The four teenagers stared, speechless, at the luminous AI.
"Where are we?" Xiaoyun finally managed to ask, his voice echoing in the cavernous lab.
"You are in the Celestial Forge," Tian replied. "The last bastion of the Mythical Domain. And your new home." The AI gestured, and the main screen changed. It showed four faces: a kind-eyed man, a stoic woman, a fierce warrior, and a calm strategist. Ling Tian, Shen Jue, Bai Hu, and Qin Lin.
"These were your predecessors," Tian explained, its voice tinged with a synthetic sorrow. "For three years, they protected the Solar System from the Abyss, an extra-dimensional force that consumes light, life, and hope. But they were overwhelmed. In their final moments, they initiated the 'Bequeathal Protocol,' transferring their spirits and their powers into the morphers you now carry. They chose you, not for your strength, but for the resonance of your hearts with their own. The ring, the bracelet, the earring, the watch—they are not just machines. They are their legacy."
Holographic recordings played, showing the last, desperate battle of the old team. The teenagers watched in awe and horror as the four Rangers fought a losing war against a tide of shadow, their final act a self-sacrificing explosion that saved the sun. Xiaoyun's fists clenched, his anger warring with a profound sense of respect. Longwei stood stoic, but his eyes glistened. Feng watched with a grim fascination, his arrogance replaced by a warrior's solemnity. Zihao was trying to process it all, his mind a whirlwind of tactical analysis and emotional overload. The restless fire in Xiaoyun's chest now had a name. The weight on Longwei's shoulders had a purpose. The wild energy in Feng's veins had a noble cause. The patterns in Zihao's mind had a terrifying, beautiful context.
"The Abyss is not gone," Tian continued. "It is merely regrouping. The Solar System is vulnerable. Your mission is to take up their mantle, to become the new shield for humanity and all its colonies."
Qin Zihao stepped forward, his mind racing. "The four symbols... there's a fifth. A crown. It's marked as 'sealed.'"
Tian's luminous form dimmed slightly. "Yes. The morpher of the Golden Crow. It is... special. It belonged to the first leader of the Mythical Domain, a hero from the very beginning of the war. When he fell, his spirit, imbued with the very fire of a sun, refused to be passed on. It deemed no successor worthy. The morpher was sealed, and has remained dormant for generations, a legend even to the previous team."
The AI floated towards the center of the lab, where a heavily shielded pedestal stood. Inside a transparent, inert field of energy, rested a golden crown, intricate and beautiful, but utterly dark.
"The four of you represent the cardinal directions, the elements of the world," Tian said. "You are a formidable force. But you are incomplete. You are the shield, the fang, the claw, and the shell. But you lack a sword. You lack the sun. The Golden Crow is the only power that can truly stand against the highest generals of the Abyss."
The AI turned to face them, its light intensifying. "Your first mission is not to fight. It is to find the one whom the crown will accept. The one whose spirit can finally reignite its flame. Find the fifth Ranger. The morphers will guide you, but the choice is ultimately the crown's. Only when the Mythical Domain is whole can you truly hope to protect our worlds."
Using Tian's processing power combined with his own skills, Zihao managed to get a faint lock on the dormant energy signature of the sealed crown. The signal was being amplified, bounced off a network of private satellites.
"I have a location," Zihao announced, his fingers flying across a console Tian had provided him. "The Huo Tower in Shanghai. The global headquarters of the Huo Conglomerate."
Bai Feng whistled. "The Huo family? You mean the 'we own a chunk of the country's military-industrial complex' Huo family? One of the Three Pillars of Hua Xia? How are we supposed to get in there?"
"The signal is coming from the very top," Zihao confirmed, ignoring him. "The private penthouse. And... Tian, can you access their public schematics?"
"I can," the AI responded. A blueprint of the tower appeared. "But their security is formidable. It will require a coordinated effort."
The journey to Shanghai was a blur of high-speed trains and anxious silence, the four new heirs struggling to come to terms with their new reality. They stood at the base of the Huo Tower, a monolith of black glass and steel that pierced the clouds, a symbol of immense, untouchable power. Security was omnipresent, from the visible guards in tactical gear to the unseen digital eyes scanning every face.
"I can get us past the digital checkpoints," Zihao said, his fingers flying on a custom tablet. "I've created a loop in their CCTV and a ghost ID for our keycards. But that only gets us to the elevators. The upper floors are biometrically sealed and patrolled by elite ex-special forces."
"Then we'll have to be fast and quiet," Xiaoyun said, his jaw set. "Feng, you're with me. Longwei, you and Zihao stick together. If we get separated, regroup at the 80th-floor lobby. Let's go."
Zihao's hack worked flawlessly. They walked through the main lobby, their hearts pounding, and stepped into a private express elevator without being stopped. As the elevator ascended, Xiaoyun looked at his team. "Remember, we're not here to fight. We're here to talk. But be ready."
The doors opened on the 150th floor. They were met by two guards in black suits, their eyes sharp and suspicious.
"This floor is restricted," one said, his hand moving towards his earpiece.
"We're expected," Xiaoyun said, stepping forward.
The guard shook his head. "No one is expected. State your business or we will remove you."
Feng cracked his knuckles. "I'd like to see you try."
Before the situation could escalate, Longwei moved with surprising speed, placing himself between the Rangers and the guards. "We don't want any trouble," he said, his voice calm and steady. "But we're not leaving."
The guards reached for them. That was their mistake. Xiaoyun and Feng moved as one, their bodies enhanced by the latent energy of their morphers. They didn't strike to injure, but to incapacitate, using precise, efficient movements that disarmed and disabled the guards in seconds, leaving them unconscious but unharmed on the plush carpet.
"Go!" Zihao hissed, pointing down a corridor. "The signal is strongest that way!"
They ran down a hall lined with modern art, their footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. At the end was a single, massive door made of what looked like polished obsidian. There was no handle, no keypad.
"It's DNA-locked," Zihao whispered. "I can't..."
He was cut off as the door silently slid open on its own.
The room beyond was not an office, but a vast, minimalist penthouse. It was cavernous and cold, with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a breathtaking, panoramic view of Shanghai's glittering skyline. In the center of the room, on a simple black leather sofa, sat a young man.
He was perhaps their age, with sharp, handsome features and hair as dark as a raven's wing. He wore a simple, expensive-looking black turtleneck and trousers. He was looking out the window, a glass of what looked like water in his hand. He didn't turn as they entered.
"You've made a mess of my security," he said. His voice was flat, devoid of emotion, as cold as the room itself.
This was Huo Tian. Heir to the Huo family. A prince in a gilded cage.
"We're here because you called us," Xiaoyun said, stepping forward.
Huo Tian finally turned his head. His eyes were like chips of ice. "I called no one." He lifted a hand, and they saw it. Faintly shimmering on his head, almost like an illusion, was the outline of the golden crown. "It's been... singing to me for weeks. Giving me fevers. Waking me up with visions of a dying star. I thought I was ill. That the pressure of my family was finally breaking my mind." He took a sip of his water. "And now it's brought me... you. Four children playing dress-up."
"We're not playing," Feng snarled, taking a step forward. "We just fought a monster! A monster from the Abyss!"
Huo Tian's expression didn't change. "A monster. How quaint. My family deals with monsters every day. They wear suits and sit on corporate boards. They're far more terrifying than anything you could imagine."
"The Abyss is real," Longwei said, his deep voice resonating in the vast space. "It's a threat to everyone. To your family, too. You can't ignore it."
"I can, and I will," Huo Tian said, turning his gaze back to the window. "My duty is to my family's legacy. To managing an empire that keeps this country stable. I have no time for fantasies."
As he spoke, the four morphers began to glow intensely, reacting to the presence of the fifth. The air in the room grew thick, crackling with energy.
"See?" Huo Tian said, a flicker of annoyance in his cold eyes. "It's a nuisance. A malfunction." He reached up to touch the shimmering outline on his head, as if to wave it away. "I will have my scientists analyze this trinket and be done with it."
The moment his fingers made contact with the illusionary crown, it erupted.
A blinding, golden light filled the room, so intense they had to shield their eyes. Huo Tian cried out, not in pain, but in pure shock, as the light solidified. The faint outline became a real, physical object—a true crystal crown, forged in a style worn by ancient kings, with sharp prisms and intricate filigree. It clung to his head, its prisms digging into his hair, its weight a sudden, undeniable reality. He tried to pull it off, but it wouldn't budge. It was as if it had grown from his very skull, a permanent part of him.
And then, a new voice filled their minds, echoing in the room itself with the force of a star. It was ancient, powerful, and filled with a timeless sorrow. It was the echo of the first Golden Crow.
The sun does not choose its heir, the voice resonated, shaking the very foundations of the penthouse. It burns within them. The flame is not a burden, Huo Tian. It is a crown. And a crown is not taken off. It is worn until death. The Solar System is about to need its king desperately.
The light faded, leaving them all in stunned silence. Huo Tian was left standing, his hands still on his head, his face a mask of shock and disbelief. For the first time, his cold composure was shattered, replaced by a dawning, unwelcome understanding. He looked from the four teenagers to his reflection in the window. He was no longer just an heir to a financial empire. He was a king. And his reign had just begun.