In a seemingly simple cafeteria filled with a variety of food, a cornucopia of food from around one particular world, and possibly a few others. Here the place was brimming with enough food to feed an army or just a few Djinn who could actually take a seat for there was a surprising lack of tables. Like a little cafe with a mountain of food behind it. Here a young Djinn, no older than sixteen, stands in line. He had been sixteen for five years now, at least that’s how long Lex thought it had been. He

Waiting in line, Lex thought it was strange because the food was always there. At all times never truly running out. Yet, he and all the others still stood there, single file, waiting for their turn to get food. Any one of them could have simply come to this room at a different time when there was no line. In fact, Lex had done that quite a few times in his time there. Sometimes he just wanted to eat alone. Not be bothered, and not see the Adults, he was yet wasn’t. There was also the fact that there was nothing like a nice snack before bed.

For some reason, he still didn’t understand, Lex almost always appeared here with the others. Maybe it was habit at this point, or his desire to see people. Habits made no sense to Lex yet he knew he had them, after all, he had yet to feel hungry since coming here. Nevertheless, he still ate, and drank, only every feeling full or satiated.

As he picked up a plate like he had a thousand times before, he was just short of the front, and that made him feel uneasy. Lately, the line had become much shorter. They all knew why. The human was taking them. He had given them all a year, and their time was up. Even when he first started taking Djinn no one noticed. It took two entire months for anyone to even notice the missing Djinn. It didn’t matter that everyone was watching and waiting for something when the year was up. It didn’t help, that for the entire year, some people tried to prepare themselves and went a little power mad the closer the year came. They had to lock them away until the year was up. So many stupid decisions.

Then the year passed. Nothing happened. At least nothing anyone noticed. There was heavy tension throughout the entire moon for the first week. At some point, the tension broke, and everything went back to normal, except there was an underlying feeling of foreboding.

Then the first person disappeared. When someone went to check their cubicle homes they quickly found all traces of the Djinn gone. With no evidence and this not being the first time a Djinn had done something like this. No one panicked, especially when another week went by with nothing happening. Then two full weeks. People were starting to think nothing was going to happen, Lex was skeptical. He had seen so many things here, that he believed they were gone for good.

Then week three. The rumors started brought to us by a sword no less. Then one after another people were taken. Now months later the cafeteria was a lot more empty. So few.

Lex moved forward taking his time looking over the food. He already knew exactly what he was going to grab. Except for this little ritual of looking over the food like he would take something different didn’t feel right. Lex grabbed a basket of fried breaded chicken and cheese pasta, something he would never have been able to afford back home.

Taking his food he found a seat and pulled out a little gold coin with the image of a goose on it. His little trinket. His hope. Lex began to channel his mana into the coin like he had every day since he created it. The spirit woke letting out a honk only he could hear as they greedily drank it down. Lex had been working on this little project of his years before the human’s announcement. He had stumbled into the strange magic deep in the library. The section had been massive filled with hundreds upon hundreds of books, illustrated comics, a big cut-out of a warrior in his battle helmet, and what had consumed him these past years. The strange discs were filled with magical stories, showing them all in action. Lex fell in love.

All he needed was a simple power coin, filled with a spirit of combat. Once the coin was fully charged he would be able to connect to an extra-dimensional energy, the book called the Grid.

Lex took a bite and was brought back to the much quiet cafeteria. Ever since the kids were taken it was almost unbearably quiet around the office. Lex had mixed feeling about that. The kids had been kids for far too long, their eyes aged beyond their years, yet their minds were always in adolescence. It was something everyone was concerned about, and Lex thought was quite eerie. Some had been here for a decade. Children for all that time. when we learned of their disappearance it was a bit of relief. Lex felt guilty about it but didn’t know if he could do anything. He could only hope they were in a better place.

Lex finished passing energy into his coin before pocketing it and eating his little meal. Not saying a word to those around him. The malaise of uncertainty and fear kept everyone silent. There were only so many of them left.

He was on his way back to his little hovel, thrown together from bits and pieces, wondering what he should do tonight when he passed a door that was in the wrong place. A door he was all too familiar with. Lex felt a sudden stab of fear. An urge to run. An urge he promptly ignored. He was too tired and more than ready. "I guess it's my turn." He grabbed hold of his coin and opened the door.

#

The witch’s monster terrorizes Seraphim Cove, destroying everything, causing panic, and indulging himself in general mayhem. Its mission was to make its way to the local power plant and subsume it for his master. Master Repo would be pleased with his progress nearly at the plant. He was just waiting on their other objective. He needed to draw out the city’s protectors. They needed to be dealt with before they could do their more sensitive work.

The monster was massive, with silver battle armor, filled with enchantments and the latest tech. Its red eyes, angry, and claws sharp. With every swing of his claws, a car was destroyed and rampaged through the city making a spectacle of it and hamming it up. “Ranger! Come Fight. Or are you cowards?” It would yell right before destroying more of the city. It was like a terrible parade as the monster, walked the streets with minions made of magical mud in tow. Hostages trailed behind hands tied and bound, all looking tired as they grouped together, trying not to be noticed, or singled out. They were just an extra incentive to lure out the Rangers. Soon Moultar would start picking them off one by one.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

It was one particular group the Muddies went after that caught Moultar’s attention. A feisty group of teenagers interestingly enough wearing colors similar to the Rangers. They fought well actually pushing back waves of minions. He couldn’t have that. “Will you. Just capture them already.”

One of the minions was tossed across the street past Moultar. Insolent. These things are useless. “Fine if you can’t do it I will.” Moultar moved forwards and the Teens just laughed.

“You and what army?” The one dressed in red mocked. “The one over there?” Pointing to the minion on the ground. “Or the one in the tree.” The teens laughed.

Moultar knew that saying anything would just be pointless so he would show them how worthless they were. Quickly the teens went from snarky to fearful as Moultar easily overwhelmed them all.

“You think your meager skills are enough to fight me?” He taunted the injured teenagers gloating over how easily they were taken down.

The group stared down Moultar helping each other stand. Their eyes narrowed as each one pulled out a gold coin, before holding them forward and shouting. “Soul Coin Power Shift!”

The world exploded, and where the teens once stood, the avian rangers replaced them. Moular thought the humans looked familiar but now he knew. What other humans were so agitating?

Cyan Crow, Red Rooster, Pink Pelican, Yellow Emu, and Black Raven, stood battle ready in their spandex-like armor and helmets bearing their soul creatures’ resemblance. The five moved and Moultar smiled, as a group they were an actual challenge to Moultar and he reveled in it.

An annoying voice spoke up behind him, “I’m tired of this.” His glorious fight was being interrupted by him.

Moultar saw another ranger appear behind him in his white Goose Battle armor.

Moultar stayed silent as he parried a sword strike

The white ranger sneered. “Can’t even take down simple teenagers.”

That’s when he felt the sword from behind. “What?” The bastard had betrayed them. “You won’t get away with this.”

“With what? Taking out the trash?” He kicked Moultar on the ground. The other rangers could only watch the scene in shock before he turned to them. “I’ll take care of them myself.”

Moultar was barely conscious as he watched the Rangers fighting. Even he knew when he was outclassed as he watched him easily toy with all five of the rangers. Not taken a single injury himself. They were all so distracted no one noticed the hostages had long run-off. No longer tied or bound. Ropes in pieces where they once stood.

“Why are you doing this Lex? We know this isn’t you.” Pink Pelican pleaded.

The white ranger paused only for a moment, “I am doing what I must.”

“Is that what she told you?” Rooster shouted, “She is lying!”

“Shut up!” The words unbalanced him as he began wildly swinging his sword and throwing them away. “I told you to stop!” White ranger shouted at the downed rangers.

“Never!” Rooster said defiantly.

“HONK!” His shout sounded like an angry goose as he met them in battle once more soundly beating them all once again. Doing untold damage yet, never once swinging a finishing blow.

White was shaking staring at the rangers, when finally his master finally saw fit to help, as her staff landed next to Moular, and he began to grow to Kaiju proportions.

White stared and turned to the rangers on the ground, “Looks like you have a different problem.” And begins to walk away.

The others stoood pleading, “Please joins us. We can help.”

The goose paused for a moment. Before fading away.

“Well save him eventually.” Red said hand on pinks shoulder. “Right now we got a monster to end.”

“Yeah.” She said as they summoned their own battle spirits for battle.

#

“Huh, didn’t expect the villain-to Hero storyline.” A human man says to a nearly empty theater. Only a doll, a female Djinn, and a Sword were in the audience, as the screen went dark and the lights came on.

Illia could only stare at the screen, she didn’t believe that when she enlisted Sasha’s help to find the Human. When they cut open a portal into the office they quickly found him sorting through the files on his desk as the door to the office closed. He had laughed when I demanded to know what he was doing to my people. “Let me show you.”

Is this what he meant by showing her? And what happened to Lex? She had just seen him earlier today in the cafeteria. Why had the Human brought her there?

“What was all that? Is this why you brought me here? And was that really Lex? Why was he evil?” The questions just fell out of her. While the Human just sat there listening looking contemplative.

“Well, that was what happened to Lex Specifically. The other Djinn went to their own worlds. As for the evil thing.” The Human paused piecing his words together, “He’s not really evil. He was a lost Djinn in a Human world, an alien an outcast. They always start on the other side. “ He turned to her asking seriously, “Didn’t you feel his confliction?”

Illia began to understand what he was saying. “Why did you show that to Me?”

“And to the sword.” He commented.

“Sasha.” The floating sword added helpfully.

“Sorry, Sasha.” He corrected before adding, “Good to see you've picked up words. And to answer you’re question.” He said turning back to her. “It was to try to get you to understand exactly what I do here.”

Why should she need to know it? Did he show everyone this? She had so many questions. She settled on one, “Why is that important?”

The human looked at her seriously. “Did you know that you are the fifth Djinn to make it to me? Well without me directing them?”

“What?” She was shocked. She hadn’t heard that anyone was even trying to make contact with him.

“Yup. One tried to blast me with magic.” He began to tick them off with his fingers. “One tried to knife me. One was a nice old man, we had tea and biscuits.”

“Sherial.” He had been one of the first to disappear.

The man smiled. “Yes. He was nice. Another just rattled on about returning his friends.” At that, he looked a bit embarrassed. Surprising Illia. “I felt real bad about him.”

“What did you do to them?” She asked but her real question was; What are you going to do to me? She hadn’t heard of any of this. So she could only surmise he sent them away, or something worse.

“Same as Lex. Sent them to another world with power.” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was absolutely not.

“Why?” She couldn’t make sense of it all. How could he help them after what they did? Or did he really think he punished them enough?

“To help.”

She felt tired and finally asked her most important question. “What are you going to do with me?”

“Or me?” Sasha asked in a strange tone a flurry of mixed emotions boiled into one voice.

“You.” He said with a pause staring right at her thinking, before shaking his head. “The same as everyone else. Send you to a different world. You get power or an advantage of some sort. I can reincarnate you, or send you as is, and since you are talking with me we can work together on where you want to go. So lots of options for you both. Hell, I can even send you together if you want.”

She could only stare, “Do I have any other choice?”

“You do.”

“I do?” She asked surprised.

“To send you anywhere I need your file. You could stay here. No idea what you would do but unless you give me that file, I can’t send you anywhere.”

She was stunned and lost in indecision when Sasha spoke up.

“Illia. I don’t know what awaits beyond, but I would love to join you.” Illia smiled at that. “Or stay. This place is kind of fun.”

Illia rolled her eyes.

* * *