Ryuranger
07-08-2003, 07:39 PM
“I, Ranger,” -Chapter Two: Mark of the Tiger
A white light shot out from the darkness and enveloped me. I covered my eyes as the blinding light intensified and danced across my skin while burning my flesh. The light was pure. Holy. And yet it stung with the fire of a thousand suns.
Every muscle in my body tightened, and I would have fainted had I not already been unconscious.
<What…are you doing to me?> I asked through teeth clenched in pain.
<You have felt this before> The tiger spoke in a deep booming voice that possessed both soothing tones and a fierce edge born of savagery.
I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from screaming. I remembered the sensation well. The last time I experienced it was as a sophomore at Angel Grove High. I had just finished swimming in the lake when the White Light washed over me and poured energy into every cell of my being. What felt like only second later, I was the White Ranger, champion of justice.
This time it was different. The pain only intensified as the tiger watched me as if I was some caged animal. I didn’t morph. I only slipped farther away from sanity.
<Make it stop!> I screamed at the beast as I grabbed both sides of my head.
The tiger closed his eyes and lowered his head as the pain slowly stopped. I looked up to see I was still surrounded by the white light, but it no longer burned.
The tiger started to walk around me, his powerful legs striding across a ground that I couldn’t distinguish.
<Why did the light cause you pain?> the creature asked me while continuing to walk in circles.
<It burnt> I snapped back. <That accomplished the pain>
The tiger nodded. <And why did it burn, Thomas?>
I shook my head and decided to say nothing, hoping that would provoke the tiger to speak.
<What did Zordon ever tell you about the White Light that once fueled your powers?> the tiger asked me as it angled its head, similar to the way the dragon spoken with me moments earlier.
<Not much> I said, keeping my answers simple.
<It’s energy is the most pure force all of reality. Thus, it cleanses imperfection> the tiger explained as if he was talking to a small child. I didn’t appreciate his tone.
<All life…> he continued to explain, <Is an imperfection>
<What are you saying?> I asked.
The tiger looked at me and smiled. <Perhaps it would be best if I showed you…>
The light around me started to swirl as an elaborate vision took shape…
Fields of grass stretched across purple mountains that extended into the crystal-clear blue sky. The sun cast a golden hue across the landscape, and the vision was so elaborate, I could smell the sweet fresh air.
A wave of vertigo struck me briefly as the image zoomed in towards one of the mountain tops that had been hundreds of miles in the distance. On top of a rocky overhang covered in green moss stood a man dressed in elaborate white uniform trimmed with gold. He wore a long white cloak over his uniform that moved along the breeze as if it were alive. He wore a golden band across his head with a crimson ruby in its center.
I watched as the man held his head up boldly and stuck a slender golden blade into the sky. “Hear me, gods!” he shouted as his blonde hair rippled in the wind. I noticed that his sword was tainted with blood. “The Tyrant who spread blasphemy across your lands is no more. I will rule in his place to carry out your will. I ask only one thing…Allow me to be a just ruler. Strip from me all that is evil, as well as all that is good…”
He looked up as if waiting for something. Then I saw it. A wave of lightning tore through the skies and crashed down against his sword as he screamed. The light faded and the man collapsed to his knees.
The tiger stood behind me as the vision froze. <Suron received his wish. All that he considered good and evil was stripped from him. The results were quite catastrophic…>
The vision changed in less than an eye blink, and what I saw shocked me. I stared across a vast expansion of space with only the stars beneath me. A red nebula spread out across the field in front of me. Its luminance was overshadowed by the two beings doing battle in front of it.
One of the creatures I recognized immediately as Dark Specter, the same who crafted an alliance of evil and nearly took over the entire galaxy. He was massive in comparison to his opponent.
It took me a few moments to realize it was Ninjor fighting Dark Specter. He looked different. His armor was deep blue, but much more slender than the suit I was familiar with. The armor possessed a sharp edge, giving it a much more lethal look and feel. His helmet had the same basic design, only slimmer and lacking a mouthpiece.
He was different from the Ninjor I met all those years ago, the one who granted us our new powers after the loss of our Thunderzords. He seemed younger and much more powerful.
Ninjor streaked towards Dark Specter in a comet of fiery energy as he slammed into the giant demon. The resulting shock wave burned brighter than a supernova as it spread across the darkness of space. The light faded and I saw Ninjor dance across Dark Specter’s body, striking with his saber wherever he could. The grand monarch tried to swat Ninjor away like a bug, but the warrior was too quick.
<Suron caused this> the tiger explained to me while my eyes stayed fixed on the battle. <Eons ago, when he stripped good and evil from his being. Energy, Thomas, can not be destroyed you see. The part of Suron he identified as evil took shape after being expelled and became Dark Specter>
<Is Ninjor the embodiment of good?>
The tiger chuckled, a low purring noise that sounded more like a cat thirsty for milk. <No. Ninjor is simply a mortal who mastered the magicks and created martial techniques that exist across the entire galaxy, even today. Ninjor couldn’t defeat Dark Specter. The monarch was far more powerful at that time. Ninjor settled for imprisoning his adversary in a dimensional limbo>
The vision froze as I looked over my shoulder to the tiger. <Who was the embodiment of Suron’s good side? Zordon?>
<No> the tiger answered. <the being that was created by Suron’s good was far more powerful that anyone you have encountered, and more dangerous than you could possibly imagine>
I tried to comprehend how a being of good could be dangerous, but before I could ask anything from the tiger, he spoke again. <Remember what I told you of the White Light? How it is pure and seeks to cleanse imperfection? Thus was the way of the embodiment of Suron’s good side. She was a pure and righteous being, and she almost cleansed the entire universe by wiping out all of existence>
In a strange way, that made sense. <Who ended up stopping her? Ninjor?>
<No one knows, Thomas>
The image around me shifted again, only to something more familiar this time: the jungle of concrete and steel that made up Angel Grove’s financial district.
<What I am about to show you will not be pleasing> the tiger said.
I nodded, saying nothing as I looked across the city skyline and waited.
I saw a bolt of burning white energy tear down from the skies and move through the streets, tearing them to shreds as nearby buildings collapsed into piles of rubble and clouds of ash covered the streets.
Through the dust I saw the original five Power Rangers run towards the center of the disturbance. I wrinkled my brow as it dawned on me what the tiger was about to show me.
A blur of motion slammed into my five friends, causing small explosions against their armor. I froze when I recognized their assailant. It was me as the White Ranger.
I watched Kimberly slowly rise to her feet, dirt covering most of her pink uniform. “Tommy, please…” she pleaded, “don’t do this again.”
“I must,” White Ranger said with a calm voice as cold as steel. “Don’t you see….this is what our powers were meant for.”
“Meant for?!” Jason called out as he rose to his feet, his left arm clutching his injured chest. “For killing innocent people.”
“None are innocent, Jason,” White Ranger said. “All have sinned, and all sin is equal in the eyes of our Maker.”
<You see, Thomas…> the tiger started to explain while my eyes were fixed on the twisted version of myself. <During your time as the White Ranger, you constantly drove yourself towards perfection. You wanted to wipe clean the blemishes of your past. You wanted to be the perfect champion of justice. This would have been you had you succeeded and let the White Light take you fully>
White Ranger leapt towards Jason and the vision blurred seconds before the tiger saber I once carried known as Saba crashed through his red helmet.
<You would have become the perfect champion of the forces of light and goodness>
I shook my head, not willing to believe what the tiger was telling me. <Impossible. There’s nothing good about slaughtering innocents>
<Thomas, I don’t believe you’ve been paying attention> the tiger said.
I scowled at the beast. <No need to be condescending…>
<You have killed before, Tommy. Many times, in the name of justice and goodness. What this version of you is doing is no different. To him, a man who cheats on his wife is just as deserving to die as Lord Zedd, or that machine Mondo.>
The vision faded and was replaced with the white light once more.
<You see, Tommy…to be one of pure goodness is to be nothing but a force of destruction…>
<But how->
When I turned to face the Tiger, he was gone, but another creature stood in his place. It was a large falcon, whose white feathers covered powerful sets of wings that dwarfed me.
<Hello, Thomas>
I shook my head. Just when you think you’ve seen everything…
--to be continued in chapter three with Tommy's final vision guide. Then the actual story will be on its way
:)
A white light shot out from the darkness and enveloped me. I covered my eyes as the blinding light intensified and danced across my skin while burning my flesh. The light was pure. Holy. And yet it stung with the fire of a thousand suns.
Every muscle in my body tightened, and I would have fainted had I not already been unconscious.
<What…are you doing to me?> I asked through teeth clenched in pain.
<You have felt this before> The tiger spoke in a deep booming voice that possessed both soothing tones and a fierce edge born of savagery.
I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from screaming. I remembered the sensation well. The last time I experienced it was as a sophomore at Angel Grove High. I had just finished swimming in the lake when the White Light washed over me and poured energy into every cell of my being. What felt like only second later, I was the White Ranger, champion of justice.
This time it was different. The pain only intensified as the tiger watched me as if I was some caged animal. I didn’t morph. I only slipped farther away from sanity.
<Make it stop!> I screamed at the beast as I grabbed both sides of my head.
The tiger closed his eyes and lowered his head as the pain slowly stopped. I looked up to see I was still surrounded by the white light, but it no longer burned.
The tiger started to walk around me, his powerful legs striding across a ground that I couldn’t distinguish.
<Why did the light cause you pain?> the creature asked me while continuing to walk in circles.
<It burnt> I snapped back. <That accomplished the pain>
The tiger nodded. <And why did it burn, Thomas?>
I shook my head and decided to say nothing, hoping that would provoke the tiger to speak.
<What did Zordon ever tell you about the White Light that once fueled your powers?> the tiger asked me as it angled its head, similar to the way the dragon spoken with me moments earlier.
<Not much> I said, keeping my answers simple.
<It’s energy is the most pure force all of reality. Thus, it cleanses imperfection> the tiger explained as if he was talking to a small child. I didn’t appreciate his tone.
<All life…> he continued to explain, <Is an imperfection>
<What are you saying?> I asked.
The tiger looked at me and smiled. <Perhaps it would be best if I showed you…>
The light around me started to swirl as an elaborate vision took shape…
Fields of grass stretched across purple mountains that extended into the crystal-clear blue sky. The sun cast a golden hue across the landscape, and the vision was so elaborate, I could smell the sweet fresh air.
A wave of vertigo struck me briefly as the image zoomed in towards one of the mountain tops that had been hundreds of miles in the distance. On top of a rocky overhang covered in green moss stood a man dressed in elaborate white uniform trimmed with gold. He wore a long white cloak over his uniform that moved along the breeze as if it were alive. He wore a golden band across his head with a crimson ruby in its center.
I watched as the man held his head up boldly and stuck a slender golden blade into the sky. “Hear me, gods!” he shouted as his blonde hair rippled in the wind. I noticed that his sword was tainted with blood. “The Tyrant who spread blasphemy across your lands is no more. I will rule in his place to carry out your will. I ask only one thing…Allow me to be a just ruler. Strip from me all that is evil, as well as all that is good…”
He looked up as if waiting for something. Then I saw it. A wave of lightning tore through the skies and crashed down against his sword as he screamed. The light faded and the man collapsed to his knees.
The tiger stood behind me as the vision froze. <Suron received his wish. All that he considered good and evil was stripped from him. The results were quite catastrophic…>
The vision changed in less than an eye blink, and what I saw shocked me. I stared across a vast expansion of space with only the stars beneath me. A red nebula spread out across the field in front of me. Its luminance was overshadowed by the two beings doing battle in front of it.
One of the creatures I recognized immediately as Dark Specter, the same who crafted an alliance of evil and nearly took over the entire galaxy. He was massive in comparison to his opponent.
It took me a few moments to realize it was Ninjor fighting Dark Specter. He looked different. His armor was deep blue, but much more slender than the suit I was familiar with. The armor possessed a sharp edge, giving it a much more lethal look and feel. His helmet had the same basic design, only slimmer and lacking a mouthpiece.
He was different from the Ninjor I met all those years ago, the one who granted us our new powers after the loss of our Thunderzords. He seemed younger and much more powerful.
Ninjor streaked towards Dark Specter in a comet of fiery energy as he slammed into the giant demon. The resulting shock wave burned brighter than a supernova as it spread across the darkness of space. The light faded and I saw Ninjor dance across Dark Specter’s body, striking with his saber wherever he could. The grand monarch tried to swat Ninjor away like a bug, but the warrior was too quick.
<Suron caused this> the tiger explained to me while my eyes stayed fixed on the battle. <Eons ago, when he stripped good and evil from his being. Energy, Thomas, can not be destroyed you see. The part of Suron he identified as evil took shape after being expelled and became Dark Specter>
<Is Ninjor the embodiment of good?>
The tiger chuckled, a low purring noise that sounded more like a cat thirsty for milk. <No. Ninjor is simply a mortal who mastered the magicks and created martial techniques that exist across the entire galaxy, even today. Ninjor couldn’t defeat Dark Specter. The monarch was far more powerful at that time. Ninjor settled for imprisoning his adversary in a dimensional limbo>
The vision froze as I looked over my shoulder to the tiger. <Who was the embodiment of Suron’s good side? Zordon?>
<No> the tiger answered. <the being that was created by Suron’s good was far more powerful that anyone you have encountered, and more dangerous than you could possibly imagine>
I tried to comprehend how a being of good could be dangerous, but before I could ask anything from the tiger, he spoke again. <Remember what I told you of the White Light? How it is pure and seeks to cleanse imperfection? Thus was the way of the embodiment of Suron’s good side. She was a pure and righteous being, and she almost cleansed the entire universe by wiping out all of existence>
In a strange way, that made sense. <Who ended up stopping her? Ninjor?>
<No one knows, Thomas>
The image around me shifted again, only to something more familiar this time: the jungle of concrete and steel that made up Angel Grove’s financial district.
<What I am about to show you will not be pleasing> the tiger said.
I nodded, saying nothing as I looked across the city skyline and waited.
I saw a bolt of burning white energy tear down from the skies and move through the streets, tearing them to shreds as nearby buildings collapsed into piles of rubble and clouds of ash covered the streets.
Through the dust I saw the original five Power Rangers run towards the center of the disturbance. I wrinkled my brow as it dawned on me what the tiger was about to show me.
A blur of motion slammed into my five friends, causing small explosions against their armor. I froze when I recognized their assailant. It was me as the White Ranger.
I watched Kimberly slowly rise to her feet, dirt covering most of her pink uniform. “Tommy, please…” she pleaded, “don’t do this again.”
“I must,” White Ranger said with a calm voice as cold as steel. “Don’t you see….this is what our powers were meant for.”
“Meant for?!” Jason called out as he rose to his feet, his left arm clutching his injured chest. “For killing innocent people.”
“None are innocent, Jason,” White Ranger said. “All have sinned, and all sin is equal in the eyes of our Maker.”
<You see, Thomas…> the tiger started to explain while my eyes were fixed on the twisted version of myself. <During your time as the White Ranger, you constantly drove yourself towards perfection. You wanted to wipe clean the blemishes of your past. You wanted to be the perfect champion of justice. This would have been you had you succeeded and let the White Light take you fully>
White Ranger leapt towards Jason and the vision blurred seconds before the tiger saber I once carried known as Saba crashed through his red helmet.
<You would have become the perfect champion of the forces of light and goodness>
I shook my head, not willing to believe what the tiger was telling me. <Impossible. There’s nothing good about slaughtering innocents>
<Thomas, I don’t believe you’ve been paying attention> the tiger said.
I scowled at the beast. <No need to be condescending…>
<You have killed before, Tommy. Many times, in the name of justice and goodness. What this version of you is doing is no different. To him, a man who cheats on his wife is just as deserving to die as Lord Zedd, or that machine Mondo.>
The vision faded and was replaced with the white light once more.
<You see, Tommy…to be one of pure goodness is to be nothing but a force of destruction…>
<But how->
When I turned to face the Tiger, he was gone, but another creature stood in his place. It was a large falcon, whose white feathers covered powerful sets of wings that dwarfed me.
<Hello, Thomas>
I shook my head. Just when you think you’ve seen everything…
--to be continued in chapter three with Tommy's final vision guide. Then the actual story will be on its way
:)