Legacy 112: Noah's Arc
Xxx
Many years ago,
As snow fell in the dark city of London, a column of orbs descended. A concerned Noah appeared in a small park and he was shocked by what he saw. The bodies of several witches were lying in the blood-stained snow. Five of his charges, whom he had been guiding for years. He screamed and fell to his knees crying. He had not heard them calling or sensed their pain. He slammed his fists into the snow as he tried to figure out how this happened.
"Don't worry, they didn't feel a thing." A sinister voice spoke from the shadows.
Noah turned around. Before he could get up, a ring of purple energy appeared around his neck. The heat burned his skin. A figure stepped out from behind a tree. She was an attractive woman with olive skin and long black hair. With her cold demeanor, it was obvious that she was a demon.
"You killed them." Noah snarled at her. "Why?"
"Because I felt like it." The demon replied with a shrug.
"You're a monster." Noah said. "What did you do to them? I never heard their calls or felt their pain."
"Like I said, they didn't feel anything." The demon explained. "Because I took their pain. I took everything from them."
"You took their pain?" Noah repeated confused.
The demon smirked as she kneeled down and wiped the tears from his face. As she touched his skin, her eyes glowed purple and Noah could feel his emotions being drained. The pain of loss started to fade away and he felt hollow.
"Stop." He demanded. "I know what you are. You're an Empusa, an emotional vampire. You drain the emotions of other beings."
"Handsome and smart." The Empusa noted.
"Why them?" Noah asked. "They were so young."
"Exactly." The Empusa replied. "They were young, filled with emotions. Hopes and dreams, love. And I enjoyed taking it all. And now I'm going to enjoy taking your delicious pain."
The Empusa leaned in to kiss him. Noah tried to resist, but with his emotions being drained, he could not access his powers. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the Empusa and she was thrown back. Noah saw an Elder standing in the snow, dressed in white and gold robes. The Empusa rose to her feet. She held out her hand and blades of energy appeared at her fingertips.
"You have caused enough grief today." The Elder said.
"Not even close, Elder." The Empusa replied. "Powerful as you are, even your magic is tied to your emotions."
The Empusa threw her energy blades, though the Elder destroyed them with a bolt of lightning. The Empusa hissed and shot forward in a blur of superhuman speed. She placed her hands on the Elder's face and smiled.
"You have much bottled up emotion." The Empusa said. "I can feel the pain of loss and guilt for leaving your family."
"Enough." The Elder said determined.
The Elder grabbed her arms and sent a surge of electricity through her. The Empusa screamed and jumped back, landing in the snow in a kneeling position.
"How are you fighting me?" The Empusa asked confused. "When I drain someone, they lose access to their powers."
"Only when they cannot control their emotions." The Elder replied. "I've learned to control mine. It's the only reason I can stand being away from my family."
The Elder fired a bolt of lightning. The Empusa screamed as electricity coursed through her. The Elder fired a second bolt and lifted her off the ground. With a final scream, she turned to dust and the ring around Noah's neck faded. He felt his emotions return in a rush, including the crushing pain of losing his charges. It was too much at once and he collapsed in the snow.
"Noah." The Elder said as he walked over. "We must leave. Someone must have heard the fighting."
"My charges." Noah said tearfully. "I can't leave them."
"I know. But there is nothing you can do for them." The Elder said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Losing them never gets easier, and it shouldn't. All we can do is accept the pain and learn. To ensure that others are protected. Now come."
Noah took a last look at his charges as he was engulfed in orbs. When he rematerialized, he saw they were in the Heavens.
"I can't do this anymore." Noah admitted.
"What do you mean?" The Elder asked.
"I can't stand on the sidelines and watch my friends die." Noah replied. "I'm tired of being a pacifist, unable to protect the people I care about."
"Whitelighters protect their charges by guiding them, teaching them." The Elder said.
"It's not enough." Noah said. "I want to do more."
"Good." The Elder stated.
"What?" Noah asked confused.
"I was hoping you would say that." The Elder replied. "I have been keeping an eye on you. You are one of the best, and right now, we need the best."
"What do you mean?" Noah asked.
"You know what has happened a few months ago." The Elder explained. "When the Titans were unleashed, we lost over half the council. We need to rebuild."
"Are you saying you want me to become an Elder?" Noah asked.
"I am." The Elder replied. "You are driven, passionate and smart. We need Elders like that if we want to rebuild a stronger council. I will give you some time to think."
"I don't need to think." Noah said determined. "I want to make a difference. I want to be part of a better council to save as many innocent lives as possible."
"I thought you would say that." The Elder replied.
The Elder smiled and waved his hand. A golden glow surrounded Noah and he could feel something changing. A new power awakened inside him. He stared in amazement as his clothes were replaced with white and golden robes.
"You're one of us now, Noah." The Elder said.
"Thank you, sir." Noah replied. "I'm sorry, I don't even know your name."
"Don't worry." The Elder said with a smile. "It's Leo. Leo Wyatt."
Xxx
Present,
After a night at the movies, Payton Halliwell returned home to her parents' apartment with her date, Sean. They had been dating for a couple of weeks now, ever since he first asked her out after the incident with the Goblins. As he walked her home, they kissed in the hallway. She felt his hand slide down from her shoulder down to her hip, then to her backside. He pulled her closer. Although she liked him, she became nervous and had to focus not to turn invisible by accident.
Payton had kissed Sean plenty of times now, though she suspected that Sean was ready for more. Although he was a perfect gentleman and would never pressure her, she felt awkward about it. She wasn't sure if she was there yet. They were not even official yet. She slowly took his hand and moved it away. Sean noticed and stopped kissing her.
"What's wrong?" Sean asked.
"Sorry, your hand." Payton replied.
"Oh, sorry." Sean quickly said and he stepped back. "I wasn't trying to... I got carried away."
"No... I get it." Payton replied. "I just…"
At that moment, the door opened and Penny appeared. Sean quickly took another step back to create some distance. An amused smile appeared on her sister's lips and Payton knew she was caught. It was completely embarrassing.
"Well, well. Interrupted something?" Penny said. "Hi, Sean."
"Hey." Sean replied a little flustered. "Just dropping Payton off."
"I see." Penny said. "Why don't you come in for a drink?"
Payton shot Penny a dirty look. She was clearly enjoying the fact that she caught them and was trying to embarrass her. Sean looked at Payton and shrugged. He entered the apartment and Penny winked at Payton as she followed.
"I'll get you something to drink." Penny said as she closed the door and headed to the kitchen.
"I thought you just lived here with Prue now that you're parents are out of town?" Sean asked softly.
"Yeah, this is a temporary situation." Penny called out from the kitchen. "You see, I dropped out of college to open a nightclub. And I can't really afford my own place and my school wouldn't let me live on campus, since, you know, I'm not a student anymore."
"Seems like a logical rule, I guess." Sean replied.
"Speaking of the club, shouldn't you be over there?" Payton asked impatiently.
"No, I'm still renovating the place." Penny said as she headed back with drinks. "I still need restyle everything after that demon…uh, demonstrator messed everything up."
"A demonstrator?" Sean asked with a frown.
"Yeah, anti-alcohol or anti-fun something." Penny lied casually. "A real loony. Hates clubs."
"Right." Sean replied skeptically.
"Anyway, I'm all about work now. Boring." Penny said. "So how was the date?"
"Sean, it's getting pretty late." Payton quickly said. "Don't you have football practice in the morning?"
"Right, yeah, almost forgot." Sean said as she finished his drink. "Coach will kick my ass if I'm not at my best. I'll call you tomorrow."
Sean gave Payton a quick kiss and excused himself. When he was gone, an annoyed Payton dropped her purse on the table and turned to Penny.
"Seriously?" Payton asked. "Did you really have to embarrass me like that?"
"Oh, come on, I was just messing around." Penny replied. "I heard you out in the hall. So little sis, how far have you gone?"
"That's none of your business." Payton said embarrassed.
"So not very far." Penny remarked. "What's the problem? I see the way he looks at you, he clearly wants to. I mean, all boys his age do, basically all the time."
"I know he wants to." Payton said. "That's not the problem. I am."
"Hold on, he is not pressuring you, is he?" Penny asked sincerely. "Because I will kick his ass, no matter how tight and firm it is."
"No, it's nothing like that." Payton replied. "He would never pressure me. But I can tell he wants to, and I'm not sure I'm ready."
"Sweetie, it's sex, not marriage." Penny said.
"I know that's how you feel. Like sex is no big deal, but it means something to me." Payton replied. "I want it to mean something, especially the first time. I want it to be special."
Knowing that Penny was about to laugh in her face, Payton grabbed her purse and stormed to her room. Her sisters was just too different, she would not understand. Prue probably would, but she was out working on a story for the paper. When she entered her room, Payton dropped down on the bed and thought back to her kiss with Sean in the hallway. Maybe he was the one, but she needed more time.
Xxx
Present,
Across the city, Prue Halliwell sat alone at a bar in a fancy club, dressed in a stunning black cocktail dress and sipping a cosmopolitan. She sat there, she impatiently tapped her pencil on her notebook. She was waiting on someone, a lead for a story, though she was starting to worry she had been stood up. When she heard someone laughing, she looked over her shoulder.
At a booth near the bar, a handsome businessman was talking to a beautiful woman with olive skin and long black hair. Her dress was a little too trashy for Prue's taste, but she could see why the businessman was all over her. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the bar.
"Is this seat taken?" A charming voice asked.
Prue smiled and turned to see Noah standing next to her. "Have a seat, stranger." She replied.
"So what's a girl like you…?" Noah started as he sat down, though he started laughing. "No, sorry, that line is just way too cheesy."
"I might like cheesy." Prue replied. "I'm a sucker for those old romantic movies."
"I'll keep that in mind." Noah said. "So what are you really doing here?"
"Working on a story, but I think it's a bust." Prue replied. "Where have you been?"
"Up there." Noah said. "Nothing important though."
Prue wanted to ask more, but hesitated. It had been days since Noah had told her about his past. She still needed to process a lot of it and she was afraid to bring it up. He had been through so much, and she wasn't quite sure how to deal with it.
"Well, since your night is a bust, want to have another drink?" Noah asked. "I'm off duty."
Prue smiled and was about to accept his offer when a chill went down her spine. She felt an intense evil and turned around. The businessman was leaving with the trashy woman. She noticed Prue looking and winked. The bad feeling was coming from her and Prue realized she was not human. That man was in danger.
"I'm not off duty." Prue replied as she turned to Noah. "See that woman leaving with the suit? I'm pretty sure she's a demon."
"How can you tell?" Noah asked.
"I just got a really bad feeling when she walked past us." Prue replied. "She is radiating evil. And the guy has no idea. He just thinks he's getting lucky."
"Should we get your sisters or cousins?" Noah asked.
"No time." Prue replied. "Let's go."
Prue quickly paid for her drink and she and Noah left the club. When they reached the street, Prue looked around for the businessman and the trashy demon. They were nowhere to be seen, so she closed her eyes and focused on the evil she felt earlier. It was coming from an alley.
"Over there." Prue said as she pointed.
Prue and Noah ran over to the alley. When they entered, they saw the demon with the businessman. She had her hands on his face and was doing something to him.
"Leave him alone." Prue said as she stepped forward.
The demon turned to her and hissed. "I knew it." She said as she let go of the businessman. "Empath."
"Demon." Prue replied.
Prue focused on the demon and fired a blast of psionic energy from her forehead. The pink blast soared at the demon, though she merely smiled and held out her hand. When the energy hit her, it was all absorbed through her fingertips.
"What the hell?" Prue asked shocked.
"Oh no. I know what she is." Noah said. "Prue, you can't beat her alone. Your powers won't work."
"Thanks for the power up." The demon said with a smile.
The demon held out her hand and blades of purple energy appeared on her fingertips. She flung them at Prue, who raised her hand and tried to channel her power by tapping into her emotions. Instead, she only felt a black hole of nothing. Noah pushed her aside and one of the blades pierced her shoulder. Prue cried out in pain as they fell on the ground. Noah was right, her powers were useless against this demon. She had no choice.
"Get us out of here." Prue said and Noah quickly orbed them away, leaving the innocent businessman in the clutches of the demon.
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