It had been several weeks since Blake Bradley had last been at the Wind Ninja Academy. Ever since he and Hunter had joined up with the Wind Rangers to battle Lothor, this place seemed like a home away from home. Coming back, hand in hand with the woman he loved, surrounded by friends and family, he was glad to find that feeling had not changed.

“Are you sure it’s OK that you came back with us?” Tori asked him as they walked the grounds, away from the sounds of students making repairs. After celebrating his win earlier that day at the CyberSpace, Blake had decided to return with his friends to the Wind Ninja Academy. As glad as Tori was to have him there, she didn’t want him to get in trouble either.

“We’ve been home ten minutes and you’re trying to get rid of me already?” Blake answered with a smile.

“Not at all,” Tori laughed, giving him a playful shove. “I don’t get to see you enough as it is.”

“Don’t worry.” Blake said, wrapping his arm around her. “I can be back in Reefside by nightfall. No one even has to know I’m gone”.

“Good.” Tori smiled as she rested her head against his shoulder. After everything that had happened over the past couple of days, this was the only place Blake wanted to be.

The beep of their communicators soon brought them both back to reality. “Tori, Blake.” Cam’s voice sounded. “We need you both back at Ninja Ops, immediately.”

“Sounds serious.” Tori said. “We better go.”

Blake nodded in agreement. “So much for time to ourselves.”

“This is not good.” Cam stated, staring at the computer screen. After returning from Reefside, Marah and Kapri ran off to check on Ninja, while the others went back to Ninja Ops in order to give Tori and Blake time to themselves. However, none of them expected to come home to this.

“Talk about your welcome home party,” Dustin commented, watching as images of Kelzaks swarming the streets of Blue Bay Harbor flashed across the screen.

“What do you think?” Hunter asked Cam. “Lothor?”

“Possibly.” Cam replied. “We still don’t know what happened to him after he joined forces with Mesogog.”

“Did someone say Lothor?” Blake called as he and Tori entered Ninja Ops.

“We’ve got trouble, bro.” Hunter explained. “You up for it?

Without a word, Blake raised his hand to his shoulder and, with a swipe of his arm, appeared in full ninja gear. “Does that answer your question?”

“Strike teams have been alerted.” Cam stated, rising from the computer station. “We’d better get out there.”

“Everyone be careful.” Shane warned as the group pulled on their headgear. “We don’t know what we are up against here.” Nodding in agreement, the six streaked out into the sunlight.

He looked out over the city, utterly amazed at the manner in which humans had grown over the centuries. Not that it mattered though. Soon enough, all of their “progress” would be wiped away, leaving the slate clean for him to rebuild the world as it should have been all those years ago.

He relished the screams from below as the Kelzaks invaded the city streets. For amusement, he had decided to test the opposition. Not that he expected much, but eliminating them now will make it that much easier when he staked his rightful claim on this planet.

Reveling in the chaos, his interest heightened at the arrival of several groups of what appeared to be ninja. As he watched them battle the Kelzaks, his interest peaked even further. Not only did these warriors appear to be skilled fighters, but they also possessed power over the elements.

Like they did...all those years ago.

It wouldn’t matter, he told himself. He would show them what real power was.

Surveying the situation, Shane was glad that they had decided to increase the number of strike teams. He had never seen so many Kelzaks in one place before, so the extra manpower was coming in handy. Turning, he saw three Kelzaks racing towards him. Flinging his hand forward, Shane summoned forth a cyclone, entrapping the Kelzaks and sending them flying into the stratosphere. Whipping around, Shane barely managed to block an attacking Kelzak’s blade. Straining against the blade, Shane was startled when a blast of water slammed the Kelzak into a nearby lamppost.

“Thanks Tor.” Shane said, catching his breath as the Water Ninja ran to his side.

“Where are they all coming from?” Dustin asked, joining them.

“Where else?” Shane commented. “The Abyss.”

“Question is who is controlling them?” Cam added, as he, Blake and Hunter joined the Wind Ninjas.

The six braced themselves as more Kelzaks began to surround them. Suddenly, the creatures began to step back, as if they were retreating.

“Ok, what did I miss?” Dustin asked as the Kelzaks continued to back away.

“It’s not just here,“ Mei Lien explained as she streaked onto the scene, followed by Marah, Kapri, and several other ninja. “The Kelzaks are retreating on all fronts.”

“I don’t like the sound of this.” Hunter added. “Something’s not right.”

His suspicions were suddenly justified as the group of ninjas was flung aside by an invisible force, sending the warriors crashing into nearby walls and through store windows.

“You had to say it, didn’t you?” Blake commented

“Stay alert, guys.” Shane said, his eyes darting around, as the ex-Rangers searched for the source of the attack.

Instinctively, Dustin ran towards Marah’s unconscious form, lying among the shards of glass in a store window. He stopped short, catching sight of an approaching figure, adorned in black ninja gear, with greasy hair draping down over his sliver tunic. What startled Dustin the most was the deep scar running down the side of his face, drawing attention to the blackest eyes the Wind Ninja had ever seen.

“Something tells me we just found who we were looking for. “ Tori stated, as the six braced for battle.

The dark figure wasted no time. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a nearby car flying towards the ninja, scattering them to either side of the street. Jumping to her feet, Tori concentrated all of her power and fired a single blast of water at the attacker. To her astonishment, the dark ninja thrusted his hand forward, blocking her attack and sending her flying into a car windshield with incredible force.

“Tori!” Blake shouted, flinging himself towards the attacker. The dark ninja proved to be more then a match for Blake, matching the Thunder Ninja move for move. Grabbing him by the neck, the dark ninja raised Blake off the ground, choking him.

“Let him go!” Hunter shouted, flinging a bolt of crimson lightning towards the attacker. Giving the Crimson Ninja no notice, the dark ninja simply flung Blake towards him, using the Navy Ninja to intercept the attack. The painful impact sent Blake collapsing to the ground unconscious.

As Hunter rushed to his brother’s side, the dark ninja turned his sights on Dustin. The Earth Ninja sank into the Earth, rushing underneath the attacker. The dark ninja simply shook his head and stomped the ground beneath him, emitting a shock wave that forced Dustin back up into the street. With a rush of speed, the figure made contact with a roundhouse kick that sent Dustin flying. Turning, the dark ninja punched Cam hard in the stomach, with the force of the blow sending the Samurai through a nearby wall. Shaking his head in disgust, he left the Samurai lying in the rubble as he continued towards Shane.

Kanoi stood frozen as he watched the battle unfold on the monitor. His students were facing an opponent fiercer than any they had ever met before. But there was something about him. His eyes were dark, and soulless, like there wasn’t a trace of humanity within him.

His father-in-law broke the tense silence. “He has returned.”

“Hiro-san?” Kanoi asked, puzzled. Could the elder samurai know this newest enemy?

“The ancient warrior of evil has returned.” Hiro explained, his eyes frozen to the screen. “Just as the legends foretold.”

Kanoi returned his attention to the battle. Could this really be the ancient warrior, whose name his brother took on the day he ceased to exist?