Torn between Worlds
Chapter 2; Fighting Emotion
The Temple
Damien sat on the table in the centre of the room as his listened with his mind to the events around him. He'd done a few jobs for himself in the last few months but his main purpose for the last two months was finding out who this half-Whitelighter was and in his studies he had learnt something of interest even if he had failed with what he wanted to know.
The Charmed Ones grandmother had been the one to kill two of the remaining six Demons of the Order of Caete Ruin which included his father. After that he had been added to the total to make it five but when he was younger one more was killed, then another when Cole Turner had killed him for refusing to help him when he was trying to become the Source. He himself had killed a third and now there was only himself and one other of their Order.
It had taken him a long time to track down the final member but had found him working as a District Attorney on the surface but he hadn't contacted him. He could probably sense that the Temple was alive again and would investigate eventually anyway. The greater matter on his mind at the moment was whether to avenge his father or to deal with the Wizarding World. He'd let them stew and battle between themselves lately but he knew that he'd need to step in and do some serious damage in order to completely destroy their world.
He'd also made a reputation for himself in the Underworld, not as a member of Caete Ruin but as a high level Demon that would show up when the Demons worked together for a purpose and his help would inevitably win them the battle.
His head jerked up from his telepathic meditation as he felt something of interest in the Underworld. An Elder, one of the leaders of Good had just orbed into Damien's lair outside of the Temple. He kept two lairs in the Underground. This one which was protected to all but Vinarus, the DA, and another set that the Demons knew of that the high level Demon used. He actually spent most of his time in the other one but used these chambers to meditate since he couldn't be snuck up on.
He shimmered to his own rooms and gazed slowly around the rooms searching for the Elder he knew was still there. He could smell the Good magic on him. "I know you're here, Elder, I sensed your arrival."
"Agree to a truce and I will reveal myself." The voice came from every corner at once.
"Reveal yourself or I will destroy this entire cavern and you along with it." Damien wasn't lying, he would do it. There was a few seconds as the Elder toyed with the idea but Damien won out as the Elder appeared before him with a black glow. "Better. Now what do you want?"
"As I said, a truce." The Elder told him.
"And why would an Elder want a truce with a lowly Demon?" Damien asked with a smirk.
"A member of the Order of Caete Ruin is hardly a lowly Demon." The Elder retorted.
"You are trying my patience, Elder." Damien snapped not liking that the Elder knew who he was.
"I want your help." The Elder told him.
"With what?" Damien asked intrigued with what one of the leaders of Good would want help from him for.
"I need to gain the help of the Darklighters but they will not answer to me directly." The Elder told him before swooping across his lair to a table and leaning against it.
"Why would an Elder need the Darklighters' help except to kill a Whitelighter?" Damien asked.
"It is for the Greater Good." The Elder told him and Damien felt his eyebrows rise.
"Why would the Greater Good concern me?"
"Even if killing a Whitelighter isn't good enough for you, I have been led to believe that you are not as Evil as you claim to be." The Elder smirked at him.
"Would you like to test that claim, Elder?" Damien snapped and with a click of his fingers a Fire Matrix appeared beside his head. He was about to carry out his threat when something nagged at him. Nobody would claim that he was Good, the only one deluded enough for that was the half-Whitelighter that he was trying to find out information about and this Elder obviously knew him. "Interesting, it seems we can come to an arrangement."
The Elder looked confused as the Fire Matrix snuffed out seemingly on its own accord. "I'm afraid I've lost you." He admitted.
"Information is the best of goods I find." Damien smirked at him. "I want to know everything you know about this half-Whitelighter that seems to know so much about me and in return I will set the Darklighters onto this task of yours."
"You are confident that you will be able to command them?" The Elder asked suspiciously.
"They will obey me eventually." Damien was unconcerned.
"Very well. His name is Christopher. He claims to have come from the future to prevent the eldest Charmed One's son from turning Evil. To change his future for Good." The Elder explained. "I know little about his personal history but he has already changed the future by saving Paige."
"And his interest in myself?" Damien asked.
"I know little about that apart from his assurance to the others that in the future you help him and are Good."
"An idiotic fantasy." Damien was satisfied with the information. "Now what is it you need the Darklighters to do."
"I need them to attack and kill Leo."
"An Elder?" Damien frowned, "The one who is protecting the Charmed Ones?" The Elder nodded. "That's suicide. They'll never be able to kill him."
"That's why we need to separate them." The Elder told him before launching into his plan to trap Leo in the Ghostly plain with a Darklighter so that he was powerless. The Charmed Ones would be more inclined to accept his death and Leo would be gone.
"You still have not told me why you want him dead." Damien told him.
"He is a threat." Was the Elders reply without elaborating.
"That's no problem to me." Damien smirked thinking that this would go a long way to getting his revenge for his father's death and watched as the Elder orbed away though the fact that one Elder wanted to kill another, especially one related to the greatest force of Good on Earth still intrigued him. He shrugged and shimmered away to begin the plan.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Darklighter forge
Damien watched from the shadows as the chosen Darklighter appeared from black orbs and collapsed against a column with one of his own arrows stuck in him. The plan had obviously worked.
"Remember we're not here to hunt the Charmed Ones, only the Elder." One of them yelled to the others. "And only long enough for the trap to spring."
Damien shimmered out with them as they all orbed out ten minutes later once their own was healed.
He reappeared on the top of a building overlooking an alley. The only reason he was watching this was his curiosity over why the Elder wanted Leo dead overwise he would have ignored the whole thing after passing on his orders. The Darklighters had followed his plan simply for the chance to kill an Elder and to gain ground in Damien's good books.
He watched as the minutes turned into an hour before a black minivan pulled up out the front and the Charmed Ones stepped out along with the Elder who had obvious fallen for the trap to protect his son, who he thought was under attack. The trap went off without a hitch except for the fact that instead of the portal swallowing just Leo it took Piper Halliwell with it.
He shimmered back to his Lair and didn't have to wait long for the Elder to join him. "The portal took Piper with it as well!" He snapped.
"I did see that for myself, Elder, but thank you for explaining it to me." Damien smirked at his pacing form. "This just means that you'll have to find a way to distract the remaining sisters before they find a way to contact Piper."
The Elder snapped his head up to him. "Order the Darklighters to attack the Charmed Ones, not to kill of course, just to keep them busy."
"I did what you wanted." Damien smirked. "This will cost you extra."
"What!?" The Elder rounded on him.
"Don't worry, my price is just as cheap as it was before." Damien rose an eyebrow. "Why do you want Leo out of the way?"
"Because he is a threat." The Elder snapped.
"Not good enough, Elder." Damien shook his head and pretended to start to shimmer away.
"Wait!" The Elder snapped and Damien let himself reappear. "To get him out of the way so I can kill his son."
"Wyatt?" Damien frowned. "Why would an Elder want to kill the most powerful witch in existence?"
"To stop him from turning Evil." The Elder explained.
"That's not a very big incentive for me to help you now is it." Damien chuckled.
"He's just as likely to turn Good and neither of us can afford either to happen." The Elder pointed out. "And according to Chris, you and Wyatt are at war in his future. You don't want him alive even if he does turn Evil."
"And this is the same Chris that believes I am Good in the future?" Damien muttered sarcastically. "Perhaps time travel does screw with your mind. Very well I will send the Darklighters to distract the sisters but they will not do it for long."
The Elder orbed out and Damien shimmered to the Darklighters' forge again. He appeared in front of their leader. "You screwed up." He told them bluntly.
"We didn't know how the portal would react!" The Darklighter argued.
Damien raised his hand in front of him before flipping it open. A Fire Matrix appeared there and the Darklighter shut up and cowered rather contritely. "This just means that you have more work to do. The remaining sisters will not accept the loss of a sister as easily as that of the Elder. You must distract them until it is done or until you cannot distract them for any longer."
"Yes, My Lord." The Darklighter nodded before calling for them all and orbing out. Damien shook his head before shimmering out to return to the Temple so he could watch the attack telepathically. As the hours ticked by it got more interesting as the half-Whitelighter called Chris began to fade from his senses until after the portal was reversed and he reappeared as bright on Damien's senses as any other. Definitely intriguing.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Six months later
Damien stood before his own grave with a wondering expression. This was where the real Harry Potter lay, the one that was only a baby and had given his life so that Damien could have one, as much of a waste of time as that had been. He waved his hand over the grave and instantly the stone cleaned itself up and the grass trimmed itself. Truly Harry Potter was now well and truly dead and now the Wizarding World would finally pay for their final mistake.
Over the last four months he had built such an army of Demons that he was reputably the leader of the Underworld though none knew him as Damien, the upper level Demon. They only knew that they were following a coalition of two Caete Ruin Demons who had completely wiped out the resistance to their position. They had bided their time knowing that the Demons wouldn't all follow them to destroy the Wizarding World without proper incentive.
Vinarus was simply happy to reek some destruction and when the Wizards intruded on the British Underworld they gave Damien and Vinarus what they wanted. An excuse to wipe them from existence.
They would attack Hogwarts and the Wizards would flock to defend it and they would die trying to save their children. But Damien wasn't going to kill their children, they would be left until they either served the Demonic World or they chose to resist in the future and died. Any adults would be killed on sight.
Damien shimmered out and reappeared on the hills surrounding Hogsmeade town, the gateway to Hogwarts. He focused and sent out a massive wave of telepathic power visible to even the Elders on their thrones and undoubtedly to a few Witches as well. The sound of shimmering, blinking, fire travel, slipping and a hundred other types of travel met his ears as the hills filled with thousands of Demons of all levels even upper level ones though they generally appeared around Damien and the newly arrived Vinarus.
"You know the rules, kill any adults you find but leave the children unless they attack." Damien spoke loudly before summoning a Fire Matrix. He poured magic into it and it doubled in size. The Demons around him stepped away slightly as they felt the heat from it. Vinarus summoned a Fire Matrix of his own and together they threw them into the town half a mile away.
A few seconds later the darkness was obliterated as two towers of smoke and fire burst from two of the buildings. One was Honeydukes sweats shop and the other was the Three Broomsticks filled with their patrons whether they were adults or children. Damien waited back with the upper level Demons as the other two thousand Demons shimmered out of existence. An instant later screams filled the air as more fires spread through the town below them.
"Leave them to be the distraction. They will draw the Wizarding Forces and decimate them." Damien held up his hand under his cloak to stall the other upper level Demons. "We have the school to destroy. Follow me."
He shimmered away and Vinarus and the other hooded Demons followed him straight through the anti-apparition wards and into the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Screams filled the air as Damien turned slightly and waved his hand. The doors slammed shut and Damien turned back to the front where the professors were pointing their wands at him.
The absence of Albus Dumbledore made Damien laugh and it filled every corner of the room. It wasn't an evil laugh at all and he saw some of the Wizards relax. He couldn't let them do that.
He summoned a Fire Matrix and threw it into the centre of the table. Three of the professors were caught in the explosion as it splintered the table and threw them into the wall. The upper level demons did most of the work for him killing any of the professors that attacked them and even the ones that hid. The children that hadn't been in the village hid in huddles and were only killed if they attacked any of the Demons. Before long even they realised this and stopped trying to fight. Damien found it pitiful. If he had still been here as Harry Potter he would have fought to his last breath to save them.
Foolish if you think about it but brave and commendable in itself. He turned and left the school even as flames started to spread into the other halls and classrooms. Children fled from him and Vinarus as they made their way across the lawn leaving the other Demons to sweep the school and steadily destroy it. Leaving only enough time for the fastest of the students to escape. Damien laughed knowing that Ron and Hermione, in their last year would be the first to try to escape but he hadn't bothered to search for them. He couldn't be bothered with them but he would kill them if they ever came before him again.
They were just leaving the school when white orbs appeared before them. Vinarus threw a fire matrix instantly but the person dove to the side to avoid it. Damien chuckled as he recognised the half-Whitelighter in amusement. Before he could comment though another set of orbs appeared and the Charmed Ones stood before them. Vinarus charged another Fire Matrix but Damien just raised a hand to stall him.
"I much prefer this scenery over our last encounter's backdrop." Damien told them as he lowered his hood so that they could recognise him. "Though the last time was fun."
"How could you kill all these children?" Phoebe spat though it was obviously rhetorical, she could probably feel all of the pain that the Wizards were suffering. A series of cracks echoed from about quarter of a mile away and Damien raised his hand. A Fire Matrix appeared and the Charmed Ones readied themselves to dodge it but instead of shooting it at them Damien simply fired it up into the sky before detonating it. It exploded like a thunderclap.
Vinarus paused as he tilted his head, still hidden under a hood, to listen. "They have answered and our moving to combat them."
"Them?" Chris frowned.
"The Wizarding Aurors. I plan on completely wiping them out before the night's end." Damien shrugged.
"With what?" Piper raised her hands.
"With the two thousand lower level Demons within the town waiting in ambush. There won't be anything left of the Wizarding Government by morning after we back track their apparition signatures straight into their ministry." Damien told them simply.
"We can't let you kill them!" Piper announced before flicking her hands. Damien cried out in pain as his shoulder took the impact of her exploding magic but there was no more damage then a bruise as his own magic rose without prompting to protect him. "He didn't explode!"
"He's an upper level Demon, Piper!" Chris reminded her. Damien snarled at them all before clicking his fingers a summoning a small Fire Matrix, he flung it across the way but detonated it before it reached them sending a concussion wave that blew them all backwards.
"I was wondering why you weren't here earlier, but then I realised." Damien smirked as the four pushed themselves up to standing. "You, unlike them, knew that I would be here, you knew that I have the vast majority of the Underworld here following my orders and you didn't want them to come here and get themselves killed trying to stop me."
Chris' eyes widened and Damien made a dismissive gesture with his hand to Vinarus who was only too happy to shimmer away from the Charmed Ones, the two Demons weren't invincible after all. Vinarus was needed to track the Apparition back to the Ministry.
"Oh, I know all about you, Chris. I took an interest in your future after you blurted out that nonsense about me." Damien smirked before snapping out his hand. All four were lifted by their necks into the air. "I found out what your grandmother did to my father."
Chris flicked his own hand and Damien felt himself being shoved violently backwards and as he lost control of his concentration they dropped to the ground. Another small explosion stung at his other shoulder and then another in the centre of his chest.
Damien flung out his hand as he righted himself and Piper was sent head over heels backwards. "Don't you think I could've killed you already?" Damien snapped. "I could've killed you when Piper was trapped in the Ghostly realm. The Power of three split, however unintentionally."
"That was you?" Paige glowered at him.
"Nah, what interest do I have in killing one Elder." Damien shrugged. "I was only the one that got the Darklighters to do what they had to, to separate the Elder from his guards."
"You know who targeted him?" Chris asked desperately. "Who was it? Are they the ones that want Wyatt?"
"I'm sorry, your asking privileges have been revoked since you attacked me." Damien told them with a smirk. If what this Chris had told him was true about his battles with Wyatt in the future he didn't particularly want to help him find the Elder.
"He knows." Phoebe frowned and Damien belatedly felt her presence against his shields which couldn't shield his emotions without blocking his powers.
"I had forgotten you were an Empath." Damien smirked coldly before lashing out with his mind. He slammed into her own mind with his telepathy using her forged link even as he snapped out both of his hands and gripped them all tightly with his telekinesis making sure that Chris' hands were strung out to his sides so he couldn't retaliate like the last time. He searched the woman's mind for information on Chris and found exactly what he wanted. The reason why he had returned.
He released her and she slumped in the air almost blacking out. Piper almost seemed to growl but Damien just released them and put off her aim before she could blast him again. His chest was rather sore, he rubbed at it gingerly. "I've got the answer I want so you can leave."
"We're not going to leave here until these people are safe." Paige snapped.
Damien smirked at her and lifted his arms. "What people, Paige?" He asked her. "Listen very closely, we are the only ones left."
All four went silent. "You killed them all."
"It was their own mistake for attacking the Underworld." Damien shrugged.
"But you were waiting for them to do that so you'd have an excuse to lead the Demons here to kill them." Chris told him confidently. Damien reached out with his telepathy at the young man, four years older than himself and felt only pity from him.
"Don't pity me!" Damien yelled and two Fire Matrixes burst into life with a single click of his fingers. "You know nothing about me!"
"I know more about you then you do right now." Chris countered with a small smile.
"Let's see if your right about me shall we?" Damien snarled before sending both Fire Matrixes directly at him. Chris went pale before bursting into orbs and reappearing behind him. Damien knocked him flying with a wave of telekinesis but was sent flying back into a tree himself with a retaliatory strike.
He picked himself up with his own telekinesis and summoned another Fire Matrix which flew into the middle of the four Witches before it hung in mid air and began spinning faster and faster. He shimmered out.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
Chris glanced at the Fire Matrix in horror and realised what it was. "Orb now!" He only waited long enough to ensure that the sisters did what he ordered before following them. Even so he felt his orbs get singed by the explosion. Damien Caete Ruin, the first and only Demon to be able to detonate Fire Matrixes in mid-air. The perfect bombs. Maybe he hadn't been right about Damien, perhaps his presence here only works to push Damien away from Good.
They reappeared in the Manor and collapsed onto the floor in shock. Chris pulled himself up against the table breathing heavily. But then he realised something and a smile spread across his face.
"What is so amusing, Chris?" Piper snapped.
"Sorry mum but I just realised something." Chris grinned happily at her.
"We just nearly got killed by a powerful Demon and the Wizarding World was just slaughtered and you are happy about it?" Paige asked sarcastically.
"Well, yeah." Chris told them. "I've seen what some of those Wizard do, they try to kill Aunt Phoebe and mum and that's the light ones. And I'm smiling because as you said, we nearly got killed. He set that bomb with a two second fuse and he'd only need to have an instant one if he was going to shimmer out like that."
"So we would be dead if he had wanted to kill us?" Piper asked him wiping the smile from his face.
"Uh…yeah." Chris mumbled.
"Wait." Paige frowned suddenly realising something. "You knew that attack was going to take place all along didn't you?"
"Uh…yeah." Chris copied his exact words from two seconds ago. "The date was written down in history but nobody knew who led the Demons except that he was a member of Caete Ruin. It wasn't until Damien owned up to it that I found out."
"Then why didn't you say something about it!" Piper frowned. "We could have done something, warned them or something."
"What do you think you could have done?" Chris asked seriously.
"We could have helped them defend that town. Warned the Aurors not to fall for the trap." Paige pointed out.
"Defend the town?" Chris raised an eyebrow. "That was the largest force of Demons amassed in ten thousand years and it's the largest that will ever be seen again. There is no way anyone could have survived that, not with every member of Good out there. The Wizards did this to themselves and if I had told you it would have only involved you in something you couldn't have handled."
The Sisters frowned at him but seemed to realise that they really had no chance against two thousand lower level Demons let alone several Upper Level ones and two Order members. "So what will happen to the Wizards now?" Phoebe asked.
"The Demons move onto different countries Wizarding Worlds and systematically destroy them all. Only the smallest pockets survive and eventually they split up into small groups and go into hiding. Some will turn Evil and they become assassins in the future but Damien always hunts down any that he hears of." Chris sighed. "That's how we met in the normal timeline actually. He kills two Wizards sent by Wyatt to kill a witch."
"They team up with the Evil Wyatt?" Piper choked on her words and received a small nod in return. "Is there anything we can do about the Demonic army before they strike again?"
"The army won't strike again. According to history the leader, the Caete Ruin member, never shows up again to band them together but Damien, the demon, makes a name for himself in the Underworld wiping out some of the European Wizarding Cities." Chris told them.
"What do you mean, made a name?" Phoebe frowned. "I thought you just said that nobody knew who the leader was."
"They don't, even now Damien fights as two people, either the member of Caete Ruin who nobody has seen the face of or an upper level Demon called Damien." Chris told them just before a column of orbs collected in the centre of the room and Leo appeared from them.
He glanced at them all. "Thank God you're all ok!" He gasped as he took in their appearances. "When I heard the news up there I thought you wouldn't be able to escape."
"What do you mean?" Piper asked with a frown.
"Did you get to the school in time to see the army?" Leo asked.
"Well, yes, but we didn't actually see them. Damien interrupted us before we could help." Piper explained.
"Are you all ok?" Leo asked with more worry on his face then ever before.
"Of course we are." Phoebe told him.
"We standing here aren't we?" Chris said rather snappishly and Phoebe slapped him to silence him.
"I was worried when I heard the reports of the largest Demonic Army for ten thousand years attacking the Wizards that you had gotten caught in the crossfire." Chris sent a victorious smirk at Paige who huffed at him. Leo continued. "The Army completely destroyed their ministry from within and now they are moving across the country destroying every sign of the Wizarding World. The European countries are in a frenzy over it."
"That's exactly what happened the first time." Chris muttered.
"The first time, you knew this was going to happen? Why didn't you say anything?" Leo rounded on him.
"Don't start, Leo, we've already been through this with him." Phoebe muttered as she rubbed her forehead. "There wouldn't have been anything anybody could have done to stop it."
"What's wrong with your head?" Page frowned at her older sister.
"I've had this headache ever since he attacked my memories." Phoebe muttered.
"He's a telepath." Chris put in helpfully.
"Thanks for the warning." Phoebe muttered sarcastically and Chris just shrugged.
"What did he see?" Leo asked suddenly.
"I'm not sure, things about how we are all related. Things about Wyatt, about that Darklighter trap a while back. Oh God!" Phoebe tensed up.
"What, Phoebe?" Piper asked.
"And everything that was said with that Spider Demon last week. About Chris being your son." Phoebe gasped out.
"That could be a problem." Chris said aloud though it was obvious he had meant to keep it to himself.
"Chris, what's wrong?" Leo asked.
"Nothing you need to worry about." Chris snapped at all four of them before orbing out.
They didn't need to know that part of Damien turning Good was the fact that when he met Chris he wouldn't know that he had killed Chris' mother. Chris didn't really want to think about it either.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Durmstrang Wizarding School
Damien smiled as he sent a Fire Matrix into the top of a tower in the middle of the many-towered castle in Poland. It didn't seem to do anything until it exploded sending debris in all directions before falling on the group of Wizards fighting to defend those inside and give them time to escape through alternative routes. Damien and the two hundred Demons were simply toying with them though. Drawing out their deaths to make a point but most importantly so that the other Demons could enjoy themselves as they played into Damien's hands.
Not once had Damien appeared as the anonymous Caete Ruin Demon that had controlled the Demonic Underworld for those few months and talk had spread throughout the Underworld that the Charmed Ones had Vanquished him. He wondered whether he should stamp that rumour out but he found that he couldn't be bothered. He was as uncaring about the Demons' opinions of him as he was about the Wizards'.
He was pissed though at the way he was feeling and it had taken him almost two weeks to realise the problem in the first place. He was obsessed with how Chris knew him because his instincts screamed at him that Chris knew more about him then he had owned up to and worse yet that the half-Whitelighter was speaking the truth. What was worse was that as a Demon he shouldn't even care. He gritted his teeth against the memory of his mother's last written words to him.
Damien killed one of the Polish Aurors with a rather vindictive wave of telekinetic power that broke most of his bones against the wall of the castle before he focused on the ruined wall and brought it down on top of the other defenders with a well placed Fire Matrix.
The lower Demons around him cheered as they viewed the wreckage before looking to Damien for further orders only to find him Shimmering away leaving a spinning Fire Matrix in his place. Their eyes widened even as they transported themselves away recognising his unique ability to turn his Fire Matrix power into a massive bomb. No sooner had they gone the five second fuse 'burned' away and the bomb blew taking off the front of the castle with it.
Damien reappeared in his lair to find a rather unwelcome sight. Another demon. He charged a Fire Matrix rather annoyed with himself for tiring himself out with that bomb he'd left and for not checking his lair was empty before arriving.
"Now, now, now." The Demon turned on him and Damien noted his powerful upper level status. "You don't want to be doing that."
"Don't I?" Damien snarled at the equally powerful Demon. "Who are you?"
"Barbas." He mock bowed but Damien didn't move.
"And what does the Demon of Fear want with a simple Demon." Damien asked.
"Ever the modest one, Caete Ruin." Damien glared at Barbas' slick words. "I've seen what you have done to the Wizards and I know the truth behind that name of yours. You see, I saw your father's greatest fear in his last moments. Your exposure as a Wizard and your death."
"And what is it to you?" Damien asked.
"Nothing…" Barbas smiled a twisted smile. "Perhaps a small boon, I do you a favour and you do me one." Barbas walked up to Damien and before Damien could do anything he waved his hand across the air. "Now, that is an interesting fear and very hard for me to find."
"What are you talking about, Barbas?" Damien glared.
"Your fear that the Good Witch is right about your future and that your father's premonition of you loving a Witch is correct." Barbas smiled at him as he stepped back but it wasn't a kind one. "What a pity to lose such a Demon as you."
"What are you offering, Barbas?" Damien asked.
"I need a place to stay, you see I made a few enemies over the years and I set up the Charmed Ones and tried to kill one of their mortal pets…and now they are after me too." Barbas waved his hand expansively. "I just need somewhere to lay low and some protection from them of course and word is that you have bested them twice in fair fights now."
"And what do I get in return?" Damien asked.
"I can tell you the time-traveller's deepest fear." Barbas told him.
"I already know that!" Damien snapped. "That damn Elder told me he's here to stop his brother from turning Evil."
"Yet we know that it will probably be him that does it." Barbas grinned before his grin twisted again. "But no, that is not his greatest fear. His greatest fear is that he had damaged your future of Good by being here, that he has pushed you too far away and that he will not have you to go back to in the future."
Damien frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"I only see his fears, not his memories, but one would assume that he is telling the truth." Barbas smirked at him. "As I said, such a waste of a Demon but I dare say it will be interesting."
"You're out of your mind, Barbas!" Damien growled.
"But I held up my end of the bargain." Barbas smirked.
"Only because I am growing bored of those idiotic lower Demons as company. Follow me." Damien growled out.
"Why? What is wrong with here?" Barbas frowned looking around the nice lair.
"This is hardly very protective, any Demon can waltz in here." Damien snapped before snuffing the still lingering Fire Matrix and Shimmering out. He made sure to leave a trail for the Demon of Fear to follow and took him directly to the Temple of Caete Ruin.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
Temple of Caete Ruin - Two months later
Vinarus interrupted Damien's meditation as he appeared in the centre of the chamber. He eyed the chamber for Barbas but nodded when he was absent. "Don't you like Barbas, Vinarus?" Damien asked without opening his eyes.
"Not particularly." Vinarus told him.
"He isn't here anyway, I kicked him out for the moment because I am trying to concentrate and he was irritating me." Damien assured him.
"What are you concentrating on?" Vinarus asked.
"Since you arrived, nothing." Damien opened his eyes and delivered the Demon a harsh look. He wasn't about to say that he was trying to unravel the truth to Barbas' words and work out what is was that he was feeling, the fact that he was having to drudge up old memories of his emotions as a Wizard wasn't helping matters.
"I thought you should know that Witch Wars has decided to upgrade themselves. They are trying to gain upper level powers." Vinarus told him.
"And we should care because?" Damien raised an eyebrow.
"They haven't been successful gaining Upper level powers because no Upper Level Demon is stupid enough to risk it, but if they up the challenge and rewards then there are always some that will go for it." Vinarus paused and Damien glared at him to spit it out. "It's common knowledge that you are still alive no matter what some Demons think and if they want to take over the Underworld they'll have to go after you at some point."
"Thank you, Vinarus." Damien nodded. "Keep an eye on your own back too, they'd love to get a hold of your powers."
Vinarus left and Damien frowned before falling into meditation again. It was obvious to him that these Demons might trick upper level into attacking him to get him out of the way with the added benefit of being able to steal his powers. Damien glowered as he opened his eyes and stood. He raised his hood before he shimmered out and appeared in a bar within the Underworld's busier region.
He'd been here to look at this new show when it had first begun about a month ago but it had been rather too boring for him. He dismissed the bar tender when he was asked what he wanted to drink and simply got a glare in return.
"Quiet! It's back on!" A Demon yelled and the room fell quiet as one of the walls flowed over with magic and the show came back on air.
"Welcome back to Witch Wars!" A Demon announced with a flare as he gestured to three lower level demons behind him. "Today we have a special game for all. A demonic target to really test our contenders abilities. But not any Demon, no this one lead the largest army of Demons to walk the Earth in ten thousand years."
There were groans from the three contenders but they were obviously under contract and couldn't back out without some sort of repercussion. Damien shook his head at Vinarus' timing. "And as luck would have it he has just surfaced, our contenders will each have an athame and the winner will be awarded with his powers and the chance to rule the Underworld for eternity."
"No way!" A demon gasped in the room.
"Do they really think that those three pitiful lower level demons could kill a member of Caete Ruin?" Damien asked neutrally.
"But he won't be expecting them!" A Demon grinned.
"They'll be dead before they know what's hit them. I was at that battle!" Another Demon declared.
Damien chuckled before gesturing at the screen. "Let's just watch and see what they do."
"Now, the contenders have their target's signature, all they need to do is wait for him to shimmer and leave a trail and they can attack. Each will carry a camera so no matter where he is we'll be able to see every moment." The Demon host told the audience.
Damien chuckled before striding forwards to stand in front of the screen, he turned slightly. "Hey get out of the way, we want to watch this!" A demon yelled at him.
Damien just smirked though they couldn't see it and raised a hand up to his chin with the inside of his wrist outwards. The sleeve fell and the thirty Demons in the bar found themselves staring at his green diamond. His mark of the Order of Caete Ruin. "Let's see what happens to Demons who try to kill me."
The room was dead silent as he shimmered out. "Ladies and Demons, he's just shimmered."
Damien smirked as he appeared behind all three contenders and killed the centre one before anyone could notice him. He knew the audience could see him and by the gestures being made by the female demon in what was supposed to be a control room he knew that she had seen him too. The other two lower level demons died in the same instant. Damien knew that these were supposed to die so that the prospect of getting Damien's powers would be enough to draw in the higher levelled ones so he wanted to make a point that it was death to anyone.
He stopped killing after the three contenders were gone and summoned two Fire Matrixes to hand on either side of him. He crossed his arms making sure that both of his tattoos were bared for the audience to see. The Demon host turned to see what the fuss was about and went deadly pale.
"You obviously weren't strong enough to come after me yourself." Damien spoke loud enough for everyone watching to hear. "Perhaps you'd like to try me, if not keep this pitiful excuse for entertainment out of my way before I put a stop to it."
Damien walked towards the Demon but the Matrixes stayed where they were. "Target somebody else!" He snapped before clicking his fingers sending both of the fire Matrixes into opposite sides of the studio blowing rather large holes out of the walls as they exploded. Before the dust was settled he had Shimmered out leaving the show to cut to a dead signal.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
Two days later
Damien was glad that he kept half an eye on Witch Wars over the last few days as it actually made for interesting watching. Without wanting to risk there own lives on trying to target Damien again they had turned to the Charmed Ones and Damien knew that it had been the Elder, Gideon according the Barbas, that had put them on the trail. Damien knew that he didn't have to worry about them becoming the Source since he knew that Gideon wouldn't let harm come to the actual Charmed Ones but he had to admit that the ploy was a good one to distract the sisters since Upper Level Demons would actually go for it since Piper was off the sensors at the moment even to Damien's telepathic senses.
He had brought a viewing crystal from the Demonic Market so that he could watch the events from his Lair and was still trying to decide whether to do anything, on one hand he wanted the greatest force of Good to be wiped out but on the other hand he wanted to know the truth about Chris and this future that kept being waved in front of his nose.
In the end he made up his mind to just watch what happened and maybe use the events to his advantage to kidnap Chris and finally get to the bottom of this. Things definitely got interesting after Leo, Chris, Paige and Phoebe finished killing the Shape shifter and Brute demon and the host killed the Darklighter and the Witches found out that they were being watched and threatened the Demons.
When, two hours after this, Chris and Paige orbed into the attic of their house to view the Book of Shadows, Damien knew that they had set their own trap and as the Demon host appeared and started attacking the now hiding pair Damien saw it all laid in front of him.
He shimmered out of his Lair and into the same pub as before though this time he went as the less renowned Damien instead of the Caete Ruin Demon. He took a lazy seat at the bar as he watched the screen. He didn't know why he had come to the bar except that he wanted to see the reactions of the Demonic Underworld. As he watched the host was ambushed by Phoebe and Leo and Damien gave himself a point for guessing that they would use the athame they had stolen from the Brute Demon to steal the female Demon's powers so that they could kill the Demon host.
It didn't take long and Damien loved the silence as the Demons watched as Phoebe turned on the camera. "Anyone else want to make a play for our baby?" She glared through the screen before shimmering out of the attic of her manor and straight into the bar. There was mass panic as the Demons tried to crowd out of the doors and Damien wondered why they didn't all shimmer out but then remembered that only upper level Demons could come and go from areas like this as they pleased.
Phoebe went about killing numerous Demons as they tried to escape ineffectually and he even had to use his telekinesis to knock away an energy ball that was thrown towards him by the over zealous witch turned Demon.
She blew up the screen last and Damien, the only other being left in the room, began clapping sarcastically. She spun on him and threw an energy ball but he just held out his hand and caught it before snuffing it out. It took a lot of magic to do something like this but it definitely made an impression. He'd had to practice it for weeks against Vinarus who had been a much better teacher than Lucus had been.
"Don't, Phoebe." Damien told her. "I'm tired of our little fights."
"What so now that I have Demonic Powers you're scared of little old me?" Phoebe smirked at him.
Damien just shook his head. "I want to talk to Chris." Damien told her simply. "Have him meet me tomorrow at midday on top of Golden Gate Bridge."
"What is this about?" Phoebe frowned.
"It doesn't matter. Just have him meet me there." Damien told her before shimmering out.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
Golden Gate Bridge
Damien never expected that Chris would come on his own and he was proven right when three orb clouds appeared on the top of the enormous stacks of the suspension bridge. He was very tempted to send the clouds over the edge but instead he created an illusion of himself on the far side of the platform before he stood behind the group. They appeared with Leo on the left, Chris in the middle and in front of Damien and Paige and Phoebe on his right. They all looked at 'Damien' with frowns.
Damien concentrated on the illusion and it jumped off of the metre wide cable it had been sitting on and made it speak for him. "I told Chris to come alone."
"You didn't actually expect him to did you?" Leo asked.
"Actually no," Damien's fake shrugged. "That's why Demons are always outmatched by you, you work together. Now you see, I have been working together with a few people and it's interesting what you can find out."
The actual Damien snuck up on Chris. "Like how to trick the Charmed Ones." He whispered just loud enough for them all to hear him but before they could react he grabbed Chris and shimmered out. His illusion was left to smirk at the shocked Elder and two Witches before it faded after about two seconds.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Damien's Lair
Damien didn't want to run the risk of being interrupted by Barbas or Vinarus so he shimmered with his captive to his lair and had no sooner appeared before he dumped the sagging time traveller onto the ground. He walked off to the far side where the Lair opened out into a sea of red mist like a beach.
"Where am I?" Chris asked.
"My Lair." Damien told him before turning to face the now standing Witch-Whitelighter "I would have thought you would recognise it from the future."
"You used the Temple of Caete Ruin in the future since it was only place you were safe." Chris told him.
"Safe from what?" Damien asked.
"I can't tell you without damaging the future." Chris told him.
Damien snapped and flung out his hand but Chris was evidently ready and neutralised his blast with one of his own. "Do you really think you haven't already by blurting everything out?"
"I know you hate having your destiny dictated to you." Chris smiled sadly at him.
Damien closed the gap in an instant until they were only a few feet from each other. "How do you know that?" He hissed.
"I know about Trewlawny's premonition and the Wizarding Worlds betrayal of you after the sphere didn't let you touch it." Chris told him.
"You're telling the truth." Damien staggered backwards as if he'd been punched.
"I know they hurt you but you've had your revenge, you have to let go of the anger and follow your heart." Chris told him.
"I can't." Damien sighed before half turning away from the Witch.
"That's what you said the last time." Chris told him.
"What happened?" Damien asked. "Why did I turn Good?"
"You didn't turn Good, you just released the part of you that had turned you Evil." Chris told him.
"But why did I do that, I like being like this, not having to care about others, living for myself!" Damien snapped.
"Because you realised that you did care about others." Chris told him. "You cared about somebody and found out that you had killed somebody that they had loved and it changed you."
"Who did I care about?" Damien narrowed his eyes dreading the answer.
"Me." Chris sighed knowing that he'd already advanced the events in this version of time. "You got to know me after saving me from a pair of Wizards but I already knew who you were. I'd watched you kill her when I was still a child and you didn't make the connection."
"Why did you get to know me if I'd already killed her?" Damien frowned.
"Because I wanted to get passed your defences and cause the same pain to you as you had to me." Chris started shaking. "But then I found out your past. It took me years but I got over it and accepted it but you were still holding onto your anger. It wasn't until you ran into Wyatt during a massive battle that I was a part of that Wyatt dropped a clue and put together who I was. You completely snapped. Wyatt lost more that day than in any other battle. And you vanished for almost a year before you showed up at my home."
"Why are you telling me this?" Damien asked.
"The events can't happen anymore, you recognised me for Wyatt's brother and you won't get shocked into releasing your anger." Chris told him. "I'm trying to get you to do it on your own. To turn Good now."
"I can't just do that at the click of a finger. I'm not strong enough to face that life anymore." Damien was forced to look away as he felt all of his emotions bubbling to the surface. His heart was trying to battle away his Demonic instincts. "Did I…"
"Did you what?" Chris asked before suddenly snapping his head up as he felt a pull at his soul. "They're summoning me."
"Go if you want. I never meant to keep you here." Damien turned to look at him only to see him resisting the pull. He frowned but flooded the lair with his own magic and blocked the summons. "Why didn't you go?" Damien demanded.
"If I can at any time then I'm not leaving till we deal with this." Chris told him. "Did you what?"
Damien looked away again. "Did I love you?"
Chris recoiled like he'd been slapped and Damien sighed before turning and walking up to the mist. He'd gone out on a limb with his hidden emotions and gotten himself hurt again. He felt a hand on his shoulder and whipped around to find himself facing Chris. "You did and I did love you but you didn't want to do anything about it because of what you'd done to me and I fell in love with a witch."
Damien forced himself away from Chris' hand. "What did I do to you?" Damien asked.
"You killed my mother." Chris told him.
"I killed Piper?" Damien frowned. "Why did I target a Charmed One?"
"You didn't, you went after Leo and when she found out she and Phoebe came after you and you killed her." Chris spoke very quietly.
"Why did I go after Leo?" Damien asked.
"I don't know. I never found out and after she died I didn't care about the why's anymore, I just wanted you dead." Chris glared at the ground and Damien knew that it was because he didn't want to glare at him. "Please, don't do it this time. I can't lose her twice."
"How can I promise you that if I don't know why it happened?" Damien asked.
"Just try." Chris sighed. Chris readied himself to orb but Damien stopped him but neither spoke. "I saw you attack Witch Wars the other night, I was in the pub looking for information."
A smirk appeared on Damien's face even through his confused feelings. "I watched when you found out about it."
Chris smiled at him at the attempt at small talk. "I'm leaving soon but I hope to see you in the future. If everything goes to plan then perhaps we can finally be in some way together." Chris assured him.
"I'll be waiting." Damien nodded and for the first time in a long while he found himself looking forward to the future but then something struck him. "Wait, why are you going back to the future?"
"I've done what I came here to do?"
"But you haven't stopped him!" Damien blurted.
"Stopped who? We took out the Demons from Witch Wars." Chris frowned.
"You really think those two idiots could abduct Wyatt?" Damien spun on his heel and a Fire Matrix appeared in the air before he swatted at it sending it into the wall angrily. "It was never somebody Evil that turns him, it was never a Demon trying to convert him it was always somebody trying to stop him becoming Evil that screwed up."
"Who is it Damien?" Chris grabbed him by the shoulder but Damien never got the chance to answer and orbs appeared in the air. Damien prepared to stop Chris from being summoned and spent his magic into it before both realised that it wasn't Chris being summoned but Damien.
Damien vanished into orbs before he could summon enough strength to stop it.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
End Chapter