Note: Obvious change of events for the Prologue, it's a FanFiction, so don't get sassy bitches.
Chapter 1: The Collapse
The outside world is desolate, dead, and silent, anything remotely close to alive is diseased or cannibalistic, or both. Violence and desperation have become a scourge, millions killed in the initial nuclear blasts, billions dying from the fallout that followed, and all brought upon by a singularly evil, a sinister evil, a being that was once an innocent child, but followed his call to the darkness, becoming the apex of apex predators. The sound of boots against wooden tile echoes throughout Outpost Three, the ground and walls slick with the blood of Witches; decorated by the bloody, mutilated corpses of Queenie and Coco, the cleaved remains of Misty Day, and the decapitated body of Madison. Amid the corpses, above the blood and violence, stands Michael Langdon, the reason of the apocalypse and the reckoning of the world, strutting along the halls of the Outpost without a single care in the world, a broadsword clamped in the grip of his hand. With each step, Michael finds himself closer and closer to his enemies' last resort, the last reinforced place in the entire Outpost; headmaster's bathroom. The final conflict for the survival of mankind is about to commence.
"Miss Cordelia! It appears you and your brood of whores have run out of options! You may have dispatched my precious Miss Mead, but I assure you, your girls suffered through a much longer sequence of glorious pain, except for your Hollywood whore, she was lucky enough to have her head removed from her shoulders!"
Michael attempts to turn the doorknob but is burnt viciously at its touch, leaving a small burn mark on his palm, only for it to heal within a few seconds. "Your spells are hopeless, Miss Cordelia, even a Supreme's magic cannot stop me now. You've only delayed the inevitable." Michael stops and lays his palm out flat before slowly driving the tip of the broadsword's blade straight through his hand, only stopping when he's palm has reached its hilt. He sheathes the blade from his hand and lets his blood soak the blade. "BY THE POWER BESTOWED TO ME BY MY FATHER! ALLOW ME TO CUT THROUGH THIS DOOR AND SOAK THE EARTH WITH THE BLOOD OF OUR ENEMIES!" That's when he begins plunging the blade into the door, the barrier spell drastically slowing the blade's touch to the door. "I'M COMING FOR YOU!"
"I don't think that door's going to hold," Kyle says in a panicked voice, his right hand grasped onto a decorated wood axe, a relic of Miss Robichaux's Academy; the Axeman's Axe. "I'd say we have a few minutes before he finds himself through the door, so we best get to it."
Myrtle and Zoe assist Mallory into the headmaster's tub, the water is hot to the touch, causing the young witch to shriek in pain, but that doesn't stop her.
"Easy, little one," Myrtle shushes, holding Mallory's hand as she begins to lay down into the water. "You can do this, you know you can."
"I believe in you," Cordelia adds, grasping onto her face and kissing her forehead. "If anyone can do this, it's you, Mallory."
"What if I can't do this?" Mallory questions, tears rolling down her face. "What if I fail like last time?"
"You won't fail, I know you won't!" Zoe intervenes, staring straight into Mallory's eyes as she speaks her next words. "You are the next Supreme, Mallory, you understand that? You have power beyond any Supreme before you, so if anybody can do this, if anybody can do what has to be done, it's you. We love you and are willing to die for you, Mallory, and when you reach the other side, only you will know what has been sacrificed, and the lives that will be lost if Michael isn't stopped. You know the words, Mallory; Tempus Infinituum."
The blood-soaked blade suddenly pierces through the large wooden door before catching ablaze, slowly burning away the rest of the door like it's made of paper, revealing the viciously powerful Michael; skin pale, eyes darkened, dark veins appearing on his face, hair looking like a wildfire. "You cannot hide from me, Cordelia." That's when his eyes meet Mallory's, noticing that she's laying in the tub. He knows exactly what that means and what she's about to do, and he must stop her. "NO!"
Michael throws the blade forward in a combination of satanic rage and telekinesis, the velocity of the blade blowing out its flame as it heads straight towards the only person capable of stopping him now. Kyle thrusts forward to catch onto the hilt of the blade, but the soaking blood causes it to slip from his grasp, continuing its voyage. Before the blade can creep any closer to Mallory, Myrtle Snow transmutates in front of the blade, watching as it pierces through her own chest, killing her and stopping the blade in its track.
"MYRTLE!" Cordelia screams, watching helplessly as Myrtle body hits the ground, the broadsword sticking from her back. Cordelia's screams cause the entire room to shake violently as she sends a wave of pyrokinesis towards Michael, simultaneously engulfing his entire body in flames and pushing him back down the hall. "DIE!"
"MALLORY! IT'S TIME!" Zoe commands as she pulls a knife from underneath her cloak. Kyle pulls the broadsword from Myrtle's back, now holding both the Axeman's Axe and the blade in each hand. "WE'LL GIVE YOU AS MUCH TIME AS YOU NEED, BUT PLEASE, SAVE OUR COVEN! SAVE THE WORLD!"
"Zoe?" Mallory sighs at Zoe, a tear rolling down her face.
"You can do this," Zoe says before she and Kyle find themselves into the hall, Cordelia following closely behind.
"You're strong enough, Mallory, all you need to do is believe in yourself," Cordelia says, giving her a final kiss on the cheek. "You will do this, and I will ensure it."
"Oh shit, oh shit," Mallory says, her breath shuddering as she clenches onto the piece of Michael's hair, steam rising from the heat of her skin. "T- Tempus Infinituum. Tempus Infinituum! Tempus Infinituum! Tempus Infinituum!"
Michael stands at the end of the hall, still completely engulfed in the flames of Cordelia's pyrokinesis, his horrific smile still visible through the firey source of death. He should be long dead, yet he still stands, his clothing burning away while his flesh and hair are untouched. He slowly lays his hands out before clenching them viciously, extinguishing most of the flames, leaving his clothes slowly burning as he finds himself back down the hallway. Sharp, black coloured claws begin to retract from his fingernails, blood dripping from his human nails in the process. "Mr and Mrs Spencer, I have longed for this moment."
"You may destroy us, Michael, but you will not destroy Mallory, she is too powerful for even the likes of you!" Zoe hisses, holding her blade close.
"She'll die like the rest of you, Witches," Michael growls in a dark voice. That's when his eyes meet the knife in her hands. "I hope you know how to use that."
Zoe leaps towards Michael, jamming the blade into Michael's chest, but he's faster, gripping onto her neck and lifting her with one of his clawed hands like she weighs nothing. He stares at her for a moment and growls before throwing Zoe through a nearby wall with zero effort, watching as her boyfriend's face goes pale and crazed at the sight of her leaning against a wall, not moving.
"I WILL KILL YOU!" Kyle screams at the top of his lungs before swinging both the axe and sword swiftly and with ease.
Michael mirrors the speed of Kyle's swift attacks, allowing him to quickly yank the knife from his own chest as he moves like a blur. Michael grips onto the broadsword with telekinesis and throws it into the room Zoe lies in, cutting into the wall and barely missing Zoe's head, something that catches the attention of Kyle.
Michael launches himself into Kyle, pushing him against the wall with one hand placed on his throat, his other hand yanking away his axe before tossing it aside. Kyle uses every ounce of his strength to fight against the pressure on his throat, but his strength is nothing against the power of his enemy, Michael is far too powerful now.
"What's the matter, Mr Spencer? Were you hoping this encounter would end like our last one? I couldn't die then, and I can't die now," Michael chuckles, kissing Kyle on the cheek, taunting him before gripping tighter, this time with his claws. "But you can!"
"Zoe, I love you," Kyle sighs as Michael yanks back, ripping out his throat and causing blood to gush all over and hall, as well as his killer. As he's showered in blood, Michael grips onto Kyle's head and twists viciously, causing his head to completely tear off his shoulders as his body hits the floor.
"No resurrections for you, Mr Spencer," Michael chuckles, his eyes meeting Cordelia's as he slowly picks up Kyle's axe. "As you see, the last of your allies have been dispatched of, Miss Cordelia, no more hiding behind your brood. It's time to face me, just me and you, then after you're destroyed I'll get to Mallory. Don't worry, I'll make her death a painless one because I like Mallory, she'll get one mighty swing of this axe, and it'll all be over."
"You will get to watch me die, but you will not be satisfied," Cordelia hisses, a smirk on her face. "Satan has one son, but my girls are Legion, Motherfucker!"
Suddenly a blade erupts from Michael's chest, spilling his blood onto the floor as his vision blurs. Zoe stands behind him, feeling Michael and the blade suddenly become weightless, Cordelia clearly grasping onto him using telekinesis before pulling him towards her. They impact, Michael and Cordelia, become one as the blade pierces her chest as well as his, however, she is able to fall victim to her selfless act, her life draining away in a rush of blood. Mallory feels her Supreme status rush through her body and her mind, cleansing her of any doubt and ultimately empowering her as the hot water begins to bubble and turn solid black. The last thing she sees before disappearing into the murky water; the widened eyes of Michael Langdon, the realisation that he's lost, but he's chanting something, and it sends chills down Mallory's spine.
For Mallory, the only Witch to perform Tempus Infinituum, moving through the force of time feels like having the ability to swim upstream. She feels every creature's life force from the past that she's desperate to find to the future she's desperate to run from, yet she's searching for a singular life force, the life force of her enemy, and she can feel that she's running out of time.
"Where are you, Michael?" Mallory says to herself, clenching onto the strain of his hair. That's when she begins hearing voices.
A perfect young boy, destined for greatest.
Do you have to kill every single living thing that you come across?!
Not even I could create something as monstrous and evil as you!
Nothing is natural about Michael. Not his birth, not his appearance, nothing.
This one- broke me- beyond recovery.
I never could have helped you, it was foolish to true.
You're Mallory, right? Hello, my name is Michael.
I WILL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!
HOW COULD YOU DEFEAT ME?! I'VE ALREADY WON!
Mallory begins to panic, realising that she's moving through Michael's past at a pace that's too quick for her mind to concentrate on, any more pressure and her mind will shatter into a million pieces. She attempts to reach out for Michael's most vulnerable moment, the moment where he felt the weakest, a time she can take advantage of and kill him before he recognises his power. However, she's either missed that moment, or the moment does not exist at all, and the feeling of failure splits her in half, spilling her confidence in her found power all over the place. She's failed. Her first action as the new Supreme has failed. Michael has won. Now he will wipe the world of all life and there's nothing she or the Witches of the past can do about it. Wait. The past. She knows almost everything there is to know about the future and Michael's position as the Supreme Ruler of the Earth, and she can use this knowledge to destroy Michael no matter where he is, as long as she isn't too late. Mallory lets go of the hair strain, reaching out to her own past, that she can do with zero restraint, finding the moment when she first met Cordelia; a moment where she can change many things, save many lives, including Queenie's. So many things she must do to stop Michael.
Prepare. She must prepare Miss Robichaux's for the future battle for the Earth, explain everything to Cordelia and her council using a spell presenting her memories; that will allow her to explain that a war is approaching.
Resurrections. Myrtle Snow must be brought back from the dead but this time she can assist Cordelia. She can save Queenie's life by stopping her from entering the Hotel Cortez, but for the others, they must wait and allow Michael to bring Madison and Misty Day back from the dead.
Alliances. They must wait for the Warlocks, John Henry Moore and Behold Chablis, to become allies to the Witches, but if there's a way for that alliance to surface quicker, then they will take that opportunity. Contacting Papa Legba to trade Marie Leveau's soul for Dinah Stevens has crossed her mind, but she'll have to speak to Cordelia about that. Michael is already powerful by the time he resurrects Misty, Madison and completes the Seven Wonders, so they will need more allies, perhaps, yes, perhaps them. Mallory reaches out to her past self, her soul and consciousness quickly transferring to the physical body, right as Cordelia and herself stop in front of a painting of Myrtle Snow.
"This was my advisor, Myrtle Snow, the woman who shaped me to the person I am today."
"Yes, and we're going to bring her back," Mallory cuts in, feeling Cordelia's eyes piercing into her. "We have to, we need everyone we can get for what lies ahead of us."
"Why would we bring her back? What's coming, Mallory, I'm so confused?" Cordelia questions, seemingly looking straight into Mallory's soul, viewing every fibre of seriousness imaginable in a singular being. "What are you talking about, Mallory?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, so, I will show you."