The conversations between Stelle and the rangers passed like a summer breeze, quick but gentle, with stories of adventures told and challenges that were faced and the premise of a new future within everyone's reach, but a great danger approaches. When night fell, all the Rangers gathered near Ace's apartment to say goodbye to Stelle.
"I'll go talk to Welt and Himeko to help with communication. Even though I'm far away, I'll return to help, because now I have a duty as a Ranger." Despite her more serious speech, her smile remained comforting and cheerful, making everyone's mood lighten. Ace prepared the portal to leave with Stelle, returning to Xianzhou.
After Stelle sent a message about her situation, everyone on the Astral Express told them where they were, in an inn near Aurum Alley. Arriving at the location, Stelle's news shocked everyone there. "W-what!? You're a Power Ranger too? That's not fair! A lady like me should be a Ranger too!" March 7 protested the news but showed no sign of jealousy, just having fun. "A lady? As far as I know, ladies need to be refined and elegant." Stelle's provocative tone made March 7 jump on her, starting a small fight that seemed like sisters, while Ace talked to Welt.
"As you know, Stelle became a Ranger, and Rita's dangers have proven even more dangerous. Maybe with your help we can create some kind of communication, maybe using the Morphin Grid?" Ace's plan was to use the powerful energy of the Morphin Grid. It might be something simple for many, but the potential was vast. Welt and Himeko nodded in agreement. Even though they didn't know much about what the Morphin Grid was, a brief explanation of its uses already indicated its potential.
"I also see that Stelle has taken an even greater step in her strength." Himeko's gaze became gentler as she saw Stelle and March 7 fighting. After a few hours of conversation, Ace said goodbye and returned to his original world. Looking at the calendar, his expression became more bitter, but he decided to rest for today.
• November 12 •
Ace's sleep passed quickly, but he found no joy in waking up today. His desire to study and work on his projects was nonexistent. His eyes, which used to shine with enthusiasm, lost their shine along with his smile. Moving like a simple machine, he guided himself through the day, getting dressed and getting ready for work.
Ace explained that he had to help a foreign friend and ended up oversleeping. Despite receiving a reprimand, his boss let him go. Seeing Zack approaching, Ace forced a smile and a cheerful attitude. "Hey Zack! Great to see you so early. Did you come here to pick up the new releases?" Acting, a simple skill that Ace has developed over the years. How do you make people think you're okay? You just have to act like you're okay.
"Not this time, I just came here to see if you're okay. That blow you took was serious." Zack sat down on a chair and stretched. He had to go to school after this, which took some of the mood out of him. "I'm fine; even though I got hit hard, I recovered without much difficulty." Hearing this, Zack let the tension out of his shoulders, and he started to tease.
"What about that girl, huh, Ace? Quite a woman!" This little speech from Zack made Ace choke on the wind. "What are you saying? It's nothing like that, we just have similar ideas." The attempt to change the subject failed as expected. Zack didn't believe Ace at all. "If you're going to Xianzhou, take me with you! I want to see this place. I have to go anyway." Standing up, he simply said goodbye and left.
Finding himself alone again, Ace just stayed quiet. 'I can't escape forever. My own sins are still here. This new life won't change that.' These same thoughts kept coming back to Ace. Maybe one day he'll find a way to truly face himself.
————
[BackstoryIsGay: Hmn, have you noticed that Ace is acting kinda... weird?]
[MiniMessi: Now that you said yes, he's acting so melancholic.]
[Hierophant_Green: Maybe he stepped in dog shit.]
[TunaKaslana: I didn't know you lay down on the street.]
[Hierophant_Green: Look who's talking! With that plank body, whoever steps on you slips!]
[MiniMessi: And here we go again.]
———
After work, Ace would just walk towards the forest, throwing one of the capsules on the ground. Ride Chaser appeared in front of Ace, who mounted it and started the engine. "I need to calm my mind a little."
Accelerating his motorcycle, he went ahead; the terrain had no effect against Ride Chaser, who floated, making the trip calm. But the same could not be said of Ace's mind; everything was a mess, and his mind kept replaying everything that had happened. That cursed day never stopped being painful.
And the memories of his past life kept repeating themselves like a movie in his head. His whole life is just a stupid joke, his happy way of being is just a facade that he still tries to maintain as a small part of who he once was. But were his emotions until then really fake? His achievements and the joy of being able to emerge victorious from battles were real, maybe Ace doesn't even know who he really is.
———
• Past •
Living as an orphan wasn't so bad when you had a sister by your side, despite the difficulty of living in an orphanage, having a companion by your side helped you manage things. "Hey Ace, will we ever have a big house to live in? A backyard, a pool, and a big forest! That way we can help everyone here!" The older girl spoke enthusiastically, looking at her younger brother. Ace jumped excitedly, thinking about all the things he could do if he lived in a big house. "Yes! And then we can live together and eat all the sweets we want! Maria, let's live happily and eat whatever we want!" Ace's little speech made Maria look at the floor in silence, but she soon smiled again. "That's right! I'll give us a great life!" She declared while showing determination to continue. "I'll be a Power Ranger when I grow up! Help everyone and destroy evil! That way I'll make you proud, sister!" Striking a dramatic pose, Ace had a serious face that made the scene even more comical.
"Of course, of course, and when you become a Power Ranger, I want you to have a movement in my name! Maria's punch!" She punched the air while pretending to be fighting a monster, making the other children in the place have fun.
The years flew by; studies and more studies crossed the twins' path. Maria found a boyfriend named Thomas in the meantime, with whom she was happy, although Ace didn't have a good feeling about this relationship. However, Ace put that aside at the time after seeing that Maria was so happy with this relationship, finding a job, Ace was now able to support himself and also help the orphanage where he was raised.
He had great memories of the place and wanted to help as much as he could. The children of the place deserved to have toys and new clothes, it was a community work of the city, but little by little the small orphanage would transform into a sanctuary for the children, although there was something that Ace didn't like about all of this.
"Uncle Ace!"
"Uncle Ace! Look."
The children started going towards Ace, grouping together, now that they were all together, they prepared themselves by making a dramatic pose. "We are the Ginyu Special Force!" The oldest said with all the pride in the world while everyone laughed together. "Okay, okay, you are super powerful, so let's do it like this, you get good grades on the upcoming test, and as a reward I will buy the DVD of the Dragon Ball movie that is about to be released." This simple proposal made the children's eyes shine, and they ran to the room to get ready.
As young people with stupid promises, Maria was pregnant and close to giving birth, that man promised her the sky and the moon and that they would get married, showing happiness with what was to come. Maria always said how happy she was that she would have a baby, which made Ace have his worries about his sister's happiness diminished.
But Thomas disappeared, saying he wasn't ready, running away from responsibility and leaving Maria alone, completely devastated, while Ace was completely furious.
"That damned bastard! I told you that man was no good! If I meet him, I'll shove a broomstick so deep up his ass that he'll look like a traffic light!" But getting angry wouldn't help at the moment, his sister was the priority at the moment. Being with her would give him the support that Maria needed.
While he was working, he received the news that his sister was in the hospital to give birth, but the situation was critical, which made him run there, with the help of his boss, who gave him a ride, he got to the hospital. Obviously no sign of Thomas anywhere, having to wait, Ace's anxiety was at its peak. The news that the pregnancy was high risk haunted his mind, despite everything, Maria still wanted to have this child.
No matter how long he had to wait or how hungry he would be, he would not leave this waiting room without the news that his sister was okay. Approaching was a doctor, but his expression was complicated. "The child is fine, but I'm sorry about your sister." Ace's world fell apart, the despair in his eyes intensifying with each passing minute, breathing heavily and tears falling like a fountain. "This can only be a lie, no..." In just one day, Ace's world crumbled, his only family that was by his side now disappeared. Ace sat down again, putting his hands on his face. All the sounds of the hospital began to disappear as if they were muffled noises; Ace's heartbeats and confused thoughts were all he could hear.
Ace would calm down with the help of the doctor who took him to see the child; it was a boy who was being treated by the nurses. "We know it will be complicated, but...since you are the only family left, the decision of whether the child will go to the orphanage or not is in your hands." The child was now Ace's only family and the memory of his sister, how much she wanted this child and fought to have it, even knowing all the risks.
Ace decided to take custody of the child and take care of him, he could not let his sister's son go to an orphanage even though there was someone who could be with him. According to the doctor's words, the name Maria wanted to give the child was Lucas, and Lucas is the name that was chosen. The pain of losing Maria was deep and would leave scars that would not heal any time soon. Taking care of a child is not easy.
The difficulties of keeping up with all the needs he has, as he is also alone, but some friends helped Ace on this journey, sleepless nights due to Lucas's crying seemed to never end. "Babies are really so... ugly... like a dried plum..." Ace leaned over Lucas's crib, stretching out a finger to caress his face, but he didn't expect Lucas to hold his finger. That peaceful face melted his heart, his eyes softened, and a smile grew on his face. "Maybe not so ugly after all..." Even feeling a deep pain for the loss of Maria, he got up and tried to be strong for that child; it was the least he could do.
The visits to the orphanage continued, and Lucas's presence brought a new dynamic between the children, they helped to take care of him like older brothers. This small action made Ace feel lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
On one of the countless nights, Ace was putting Lucas in the crib as he always did; after feeding him with the bottle, it was time for him to rest. "Papa..." Ace's body froze; he never thought this day would come, and being called "father" brought a happiness he couldn't explain. "I'm sorry, I know I won't be as good as Maria would be...but I promise I'll take care of you." Ace knew how inadequate he was as a parent, he didn't have a well-paying job, and he didn't even know how to take care of himself, but he wouldn't stop trying.
"Do you see, sis? He...called me Papa." Ace's crying voice was muffled by the walls of the room. Years passed, and the little baby grew into a strong and healthy boy. Every day Ace would go with Lucas to the orphanage so he could play with the other children. The older ones who saw him as a baby treated him like a younger brother. "Dad! Just let me sleep here today, please!" Ace wanted to deny Lucas's request, but seeing the hopeful eyes of him and the other children, he gave in to his weak point.
"Okay, but tomorrow afternoon after work I'll come get you." And so Lucas celebrated with the other children. Little did Ace know that this would be his worst decision. The next day Lucas was playing with the other children, having fun. Meanwhile, a police chase was taking place. A man was driving desperately to escape the police. When his car crashed into another car, he ran towards the nearest place. When one of the caretakers opened the door, he took action, invading the orphanage and taking everyone hostage.
"If you try anything, I'll activate the bombs!" There were explosives around the man's body, his face sunken in madness and insanity. Obviously, the police stopped their attempt to invade, fearing the worst. After all, the orphanage was full of children, and they weren't going to gamble on trying to find out if the bomb was fake.
Attempts at negotiation were made, but none were successful. Meanwhile, at Ace's work, he was doing extra work. Even though he was tired, he wanted to finish it quickly so that he could leave work early tomorrow and take Lucas to a park. His co-worker came running in desperately. "Ace! Hurry, you need to see this!" He was pulling Ace in total desperation, and when he got close to a TV, Ace's body petrified. it was the news talking about the case.
In a panic, he started to run out of the building and was stopped by his boss, who forced him to get in the car and take him as fast as possible to the place. The police stopped Ace, preventing him from getting closer. Ace protested in total panic but began to be calmed down by his boss; now everything was in the hands of the police.
Meanwhile, in the back, impatiently, a rookie police officer did not follow his superior's orders, invading the place and pointing his gun. A shot was fired, but unfortunately for everyone, he missed. And in an involuntary reaction, the kidnapper pressed the detonator button.
BOOOM
A huge explosion took over the orphanage, completely destroying the windows of the place and forcing everyone to take cover from the debris. The color in Ace's face disappeared. "LUCAS, AAAGH!" His scream was so loud that he felt his vocal cords hurt, but he didn't care about it, he tried to run towards the orphanage but was still stopped by the police.
Even after all this and the rescue arrived, no one survived. Ace was in front of a completely burned and disfigured corpse; the only thing that helped him recognize his son Lucas was a silver pendant. Seeing him like that was too much for Ace, who was in shock and complete silence, his body completely still. 'Why did I let him stay? Why did so many children have to die?...why?...' So many unanswered questions; from one day to the next he lost everything again, his family was reduced to just him, and his beloved son became a burned body.
Reporters tried at all costs to get an interview with Ace. Their actions bordered on insensitivity. The television only showed sensationalism, adding fuel to the fire of what had happened. November 19th is etched in Ace's mind for the rest of his life, as well as the next.
The months that passed were empty and monotonous. Ace didn't want to leave the house no matter what happened and was eating very little. His healthy appearance was reduced to a poorly nourished and fragile body. It took a lot of insistence and help from his boss to get him to eat again. Little by little, he was able to leave the house and go to work, but the Ace of before was no longer the same, and everyone knew it.
He acted as if everything was getting better, masking everything he felt behind happier actions and wide smiles. Even though it was all a lie. One of his greatest gifts was being created, the gift of lying to himself that everything was fine and that he would get better. He immersed himself in video games and going out on dates, he had even found a girlfriend. No matter the years that passed, he was just the same pathetic Ace, who was nothing more than a fool who wore a happy mask, until finally, in a murder, Ace lost his life.
———
• At the moment •
Ace continued to drive aimlessly, arriving at an isolated place where he stopped his Ride Chaser; standing up, he just looked at the view as he plunged even deeper into his self-deprecation and guilt. Walking towards Ace was a creature.
"You are alone, Ranger."
———
[A/N: Sorry for the lack of chapters, I really had no ideas on how to do this backstory, I've already written 4 to 5 drafts but this time I think everything is done.]