Giza possessed the lower body of a humanoid and the upper body of a serpentine creature.

He wore Egyptian-style armor across the chest and strips of cloth over his body and arms. The monster carried a spear with a pyramid-shaped tip.

Kiros pointed towards the soil. "Here...Use your power, beast."

Giza aimed his staff at the dirt. The staff and dirt both pulsed with red energy, and the soil clumped into bricks of crimson power that shot upward.

The Vorlock palace shook.

Emperor Kraigen grasped his staff tightly with annoyance and summoned a viewscreen of heat. Through the images, he saw Kiros and Giza gather bricks with a torrent of crimson power that shot upward towards the surface.

"Him again..." Kraigen grumbled.

Cye-Axe stood nearby. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of Kiros. "The one who courted the prince..."

Kraigen snapped around and glared at Cye-Axe. "Have you learned how he escaped from Hell's Wind?"

Cye-Axe shook his head. Five years ago, Prince Brai nearly fell into a chasm called Hell's Wind while on an expedition. Kiros saved the prince but fell into the chasm in the process.

"He was swept into that chasm five years ago," Cye-Axe said. "No one falls into the Hell's Wind and lives."

"This one does..." Kraigen said.

Ryan lost himself in thought as he walked through an abandoned industrial park in Angel Grove North. He knew he should have felt nervous about their new enemy, Serrator. And he did. But he felt more nervous about Teddy. Was Anthony right...? Should I just say something?

Suddenly, the ground shook.

A geyser of power erupted ahead, and bricks of energy twirled within the geyser. The energy quickly dissipated, and the red bricks fell into a perfectly-stacked pyramid about six-feet tall.

Ryan stepped back defensively and narrowed his eyes. "Gedoushuu?" Kiros stepped out from behind the pyramid. "Vorlock..."

The villain narrowed his eyes. "I recognize you...You're one of the Rangers who killed my prince."

"Your prince? Who are you?"

"Your death," Kiros said. "Giza!"

Giza stepped out from behind the pyramid. The monster aimed his staff, which pulsed with crimson light. Invisible energy blasts exploded around Ryan and knocked him to the ground.

Giza twisted his staff, and the red pyramid flew apart, shot towards Ryan, and reassembled around him like a prison.

Kiros grinned with satisfaction. "These bricks are stained with the blood of Lizzardogler. You'll make the perfect sacrifice to summon him..."

The pyramid flashed with crimson energy that electrified Ryan as he screamed.

"It will not be pleasant," Kiros said.

Five streaks of energy passed overhead as the other Rangers leapt to the scene. They landed and immediately unsheathed their swords.

"Vorlock!" Samurai Red shouted. "Let him go!"

"You..." Kiros said with venom in his voice. "I have heard your name whispered with the greatest contempt. You corrupted my prince."

"What?" Samurai Red asked. "Who are you?"

"I am Kiros," he said. "Prince Brai's consort."

Samurai Red tightened his grip with rage. "Say that again?"

"His consort. Is that so hard for you to believe?" Kiros asked. "Can you imagine my pain, returning after five years, only to find him slain? By surface dwellers? One of whom he bedded? I will have him back again..."

Ryan fell to the ground within the pyramid. Its inner walls cast a ruby-red light that felt like fire. He struggled to rise, but couldn't. And his head spun with vertigo. The pain intensified, and he squirmed on the floor.

The sound of the pyramid thrummed, but Ryan thought he heard something else as well. Chanting. The chanting grew louder and louder and eventually pounded in his head like a drum.

The teen screamed with pain.

The other Rangers heard Ryan scream within the pyramid.

"Ryan!" Samurai Red shouted as they dashed towards the pyramid.

But Kiros stepped in front of them and snapped a whip that fired a surge of energy. The energy surge sparked against the Rangers and knocked them backward.

Samurai Green rolled across the ground, rose into a crouched position, and leapt through the air towards the pyramid. But Kiros snapped a boomerang that slashed the Green Ranger from the air with a burst of spark.

Samurai Green crashed on the ground, and the other Rangers regrouped around him.

Samurai Red spun his Symbol Disc. "Fire Breaker!"

His sword glowed with red energy and transformed into a massive zanbato blade. He snapped the handle downward, holding the blaster like a cannon. "Fire Breaker! Blaster Mode!"

The other Rangers placed their Symbol Discs along the spine of the weapon. The discs spun and charged with energy. "Fire!"

The cannon fired a massive pulse of fiery energy that shot past Kiros and Giza, with a shockwave that hurled them backward. The blast exploded through the top of the pyramid, scattering the bricks.

"Ryan!" Samurai Red shouted as they ran towards the ruined pyramid. The Red Ranger knelt at Ryan's side and helped him sit up. "Are you alright?"

He blinked and rubbed his eyes. "I can't...I can't see anything." He staggered to his feet but nearly fell. "I can't see..." Voices still pounded in his head. Chanting. And the chanting boomed louder. And louder. "What is that?"

"What's what?" Samurai Gold asked.

Ryan gripped his head. "That chanting...don't you hear it? It...it hurts!"

He scrambled away and broke into a run, a wild run without sight to guide him.

"Wait!" Samurai Red shouted.

Kiros smirked and snapped a bladed boomerang at Ryan. 

Samurai Red quickly dashed to his teammate and slashed the boomerang aside with a burst of spark. He looked to Ryan, who crouched on the ground and grabbed his head, shivering with agony.

The other Rangers regrouped around their leader, who aimed his blade at Kiros. "What did you do to him?

"Truly? Nothing," Kiros said. "This magick isn't my doing...but it's certainly convenient."

Ryan screamed and ran.

Before the other Rangers could follow, Kiros armed a weighted chain and twirled it like a propeller. The weapon emitted rippling waves of energy that splashed against the Rangers with bursts of spark, knocking them back.

Ryan ran frantically and aimlessly through the darkness of his blindness. The chanting pounded in his head like a maddening drumbeat. The teen tripped over something and fell - he didn't know where. He saw only blackness.

The chanting quieted slowly, and then stopped. Ryan breathed deeply as his mind returned to normal. He still couldn't see. But he no longer felt pushed towards the edge of insanity.

"What was that...?" he whispered.

He extended his hand and felt a wall - or maybe a boxcar within the industrial park. He stood and activated his communicator.

"Tommy, it's Ryan...Something happened. I can't see anything."

"We'll have to take a look when you get back to Ops," Tommy said. "For now, stay put until the team finishes off those Vorlock. You'll be safe where you are until then."

"How are they doing?" Ryan asked.

"They'll be okay," Tommy said.

"That's debatable," Ashley chimed in.

"They're in a tight spot, but they'll pull through," Tommy said. "Just sit tight."

Ryan lowered his communicator and sighed. He couldn't stand by and do nothing while his friends fought, especially if they fought a tough enemy. But he knew he couldn't be much help without his sight.

The teen kept his hand along the wall and walked back towards the scene of the battle. I'll do this the Ranger way...figure it out when I get there.

Kiros's powers came from his weapons. Bladed boomerangs etched with runes. Wrist-mounts crossbows, armed with arrows dipped in arcane energy. An enchanted kusarigama. His pet Giza's magick came from its staff. They threw everything they had at the Rangers and beat them back with attacks powerful enough to knock them from their armor.

Teddy crashed against the ground near his teammates. He tried to stand, but couldn't summon the strength. He ached with fatigue, as did the other rangers.

Kiros and Giza stalked towards the fallen teens. "I refuse to believe whelps as weak as you could defeat my prince."

Teddy looked up and glared. "Actually...I stopped him myself."

Kiros snarled and lifted the blade of his kusarigama.

"Hey!" a voice shouted nearby. "Leave them alone!"

The teens looked to see Ryan stumble onto the scene.

"Ryan, get back!" Teddy shouted.

"Did that pyramid make you mental?" Bradin shouted.

Kiros looked to Ryan and smirked. "This...This amuses me."

The villain leapt through the air and chopped a bladed boomerang towards Ryan. Ryan heard the villain and dove aside, barely missing the blade. The teen scrambled to his feet and snapped around, trying to pick up the sound of the villain's footsteps, movement or breathing.

Kiros stalked towards the ranger. "Do you have a death wish?"

The villain kicked Ryan with enough force to hurl him backward. The teen smashed against a utility pole and crashed to the ground.

Nearby, the rangers pushed themselves up to help Ryan. But Giza stood in their way and slammed his staff against the ground. The impact flashed with yellow light that knocked the teens back.

Ryan pushed himself to his feet and took a step back. He placed his right fist against his left palm and lowered his head. He reached for his Kiryoku and felt the energy pulse through his body like the blood of the soul. He called upon that power and reached out with his senses.

Kiros smirked and charged. He chopped a blade boomerang. But Ryan ducked, high blocked the blow, and punched Kiros in the gut with enough force to knock him several steps backward. The teen followed with a front kick that whipped the villain off his feet.

"I may not be able to see...but I'm not powerless..." Ryan said as he stepped into a defensive stance.

Kiros stood and looked to his monster. "Giza!"

Giza slammed his staff against the ground. The weapon pulsed with yellow energy and hurled a wave of bricks at the teen. But Ryan dove aside before the bricks could imprison him.

The other rangers pushed themselves to their feet and regrouped with Ryan.

Kiros kicked Giza in the leg. "Stop being a coward and kill them!"

The teens armed their morphers.

"Samurai scribe! Ha!" Energy wrapped around them as they morphed into their Ranger forms.

"Symbol Task Force!" Samurai Red shouted. Together, they called out: "Samurai Rangers!"

The Red Ranger somersaulted through the air and chopped at Kiros. Kiros parried the blow, but the Red Ranger twisted his blade around and slashed. Kiros stepped back to dodge the blade.

Samurai Pink and Samurai Yellow slashed at the villain from the sides. But Kiros parried their blows.

Samurai Blue, Samurai Gold, and Samurai Green surrounded Giza. The monster swung low and knocked the Blue Ranger's legs from beneath him, sending him tumbling across the ground.

Samurai Blue rolled into a crouched position and lifted his sword. He reached out with his Ki and sensed the monster's attack.

Giza thrust his staff and fired bolts of yellow energy. The Blue Ranger dove and rolled across the ground as the energy blasts exploded around him with massive bursts of spark.

But even his Ki senses couldn't help him avoid every blast. A barrage of energy bolts exploded against his armor with massive bursts of spark that hurled him backward.

Giza charged towards the fallen Blue Ranger.

Samurai Blue used his sword for balance and stood. He heard each approaching footstep and shifted his blade into a defensive stance.

Giza leapt through the air to attack. But the Blue Ranger dropped and slashed upward as the monster passed overhead. The blow sparked against the creature and whipped him from the air.

Nearby, Kiros fired a volley of arrows that sparked against the other Rangers, knocking them to the ground.

Samurai Gold rolled to his feet and armed his Symbol Disc.

"Light Disc!" He spun the disc. "Golden Flash!"

Samurai Gold dashed and leapt back and forth across the villain while slashing through streaks of golden light. His blade pulsed with power that tore through the villain and hurled him backward.

Meanwhile, Samurai Blue lifted his sword straight and placed his free hand on the blade. He heard Giza charged from the side.

The monster swung towards the Blue Ranger's legs. But Samurai Blue dove over the blow and rolled across the ground.

The Blue Ranger rolled into a crouched position, and Giza charged to attack. The monster chopped its staff. But Samurai Blue used his left arm to block the blow and used his right arm to spear the creature in the chest with a burst of spark.

The monster stumbled backward as the other Rangers regrouped around Samurai Blue.

Samurai Green tilted his head with surprise. "You did all that blind? Not bad..."

Giza stabbed his staff against the ground and surrounded himself with a pyramid of bricks. 

Samurai Red lifted his sword. "Let's tear down that wall."

The Rangers armed their Spin Swords and spun their Symbol Discs. Elemental energy twirled around their blades.

"Spin Swords!" they shouted. "Element Wave!"

They swung their swords, firing energy blades that shot towards the pyramid. The energy blades smashed through the pyramid and tore through the monster with massive bursts of spark and flame. Giza's staff shattered as he collapsed, and his energy overloaded and exploded.

Nearby, Kiros stood and narrowed his eyes at the defeated monster. He couldn't summon the Lizzardogler without the monster's powers.

The villain glared at the Rangers. "I'll remember this."

Kiros leapt onto a nearby warehouse and jumped from sight.

PART THREE: TAKEN

Tommy and Ashley couldn't explain what happened to Ryan's sight. Medically, his eyes looked fine. Scans showed no reason for his blindness. Tommy and Ashley both promised to work tirelessly until they could find a way to reverse the effect.

Ryan sat on the steps of the Hayate Way Dojo later that day. Teddy walked up and took a seat beside him.

"How you feeling?" Teddy asked.

"Okay, I guess," Ryan said. "It's not as bad as you think. I mean, I know I can't see. But there's still plenty I can feel. Hear. Smell. It's like this whole other world's opened up to me."

Teddy smirked. "You're always the optimistic one."

Ryan smiled back. "Someone has to be."

"How do you do it...?" Teddy asked. "How do you stay positive after something like this happens?"

"I dunno," Ryan said. "Hope, I guess..."

The last of the White Skins gathered in the deepest pits beneath the underground Vorlock Empire. Numbering fewer than 10, they prayed to an altar of their demon god, the Lizzardogler. The Vorlock viewed the Lizzardogler as a creature, but the White Skins thought of Lizzardogler as a king. A god.

White Skins prayed to Lizzardogler for as long as they could remember, although their god never answered.

Still, when the last of the White Skins escaped the evil that wiped out the Vorlock, they started to pray non-stop, in shifts, taking breaks to sleep, eat and drink only.

Their chanting prayers kept them from falling into despair. But recently, their chanting gave them hope as well. For the first time in the history of their people, their prayers stirred a powerful force. Or perhaps a powerful force stirred their prayers.

The altar's urn throbbed with golden light and flame as the White Skins continued to chant, their voices echoing throughout the cavern. Suddenly, the urn burst with a pulse of dark light that shuddered the cavern and knocked the White Skins backward.

From the dark light stepped a Vorlock monster with thick leathery skin, broad shoulders, and a helmet and pauldrons of bone.