"Whe-Where am I?" Kira mumbled, stammering weakly as she slowly opened her eyes.
Everything around her was blurry. Colors overlapped in a kaleidoscopic haze she couldn't make sense of. The lights were too bright, too vibrant, too unreal. As her consciousness stabilized a bit more, she suddenly realized something far more shocking.
"Wait—what?!"
She was floating.
Literally floating mid-air, suspended like a feather in the middle of an endless cosmic dream. Her ranger suit flickered like an illusion, her body translucent—almost ghost-like.
That was when panic tried to crush her chest.
She forced herself to breathe, to calm down, to piece together what happened. After several long minutes drifting aimlessly in the void, her memories snapped back into place like a puzzle finally assembling.
"…So this is the Morphin Grid? The source of our powers."
Awe spread through her trembling voice.
The expanse around her was infinite. A starry, colorful, ever-shifting sea of cosmic currents. Kira instinctively felt that even if she traveled for a million years, she would never reach an edge. There was no edge. No end. Just pure, overwhelming power.
Before she could think further, a massive wave of information rushed into her mind—foreign, ancient, and impossibly vast.
She immediately knew its origin.
The Morphin Grid.
The knowledge poured in, showing her how to find the Dino Power sources, how to track the Ankylo Zord's grid signature, and—if possible—break Trent's control. Maybe even purify the corrupted White Dino Morpher. And if not?
Destroy it.
"Dr. O was right… this really is dangerous. Can I actually do this?" she whispered as she skimmed through the rest of the information.
The Grid explained that although locating Dino power sources was easy, accurately identifying their specific Dino Thunder grid was extremely difficult. There were thousands of dinosaur-based grids within the Morphin Grid. Picking the wrong one meant instant, catastrophic soul backlash due to incompatibility.
And that wasn't even the worst part.
To free her Zord, she had to subdue the Ankylozord's soul first. It had already formed a contract with Trent. It would resist her with every ounce of power it had.
Purifying or destroying the White Dino Morpher?
Even harder.
It was corrupted by an unknown energy—something vile and invasive. Purifying it required battling the corruptor's soul imprint head-on using raw Morphin Energy. But too much Grid power could cause her own soul to be assimilated into the Morphin Grid permanently. Lost forever.
Trapped.
The risks were terrifying.
Kira exhaled deeply as she stared into the infinite swirl of power. She was scared—more scared than she had ever been. She didn't want to die. She was young. She had a future. She had dreams.
But she was also a ranger.
And rangers don't run away.
"No regrets… With great power comes great responsibility. I'm a ranger. I already accepted this fate," Kira thought as tears slipped down her cheek.
She steadied her breathing, closed her eyes, and entered a meditative state. She instructed the Grid to grant her access to the Dino Power source.
In response, the Morphin Grid shimmered—then materialized a golden, ancient gate before her. Massive stairs of luminous energy connected to it, each step engraved with perfect prehistoric carvings of dinosaurs. T-Rex statues loomed proudly at each level, and nesting at the center of the gate were two giant hooded figures holding crossed staffs, radiating authority.
Kira's jaw dropped under her helmet.
"Am… am I going to heaven?"
Before she could process more, the hooded figures spoke in unison, their voices echoing like thunder in eternity.
"Welcome, Kira Ford. The Prehistoric Gate shall open to you. We wish you success on your journey." x2
Before she could respond, they uncrossed their staffs—granting her entry.
Kira remained frozen, dumbfounded.
All this… just to take back her Zord and stop Trent?
"Was this really necessary…?" she muttered faintly.
But she shook the thought away and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for letting me pass."
The figures didn't reply—standing like eternal guardians. Kira said no more and began ascending the stairs.
But with each step, her heart clenched.
"…Will I make it in time to stop Trent?"
--- ✦ ---
Zayne wiped the grime from his scythe, casually flicking off dark ichor as the last Warbat dissolved into mist.
"Man… it's kinda tiring dealing with monsters of the same rank."
He surveyed the leveled forest around him—trees uprooted, the earth split and scorched, craters scattered as if meteors had fallen. The devastation honestly shocked him.
These monsters were "seemingly easy," but they were C-level threats—mid-city level in destructive power.
He blinked, almost doubting himself.
"…I really got this strong?"
Zayne nodded confidently. "Good. At this rate, I'll be strong enough to handle any alien invasion."
He glanced toward the spot where Fury had previously been stationed.
"Good thing Fury left when he did. He would've died here. Warbats are too cunning… and their poison? Damn, that shit was gaseous. That stuff could kill a normal human in seconds. Well, I'm not human."
He walked toward the pulsating spatial crack ahead of him—an expanding wormhole. His eyes sparkled with scientific curiosity, far too excited for someone standing next to a dangerous dimensional phenomenon.
"This is wild… The first dimensional crack I've seen up close. Fascinating." His tone was that of a scientist on crack.
"Alright, time to seal this thing. Though… I should leave a node here. This is the most fragile access point to the Hollow Earth dimension. I'll need it for terraforming later." He mumbled nonstop, tapping the side of his helmet.
He retrieved a thin rectangular device—almost like a metal plate. Sleek, polished, unassuming.
The DRD.
Dimensional Repair Device.
It had taken him about twenty minutes to conceptualize, design, and build it—with Alpha's help correcting certain calculations and supplying complex nano-tech frameworks. Together, they discovered a whole new frontier of science, dimensional equilibrium, and temporal anchor points.
Shaking off old thoughts.
Zayne tossed the DRD into the air and commanded:
"Seal."
The plate expanded instantly, engulfing the wormhole within seconds. It glowed with a concentrated purple light as it gathered energy. A soft projection pulsed into the crack's center as the device began its work—stitching space-time back together.
In just one minute, the wormhole closed entirely.
The DRD dimmed, folded back into its compact shape, and drifted neatly into Zayne's hand.
"Tsk. Such fast repairs. Worthy of my invention."
Alpha: "…"
"Alright, time to bounce." He stretched lightly. "Still gotta finish the recruitment mission. What a troublesome day…"
He hopped onto his Omni-Cycle and accelerated. Ready to complete another mini yet important side mission. The engine roared, releasing a series of sonic booms before the bike vanished in a streak of motion.
It would take him thirty minutes just to clear the forest, highlighting exactly how huge the battleground had been to hold his brutal fight against the Warbats.
--- ✦ ---
So, our girl Kira will be getting stronger, and there's actually a surprise for the recruitment mission. Keep reading chapters to find out, guys.
I know the chapters are a little slow, but I'm trying my best, guys. Writing isn't easy.
I'm a new author, guys. I'll need a lot of Power Stones for motivation, guys. Love you all.