The Warning

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. They belong to whichever party currently owns that copyright. This is a fanwork and no profit is being made from it.
Author’s Note: This is the prologue for the Age of Chaos series. It starts just after the events in Master Vile and the Metallic Armour.

The Warning

The battle was over, Master Vile’s scheme to seize the legendary Zeo Crystal had failed and the Power Rangers had once again saved the planet from the forces of evil. Following the battle, the Rangers had used the White Ranger’s sword to break the Zeo Crystal into pieces, which they had then thrown into a time vortex. While there was a chance some of the larger fragments had bonded to the Rangers as they had thrown them into the void, most were simply lost. And without all the fragments it would be impossible for Master Vile to succeed in his plan.

As Alpha moved around the Command Center, adjusting the various scanners to keep watch for possible threats, Zordon was
distracted by a presence he had not felt for a long time. That he was even aware
of the presence spoke of how powerful that being must be, since the ancient citadel that served as Zordon’s monitoring post had been constructed to keep him safe. Only those with one in possession of a Power Coin or invited by somebody who already had access could bypass the Zithium walls of the structure.
Within the protections of the citadel Zordon was supposed to be safe from most
enemies. So it was a great surprised when an old man appeared as if the walls
didn’t exist.

"Brother Cador, is it truly you?"

Cador had been the last surviving member of the order of monks responsible
for the crafting of the Zeo Crystal. A descendant of those that had been driven
from the M-51 Galaxy by Master Vile, he had for a short time acted as a mentor
to Zordon, gifting him an insight into the monks and their work. He had revealed
to Zordon that the monks had been working for a purpose far greater than the
creation of a simple crystal, there had been a purpose that stretched far back
to times unrecorded and continued after the monk’s death.

To see the man who had been a teacher and later a friend was something Zordon
welcomed, although he was uncertain how such an event could occur.

“Zordon you fool! After everything I taught you, after all the oaths I broke
to make certain that you would know better than to interfere in things you could
not understand… what have you done?”

The Zeo Crystal had been one of the monks’ greatest achievements, so Zordon could understand the
spirit’s outraged expression.

Brother Cador had been considered ancient long before Zordon had been born and
had passed away before the war with Rita Repulsa. Indeed, Zordon had been saddened to hear of the
monk’s
death as the ancient scholar had shared many stories that had inspired Zordon
during his student years, inspiring him to choose a new path when he had
convinced himself that the ways of the warrior were not something he wished to
pursue. That he had done something to anger Brother Cador so much was of great concern.

“You had your Rangers remove the Zeo Crystal from its placement!” Cador accused, clearly incensed although Zordon could not comprehend the reason for his anger. The Zeo Crystal had been a magnificent example of magic bound within the rules of science, but it was far from the M-51 Galaxy’s greatest achievement. “Your actions have undone
all the hard work of my ancestors and those that followed my instructions after
I passed. Your idiocy may well have doomed the universe.”

"I assure you Brother Cador that the Zeo Crystal is no longer a threat. It would be impossible for Master Vile to reassemble the Zeo Crystal now that it has been scattered
through time. The universe will never need to fear its power again."

The noble ghost sighed, realising that Zordon didn’t understand why he was angry and that the Morphin Master had not acted out of some misguided notion. There had been a strong possibility that Master Vile would claim complete control over the Zeo Crystal and Zordon
had reacted just as Brother Cador would have expected him to. But the Morphin Master didn’t understand the consequences of his actions.

“II told you long ago that the Zeo Crystal was just a part of the work my
order had undertaken. What you failed to understand was that the Zeo Crystal was
but a single component of something greater. Single, but also vital. When your Rangers removed the Zeo Crystal from its
housing they disrupted the power system at the very centre of my order’s work.
Tell me: while in the Caves of Deception did they notice what the Zeo Crystal was connected to?”

Zordon thought back. The Rangers’ helmets provided a constant visual feed of their surroundings, making it easier for Zordon and Alpha to assist them when needed. He located the footage from Kat and Tommy’s helmets and replayed it. All he could see was the Zeo Crystal and the force field. But there was something else, hidden from view. Why hadn’t he sensed it before.

Brother Cador was no longer seething with anger although he still looked annoyed. He shook his head and sighed.

“I apologise Zordon,” he said after a while. “When I instructed those that
would finish my work I gave them instructions to hide it from those that might
interfere with it. I had thought that because they had been unable to hide the
Zeo Crystal and had been forced to rely upon the force field, that they had not
succeeded with the rest of the machinery. The Technology Cloak was unexpected; there is no way you could have understood the risks.” He quieted added: “But
that leaves the question of what do we do now? Alas I do not have the time to
find a solution.”

Zordon was confused.

“Perhaps if I knew the problem I could help,” Zordon offered.

The anger was gone completely now. Cador just looked sad as he shook his head.

“I told you long ago that the order to which my brothers and I belonged was
not what your race would consider light. We delved into areas of magic and
science that would have been frowned upon by your peers. And all to fight an
enemy that crossed the lines between good and evil. Our order were a part of the
coalition assembled from the dominant races to defeat a common foe. When that
enemy was finally contained, the alliance of races crumbled and went their
separate ways. We however took it upon
ourselves to make certain that foe would never return.

"From that day until
the moment that the Zeo Crystal was secured in the Caves of Deception, our
brotherhood remained dedicated to the goal of containing the danger posed by
that being. The artefacts we created along the way were
failed experiments, each a powerful creation, but never enough to achieve our
goal. The Zeo Crystal was the closest we came to finding a
permanent solution, although it too lacked the power to complete the task on its
own. Combined with the technology we had built throughout the cosmos, we had
hoped it would be sufficient to regulate the rest of the machinery. Now that it has been removed the
mechanisms we devised will start to close down and
all that work will be for nought.”

“Can we not replace the Zeo Crystal?” Zordon asked. The Rangers had come across numerous artefacts of great power during their time defending the planet.

“Alas the Zeo Crystal was a unique blending of magic and science that I doubt it would be possible to duplicate. And even if there were
a way to find those that knew how, a replacement will take too long. No Zordon, the machinery within the Caves of Deception
was old and far too fragile to survive the sudden loss of power; it was likely
the energies of the Zeo Crystal that had been preserving it this long. And once
the Zeo Crystal was fully installed the possibility to use alternative methods
was lost. The skills needed to repair the device are long lost and the knowledge to
create an alternative has been forgotten. Our efforts have failed and now… He will return.”

The was something about the way Cador said He. Zordon had heard that tone before by soldiers preparing to battle the forces of Lord Zedd. It was fear of facing a more powerful enemy and the knowledge that the campaign was doomed to failure before the battle commenced.

Cador meanwhile was coming to terms with the knowledge that his brotherhood
had failed. The efforts of those that had come before him and of his successors
had been insufficient to contain the evil force. But then given its nature was
he truly surprised that events had conspired to trigger its release? It was
possible that even while imprisoned, the corrupting power that was at the core
of its being had been acting to break down their means of control. After all its
very nature was an open defiance of the rules that governed the cosmos.

“My time here is short Zordon,” Cador told him. Indeed, his presence was only possible due to the machinery breaking down and releasing small pockets of energy
Cador had provided during its construction – for before the Zeo Crystal had been
finalised the only method of powering such a vast network of technology had been
the sacrifice of their own life energy. Once that power faded, he would be forced to return to his resting place. “Hear
me now and take heed of my warning. The prison we created to control Him will
not last long without the crystal to control it. Once that fails it will only be
a matter of time before the seals that were used to bind Him also break. When exactly I cannot say, but there
is a chance those barriers have
already been broken. The
people of this universe must act quickly if you are to stand a chance against
Him.

"There are truths that have been hidden from the population, even from the
Morphin Masters and members of the Council. There are secrets I am prevented
from sharing with you that you must uncover. Seek the
answers, break the seals guarding the forbidden knowledge and you will discover a way to stop this
force before it destroys everything. Find the truth about the greatest foe this
universe has ever known. A threat so great that knowledge of Him was erased from
the memories of most who fought Him.”

The spirit flickered as the magic sustaining him faded.

“You must find it Zordon, the truth must be uncovered. If not for the
Universe then for the sake of this world. This planet and its people will play a
vital role in what is to come. It is the key; it always has been.”

“But what is this threat?” Zordon asked.

Sadly, he never received an answer; Brother Cador was gone leaving Zordon with a puzzle to solve and a feeling that time was running out.

End