"Sins of the Past": The Writer's Cut

NOTE: As the title suggest, this is a somewhat-alternate retelling of my final We Are Our Avatars arc, "Sins of the Past", including several missed bits and things that could have been.

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Chapter 1: A Wedding and a Death

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In Mariner Bay, California, there was a small church. Inside, a wedding would soon take place. The church was decorated with the typical wedding stuff, including a red unity candle.

After a few years of dating, Catherine Grayson, the silver-haired, seemingly immortal ex-Red Lightspeed Ranger, and her fiancee, Kotohime, were getting married. The former had her entire family and her friends, the Lightspeed Rangers--Chad Lee, Joel Rawlings, Kelsey Winslow, Dana Mitchell, and Captain Ryan Mitchell--as the wedding party.

Clad in a white wedding gown--strapless, but isn't revealing her cleavage, with a decorative pearl arrangement--and wearing a silver tiara with a veil attached, Catherine waited to walk down the aisle. She was nervous as she clutched her bouquet.

This is it, she thought. The big day...the day where I'll finally marry the woman I love.

As soon as the Wedding March is played, Catherine walked down the aisle, gradually composing herself. Her family, friends, and ordinary citizens watched the bride.

There's my mother...she's so happy, Catherine's oldest child, Michael Grayson, thought. He nodded approvingly at his mother.

Go get 'em, Mom, Victoria Grayson, Michael's twin sister, also thought. She grinned over how well the wedding was going so far.

Damn, never thought that the day would come... Rika Grayson, the adopted daughter and former fangirl back when Catherine was Carter, thought as well. She remembered those days when she fell in love, or so she thought. But that was all in the past.

Andreus, Victoria's son and a water-themed demigod, wiped a tear that was falling down his face. He rarely spoke unless if the family ever needed him.

As soon as Catherine finished walking down the aisle and towards the altar, there stood Kotohime. She was clad in a beautiful kimono that had a rich purple color, and she had a golden wedding crown on her head. Her red hair was loose, streaming down her back. Unlike Catherine, Kotohime had no friends or family to invite, as her family passed away and her friends perished in an apocalyptic event that befell her Gensokyo.

Kotohime smiled at Catherine. "You look beautiful, Catherine," she complimented, sporting a brilliant smile.

Upon hearing her soon-to-be wife, and overwhelmed by the happy events that were happening right before her eyes, Catherine choked up. She was about to cry happy tears, but she composed herself once again.

"T-thank you," she said. "As do you."

Officiating the wedding was none other than the former mentor for the Lightspeed Rangers, William Mitchell. Beaming with happiness, he started the wedding.

"Everyone, ladies and gentlemen," he began, "we are gathered here today to join these two in holy matrimony..."

The wedding went on and on, and it almost seemed a blur for Catherine, because she was so in love. Then the vows were about to be made.

"...Catherine Adrianne Grayson," William spoke, looking at Catherine. "Will you take Kotohime to be your lawfully wedded partner, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I already know the answer, Sir," Catherine replied strongly. "I do."

William turned to Kotohime. "Kotohime. Will you take Catherine to be your lawfully wedded partner, for as long as you both shall live?" he asked.

"I do," Kotohime answered with a smile.

After the exchanging of vows and rings, among other events, the wedding ceremony was almost done.

"Then if there's anyone who doesn't object to the union..." William announced. There was complete silence, and he continued. "Then by the power invested in me and the state of California, I pronounce you everlasting partners in love. Catherine, Kotohime, you may kiss!"

As everyone in the wedding cheered them on, Catherine and Kotohime kissed each other. Indeed, it seemed like the perfect wedding. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

"HALT!" commanded a booming, dark voice.

Seconds later, a very strong surge of magical power occurred in the church. A massive pillar of destructive energy pierced the roof of the church, and it blasted the nearby guests and pillars. Everyone looked at the middle of the aisle, and there stood a tall, demonic figure.

The figure was nothing that anyone, including the Lightspeed Rangers, had ever seen before. He resembled a fallen angel, and sparks of dark magic coursed through his entire body. The demon looked at the wedding party and the married couple.

"Your days of happiness ends here, Grayson!" the demon roared, and with a wave of his hand, the church's roof was blown off. The citizens started to scream and run for safety, and all the Lightspeed Rangers, Alyx Grayson (Catherine's Other), and Michael helped them.

Catherine was stunned. Just when everything was going right, chaos occurred. William, weakened by the pillar's attack, stared at the demon.

Who is that...? William thought, and he passed out.

Catherine immediately came back to her senses, and she looked at the demon, preparing her Ebony Sword of Devouring.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" she asked. Her heart was racing...

"My name is Golomois. Remember it well, because I shall be the one to exact revenge upon the Grayson family," the demon stated.

As soon as he introduced himself, Golomois summoned a dark greatsword, wreathed in blue fire. He was ready to fight. "I shall see your blood spilled, Grayson, and the blood of your family, friends as well as that...of your lover!"

Golomois wasted no time to attack, bringing down his massive sword, and it unleashed a powerful wave of dark magic. It was heading right towards Kotohime, who was trying to defend herself with a magical shield. Unfortunately, it failed: the wave broke the shield, and Kotohime was sent flying and hitting the wall hard.

"KOTOHIME!" Catherine shrieked, and she ran to her wife. "Are you all right?!"

The silver-haired young woman tried to heal her wife, and Dana--after making sure that the citizens were safe--quickly joined her. The Pink Lightspeed Ranger decided to put her doctor skills to the test as she assisted in the healing process.

Meanwhile, the Lightspeed Rangers and the remaining members of Catherine's family joined forces. The brunette Victoria cracked her knuckles, glaring at Golomois.

"Dude. I don't know who you are or why you're even here, but you have no fucking business to disrupt the wedding," she argued. She prepared her Rescue Morpher, and she looked at the group. "Guys...let's show the asshole the fucking door. Ready?!"

"READY!" the group shouted back, and Chad, Joel, Alyx, and Kelsey stood behind Victoria.

"LIGHTSPEED! RESCUE!" the five Rangers cried out.

"TITANIUM POWER!" Ryan shouted.

"LUNARA, TRANSFORM!" Michael called.

Victoria, Chad, Joel, Alyx, and Kelsey morphed into the Lightspeed Rangers; Ryan morphed into the Titanium Ranger, and Michael transformed into the Lunara Knight. As for Rika and Andreus, the former prepared her iPod, and the latter armed himself with water-based attacks.

Golomois sneered at the heroes. "Come, allies of the accursed Graysons!" he roared. "I shall kill you here!"

With that, a crack appeared in the floor, the only warning the group would receive. Then, magical tendrils erupted to strike at everyone. The stone walls started to melt, and a bench was scorched to ashes after one tendril touched it.

"Okay, fucking seriously, tendrils?" Victoria scoffed, clearly not amused.

"Victoria, this is no time to be condescending!" Michael warned. He knew that at times, his sister could be snarky in battle. But this was serious now.

"...okay, why the hell are they calling us 'accursed'? Seriously, what did we do wrong?" a confused Rika questioned, and she started to try to find a perfect song in order to cause confusion. Meanwhile, the Rangers started to shoot at the tendrils while Andreus tried to put out the fire with his water attacks.

Back with Catherine, Dana, and Kotohime, the ex-Red Ranger was thinking of a strategy. One that would, hopefully, not lead to more violence than necessary.

If I can figure out why he wants to attack us, maybe...maybe...he'll leave. Time to try diplomacy, Catherine thought. She turned to Dana and ordered, "Dana, stay by Kotohime's side! Shoot down any tendrils that may attack you!"

"Right!" said Dana, and she took out her morpher. "LIGHTSPEED! RESCUE!" To be sure, she morphed into the Pink Lightspeed Ranger, and she, too, started to shoot the tendrils.

Catherine attempted to clear a path to Golomois by doing a backflip and use Thunderbolt against any tendrils that would try to attack her. To her surprise, they were leaving her alone.

The same could not be said for the tendrils that were attacking the Graysons and the Lightspeed Rangers. Whenever the Rangers blasted them, new tendrils took their place.

"Aw, come on, man! More of them?!" Joel shouted.

A tree of tendrils surronded the Lightspeed Rangers from all sides, preventing them from moving, and another tendril painfully grabbed Rika's foot and attempted to toss the poor woman across the room.

"RIKA!" Alyx screamed, but there was nothing he, nor any of the Lightspeed Rangers, could do about it.

Luckily, with quick thinking, Rika landed onto the ground, though not without suffering some pain from where the tendril grabbed her foot. And to make matters worse, her earbuds, also touched by the tendrils, were melted.

"Hey!" she cried out to Golomois. "What the hell did I even do to you?!" She then tried to think of another strategy...

Meanwhile, Catherine managed to go to Golomois, a stern look on her face. "I would like to know why you're trying to kill my friends and family. I won't hurt you if need be," she said.

Golomois replied, "Revenge, Catherine Grayson. Revenge for the sins committed by your ancestors, resulting in the extinction of my entire race. Long I have searched for you and your kin across the Multiverse until I finally found you. Now, I shall paint the floor red with your blood so that the victims of the massacre may sleep peacefully!"

"...no." At this point, Catherine became a pacifist. She believed in killing when it was required, but somehow, she felt that she couldn't kill Golomois...at least, not unless if she figured out what was going on. "There has to be another way...I do not wish to fight you."

At the same time, she thought, My ancestors? Is that...is...does it mean that he caused the fire that killed my mom and dad? She remembered that fire all too well, but she didn't know how it all happened...

Back to Rika, where she finally decided to help her friends. "No. I have to save my family and friends!" she decided, and she started to run towards the trapped Lightspeed Rangers. "Never give up!"

Victoria roared, "RIKA, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, YOU CRAZY IDIOT?!"

"Simple!" Then Rika called out her Swampert, which then used Surf in order to put the fires out. The young woman then tried to free the Rangers...with her own bare hands. While a brave action, it came at the risks of said hands getting burned.

"Oh, Riks..." Alyx whispered, and then the Rangers started to shoot down the tendrils again.

Back to Catherine and Golomois, the demon stared at the well-meaning Ranger. He shook his head and answered, "the feeling is not mutual.

"I will see you suffer, Grayson. Suffer as my parents did, as my brothers and sisters did, as my entire race died as a result of your ancestor's actions! Starting...with that girl."

Golomois looked at Rika and snapped his fingers. The tendrils that kept the Rangers' attacks at bay immediately stabbed outwards, with one tendril in particular lashing out at the powerless girl. The tendril was glowing and about to aim at her heart, but Rika dodged it at the last second.

"No, you can't kill Rika!" Catherine wanted to defend Rika, but she found herself rooted to the spot, due to the confusion and horror happening right in front of her.

Rika, recovering, dashed forward, ready to punch Golomois. "I'll do what the Lightspeed Rangers failed to do! I'll send you straight to Hell, Golomois!" she yelled.

"RIKA, NO! STOP!" Catherine shrieked.

Golomois prepared his greatsword and swung it. "Hell shall wait!" he shouted, and the blade slashed Rika in the heart.

Catherine was trembling at the sight of Rika getting injured. "...R...Rika..." she stammered. This could not be happening.

But it did. Rika fell to the ground after her entire life flashed before her eyes. She was dead, the blood dripping from her chest.

Catherine ran to Rika and tried to heal her wound, refusing to believe that her adopted daughter died. None of her spells, none of the potions, nothing worked. There was a moment of silence, then...she screamed.

"RIKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Catherine cried over Rika's corpse, and upon hearing a mother's mourning, the surviving members of the Grayson family and the Lightspeed Rangers realized what's wrong.

Then Victoria spoke in a serious tone.

"Guys...shoot the fucking tendrils down," she commanded. "Give it all you got! We gotta avenge Rika!"

The Lightspeed Rangers summoned their V-Lancers, and they used it to slash the tendrils.

Meanwhile, Catherine cradled Rika's body in her arms, and she glared at Golomois. The look on her face was a mixture of anger and sadness.

"...how dare you," she growled. "She never did any harm to you! Why did you think that you can kill someone who wasn't of true Grayson blood?!"

Michael, equally angry, prepared his Lunar Sword. "Those who harm our family will never be forgiven!" he shouted, and he was about ready to slash Golomois...

"I told you," Golomois answered, his voice taking a more icy tone. "I will kill everyone that is close to you, so that you may properly feel the pain that your family inflicted upon my entire race before I finally end your life and the line of Grayson."

The demon stopped Michael with his greatsword, locking the dark-haired cyborg in his place.

"Next...your son."

Golomois then pushed past Michael's guard. His claw glowed a malicious glow, and he brought up the claws to rake them against Michael's chest. As he did the attack, dark energies erupted and seeped into the wounds.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Michael screamed a blood-curling scream, and he was force-demorphed with absolute fear in his face.

"MICHAEL!" Catherine shrieked, and she tried to look at Golomois calmly. "You don't have to kill my family nor my friends! I don't know what my ancestors did...why that brought you to kill my family...but it doesn't have to be like this!"

More tears streamed down her face as she talked to him. She still had her sword with her, should she decide to attack or defend herself.

"Foolish woman," Golomois sneered. "Blood begets blood. The next generation inherits the sins and the responsibilities of their ancestors. My final act in life shall be to destroy the Grayson bloodline together with your happiness, then I will go to meet my race in the realms of the dead. There is nothing you can do to stop me, Catherine Grayson."

"...the whole fate bullshit? Let me tell you...I don't believe in fucking fate. Everyone is free to make their own choices. Myself included." Catherine sported a dark look on her face as she talked. "So stand down before this escalates, Golomois! Don't force me to destroy you!"

"Fate? This is not a matter of fate, Catherine Grayson. This is a story written in blood, a chain of events stretching back to the time your ancestors wiped out my race. Death and revenge. That is all there is to it. There is no room for fate."

Then a mist surrounded Golomois. It was time for him to leave.

"Beware the next half moon, Catherine Grayson. I shall come for your wife and friends again. Say your goodbyes."

Catherine, without a word, turned to her family and friends.

"...Cath..." Alyx whispered. While everyone felt terrible for what happened, he felt that he could have done better to help his Other, as thanks for her saving his life.

After a few minutes passed by, Catherine regained her strength. "You will not try to kill my family and friends," she proclaimed. "We'll find a way to stop you...before you kill anyone else!"

At the same time, she thought, But what can I do? They will need to figure out a way to stop Golomois, yes, but do they need to kill him?

"Until our paths cross again," said Golomois, and he disappeared, leaving behind only a wisp of mist. Catherine sobbed again, the happiest day of her life destroyed by chaos and death.

Michael looked at himself, eyeing his injury. "What did he do to me...?" he muttered.

"We'll need to get your wounds checked out, Mike," said Dana.

"Damn...I never thought I'd say this, but Queen Bansheera was a lot easier to defeat than this guy!" Joel exclaimed, trying to comprehend what happened.

Catherine crawled over to Kotohime after laying Rika's body down for the moment. She whispered, "I failed to save Rika and Michael...I'm no hero...I'm not even a good parent...I don't know what to do."

"Cath...you...you'll stop him..." Kotohime whispered back, hugging her wife, and she coughed. Despite all that, she smiled at her, trying to give her comfort. "...I know you will..."

Catherine, in response, used Grand Healing on those who needed it.

"...but I don't know if I should even kill him. He said something about my ancestors' sins...I'd like to know what the hell he's talking about," Catherine responded. "I tried to stop him, but...today was a huge mistake."

She was still sobbing, and everyone tried to comfort the couple. After a while, Catherine dried her eyes, and everyone sat in silence. They thought about all the moments they had with Rika.

(Writer's Note: The song used in that Really Dead Montage is "Leave Out All the Rest".)

After that, Catherine picked up Rika's corpse and left the remains of the church. The Lightspeed Rangers and the Grayson family followed after her, a few picking up the unconscious William. Eventually, they would need to plan Rika's funeral, one of the hardest days they would ever endure...especially for Catherine, as she would have to bury her adopted daughter.

Minutes after everyone left, a specter appeared. She had brunette hair, blue eyes, and clad in a white dress. She seemed to resemble the deceased Rika.

"He really thinks I've died for good. Dude has another thing coming. For now...I'm needed here, and I know why."

The specter paused for a second.

"...damn, now I know how Matt must have felt."

The specter disappeared.

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To Be Continued...

Chapter 2: Fighting for Survival

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It had been a week and a few days since everything went wrong. Rika had been buried in a somber ceremony. And now, the survivors were trying to figure out where to go from there.

In the hospital wing, Dana was examining Michael's wounds, Victoria constantly at her brother's side. The tough, headstrong leader of the Lightspeed Rangers sat quietly, as if someone punched her in the gut hard.

"Please, Mike..." Victoria could barely muster a whisper, and she hugs her twin brother. "Please stay with us. We'll get it straightened out..."

In the main section of the Aquabase, the remaining Rangers and members of the Grayson family were waiting for Catherine to return. Where was she?

"I still can't believe this all happened!" Joel yelled. He was ready to throw his cowboy hat down to the ground in disgust. "We don't know exactly why Cath's ancestors decided to kill all of Golomois' people!"

Alyx, always one who disliked violence, adjusted his crown as he tried to think. He also looked very worn out, with bags under his eyes and a pale complexion. And yet, he tried to be as much of a leader as possible.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Alyx reassured. "For now, Joel, we must get ready for any future attacks..."

"Alyx is right," Kelsey agreed. "We have to stay strong."

---

In the cemetery, Catherine placed some flowers on a grave. Made of a smooth stone, it read thus.


Catherine hugged the gravestone, knowing full well that Rika would never come back, but she would watch over her in spirit. She let out a heavy sigh.

"...I promise you, Rika. We'll find a way to avenge your death...and we'll find a way to help Michael so that way, he won't go the same way as you," said Catherine, and then, her voice broke. "I'm so sorry..."

She wiped her tears, and she stood up.

"I promise you, I won't let the rest of my family die. I'll honor your memory forever."

She left the cemetery and began to return to the Aquabase.

---

A few minutes later, Catherine arrived.

"Is everything all right, Grandmother?" Andreus asked, putting his grandmother's hands into his.

"Yeah," Catherine replied, "it's been hard. Have they found anything with Michael yet?" She then sniffed, and Kotohime walked over to Catherine. She gave her new wife a hug.

"Are you all right, darling?" Kotohime asked, but Catherine just gave her wife a solemn nod. She was trying to be strong, not just for herself, but for everyone.

Minutes later, Dana Mitchell entered the main area, Victoria right behind her.

"I have the test results," she announced, having a very serious look on her face. "Rangers, you might want to listen very closely, because it might sound familiar to you."

Dana looked through the papers, and then back at the group. "Michael has been cursed with dark magic, which is linked to his life force and his Lunar Gem. Every time he morphs, the magic surges closer to his heart, and on the fourth time he morphs..."

She paused, and she closed her eyes.

"...the magic will kill him."

Everyone stared in total shock, but Catherine grew more determined. "No," she objected. "I will not let Michael die...I won't let anyone else die!"

Kotohime grew worried. "There must be something we can do!" she said. "Are there no...healers or anything? Someone powerful enough to counter the dark magic?"

Dana shook her head and frowned. "Unfortunately, we don't know how to cure it," she answered. "We've tried the potions, we've tried everything. Indeed, it would have to be a powerful healer, but how...?"

Ryan then remembered something, an event from his life. "I remember facing a cobra monster, back when I had a similar curse," he stated. "It originally was in the form of a statue. It may be possible that Michael will have to face Golomois, or at least one of his allies."

There was one problem, however.

Catherine objected, "Except that Golomois doesn't have any allies—if he ever had any, they're likely dead a long time ago. So we're stuck..."

The group tried to think of something. A few minutes later, Kotohime came up with a possible solution. "Then...the only source for answers to our questions is Golomois himself?" she theorized.

"It may have to be. I'm sorry..."

And then...some odd music was playing. Everyone looked at each other, confused.

"What is that noise?" Catherine asked.

"I don't know," Alyx answered.

"Is it...some sort of magical melody?" Kotohime guessed, and she looked around, trying to find the source. "But where is it coming from?"

Kotohime stood up and followed the music, trying to find the source. The others followed, and the music was getting louder when they walked closer to its source. Eventually, they headed to the hospital wing.

From there, Michael was comforted by the song...the same song that was played during Rika's funeral. An iPod was turned on, and a specter hovered above him. As the group entered the hospital wing, Catherine recognized the ghost.

"...Rika?!" she gasped.

The specter turned around to face the group, having a sad expression in her eyes. And yet, she seemed to smile a little.

"Oh, hey, guys!" Rika's spirit greeted. "Nice seeing you here!"

Kotohime was stunned to see Rika there, as was everyone else. "You...you are a ghost?" she asked.

Rika brushed her hair, and her voice seemed to perk up a little bit more. Even in death, she was the same Rika--a little spunky and carefree. "A spirit, but yeah. No, I'm not going to spook the shit out of the Aquabase."

The spirit sat down, still looking at the group. Her voice took on a more serious tone.

"So I see that Michael's cursed. Sucks. We need to find a way to cure the damn thing. I would hate for Cath to break down and make another funeral."

"Rather," Catherine corrected Rika, "I don't want anyone else to die." She knelt next to her adopted daughter's spirit and, even though it phased through, hugged her. "But, Rika, how did you manage to...?"

"Honestly, no clue. But...I think I may have some unfinished business. As to what, I may have an inkling as to what it is."

Kelsey was the most spooked out of the group, having once "encountered" a spirit before--that of Catherine herself before she was revived. "What is it?" she managed to say, though it did feel like the fear prevented her to speak.

"Well..." Rika had to think about that for a little while. But then, she continued, "I've caused so much shit to you guys in the past. Mostly the Graysons." She looked down as she finished what she had to say. "When I was with Xenos, I kept thinking that you guys...weren't the Red Ranger-types.

Alyx was confused. "But...why?" he asked.

Rika then went on to explain that the family whined a lot. "Now...I can honestly see why they'd be so stressed out," she realized. "Leading's not an easy thing to do. Likewise with being a hero. Doing both of those things at once? Harsher than hell. Possible mental breakdowns."

Catherine nodded in agreement, and Rika continued. As she spoke, she didn't know about Michael's short reign as the Red Lightspeed Ranger. She said that, to her, Catherine, Michael, and Victoria somehow beat the odds.

There was a pause, and Rika finished. "So...I guess what I need to do on this Earth, before I pass on, if possible...is to help you guys. Though I really hate to leave, because I had a whole life ahead of me. And the kids..."

"We're taking care of your children," Catherine stated. "They're starting to accept what happened...it wasn't easy."

In response, Rika smiled a sad smile. She really missed her family, but she was worried about what would happen to her children. Knowing that her triplets would be fine eased her worry, if only for a little while.

"I'm so glad you are still with us, Rika!" Kotohime chirped. "Maybe as a spirit, you can find out more about Golomois?"

Rika answered, "I hope so. I really missed you guys..."

"Rika...there's no need to worry," Catherine assured. "With all of us together, we can find out what is going on, and how we can defeat Golomois...without resorting to killing him."

"And we'll help out, too!" Chad added.

The remaining group members lended their support to Rika and Catherine, ready to do their part if needed. Alyx was the last to lend his support.

"Catherine..." said the young king as he stood by her side. "...when you guys ever get down, I'll cheer you up. I will never forget how much you helped me. Now, it's time to pay you back."

Catherine looked around. With a nod, she took out her old Lightspeed jacket out of her Bag of Holding, previously a memento of her time with the Rangers. She wore the jacket, once again becoming a part of them.

"Everyone...thank you," she thanked. "Let's make sure that no one else will die! Let's make sure that everyone, and everywhere, is safe! As your leader, we'll make the promises happen!"

The entire hospital wing erupted with cheer. She didn't know that William, drifting in and out of consciousness, overheard the conversation...

And there was another thing the group didn't expect. Loud, booming noises that could be heard throughout the Aquabase. At that moment, the group became deathly quiet. With the deep sound resonating, they knew one thing: something heavy was knocking on the doors.

Catherine had a feeling about who would be knocking on the doors. "Guys...let me handle this," she commanded, and she took out the Ebony Sword of Devouring. "You guys will need to evacuate the Aquabase immediately. I already made a promise that there would be no more deaths."

Alyx shook his head, for he felt that they should take on Golomois as a team. "We'll evacuate all the other workers, Catherine," he suggested. "Then we'll join you if you need our help."

Catherine thought for a few minutes, then she nodded. "Very well. If you're sure, do it. And if there's anyone else who wants to go with me as backup, they can follow me if they wish. They'll need to hide in the corridors until I call for them. Is everyone clear?"

Everyone nodded, and most of the Rangers and Graysons headed off. Rika, Andreus, Michael, and Ryan stayed with Catherine, and the five headed to the source of the booming.

As soon as everyone left the hospital wing, the doors finally broke open with a massive crash. The alarms were blaring, and the staff started to panic. The evacuation team started to lead the staff out of the Aquabase.

"Remain calm, everyone!" Alyx commanded. "We have to get out of here! Follow us!"

Meanwhile, Catherine continued to walk over, hearing the crash. She continued to gather her bravery.

"Where are you?" she whispered to herself. And as promised, her backup was hiding in the corridors.

A few minutes later, Catherine found Golomois, standing right inside the entrance. The ruined doorway was smoking behind him. "Catherine Grayson. I have come for your life, and the lives of your loved ones," he growled.

"If it's the others you want, you'll have to go through me to get them." Then Catherine's eyes flashed, remembering to ask a question in particular. "First. We know that you cursed Michael...how do we break it?"

"My magic can only be broken by me or by my death. If you want to save him, you will have to kill me."

Catherine frowned severely. Motherfucker! she thought, and then she tried to talk Golomois out of killing once more. "What if we decide not to kill you? Look...I'm sorry for what happened. I'm sorry that you lost your kind...but it doesn't have to end this way."

Golomois examined Catherine, and even though she meant well, he knew that she did not know the full extent of her ancestors' crimes. "Apologies with no regret in them can not pay for the atrocities of the past. Even now, are you aware of what actions you are apologizing for?"

Catherine paused. She was hoping that it wouldn't have to come to this...and, indeed, she was clueless about the whole thing.

"...no," she confessed, and she dropped her sword. "I don't know what, exactly, caused it to happen..."

Golomois still studied Catherine. "Yet you are so willing to accept the blame. I can not decide whether that shows a strong sense of responsibility or an overpowering feeling of cowardice.

"No matter. The retribution I shall repay unto you and those close to you is inevitable. Pick up your sword, Catherine Grayson. I shall permit you the honor of dying with a weapon in your hand, a courtesy that my brothers and sisters was not shown."

Catherine opened up her eyes and picked up her sword. She had to think of something, quickly.

"I'd rather let you live," she decided. "Once we find out what happened and whether or not your retribution is faultless...if you have been wronged, then we'll find a way to let you survive, and I will take full responsibility for the actions. If your actions aren't justified, however, then we have no choice but to kill you."

Golomois listened to Catherine. Even though he was still angry, he figured that she might as well discover the truth before a final judgment could be made.

"You wish to know of the massacre that your ancestors led?" he asked. "While this may simply be a ploy to buy more time before your death, it is a noble wish to want to know what it is your blood shall pay for.

"Very well. I can postpone your judgement until the full moon, so that you are allowed time to gaze into the past and see for yourself the atrocities of your forefathers. However, on one condition. Once the time has passed, there will be no more running away. I shall face you in a duel, where only us two may participate. When history has spilled its secrets spattered in blood, that final bloodshed shall decide the true fate of our two tribes.

"Will you accept this?"

Catherine nodded. "I accept--"

But then, Alyx, who was finished with evacuating most of the Aquabase, arrived. "Catherine, let's go!" he yelled...but then he saw Golomois. "What are you doing here?" He prepared to fight if necessary, should the time come.

"Alyx, don't!" Catherine screamed.

Much to Alyx's surprise, Golomois was not interested in him, not in the very least. "Ah, your Other joins the fray. Begone, Alyx Grayson. You are the only one that can count himself blessed in this scenario, for I desire not your blood. While Catherine regards you as a close friend, it would be wrong of me to kill a Grayson that does not carry the blood of butchers in his veins. Depart from here, Alyx Grayson, or else I will be acting in self-defence."

Alyx blinked, but he did not budge. He didn't understand why he would be spared...after all, he considered himself to be a part of Catherine's family.

Catherine looked at Alyx. "Alyx. What you need to realize is that...there is another way. We'll need to figure out, together, why my ancestors did this."

"...Catherine--" Alyx began. He wanted to explain himself that he only wanted to protect her, but Catherine would not hear any of it. She gave him a very stern look.

"Alexander, as your commander, drop your weapon," she commanded in a very authoritative voice.

Finding it very hard to object to Catherine when she became very serious, Alyx followed the directions. He then looked at Golomois.

"And while it may be true that she's my Other," he said, "I treat her like a sister to me. A sister I never had...remember that."

With those words, Alyx walked away, rejoining the rest of the Lightspeed Rangers and his family. Golomois turned his attention to Catherine.

"Now then. Do you accept my terms, Catherine Grayson?" he asked.

"I do," she answered.

"Then, you have until the full moon rises over Mariner Bay. I shall be waiting somewhere without distractions. If you do not arrive after I announce my presence, I shall come for you, and none that get in my way shall be spared.

"Until then...good luck stirring the ashes of the past."

Golomois turned around to leave, and then he disappeared in a sudden rush of dark energy.

Catherine sighed, counting herself lucky--for now. She and the backup left the Aquabase, rejoining her family and the Rangers.

"Well?" Dana asked.

Catherine explained everything that happened. She also added, "...and he mentioned something about 'stirring the ashes of my past'. I don't know if he's responsible for killing my mom and dad, but..."

She looked over to the horizon. "I'll be going back home, my old home. To see what's hidden there."

"Do you want us to go with you?" Michael questioned.

"You can, if you wish," she replied. "But once the final battle happens...I have to face it alone." She began to tear up, the idea of losing her family, friends, and her life beginning to scare her...especially if she loses the chance to live with Kotohime for the rest of her life. "I'm going to miss you guys when it happens!"

Everyone gave her a hug, and Kotohime was more than happy to cheer her wife up. "We'll be there for you, Catherine," she reassured. "He said that he would fight you alone, but he didn't say that we couldn't come and cheer! And I will cheer for you, Catherine."

Catherine nodded as she hugged everyone back. "As much as I want for you guys to stay away, for I really don't want you guys to be in the line of his fire...I wouldn't mind," she replied, and she sighed. "This is going to be hard for me...but hopefully, we'll find a way."

"Yeah, we will. But first, we need to find out what happened in the past. What is that demon talking about?"

"In the past, my ancestors killed his tribe. He is the only survivor...whether or not it's actually linked to how my parents died, I don't know...

"I know that my mother and father were killed in a house fire. I would have died, too, if not for Captain Mitchell saving me."

There was silence for a minute, then Michael made a decision of his own. He wasn't sure if he wanted to believe that Golomois would cure his curse, and he didn't want to wait around to find out the truth. He knew one thing: he has to get rid of the curse; otherwise, who knew if everyone would forget about it, and he would die? Or worse yet, his mother would die in that final battle, leaving him worse off?

"Well, I suppose we'll try to find a cure," he determined, and he turned to Rika. "Rika, you in?"

"Yeah," the specter answered.

Michael then turned to Ryan, since he knew more about the type of curse he's suffering from. "Ryan?"

"Sure thing, Mike," Ryan replied. "But we'll need to start somewhere..."

"True. We'll have to figure that out." Michael then turned to Catherine. "Good luck, Mother..."

"Thank you," Catherine thanked, and she turned to the rest. "Well...we'll need to prepare ourselves. Make sure that everything is needed for our journey. Everyone, I expect you guys to rest well, because once we're ready to leave, we'll head out."

"Right!" everyone else cried out, and they headed off. The Aquabase needed to be rebuilt, and they had to make sure that the staff members were okay. But one thing was for sure: this would be Catherine's true test of courage.

---

To Be Continued...

Chapter 3: The Ashes of the Past

---

A week after Golomois' last appearance, the Rangers and the Graysons were spread out in different areas. Dana was in the hospital wing, checking up on William every now and then. He seemed to have very important papers...

In the lab, Alyx was working on Catherine's morpher, trying to do an upgrade to it. He had an idea should his Other have to defend herself: a new attack that would temporarily get rid of at least one restriction. However, he should be careful, because one mistake may cause Catherine to lose her powers, and all that hard work would be for naught.

In Catherine's old room, the young woman prepared to leave. She was getting dressed in her old battle dress, and after that was done, she looked at her inventory. She mentally excluded the morpher for now, and she kept in mind the weapons, spells, potions, and the like she had.

"Weapons, outfit..." she muttered to herself, and she took out a pendant. Inside was a picture of her mother, brunette-haired Cordelia, her father, Sean--who greatly resembled Catherine when she was Carter, and Michael to a lesser extent--and herself as a young boy. She stared at the picture, and she closed the locket. "...and something to ensure that Mother and Father will be watching over me. So they know that, if possible, they will be avenged."

She left the room, thinking. This is the hardest thing I have to do, but we'll get through this. For everyone.

---

In the main room, around the same time where Catherine got ready to leave, Michael walked over to Kotohime, trying to steady himself. Due to the curse, he was at 80% strength. Should something happen to him, however, he might as well make sure to make the best of his life for the moment. And so, he decided to find out a little bit more about his new stepmother.

"Hey...Mom," Michael greeted.

"Michael!" Kotohime greeted back, and then she noticed how Michael was walking. She had a worried look on her face. "...are you all right, walking around like that?"

"...I'll be fine. In case if something bad happens to me, I just want to let you know that I, like the rest of the family, really appreciate your company. And I'm happy that you're a part of the family now..."

Michael then sighed, and he continued. "I have a few questions. Like...I realize that you used to have some sort of curse until it was broken. But aside from that, what was your life like before you met Mom? Er, Catherine?"

"...here, come and sit down, and I'll tell you."

Kotohime gestured over to the chairs, and she and Michael sat down. She began her story.

"Before Gensokyo was destroyed and I escaped only through a dangerous spell that cursed me to never spend two nights in the same place, I...was a princess," she began, and she giggled. "It feels so weird to say it now. But I really was. My parents were nobles and had a small mansion in Gensokyo. They settled there because my mother was a Youkai.

"It was so fun, everyone living there together. But...my father passed away, and my mother had to bring me up alone. She taught me...to smile. Always smile. She made sure I had everything that money could buy, and she loved me with her whole heart.

"...then she also died. The servants left, worried that there was a curse on the family. I was alone. No relatives wanted to take me in, because of my parents being a human and a Youkai. But I was old enough. I lived in the big mansion alone, with all the money and things that my parents had left me. I lived like that until Gensokyo perished."

Michael was so stunned by the story. Could it mean that Catherine unknowingly married royalty? And that, unknown to the others, they were a part of it? He also felt horrible about his new mother's Gensokyo's fate...and couldn't help but remember that it was the same one their mother once talked about.

"Oh, my God..." Michael whispered. "I'm honestly glad you made it out alive." He then thought a little bit more.

"...so let me get this straight," he said after a few minutes of thinking. "Because Mom married you, she's a princess, too?"

Kotohime giggled. "I suppose she is. But it's not like I'm real royalty any more. Everything was lost back then."

It didn't matter, anyway. After all, Catherine fell in love with and married Kotohime for one thing: love. It wasn't about the money, or titles, or anything.

"...wow. And...it's a shame that you've lost that world," Michael comforted.

Silently, he took out a non-magical wand. He remembered it well: it was the beginning of when he thought he was cursed. Cursed to always be a pawn for the villains' plans. And it all started with him following directions for a Flandre Scarlet, because he thought he could trust her. In reality, he was just a very unlucky guy who was always at the right place at the worst possible time.

Then Catherine arrived. "You guys ready?" she asked. "I am."

"Yeah," Michael replied.

"I'm ready," Kotohime added. "Let's go."

Catherine nodded, and after gathering her family and friends, they started their trek to her old home. She tried to remain brave, but she found herself clutching her pendant.

After fifteen minutes, they finally arrived at her old house. "Oh my..." Kotohime whispered.

The house was nothing more than the bare bones, with lots of debris and ashes scattered around. Several pillars were laying on the floor, with one of them hiding something. The fire was considered a cold case, with the authorities wanting to solve the murder one day. However, it was rumored that the house was cursed, because workers tried to remove the pillars by using every single equipment they had, only for them to remain stuck. And so, that was why it was never cleaned up, let alone bulldozed.

Catherine started to tear up, remembering that awful event...she could still hear her parents' dying screams as they were trying to escape, though they were only in her head now. The memories were too much for her to bear, but she had to remain strong.

She wiped her face, and she saw her team and her family. The Lightspeed Rangers were all stunned. They knew the story of that fire, but they did not know how bad it truly was. As for Catherine's family, who did know about the story, they stood in sadness.

"Catherine, guys," Kelsey spoke up after several minutes of silence, "we'll be here if you need us!"

The family solemnly nodded, and Catherine answered, "Right. Let's get started, guys. We'll need to split up. If you find anything, let me know."

And so, the group was split into smaller groups: Catherine, Alyx, and Kotohime on one team, Spirit!Rika, Michael, and Ryan on the second, Victoria, Joel, and Kelsey on the third, and Dana, Chad, and Andreus on the fourth team. They all searched for clues, trying to be careful.

"Uhm...exactly what are we looking for?" Kotohime asked, poking around in burnt bookshelves and the like.

"Something that'll link Golomois to the crime," Catherine replied as she sifted through the ashes.

Alyx looked around the area, also sifting through the ashes. "I never knew how big your house looked," he remarked.

Catherine gave a small smile. "You should have seen it when it wasn't engulfed in..." she began, but her voice faltered. Indeed, in the past, Catherine did live comfortably with her parents until that fire. She shook her head and continued to search, trying not to cry.

Kotohime gave her wife a comforting pat on the back, and she, too, continued her search. "If there was forensic evidence here, it may have been lost in time. But if he really was behind this, he should have left magical residue behind or something," she guessed.

Catherine gave Kotohime a simple nod...and then Alyx felt something. "...what on Earth?" he muttered.

"Alyx? What is it?"

Alyx dusted off a tiny fragment of a sword. "Nearly stabbed myself with it," he noted. "Gotta be careful."

With that discovery, Catherine called the teams over. Chad examined the sword fragment.

"You guys really think his sword caused the fire?" he asked.

"It's a possibility. Or it could also be possible that a scuffle was going on," Alyx hypothesized. "We don't know."

"What kind of blade is it?" Kotohime questioned. "Do we know someone who can identify it?"

Alyx gave the fragment to Catherine, and she looked it over. "We do need to take it to someone, we don't know what it belongs to," she said. "First, though, we'll have to see if there are any more clues." She pocketed the fragment in her Bag of Holding after wrapping it up with a cloth, and she continued to sift through the ashes once more.

Then Kotohime had an idea. "Catherine? Does the house have a cellars? It may have been spared the wrath of the flames."

Catherine's eyes flashed. She couldn't believe that she forgot about the cellars. "Actually, yeah, we do have a cellar. Now that I think about it more."

She walked over to the cellar door, hidden by the aforementioned stuck pillars. Catherine studied the pillars and remembered the time when she assisted in slashing one with her sword. She took out the Ebony Sword of Devouring and hoped that her enchantment skills were strong enough, and she slashed at the pillars several times, managing to break them down.

After that, the pillars were able to be removed, and the doors were revealed. Catherine opened them, and she coughed as the dust and ashes flew. Because the cellar hadn't been opened for many years, aside from the dust and ashes, there were some cobwebs here and there.

"Oh my..." Kotohime whispered. "Dusty but this place may hold what we seek..."

Rika had an idea. "This place may be very dusty, but I'll take the lead. I'll let you guys know if I find anything, 'k?" she asked.

"If you're sure," Catherine replied, and Rika flew inside the cellar, looking for clues.

"I'll remove the cobwebs," Ryan volunteered. "TITANIUM POWER!"" He morphed into the Titanium Ranger, and he had his Titanium Laser's Axe Mode at the ready.

As for the other Lightspeed Rangers, they had flashlights. As Ryan slashed the cobwebs, the Rangers shined a light onto the path. Eventually, the group entered the cellar, trying to find any clues there.

Then Rika looked down on the floor. "What is it?" she asked.

"You found something, Rika?" Michael shouted.

"I think so."

Catherine walked next to Rika, and she, too, looked down. They weren't sure if it was a clue, but the floor had a strange mark that was shaped like a crescent moon, with runes around said mark.

"...what is it?" Kotohime asked.

"I have no idea what the hell it is," Rika answered.

"It almost looks like it's carefully planned..." Catherine guessed. However, there was clearly no magic coming out of the runes. Perhaps it was a crest?

"That is without a doubt a magical sigil," Kotohime hypothesized. "Unless your parents or the people that used to live here before them made this mark, it may be linked with the fire."

"Perhaps."

Michael took out his Lunara Gem. "And perhaps it may be linked to my curse, this entire thing with Golomois..." he said.

Catherine nodded. "We will need to get both the runes and the sword fragment checked out."

"And I'll need to find a cure to my curse as well. I doubt that Golomois would even lift it."

"Then where do we go?" Kotohime asked.

Catherine thought for a moment. "Likely to a historian, or someone who may know all about demons, or someone who knows Golomois' dark magic," she answered.

"A person well versed in demon history..."

Catherine nodded. "About the only person who knows about the demons is Captain Mitchell. He knew about Queen Bansheera and her allies because he dealt with them. Then again, who knows if he knows about Golomois, even though he rescued me from that fire? If we can't find anyone else, perhaps we can talk to him."

Kotohime realized that the former captain would be the only other shot. After all, it would possibly make sense, considering that he did rescue Catherine...could it be possible that he saw Golomois? "He sounds like a good place to start. Back to the base, then?"

"Yeah."

The group headed back to the Aquabase...and then Catherine stood over the former house. "Mother...Father...you'll rest easily, starting tonight," she assured, and she followed the group.

---

Back at the Aquabase, in the hospital wing, William looked up when he saw the group. However, only Catherine, Alyx, and Kotohime entered while the rest waited.

"Good day, captain," Kotohime greeted--never mind that William was no longer the captain. William still nodded back out of respect. "How are you feeling?"

William placed the papers he was reading aside for the moment. "I'm feeling better," he answered. "All I could recall was getting knocked out after I saw a demon entering the church."

Catherine sat down on the chair next to the bed. "Sir," she said. "I don't know if it's a bad time, but we do have a few questions to ask you."

"Go ahead."

Kotohime stood next to Catherine. "It is about the demon that attacked you during the ceremony. Have you ever heard of a demon by the name of Golomois, captain?"

William tried to remember. "Golomois...I believe so," he answered. "I only know a few things about him..."

Catherine frowned. "It's a start," she admitted. "But...think back, at that fire. When you saved me, Sir."

"I can recall something, a winged demon-angel, escaping that fire. I don't know if that's Golomois or not, because I did not get a closer look, only a passing glance. I'm sorry," William stated.

"About that, sir, we went to the house and found some things we were wondering if you could help us understand," Kotohime added.

"What are they?"

Catherine took out the sword fragment and carefully unwrapped it. "We also found some runes, along with a symbol of a crescent moon," she continued. "What do they mean?"

William took a deep breath, then glanced at the papers. Unknown to anyone else except for, perhaps, Dana, he did do a little research on Golomois and his history. He would need to share what he knew so far. He picked up the sword fragment and studied it.

"It definitely looks like the kind of sword the figure used. What he did, he may have nicked it," William guessed. "As for the runes, there are rumors that it may be linked to a tribe called 'Lunara'." He looked over at Catherine. "I believe they may be your ancestors."

He gave her a picture of an artist's rendition of what the Lunara Tribe looked like. One of them, no doubt the leader, had a small resemblance to Michael...and her true form as Carter. Catherine nodded as she studied the picture...

William then looked at the others as he continued. "Not only that, but they originated the Lunara Knight powers. They originally created that power to attack a certain type of demon, said to be more powerful than even Queen Bansheera's clan."

"So the Lunara Knight powers are passed on from generation to generation?" Alyx asked.

"Yes," William replied. "And even if it doesn't get passed on, the powers will find its way to the next descendant. The Lunara Tribe made it so with their magic."

Catherine's eyes bulged slightly, remembering the time where the powers chose her, even though she was under Lucrezia's control at the time. It made sense now.

"This...demon clan they fought, can you tell us more about that?" Kotohime questioned.

William nodded. "A century after sealing Queen Bansheera and her clan, and moving to a new area to ensure that their burial grounds would not get disturbed, the Lunara Tribe faced another group of demons. They're known as the Juuma Tribe. And Golomois, the demon you have questions with, was their leader.

"Even though they were more powerful than Bansheera, the Juuma Tribe was actually friendly. They wanted to create the peace between demons and humans. The Lunara Tribe, since they were one of those tribes who assisted with Bansheera's banishment, was at first wary towards the Juuma."

"So they were nice demons?" Alyx asked, unsure if such a thing even existed.

"Yes. Good demons do exist." William took the time to pause as he looked at Michael. "Michael married one, after all."

Michael blushed, and William continued.

"It took a while for the Lunara and Juuma tribes to join forces," he said, "but eventually, they did. For years, they strived to bring peace."

"And then," Kotohime questioned, frowning, "what happened?"

William paused, for he had yet to study as to what all went wrong. "I don't know," he replied. "I'm truly sorry. I will need to do more research..."

Catherine nodded. That was more than enough for now. "It's fine, Sir," she reassured. "Thank you." She then turned to the group. "Guys...you're dismissed. Prepare yourselves, as usual, should Golomois decide to face us."

"Right!" everyone shouted, and then they disbanded for the day.

---

To Be Continued...

Chapter 4: Enter the Mystic Spirit Guardian

---

A week passed by with no new revelations. Catherine, in the meantime, remained calm, and she passed the time by not only spending time with her family, but also looking through a list of Rangers and allies. (After all, how else would the Lightspeed Rangers know about Leo Corbett and Cole Evans, for starters?)

The reason why she was looking through a list was that she would try to find someone who would identify the blade fragment. She knew that there were several groups of Rangers who wielded swords, but would it be possible that it had some dark magic inside it?

She eyed a list in particular. "Perhaps she can help," she said. "If Captain Mitchell doesn't know where the blade fragment is, then someone who knows both weapons and magic should help!"

Speaking of the (former) captain himself, he was finished with the research, and he entered the main room.

"Everyone," he announced, "I've done a bit more research on Golomois and his tribe."

Everyone gathered around. Victoria and Chad were training, Alyx was still working on Catherine's morpher, Kotohime was working on her Spell Cards, and everyone else was just milling about.

"What have you found?" Kotohime asked.

"Why the Lunara and Juuma tribes were warring."

"Really?" said Catherine. "That's good."

"What did you find out?" Alyx asked, hugging his Latias plushie. However, William frowned when he heard the young king.

"I will warn you right now, it will shock you," William warned. "But if you're willing to hear it..."

Kotohime turned to Catherine. "I...I think we need to know. Don't you agree, Catherine?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Catherine answered, "we do, sir."

William nodded. "Okay..." he began, and he sighed. "Years after the Lunara and the Juuma tribes worked for peace, a criminal group wished to uprise and cause chaos, sick and tired of the unity and how the peace was being enforced. Another war occurred, with the criminal underground eventually defeated.

"But it wasn't without its casualties. Once, a general of Golomois' tribe, a skilled fighter, killed one of the underground members. Or so he thought. In reality, he killed an innocent bystander from the Lunara tribe.

"After the criminals were sent to prison, the Lunara Tribe was so upset by the death of one of their own, they decided that all demons could not be trusted. And so they chose to not only kill the general, but all of the Juuma tribe, creating the Lunara powers—including that of the Lunara Knight—and slaughtering them."

Catherine grew pale upon hearing the story. "Oh, God..." she moaned, and she sunk to the floor. She was horrified that her ancestors were so cruel.

"That...that's terrible," Kotohime gasped. "Then Golomois is...the sole survivor from that time?"

William nodded. "Yes," he replied. "Golomois escaped from the wholesale slaughter, and he swore revenge to all members of the Lunara Tribe, determined to never rest until the entire bloodline was vanquished. And so, he chose to kill them at their most vulnerable."

"Eventually, the descendants of the Lunara Tribe took the surname 'Grayson' in the hopes of undoing what they thought to be a curse. It didn't work.

"As for the murder of Sean and Cordelia Grayson, Catherine's parents...it may be possible that he caused it, but I cannot remember for sure."

Everyone remained silent for a minute, trying to comprehend what happened. Then Kotohime spoke up. "So that's the grudge he carries against the Graysons..."

"I'm afraid so."

Catherine bowed to William after spending several minutes regaining her composure. "Thank you, Sir," she said, and she turned to the group. "I think we know a way to study the blade fragment."

"How?" Alyx asked.

"In Briarwood, there exists one of the most powerful rulers of magic, if not the most powerful—Mystic Mother. But it is said that, two years ago, the White Mystic Ranger, Udonna, has taken her place.

"We'll need to visit Udonna, and she'll have to examine the sword fragment, hopefully identifying who it belongs to."

William nods, and he gives Catherine the blade fragment. "I wish you luck on your search," he said.

Then Rika had an idea. "Wait. I think I saw her before...like, a year ago. She shouldn't be too hard to locate, if at all," she remembered. "Since I'm a spirit, perhaps I can try contacting her from Heaven."

Joel blinked, unsure if Rika could actually do that. "Wait...what?" he said.

Kotohime nodded. "That would save a lot of time," she agreed.

Rika smiled, and she flew up to Heaven. Trying to locate Udonna and convince her to go to Mariner Bay was not an easy task.

Meanwhile, William looked at Michael. "Michael?" he asked.

Michael turned to William. "Yes, sir," he greeted, and he saluted.

"I understand that you wanted to find a cure to your curse. I do apologize, but...I haven't found anything. You'll need to speak with Udonna, if possible."

"T-thank you..."

"I'm sure Mother Udonna can help in some way," Kotohime added.

There was a long pause. Then Kelsey realized a possibility. "Wait," she said. "How would Rika even know about Udonna? If she took the Mystic Mother's place, wouldn't she even be dead?"

As if it answered Kelsey's question, Rika and a middle-aged woman appeared in the Aquabase. The woman was clearly alive and clad in white, and she had red hair. She also had a light aura around her body.

"I believe the term you're looking for is 'ascended'," the woman corrected, looking at a shocked Kelsey all the while.

"Here we are! Guys, this is--" Rika began to introduce, but the woman stopped her with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Rika, but I'm capable of introducing myself. I am Udonna, the Empress of all good magic and the Mystic Spirit Guardian."

Everyone introduced themselves, including Kotohime, who--in her excitement--incorrectly identified herself as Catherine's fiancee. Regardless, Udonna congratulated her and Catherine on the wedding.

"Thank you," said Catherine. "Anyway...we're wondering if you can possibly help us." She gave Udonna the blade fragment. "Considering that the Juuma tribe were once good guys--"

"I understand," Udonna interrupted. "Rika told me everything." She then studied the blade fragment.

Kelsey, slowly recovering from her shock, leaned over to Rika. "How did you know about Udonna?" she whispered.

"She came to me a year ago. She was willing to send Catherine's parents to her for a short time. It was at the price of my powers," Rika whispered back.

Everyone remained quiet, so Udonna could study the blade fragment and locate it. Then, in the middle of her work, she shuddered. She was receiving a flashback at the time of Catherine's parents' murders, and the dark magic was giving her pain.

"Udonna? What's wrong?" Catherine asked, growing scared.

"That moment...that time...I can sense..." Udonna panted, and she tried her best to continue with the vision.

In her vision, she saw a fallen angel-like figure, and she tried to make out what he was saying. All she knew was that he was standing next to the Grayson house, which was almost like a mansion, but not big nor fancy enough.

Kotohime gripped Catherine's hand, worried about what was going on; and Catherine held on tight, on instinct. She looked at Udonna, who was now clearly in pain, but the Mystic Spirit Guardian continued on. Magical surges came out of the fragment, intensifying the more Udonna delved deeper into the vision.

"This is just getting crazy!" Joel yelled.

"Udonna, you need to stop!" Catherine screamed. "I don't want you killed, either!"

Udonna shook her head, and her voice took more of an echo. "Catherine...a Power Ranger never gives up! I'll be fine, trust me!" she shouted, and then she continued to see flashes of the angel-like figure...

Kotohime looked at Catherine. "We have to trust her, Catherine," she said. "She...I'm sure she knows what she's doing."

Catherine paused, then she sighed. "Very well," she relented.

Then, at the last possible moment, she saw a flash of the angel's face, the striking of a sword, and fire coming out of it, engulfing the Grayson house. After Udonna figured out who really did the crime, the dark magic tried to blow her away. With quick thinking, she created an ice shield to protect herself; and instead of getting blown away and slammed onto the wall, she was pushed away and knocked onto the ground.

Udonna took deep breaths, and she tried to stand up. Everyone ran to her and helped her up. The Mystic Spirit Guardian was weak, but she was still alive.

"Thank Zordon that I was given immortality when I ascended...otherwise, it would have killed me," said Udonna, sitting on a chair.

"Udonna, are you all right?" Catherine asked. She tried to give her a Potion of Extreme Healing, but since the dark magic took so much of a toll on the Mystic Spirit Guardian, she wasn't healed much.

Udonna placed a hand on Catherine's shoulder for reassurance, and she answered the concerned Red Ranger with a chuckle. "It was brutal. But I've faced worse."

"W-what did you see?" Kotohime asked, and Udonna then told the group about her visions, including what the figure said: once the Graysons in the house were killed, the bloodline would end, and he would be able to meet his tribe yet again.

Then Udonna added one final piece of information. "I saw his face as soon as he slashed the ground with his blade, causing that fire. I can confirm that the fragment belonged to the sword of Golomois."

"He killed my parents?!" Catherine shouted, and she grew pale again. She was deeply in shock.

"Yes, Catherine. And he would have killed you, too, had William Mitchell not intervened. Like Golomois, Catherine, you were the only survivor of the Grayson family. I say 'were' because..."

Udonna then gestured over to Catherine's family, and the young Red Ranger looked down.

"I don't know what to do now. I mean...I feel bad for him, since he lost his people. At the same time...not only did he kill Rika, he also killed many innocent people, including my parents. And he cursed Michael."

"Ah, the curse? Well...I'll see what I can do to help." Udonna looked over to Michael. "Michael, mind coming closer to me?"

"Yeah," Michael answered, and Udonna scanned him. After a while, she made her decision.

"Michael, I believe that there is something that will help you with your curse. You can go to the area where the Lunara and Juuma Tribes once ruled together. It's at a desert not unlike the one where Queen Bansheera and her army were sealed, but it's located...here," she said, pointing to an area in Nevada.

"...Nevada?"

"Yes. I believe that the Lunara Tribe migrated to that area after they assisted in sealing Bansheera and her demons, trying for a peaceful life in a new area."

Michael smiled. He finally knew where he needed to go. "Thank you, Udonna."

"Yeah, thanks! Now we'll be able to help Michael out!" Rika cheered.

"And I will go with them," Ryan added.

"Excellent. I wish all of you the best of luck," said Udonna.

As soon as Michael, Rika, and Ryan packed up and said their good-byes, they headed off to Nevada. They were unaware of the dangers lurking ahead, but they knew that they had each other.

A few minutes later, Kotohime hugged Catherine, and she hugged back. "I'm so sorry," said the Red Legendary Ranger in a low voice.

"Don't be, Catherine. This is a difficult time for you. I just want you to know that I'm with you all the way," Kotohime reassured, a smile on her face.

"T...thanks."

Udonna turned to Catherine, still smiling a warm smile. "Catherine," she called, and Catherine and Kotohime looked at her. "Catherine, you don't need to be so down. You can be confident in yourself, you just have to find it. Likewise, you can make good choices."

Catherine pointed out, "This is the hardest thing I have to encounter, though, having to choose whether I should spare Golomois or kill him completely..."

Udonna nodded. "True. But...you'll find the answer. And when you do, you'll realize that you're a true Red Ranger. Ask yourself this: what would happen if you choose to spare Golomois? What will you gain if you kill him?

"Obviously, I don't know all the answers. But you do. And you have everyone rooting for you. Yes, even...him."

Udonna paused for a second, with the "him" referring to Matt, Catherine's long-deceased Other who sacrificed his life to save the Omniverse; such an act was so great, not only was he selected to become the Lightspeed Spirit Guardian, but he redeemed himself for all the past actions in his dark past. She then continued. "Even your deceased family. Even me, despite the fact that we're not on the same team. I believe in you, Catherine, and I know that you'll make the right choice."

"...thanks," said Catherine, and she smiled at Udonna.

Kotohime patted her wife on the back. "I believe in you, too, Catherine," she said with a smile.

"We all believe in you, Cath!" Joel chimed in.

"Yeah," Victoria agreed, and then she added her own two cents. "Though, with that said...honestly, I would have chosen to kill the bastard."

"Why?" Alyx asked, aghast of what Victoria just said.

"Dude. He doesn't deserve to live, I mean...if he tried to kill Mom, I would have..."

Udonna interrupted the small argument. "I'm sure that we all have our beliefs, of what we want or don't want to do," she said, and then she stood up. "My work here is done, but I'll need to make sure that I stay away from the rest of the Spirit Guardians. I don't want them to be affected by the dark magic, as a precaution."

"Thank you again, Udonna!" Catherine thanked, and Udonna nodded one last time.

"You're welcome, Catherine, everyone. Good luck. And may the power protect you."

With that, Udonna teleported out of Mariner Bay and into Briarwood. Victoria and Alyx continued their small argument.

"Personally, I would try to talk him out of fighting," Alyx suggested.

"And that worked perfectly," Victoria retorted sarcastically.

"Guys...look. What we need to do right now, now that we know what's going on...is to prepare ourselves. Should I go down during the fight, you guys will need to do whatever is necessary to save Mariner Bay. To save yourselves," Catherine commanded.

What she didn't expect was this reply from Kotohime. "Catherine...if you...don't make it...then I will join you in the Land of the Dead as soon as I can. I promise," she said.

Catherine was shocked. "No. If I die, you should not die for my sake. If I die, for the love of God, please promise me to continue living your life. That's all I ask." She began to tear up, not wanting to even think of the idea of her wife killing herself in order to be together, should she die first.

Kotohime shook her head, also tearing up. "But I...I can't live without you, Catherine..."

"...why? I mean...what about that Other of me? What do I even have that no one else has? Why did you fall in love with me in the first place, even though I was simply a teenage Ranger?"

Kotohime hugged Catherine, prompting her wife to hug her back. "What happened with your amnesic Other was a mistake, which I greatly regret. My meeting you was more than simply a passing fancy; you were a safe beacon at a time where I so sorely needed the safety and stability that you could provide.

"I love you, Catherine. I love you. If you were to disappear from my life, the hole that would be left in my soul could not be filled with any Other of you."

Catherine thought for a moment. Indeed, what Kotohime said was true. She would feel the same way if the love of her life was threatened in any way...though it would be after she would destroy the threat. She wiped her tears.

"I love you, too," said Catherine in a strong, authoritative voice. "I promise you, I'll try not to die. For not only the sake of the family, for not only the sake of Mariner Bay and the entire world...I'll try not to die for your sake. This will be a promise I will never break."

She kissed Kotohime, and when her wife kissed back, everyone awwed. Including Dana, who once fell in love with Catherine, though it was at a time when the latter was Carter. Tears still streamed down the redheaded young woman's face, and Catherine wiped them out of kindness.

"Let's spend a special time together, the both of us...one last time. Before we face Golomois," Catherine suggested. At that point, everyone was dismissed.

Kotohime smiled at Catherine. "Let's."

And with that, Catherine led Kotohime to her old room, where they spent that special, magical time together. What they didn't know was that, as they were spending that special time as a married couple for the first time in days, Alyx was putting the finishing touches on Catherine's morpher in the lab. As he finished, he walked over to the old room...but then heard noises.

"...good luck, Catherine. I hope that you'll succeed, and then you'll have more moments with your wife," Alyx whispered. So that he wouldn't bother them, he placed the morpher, wrapped in a box, down on the ground, along with the note attached.

The note, once read, said the following:

"Hi, Catherine!

"Just managed to update your morpher with a cool new attack! For one time only, you can transform into all Red Rangers and use their attacks! It's kinda like Beat Up, only the villain may get some shots in! Be careful and good luck~!

"Sincerely, Alyx :)"

Once he placed the gift down, Alyx fell asleep in his room. He silently hoped for the best, not just for Catherine, not just for Michael, but for everyone.

---

To Be Continued...

Chapter 5: The Cure for the Curse

---

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the only chapter out of the entire remake that's completely original; as in, not adapted from the roleplay itself. The reason why I decided to cut this particular scene out was due to me wanting to leave the game earlier. And so, here it is in its entirety, the subplot where Michael, Rika, and Ryan find a cure for the curse.

---

It was a long trek for Rika, Michael, and Ryan. Even though they were using the Rescue Rover in order to go to their destination, the trio were quite new to the area. And so, they planned their trip carefully, choosing which routes to take and what to encounter.

"I hope Udonna is right about this..." said Michael.

"She's kinda akin to a god, so she should be!" Rika replied.

"...are the Spirit Guardians even gods?" Ryan asked. "I didn't think there were even Gods."

"Who knows? Embodiments, possibly," Michael answered. Then he took out the wand.

"You know, Michael, you never told me about that wand. Why do you always keep it? It doesn't do anything."

"You may be right, Ryan. However...it just brings back memories. Ever since that moment, I felt that I was...cursed for life."

"Cursed?"

"Yeah. Back when I followed the orders of an Other of Flandre Scarlet. I thought that by grabbing the wand, the group would be safe. Oh, how wrong I was..."

Ryan frowned. He had not heard of that story, ever. He patted Michael on the back.

"Don't worry, Mike," he comforted. "We'll find a way to cure your curse."

Michael smiled, and eventually, hours later, they finally found the former grounds from the Lunara Tribe. On the sands were faint markings of both their symbols and the Juuma symbol--that of an angel-like figure with dark runes. Other than that, nothing else was there in the desert.

"...this is it..." Michael whispered.

"Yeah. Let's go," said Rika, and with that, the trio exited the Rescue Rover.

The group examined the area, trying to find the cure. But once they stood on the symbols, as if the magic sensed them, they started to glow.

"What's happening?!" Michael cried out.

There was a massive rumble, and the ground shook. A fissure formed between the symbols, growing bigger by the second. Michael and Ryan were sucked in, and they both fell, screaming.

"Michael! Ryan!" Rika screamed, and she dived in after them. Being a spirit, she remembered that she could do attacks...but she had no idea where to even start.

It seemed like forever, but eventually, the two men fell to the ground hard. Michael groaned, and he stood up after recovering for a few minutes. He extended his hand to Ryan, who was suffering from a broken ankle.

"No, Mike..." Ryan hissed. "You remember that we packed up a few potions before we left? Use one of those."

Michael nodded, and he uncorked a potion. He gave it to Ryan, who then drank it. The potion allowed him to regain his health.

Rika reappeared. "You guys okay? Sorry that I couldn't help much..." she said.

"No need to apologize," Michael responded, and he looked around. "I guess this is where we'll start..."

The three started off on their journey.

---

As they walked more, they could see torches lighting their path. Eventually, they came across a beautiful-looking statue, made of silver and shaped like an odd human-demon hybrid.

"...wow," said Ryan, his eyes bulging slightly. "They weren't kidding with the statement about peace."

Then the statue seemed to activate. The eyes scanned the trio, and fireballs started to shoot out of its gaping mouth. Michael and Ryan ducked, but Rika let the attacks phase through her.

"Well, guess it's time!" Michael shouted, and he prepared his Lunara Gem. "LUNARA, TRANSFORM!"

But as soon as he transformed into the Lunara Knight, he screamed in pain. He was force-demorphed from the pain, he coughed up blood, and he was at 60% strength. Because he morphed into the Lunara Knight, that also meant the curse was entering his body even more.

"Come on, Mike!" Ryan cried out. "We have to do this! You can do it, man!"

Michael slowly stood up, and he grabbed his ninja-to. Rika shot a Shadow Ball towards the monster, but it had little effect.

"Fuck!" Rika cried out.

The fireballs were being shot out at faster speed, not giving Michael and Ryan enough time to take a breath. Ryan kicked the statue monster, and Michael slashed it. That took some damage. But it wasn't enough, and at that moment, all the men had to do was to try to dodge each and every barrage of fireballs while Rika continued to spam Shadow Balls. While they succeeded half of the time, there were other times where the statue monster changed the directions of the fireballs and attacked them successfully.

After ten minutes, the statue monster stopped so it could recharge. That gave Ryan enough time to morph into the Titanium Ranger, and he and Michael dual-slashed the foe several times. The attacks were enough for them to defeat the monster.

"...that was close!" Ryan panted, and he looked over at Michael, who was wiping the blood off his face. "You okay, man?"

"I'll be fine..." Michael answered. "I'm more concerned about you guys."

"I was never attacked, though it kinda sucked for you guys," Rika added.

The group took a breather for a few minutes. That was just one test. Who knew if there were going to be more tests like that?

"Okay, so obviously, we'll need to be careful," Ryan advised. "If there are more tests, we'll need to find a way to solve them quickly."

Michael and Rika nodded, and the three went on.

---

Fifteen minutes later, the group arrived at a large body of water. Would they need to simply swim across to go to the next level?

Michael walked over to the water, but he found himself walking into an invisible wall. "What the hell?" he cried out.

Ryan felt the walls. "It almost seems like it's a maze," he guessed. "Rika, see if you can cross the other side."

Rika nodded, and she attempted to phase through the invisible walls. However, it seemed that whoever enchanted the wall made it phase-proof: as soon as she touched it, she received an electric shock, making her fly back.

"Ow!" she said, rubbing her hand.

"Okay, maybe not..." Ryan sighed, and he tried to find a path. Eventually, he sensed it. "This way!"

With Ryan as the leader, the trio made their way through the maze. At first, it was just typical stuff with Ryan feeling his way, trying to find gaps. Then at the halfway point, that's when things got worse.

When they reached the halfway point, the waves grew, threatening to swallow the path. The group knew that they had to quickly maneuver through the maze before they drowned. Well, except for Rika, but she would just be trapped.

As the waters filled the pathway, Michael and Ryan ran while Rika flew near them. The waves nearly swallowed them until they reached the exit, their salvation. They made it out of the invisible maze just in time for it to be submerged completely.

"...just how many times are we going to have brushes with death?" Michael asked, but then Rika cleared her throat, what with her already being dead.

The trio then looked at something. It looked like tombs, which made them wary. However, there was something about them that gave them a comforting feeling.

Rika shrugged and entered a tomb. She felt a sleepiness coming over her, and she closed her eyes. As she rested, she slowly regained her health.

"Well, that's nice," Ryan chuckled, and he and Michael entered the other two tombs. They slept and also regained health, a relief for them. There they stayed for an hour...until, when the time limit was reached, they were teleported to the final room.

---

The first thing Michael remembered when he woke up was that his face was feeling something...hotter. Almost like he reached Hell. As he looked around, he saw a very big room with cave art depicting the Juuma tribe before they met the Lunara tribe.

Gold also adorned several parts of the room, not least of which included a gigantic statue. It was shaped like an angel demon, but there were differences: it was like the demon was depicted as a god. Michael recognized bits and pieces of the statue: could it be that the Juuma recognized Golomois as not only their leader, but also a god?

Rika and Ryan woke up and looked around. "Where are we now?" the former asked.

"...I don't know," Michael answered, "but I feel that this may have what we're looking for."

"You mean the cure?"

"Yeah! Let's take a look."

But before they took another step, the statue, like the other statue, activated. This time, however, it became more alive. The statue became a copy of Golomois.

"Why...are...you...here?" the statue growled.

"To cure my curse!" Michael shouted, but the copy would have none of that.

"Intruders...? Begone..."

And with that, the copy unleashed a dark energy attack, shooting it at the trio, injuring them.

"Come on, guys! We can't give up here!" Ryan shouted, and so, he tried to slash at the copy. However...the copy did not take the attack, as if it was meant to only be destroyed by some other means.

To counter all attacks, the copy took out his greatsword. He slashed it at Ryan, the blue fires bathing it. Rika shot a Shadow Ball at the copy, but once again, it had no effect.

The copy then shot several dark energy balls, and the group had to dodge them, quickly. They knew what to expect: another battle where they have to survive the attacks. But for how long?

Michael tried to slash the energy balls, but to no avail: they struck him hard. He groaned as he fell, coughing. If I was able to transform into the Lunara Knight, then I would beat the copy easily! he thought.

Ryan and Rika double-teamed by shooting at the copy, hoping to at least slow him down. Eventually, they succeeded, though it didn't stop him from continuing to attack, managing to knock the both of them down.

Michael's eyes bulged when he saw his teammates down. He took out the magicless wand, his only other hope, and he used it as a mini-baton. The copy was unamused, and he slashed the cyborg with his sword.

Michael grunted. He had only one option left, but would it be worth risking his life? After all, transforming into the Lunara Knight did nothing the first time except for weakening him.

But just when things looked their bleakest, the copy's body glowed. Before it was gone, it unleashed every single projectile attack at the group in the attempt to kill them. They were hit by almost every attack, but managed to dodge a few. When the copy was nowhere to be found, they were lucky to be alive.

A few minutes after they caught their breath and let the situation sink in, something appeared at the altar. It appeared to be a trophy of some sort that belonged to Golomois' people, along with a piece of paper. Michael read it.

"...it appears to be a recipe to make a potion by using that trophy," he said. "However, it appears that I'll have to wait until a week to drink it. Hopefully...it'll be done."

And so, after they obtained the trophy, the trio were teleported out. From there, they made the potion, following the directions. And in a week's time, Michael would drink the potion, realizing that the "cure" didn't really do what it was supposed to do, but rather keep the curse at bay. But it was all right, for as long as he was still alive, that was what mattered.

---

To Be Concluded...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The final chapter(s) is split in two parts due to it being so massive in comparison to the other chapters. As the final battle that occured in WAOA gained a lot of derision, in no small part due to me trying to condense it by creating Walls of Text and shortening/cutting several parts outright, here is my take on it, using my original plans for it.

And yes, prepare to see a lot of music links. The battle's pretty music theme-heavy.

Enjoy.

---

Chapter 6: Gaining the Upper Hand

---

The day was August 2nd, 2012. Why was the date significant? It was the full moon, which meant that the final battle between Golomois and Catherine would take place. The latter had been training extensively ever since she received her answers from both William and Udonna. As for the remaining Rangers and family members, they prepared themselves as well, just in case if their leader fell in battle.

Most of the Rangers and family members gathered in the main room of the Aquabase. Michael, Rika, and Ryan were still missing, though after Michael was "cured", the three chose to rest before they headed back to the Aquabase, for the battles and tests they went through were intense.

"Is Michael okay?" Kelsey asked. "We haven't heard anything from him or his group!"

"I hope so," Catherine answered.

Victoria butted in. "God, I can't wait to see the ass-kicking. Honestly! The fucker—" she started to rant, but Alyx interrupted her by calling her name and giving her a very stern look. Everyone was on edge, and they wanted nothing more than to see the demon defeated.

"You've been at it with the whole 'I hope that fucker gets it' thingie for, like, days. You need to knock it off," Alyx commanded.

Victoria sighed, and she remained quiet.

A few minutes later, Kotohime walked over to Catherine. "The sun is setting now," she said, looking nervous. "He'll be here soon. Are you ready, Catherine?"

Catherine, battle-ready, nodded as she examined her inventory one last time. She even equipped herself with a Gold Ring of Regeneration, her wedding ring. "As I'll ever be," she answered.

Then there was a knock on the door. Wondering who it could be, she walked over.

Kotohime took notice. "Is it him?" she asked.

"I don't know," Catherine replied. "It wouldn't make any sense."

The door opened, and Michael, Rika, and Ryan appeared, just in time. The men looked a bit tanner, but Michael felt a lot better.

"Rika! Ryan! Michael...oh, God, I was so worried!" Catherine cried out, and she hugged Michael.

"Sorry to worry you, Mother," said Michael, and he hugged back.

The rest of the time was spent by the trio explaining what happened on their trip. Kotohime smiled after they told their story. "That's great, Michael!" she cheered. "I'm so glad you're well and back again!"

"Thanks...Mother Kotohime." Michael gave Kotohime a hug. He then looked over to Catherine. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Catherine answered, becoming braver. She was determined to make sure that Mariner Bay would be safe once more. And once the entire nightmare was over, then she would live comfortably with her family.

"Come back safely, my love," said Kotohime, and she and Catherine kissed.

But then, as soon as the full moon started to rise, the tender moment was broken. Golomois stood at the doorway, with no further fanfare. No lightning strikes. Nothing. Dark powers swirled around him, even though he didn't draw his weapon. He was waiting for his challenger.

"Catherine Grayson," Golomois called. "It is time."

Catherine calmly looked at Golomois. "Golomois," she said, "I kept the promise, and I'm ready."

Everyone else was nervous. They knew that this was it. Golomois nodded.

"Good. This way."

Golomois began to walk out the Aquabase, not stopping to see if Catherine was following. He didn't need to, because she was walking behind him, with her family and friends following her not long afterwards. Catherine's heart was beating...

As they continued their walk, away from the Aquabase and away from civilization, Golomois spoke to Catherine. "How did your investigation go, Grayson?" he asked.

"Hard, but it went well," Catherine answered. "I...found out why you wanted us dead. Because...we made a wrong towards your kind. One of your generals accidentally slayed an innocent bystander, from our tribe..."

Golomois' voice remained steady despite his reply, and he didn't hesitate in his steps. "And in return, you laid waste to our tribe, leaving no innocents, no non-combatants and no children alive. Only I lived, sent away by my mother's magic as she desperately tried to save her family."

Catherine felt a lump in her throat, once again realizing the horrors her ancestors committed. "I'm so sorry. And I found out that...you swore revenge against the Lunara Tribe. To the point of killing everyone in that bloodline. You even killed my parents, and you would have killed me, too, and ended the feud had Captain Mitchell not saved me."

Golomois nodded. "It has been a long time since the eradication of my tribe. But now...their spirits shall find rest."

Eventually, he, Catherine, and the other Rangers and family members arrived at an empty beach. The waves were quietly brushing against the shore. The moonlight illuminated the night, reflected on the surface of the ocean. All was quiet and serene. Until Golomois turned around.

"Tonight, it all ends, Catherine Grayson. One way or the other, this battle will mark the end. Blood shall mar this white sand. We fight...to the death!"

Golomois held out his hand, and the dark greatsword materialized. He grasped it firmly, and flames enveloped the blade, lighting up the dark night.

"Catherine..." Kotohime whispered, and Catherine nodded. She turned to Golomois.

"I'm ready when you are," said the Red Legendary Ranger. "It's time to end it...for everyone's sakes."

(Battle Music #1: "Burn It Down")

Catherine took out the Ebony Sword of Devouring, and everyone else watched as Golomois lunged forward, sweeping broadly with his greatsword. The flames flared at the blade to strike at Catherine if she didn't get out of the way. She was stricken, but not before she defended herself with her Ebony Sword.

Catherine gained a burn, and she lunged at Golomois with her Ebony Sword. However, he managed to defect the blow, and he gained some safe distance by jumping back.

He assumed a stance, and then he unleashed a huge blast of fire magic at Catherine. She was scorched and forced back when she was injured.

Catherine picked up her sword again, and she took out her Ebony Dagger, dual-wielding the weapons. She ran towards Golomois and tried to slash him. The demon found himself on the defensive during this onslaught, and the Ebony Sword nicked him on the arm, also ensuring that Catherine would be healed slightly.

"Not bad, Grayson...but how will you fare against...this?!" Golomois shouted, and then he stabbed his sword in the sand. It flared up, and the sand beneath Catherine began to glow. A large pillar of fire erupted upward, and before she had a chance to defend herself, she was hit, sending her backwards and landing on the ground.

"Come on, Mom! Get up!" Michael cried. "You can do this!"

Catherine stood up, trying to hold her ground. She took a moment to catch her breath.

"Catherine! Hang in there!" Kotohime shouted.

Then Golomois had enough. He took out the sword and launched it skyward. While it was in the air, it homed in on Catherine and transformed into a missile engulfed in flames.

"Perish, Catherine Grayson!" Golomois roared.

Catherine just barely missed the missile and took out her own greatsword, that of the Ebony Greatsword of Ice. She tried to slash Golomois with it, but he parried her Greatsword with his own.

"What's wrong, Grayson? Where is that power your tribe boasted so of?"

The demon held out his hand, and the tendrils--the very same ones that tried to kill Rika and keep the other Rangers at bay during the wedding--rose from the sand. The tendrils painfully ensnared Catherine's limbs, and she cried out, struggling to break free.

"Don't give up, Catherine!" Alyx cried out.

Then Catherine realized one thing. She knew that she would have to face death with dignity. But was this really it? Was she really going to die?

"Just the fact that I'm surviving so far proves it, Golomois," said Catherine. "Do your worst."

Everyone else was just crying out over how insane she was. But there was just no way out. Or was there...?

"Say farewell, Catherine Grayson," said Golomois, and then he raised his greatsword to the sky. After it was bathed in the full moon's light, dark flames gathered and intensified until the blade transformed. It was smaller and transparent, but it shined with a vicious power which seemed to fry the air around it. The blade crackled with demonic energy.

And then, Golomois brought the blade down, slashing Catherine's chest with tremendous force.

"CATHERIIIIIIIIINE!" Kotohime screamed.

Catherine was slashed, and she blacked out. It looked like as if she was dead, the blood seeping out of her chest. Her family and friends mourned her.

And normally, that would be the end to our story. But not here. For in the darkest hours, even a hero would find the strength to continue fighting.

---

To Be Concluded (for real)...

Chapter 7: Grayscade

---

(Battle Music #2: "Titanium")

Catherine continued to black out. Was she dead? No. She was still alive. And how in the hell did she even survive a brutal attack like that?

While it was true that it would have killed her normally, she had one thing on her mind: determination. The willpower to fight the battle to the bitter end.

This was not made apparent to anyone else. Kotohime was shaking and crying. "Catherine...no...no...NOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed. The rest of the family were just as distraught.

Victoria, angry over what happened, grabbed her own morpher. "THAT FUCKER'S DEAD!" she yelled, but Alyx and Andreus grabbed her. "LET GO OF ME! I'LL KILL HIM MYSELF! I'LL FUCKING KILL HIM FOR WHAT HE DID TO OUR FAMILY!!"

"Victoria, stop!" Ryan shouted. "Golomois will kill you, too!"

Victoria was just shaking with absolute fury, but she eventually relented.

The tendrils retracted, leaving Catherine slumped on the beach. ...I'm still alive, she thought. I have to keep fighting...for my family! For my friends! For Mariner Bay!

Golomois moved over to the seemingly-unconscious young woman. "Now then..." he growled, ready to make the final strike. "It is time...to finish this."

Golomois raised the sword so he could finish her off. What he did not expect was Catherine waking up and deflecting the attack with the Ebony Greatsword of Ice, her survival instincts kicking in. She had a very determined look in her eyes.

Everyone was shocked, for it seemed that Catherine could not survive the attack. Golomois jumped back, creating some distance.

"Ah, that's more like it! Rise, Catherine Grayson! There haven't been nearly enough blood spilled tonight!"

"I may be down," Catherine replied, "but I'm not out quite yet." She revealed her Red Legendary Morpher. "RED ADVENT, AWAKEN THE LEGEND!"

With that, Catherine morphed into the Red Legendary Ranger. Although wounded, she chose to dodge any and all attacks the best she can, gaining strength through her Gold Ring of Regeneration and growing more confident by the minute.

Golomois, for the first time, seemed somewhat unsure. But he recovered his poise. "Your titles and costumes mean little to me, Catherine Grayson. Your defeat is sealed!"

Dark energies gathered around the sword, and a wave of cursed energy surged at Catherine as he brought the blade down. She dodged the attacks, and she did the same with each and every attack he could throw at her.

"Hold still!" Golomois screamed, and more abyssal tendrils sprung out of the sand, lashing Catherine with demonic energy. That time, she did take the attacks. But she had to remain quick on her feet if she would hope for a decent recovery.

When she felt that she gathered enough health, which took a long time, she remembered what Alyx wrote. Prior to the battle, he updated her morpher with a new attack: Ultimate Red Wave, which let her transform into all the Red Rangers, striking once in each form. Alyx likened it to a Ranger version of the Pokemon move "Beat Up".

It took a long time for Alyx to update that morpher, being careful not to let anything go wrong, lest if she lost her powers. Little did he know that once the attack was done, his little experiment would go horribly right. In ways that he did not intend at all.

"I don't think so," Catherine panted. "Soon, it'll be over for you. ULTIMATE RED WAVE!"

Immediately, all the symbols activated, ready for use. When Catherine's done with a form, the symbol would glow.

(Battle Theme #3: Power Rangers Samurai)

First, Catherine took out an orb with the Samurai symbol on it.

"RED ADVENT, GO GO SAMURAI!"

She morphed into the Red Samurai Ranger, armed with the Fire Smasher. Golomois gasped.

"What...what is this?" he asked, and he tried slashing Catherine. It did take damage, and she defended herself by slashing back with the Fire Smasher.

Golomois tried blocking the sword with his own, but he found himself flying through the air. His sword was knocked out of his hand during that onslaught, and he picked it up. "This...this power! How is it even possible?"

Catherine nodded. "Through my own determination and a little help from a friend," she answered, referring to Alyx for the latter.

(Battle Music #4: Power Rangers RPM)

She then took out the orb with the RPM symbol. "RED ADVENT, RPM, GET IN GEAR!" She morphed into Ranger Operator Series Red, armed now with the Street Saber.

"This is too fucking awesome! Go get 'em, Mom!" Victoria cheered, clearly estatic.

Catherine attempted to slash Golomois, but he parried the blow. There was a brief surge of energy, and both combatants were pushed back. He raised his hand, and a blast of fire magic was launched at Catherine.

This time, however, Catherine dodged the attack.

(Battle Theme #5: Power Rangers Jungle Fury)

She took out an orb with the Red Tiger Ranger's symbol on it. "RED ADVENT, JUNGLE BEAST, SPIRIT UNLEASHED!" she cried out, and she morphed into the Ranger, armed with Jungle Chucks. Golomois wasn't too impressed, and so, with his sword, he summoned a fireball and slashed it into numerous other fireballs.

Catherine tried to dodge the fireballs, but it did not do her any good. She was hit again and again, and not even the Jungle Chucks were able to hit one of them. She had to think quickly.

(Battle Theme #6: Power Rangers Operation Overdrive)

She took out an orb with the Operation Overdrive symbol. "RED ADVENT, OVERDRIVE ACCELERATE!" she shouted, and she morphed into the Red Overdrive Ranger, the Jungle Chucks becoming the Drive Lance. She attempted to strike Golomois with the weapon, but he managed to parry it as long as he could. Both weapons clinked as the combatants seemed to be evenly matched.

Then both fighters slashed each other with their weapons, causing some major damage. Golomois groaned as he looked at his wound, and then he looked up at Catherine, who was kneeling.

After she caught her breath, she took out an orb with the Red Mystic Ranger's symbol on it.

(Battle Theme #7: Power Rangers Mystic Force)

"RED ADVENT, MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FORCE!" Catherine morphed into the Red Mystic Ranger, finding out that her fire spells were strengthened. She also had the Magi Staff. All she had to do was to defend herself and let her Gold Ring of Regeneration heal her a bit.

Golomois smirked, and he stabbed his sword into the ground once again. The sand beneath the Ranger glowed once more, and she was quick to dodge the oncoming fiery pillar.

"You can't run away from my attacks forever, Catherine Grayson," the demon sneered, and he unleashed more tendrils, ready to snare the Ranger. She tried using the Magi Staff's Sword Mode, but the tendrils kept coming back as soon as they were slashed.

(Battle Theme #8: Power Rangers S.P.D)

Catherine knew that Golomois wanted to tire her out so he could finish the job. But she wasn't going to give up so easily. She took out the orb with the S.P.D. symbol on it.

"RED ADVENT, S.P.D. EMERGENCY!" Catherine shouted, and she morphed into the S.P.D. Red Ranger. Armed with the Delta Blasters, she ended up shooting down some of the tendrils, trying to clear a path towards her target. But once she managed to do so and flip herself towards him, the other tendrils glowed, ready to stab her.

Catherine barely managed to dodge the tendrils, but she was stabbed several times with the remaining ones. She then transformed into the Red Dino Ranger, having to use her Tyranno Staff to ward off the tendrils.

Most of the battle occurred like this: after trying to ward off the tendrils, she turned into the Red Wind Ranger and used the Hawk Blaster to destroy them. She then morphed into the Red Wild Force Ranger (she and Golomois were evenly-matched with the beams from the Lion Blaster and the fire spells, respectively), the Red Time Force Ranger (she got a couple shots in with the Chrono Saber's Time Strike attack), the Red Galaxy Ranger (even with the Quasar Saber, Golomois had his greatsword enveloped in fire to slash her, giving her a burn in the process), and the Red Space Ranger (she had to parry the greatsword's blows, once again remaining on the defensive).

When she transformed into the Red Turbo Ranger, she tried to find an opening to slash Golomois with her Turbo Lightning Sword, and she did. As the Red Zeo Ranger next, she tried to do the same with the Red Zeo Sword, but to no avail--Golomois aimed a perfectly-timed fireball point-blank, knocking her back. Before he could really finish her off, she morphed into the Red Aquitian Ranger, and she used her enhanced agility and speed to dodge his blows while trying to heal up. Finally, after she transformed into the Red Power Ranger, armed with the Power Sword, she slashed Golomois a few times until he slashed at her back, once again almost killing her.

(Battle Theme #9: Cascade)

Catherine realized that there was one final orb left. As she had used the other ones, they were glowing. But...why? It didn't matter. It was all or nothing at that point. She had to use the final orb, no matter what.

(Battle Theme #10: Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue: Instrumental Version)

"RED ADVENT, LIGHTSPEED! RESCUE!" Catherine shouted, and she morphed into the Red Lightspeed Ranger. Fitting, as it was her old Ranger form in the past.

What she didn't know was that, after the orb with the Lightspeed symbol glowed...she started to feel something strange. A beam of light shined on her, and light energies crackled in the air. Catherine was screaming as the strange feeling grew stronger.

Even though Alyx was only trying to help by making it so that Catherine would transform into all Ranger forms and using their weapons for a short amount of time with the Ultimate Red Wave, the combination of all those powers invoked a greater power. Because she used her forms in such a strong attack, she became something that no other Ranger had ever witnessed before.

(Battle Theme #9, Continued: Cascade)

With the completion of the Ultimate Red Wave, she became the Ultimate Red Legendary Ranger, with enhanced strength and--most importantly--complete immortality. She was now the true embodiment of all Red Rangers.

As the light diminished, Catherine was revealed, wearing a light armor version of her Red Lightspeed Ranger outfit. The light aura swirled around her.

"No way!" Alyx cried out, not believing that his experiment went horribly right, that he created--essentially--a god, even by accident.

"All right, Mom!" Michael shouted, and he hugged a very stunned Victoria. Out of instinct, she hugged her brother back.

"Now this is awesome," Rika noted, a smile on her face.

"Catherine! Go get him!!" Kotohime cheered.

"So this is your true form. I see...then I, too, will go all out." Golomois decided, and he shot several fireballs at the Ultimate Red Lightspeed Ranger. Catherine took the attacks, but she wasn't falling.

Armed with the elaborate V-Lancer, she shot several times at Golomois, but he defended himself with dark projectile attacks. It seemed that neither of the two was going to give up so easily.

Golomois tried to slash at Catherine, but she parried the blows and blasted him a few times. He was sent flying back once more, falling to the ground. But he wasn't going to lose, not now.

As the Ultimate Red Lightspeed Ranger catched her breath, Golomois took his sword and, as a last-minute plan, plunged it into his own heart. He breathed heavily, then he pulled the sword back out, now coated in black blood. The insanely suicidal move would possibly work for him.

The sword then glowed ominously, and Golomois' eyes shined with power. A tremendous aura of demonic energy flared up around him, and with his free hand, he grasped the sword by the blade and forcibly stretched it out.

"Prepare to die...Red Ranger!" Golomois roared, and he aimed a powerful beam of dark energy from his sword. Catherine countered it with her V-Lancer's Blaster Mode's attack, causing two attacks to collide.

Everyone stared in awe as the beams collided. Golomois stood back, and he charged at her with his sword. Catherine looked at him and charged up her V-Lancer.

"V-LANCER, DIVINE SPECTRA BLAST! FIRE!" Catherine cried out, and a powerful beam was shot out of the V-Lancer. The beam was very, very bright, to the point where the spectators were blinded temporarily. The winds blew with a tremendous force, no doubt due to the Ranger's attack.

When the light diminished and the winds subsided, Catherine was left standing, panting very heavily, and Golomois seemed to be down. His greatsword had been shattered. It looked like as if she had won, at last.

"She...Mom did it! SHE DID IT!!" Victoria cried out, and everyone celebrated.

But not for long. For several seconds after that false alarm, Golomois woke up, groaning. He was severely weakened.

"What...what incredible power..." Golomois muttered.

Everyone was shocked to see that Golomois had survived such a powerful attack. The demon looked at the greatsword, or what was left of it.

"My blade...is broken," he realized, and he turned to Catherine, who removed her helmet. "I can not fight any more. Finish it, Catherine Grayson."

Catherine sternly looked at Golomois, really thinking over his fate, remembering what he did in the past and Udonna's words about making the right decision. Victoria was calling out for her mother to kill him. Alyx thought, Is that the way, though?

Golomois was growing frustrated. "Why do you hesitate? End it. Kill me, Catherine Grayson! You have defeated me in a fair battle, which is more than my tribe was shown. Kill me now, and let me join them in the world beyond this one."

Catherine knew one thing. What happened in the past should remain in the past. There had to be another way, as she suspected all along, but up until now, she had no idea what it would be.

"I've made my decision," she said, her voice taking on an echo. She stepped over to Golomois, still looking stern. At the last minute, she threw her V-Lancer down on the ground, away from her, and extended her hand over to him.

Golomois was confused. "What...what are you doing?" he asked.

Catherine gave a warm smile. "Golomois. While I do feel sorry for your loss, you need to realize that me killing you should not be the way. Would it help your tribe? I would think not. The wisest course of action would be to honor their memories by letting the past go and starting over. Rebuilding your tribe."

Golomois' eyes flashed. "I...are you proposing...that demons and humans can live together in peaceful coexistence again?"

Catherine nodded. "Yes. And I won't be the only one who'll see it happen. The man you cursed, Michael, can help you as well--he's a good example of how humans and demons can co-exist."

"...your optimism is tremendous, Catherine Grayson.

"But I...am incapable of rebuilding the Juuma tribe. I do not have the necessary power to be able to create life anew. To be able to do something like that...I would require the power of the Lunara tribe of old combined with my own."

Michael walked over, revealing the Lunara Gem. "I do," he said. "And I'm willing to give it to you."

Golomois was pleasantly surprised to see Michael helping him out. "You...you would give this power to me? After I tried to kill you and killed your friend?" the demon asked.

"Yes, I'll give the power to you. I'm willing to help you rebuild your tribe." Then Michael thought wistfully, Besides, it's not like I have anything else to do, anyway.

"In that case...I owe you a great debt..."

Golomois took Catherine's hand, and he stood up. "Catherine Grayson," he said. "You may be the only one who could make this happen. Once again...there will be peace between humans and demons. I am sure...that's what my tribe would have wanted most of all."

Catherine nodded in response, and Kotohime hugged her. Her wife hugged her back, and she demorphed.

Then Rika, figuring that she would want to do something with her life, stepped forward. "I'll help you, too," she volunteered. "If it were possible to bring any of your people back, I'll do it."

Golomois smiled. "The help of one in contact with the spirit realm is greatly appreciated."

He then looked at the group. "...I owe you all a great debt of gratitude. Never had I thought I would see such love and compassion in the hearts of humans."

At that point, Kotohime and Catherine hugged each other closely. Victoria couldn't help but hug her brother for helping out, realizing that he would be okay now. Even Ryan gave Michael a high-five, for the same reason.

Then Golomois stepped back. "But now...I must heal my wounds. Miss Rika, mister Grayson...we will begin our work tomorrow. We have a large task in front of us, if I am to fulfill the obligation I have."

Michael and Rika decided to go with Golomois to help with the healing process, and after the reformed demon opened up a portal, the three vanished. Everyone waved good-bye to the departing group. Catherine was about to tear up from all the events that transpired, but she regained her composure.

"I'm so glad it's all over..." Kotohime sighed.

"As am I," Catherine agreed. "Let's go home."

The group disbanded. From then on, Michael and Rika worked harder to rebuild Golomois' tribe, with the former giving up his Lunara Knight powers in order to do so. He found time to balance between that and living with Melody and their adopted son, Takeshi.

As for Rika, she worked with the spirit world, and once she fulfilled her obligations, Golomois gave her a reward: she would be resurrected in a new body. With that, she became Juuma Demoness Mizuka, gaining lunar-based attacks. She was still known as "Rika" by those closest to her, however, and she chose to stay with the Juuma tribe to help them if needed.

As for Victoria, Alyx, and Andreus, life went on as normal for them. Victoria remained the Red Lightspeed Ranger, splitting time between her job and her family. Andreus lived life as a normal person, having went to college and studied marine biology--fitting for the demigod of the ocean. Alyx, job well done--perhaps too well done, rejoined his wife, Hayley, in Arkenea.

And what became of Catherine? Well, she remained happily married to Kotohime, for starters. Then she chose to star in Tokusatsu-esque productions, both as herself and as her true form, now named "Carter Tatsumi" as his stage name. Catherine chose not to brag about her being the Ultimate Red Legendary Ranger, because she wanted to let it remain a secret. Finally, she always made sure to keep the peace between humans and demons, always being the go-to human representative to choose their fates.

And so, that was the end of the tale. What began as a happy event turned to tragedy, and with that came courage and happiness. Even cycles of revenge could be broken. As was the case here, and now humans and demons could exist with one another once more in both Mariner Bay and Golomois' home world.

As it was. As it always would be.

---

~Fin~