked alone.
Suddenly, a chorus of disembodied voices echoed through the dark. Hahahahahahahahahaha.
Simon stopped, looking around the empty space.
"You were just a normal girl," a voice whispered, sounding like it was coming from inside his own helmet. "You were just a normal girl who wanted a normal life."
Simon clenched his fists and continued to walk.
"But Azathoth..." the realm hissed, the shadows swirling around him. "He ruined your life. He killed your parents. He enslaved you. He took away your gender, your mind, your identity. He took everything away from you."
Simon kept walking, his breathing heavy. Suddenly, a figure materialized in front of him.
It was a little girl. Serena.
She stared up at him with sad, hollow eyes. "We are nothing but objects to serve him," little Serena said softly. "He created us, and what can we do? Will he face justice? Will he suffer for what he has done to us? No. Open your eyes, Simon. This world is brutal."
Without a word, Simon pulled out a cold, steel pistol. He aimed it directly at the little girl and pulled the trigger.
Bang.
The bullet passed right through her, and the hallucination of Serena vanished into thin air.
Simon lowered the gun and continued to walk through the void. A few moments later, the shadows shifted again, and a towering figure stood blocking his path.
It was Luciferio.
The dragon-like entity looked down at Simon with a mocking grin. "How do you feel?" Luciferio taunted. "You know, you have such a sad life. And the worst part? After everything... after using you as nothing but a slave... Azathoth still doesn't look at you the way he looks at me."
"Shut up!" Simon roared. He lunged forward, throwing a vicious, super-powered punch directly at the dragon's face.
His fist hit nothing but shadow. Luciferio vanished, leaving Simon completely alone in the dark once again.
Back on Earth, it was late at night inside Astrax’s massive mansion. Despite the dozens of empty bedrooms in the house, the five Rangers were all asleep in the same room, huddled on a giant, custom-sized bed—a lingering habit from their years crammed together in the orphanage.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound cut through the silence. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Sophia’s eyes snapped open. She quickly sat up, rubbing her eyes in the dark.
"What is that sound?" she groaned, kicking the blankets. "Switch off your phone, come on."
She looked around the dim room and saw a red light flashing rapidly from the corner. It was Solara’s tracker watch.
Blinking red. Blinking red.
"Fuck," Sophia gasped, her heart jumping into her throat. "Simon is here."
She scrambled over the covers and violently tapped Ignis on the head. "Wake up! Wake up!"
Ignis's eyes snapped open. "What?"
"Simon is here!" Sophia whisper-shouted.
"What?!" Astrax groaned, half-asleep. "Still complaining about my house or what?"
"Simon is here," Ignis said, his voice deadly serious.
Astrax’s eyes shot wide open. "Lights on!" he commanded. The smart-lights in the room instantly flooded the space with bright light.
Taken from NovelPhoenix, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Solara groaned, shielding her eyes. "Why the noise?"
"Your watch is blinking red," Astrax said, sitting up and getting ready to summon his gem. "Is Simon here?"
Solara quickly grabbed her watch from the nightstand. She blinked, her tired eyes trying to focus on the holographic screen. She looked at Ignis, then at Sophia.
"Did any of you touch my watch?" Solara asked, her voice tight.
"No," Ignis said. "Did you, Sophia?"
"Come on, I did not!" Sophia defended.
From the other side of the massive bed, Tunde rolled over, pulling a pillow over his head. "The President might be spying on us through our tech. It's a government breach."
"Oh my god, shut up, Tunde," Solara snapped. "Just be quiet."
She stared down at the glowing holographic map on her watch, her face turning pale. "Fuck."
"What?" Ignis asked, tension rolling off his shoulders.
"Is something wrong?" Astrax asked, exchanging a worried look with Sophia.
"There is a massive spike in energy," Solara breathed, tracing the screen with her finger. "Across... everywhere."
"I don't get it," Ignis frowned.
"You can't get it," Solara said, projecting the map onto the wall so everyone could see. "There used to be one big red circle in this sector of the universe. Planet Luciferio. Look at it now. The circle broke apart. It became tiny dots, and they are spreading everywhere."
"That means... Simon?" Ignis asked.
"No," Solara shook her head, dread filling her voice. "It's that alien race again. But this time, they aren't just staying in their realm. They are spreading everywhere. To every planet."
Solara looked at Astrax. "Do you have a supercomputer? I need it to send a galactic distress signal! No, wait, it won't work... I don't have the tech built for that yet."
"Is Simon behind all of this?" Ignis asked, his mind racing.
"I don't know," Solara swallowed hard. "But our enemies are on the move. What if their plan is to cause chaos across the galaxy to lure us away from Earth?"
Sophia raised her hand slightly. "Look, I know I shouldn't be talking about strategy at a time like this, but—"
"Don't say that," Solara interrupted gently. "We need full team cooperation. You have an idea?" The source of this chapter is g.com.
Sophia smiled softly. "Thanks, Solara."
"Even though we don't really talk that much, you are still my family," Solara replied, offering a rare, genuine smile.
"I just wanted to ask," Sophia continued, "doesn't every planet have a military force that can fight against those aliens?"
"They might look weak to us because we have the gems," Solara explained, "but to normal beings, they are incredibly powerful. They can cause true chaos and destruction to any normal military."
"I am feeling sleepy. Goodnight," Tunde mumbled from under his pillow, fully laying back down.
Solara scowled at him.
Astrax watched Solara glare at Tunde and let out a small chuckle. "You look so cute when you are angry."
Solara’s face instantly flushed red. "What? No! He is sleeping while this is a serious matter!"
Ignis rubbed his temples, trying to focus the group. "Me, Sophia, and Astrax will handle those aliens in space. You two should stay here and keep the Earth safe."
Solara looked back at Astrax. "Do you have a computer yet?"
"I will buy one tomorrow," Astrax promised.
"Are we going now, or what?" Ignis asked, looking at the blinking map.
"We will get all the details tomorrow," Solara yawned, her adrenaline finally crashing. "I feel like sleeping. I am so tired." She laid back down and pulled the heavy blanket up to her chin.
"Yes, we will handle it tomorrow," Sophia agreed, settling back into the pillows.
Ignis laid down slowly, staring up at the ceiling. "Are you sure? Our enemies are not resting."
Solara glanced over at Astrax in the dimming light. "Thanks for calling me cute," she mumbled before closing her eyes.
Ignis lay completely still, his mind racing uncontrollably. We are not done dealing with Simon. We need to talk to Rose. What are the chances that the five of us from her tiny orphanage just got lucky? It was planned. And I feel like I know this girl called Serena, but I have no clue who she is. All of our parents died when we were children, and by luck, we got the gems? No. It’s all connected.
Sophia noticed his tense posture. She reached out under the blankets and held his hand tightly.
"Iggy," she whispered softly. "Go to sleep, Iggy. Don't overthink it. We will handle everything that comes for us. As a family. As a team."
She scooted closer, using her free hand to gently brush over his eyes, coaxing them shut. She patted his head affectionately. "Go to sleep."
In the dark expanse of the Nexus Realm, Azathoth sat upon his colossal throne.
The fake Astragel walked out from the shadows, her footsteps echoing in the silence. She bowed deeply.
"Master, your will has been done," she reported, her voice completely devoid of emotion. "I have sent every single one of them to different planets. I have assigned special generals to lead them. In case the Rangers come, the generals will kill them and bring their heads directly to you. Will that please you?"
Azathoth rested his chin on his hand, looking incredibly bored. "Only Luciferio can please me. You are not him."
He paused, a dark, terrible smile slowly forming on his face. "But... maybe after the world is in flames. After fire has consumed every planet... then, I will release the dragon."
Azathoth waved a dismissive hand. "Just continue with your plan. We will go slowly, but effectively. I can wait, as long as the outcome leads to death and suffering."
The fake Astragel bowed even lower. "Yes, Master. We will outnumber the Rangers, and it will lead to their absolute death. In the end, your will shall be done. We will win."