Disclaimer: I do not own any work by Joss Whedon or JRR Tolkien. The Angel Institute and Academy are my own creation.
"Sorry we got off track Maglor," she said, smiling. "Now you know something about my childhood and teenage years."
Maglor returned the smile. "Is your power the same as the Ainur's?"
"Yes, but we use our power differently because of the limitations of the human body. We can take a small structure down by simply hitting it with our hands, and take a larger structure in more than one way. We have a little bit of each of them in all of us, except Varda – we can't make the stars. Half of our parents or ancestors come from the Angel Choir, whom you call the Maia, and the other half come from the Powers' Choir. We can communicate with a thought and appear and disappear the way they do, and in more than one way. We're like them, in that our gifts also vary; and some of us are teachers, healers, counselors and the like. I'm part of the warrior class. We also have a few gifts they don't have because we need them. We can also change form, but, only in the form Lord Eru gifted us with."
"Has any of your kind ever fallen?" he asked.
"Yes, and an Ainur informs our superiors that Lord Eru had set a doom on that individual," she answered.
"How do the Ainur come to your world?" he asked.
"They're four access ways open between Heaven and Earth. We can't see them, but they're there," she answered. "Lord Eru opened one here, so my father could descend and ascend."
"You said you're Eru Ilúvatar's Herald and dooms-woman," he said.
"That's what was told to me when I was informed of my angelic powers last month," she replied. "Mr. Giles is the Head Watcher of the New Watchers' Council and he'll tell you the story of his organization."
"Hello Maglor," Giles said. "Our world is much older than Arda. Long before humans, or race of men as you call them, awoke on our world, the Old Ones made it their home, or hell. They were pure-breed demons and huge monstrosities with ferocious power. In time, they lost their purchase on our world and the way was made for humans. All that remain of the Old Ones are vestiges, certain magicks and creatures. Each Old One possessed different powers and shapes, commanded fearsome demon armies, ruled vast territories and constantly made war upon each other. Some left our dimension of their own accord while others were driven out, and many were killed. The ones that were killed are now buried in sarcophagus's with their power drained and encased in jewels, in what is known as the Deeper Well, which is a mystical graveyard on our world. They all have the power of resurrection and their sarcophagus's are guarded by immortal demons.
The last Old One was defeated by a slayer using the slayer scythe – which is a mystical weapon – on the spot where we fought the First Evil in the town that was known as Sunnydale, in the State of California. In each generation, a girl is born, and she's the Chosen One. Born to fight the vampires, demons and all the forces of darkness, to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers, and she's the Slayer. These girls are called as slayer between the ages of 8 and 16 and die within a year after being called – until Buffy Anne Summers was born. Buffy was called as slayer at the age of 15 and she's the longest living slayer in history, and I was her Watcher. Her first rule and motto is 'don't die'.
"What did the Old Ones look like?" Maglor asked Giles.
"They were taller than the towers of Barad-dûr, and they all had tentacles. One had four heads and when they walked, the ground shook. I want you to picture in your mind that young slayer with the scythe in her hands who stood before on of those monstrosities, then did battle with it and defeated it. We owe all those nameless and faceless young girls a great debt, which can never be repaid," Giles answered.
"We have a picture of Illyria, who was the most feared and revered of all the Old Ones – and the worst of the lot – if you're comparing evil. The other Old Ones joined forces and made war on her and her army; which was eons ago, and the Old Ones had come and gone on our world long before the Valar and Maia entered into this universe," Angela replied.
"They're that old?" Maglor asked.
"They were old before they came to our world, that's why they're called the Old Ones," she answered. "Those were only the Maia Maglor, would you like to meet the Valar of the Old Ones?" she asked. "There's a prophecy that states Illyria will be resurrected."
"Does this mean another apocalypse?" Giles asked, with a raised eyebrow.
"That's all I know, and as you and I know Mr. Giles, prophecies always come true on our world," she answered.
xxx
Buffy and the 'Scooby Gang', as they call themselves, and with me as Buffy's Watcher, averted five apocalypses in seven years, while Buffy was the slayer on the hellmouth. An apocalypse is an attempted end-of-our-world event. Our last battle was with the First Evil and its army of Turok-Han and Harbingers, or Bringers as the slayers called them. The First Evil is the source and embodiment of all that is evil and is a pure evil spirit – and transcends all realities and dimensions. It's older than any other being – except Eru Ilúvatar – and hides in the shadows. When everything ends, the First Evil will still be hiding in the shadows.
Caleb, the First Evil's head servant, blew up the Watchers' Council Headquarters and killed most of the Watchers. He and the Bringers then proceeded to kill potential slayers around the world. When he arrived in Sunnydale, he announced the First Evil's intentions. After our battle with the First Evil's army – which we call the Battle in the Hellmouth – Sunnydale was completely destroyed and that hellmouth was closed forever; and another hellmouth immediately opened in Cleveland, Ohio. They're many hellmouth's on our world, but only one is active at any given time and the rest are dormant. We've also just finished rebuilding the New Watchers' Council. Watchers train and guide the slayers in their duties, do research and we're also formidable fighters and magic wielders. The reason we do research is to find each demon's weakness – and they all have one – because they all have bodies.
The Angel Institute takes the spillover of vampires, demons, dark mags and the other forces of darkness around the world. The slayer always guards the hellmouth and this battle will go on until the end times. Everything on our world is not what it seems. Some demons work for the Powers, such as Whistler, and some of the most beautiful people on our world work for demons, or are demons themselves. Everything is a shade of gray and not black and white, and in some cases, what happens on our world effects all of creation itself. The slayer's eyesight, hearing and speed are far superior than any elf's and they all have power. They too have a few other gifts no angel has because they need them. They heal almost instantly from their wounds and don't need as much sleep as the average human. They're also the best in weapons and are immune to poison and magic. When they pick up any weapon, they know how to use it instantly and can wield it expertly. These young girls will be your charge and they'll all die at a very young age. They go out and do battle with every kind of evil every night; evil you can't image and no nothing about. The slayer's power comes from the Shadow Demon and it's demonic," Giles told him.
"Now you know why we also have power. This is a power game Maglor and all demons have power," she told him.
"Why young girls fighting evil?" Maglor asked, perplexed.
"It's Lord Eru's Will," she answered, handing Giles and Maglor another cup of tea which they both accepted and drank.
"Buffy died twice when I was her Watcher. She died the first time at the age of 16 fighting the Master. A prophecy stated that she would die if she fought him, so she tried to run away from the prophecy; instead, she ran right into it. The second time she died was after fighting a demon hell goddess named Glorificus, or Glory, as we called her. Glory opened a rift, causing all the dimensions and realities to merge into one. Buffy closed that rift by jumping through it to her death from the tower where she was fighting Glory," Giles told him. "Did you feel something a few years ago?" he asked.
"Yes I did and then it stopped. I wondered what it was," Maglor answered.
"Those were all the dimensional walls coming down...and even Valinor wasn't going to survive that," Giles told him. "Glory was known as the Beast, The Abomination and That Which Cannot Be Named, and was from a higher demon plane. Her true powers were beyond what even her fellow hell gods or goddess's could conceive. When Buffy fought Glory the first time, Buffy barely made it out alive, and even with Glory's power greatly diminished, her power was still beyond what Buffy could image. Buffy knew she had to fight her again, and knew she had to find a way to get around her power. Buffy used a God's Troll Hammer to beat her into submission – which was the only weapon that could hurt Glory. While Buffy was beating Glory, she taunted her in the process, and when Glory was finally on her knees, she begged Buffy to stop."
"Why was Glory called the Beast, The Abomination and That Which Cannot be Named?" he asked.
"Some demons are so hideous Maglor, you and I can't look upon them; and if we do, we'll go insane and our minds will collapse in on themselves. That's how truly hideous they are," Giles answered. "Glory was one of those and when we encountered her, she was in a human body and looked like a mortal."
"Whistler, show Maglor what Glory looked like," Angela said.
Whistler snapped his fingers and Maglor saw what Glory looked like in human form.
"Don't let that picture fool you Maglor," Giles told him. "I told you nothing is as it seems on our world. No one knew who she was because she looked human. That's the body her fellow demons put her in when they kicked her out of the hell dimension she came from. She shared that dimension with two of her kind and they combined forces and went to war with her and her army because she was growing to powerful – even for them – and they barely won. They knew they couldn't destroy her and dumped her on us, and then we had to deal with her. They also made sure Glory could never return home, and the only way she could was by taking all the dimensional walls down, which is what she tried to do."
When you see what these demons look like, you're wonder how something could spawn something so hideous...and when you see the next one, you'll see they're far worse than the one before. We're not talking about orcs or the things Melkor or Sauron made, but evil no one can describe – you have to see it, to believe it. As Lord Eru's Herald and dooms-woman, I have to deal with the lords and ladies of these hell dimensions from time to time; and I'm the only one who can," she told Maglor.
Maglor nodded his head. "I thought mortals go beyond the circles of world after they die." he said.
"When Buffy died the first time, Lord Eru put her soul back into her body immediately. When she died the second time, she didn't go beyond the circles of the world, but went to the Timeless Halls instead, because it was Lord Eru's Will. He put her soul back into her body later; in other words, he raised her from the dead. Buffy doesn't remember her stay in the Timeless Halls – only that she was there – and I wouldn't mention it to her because it's a sore point with her. She knew she'd died and went to the Timeless Halls...but, the next thing she remembered was clawing herself out of her grave," Angela answered.
Giles looked at Angela with a confused look on his face.
"I'll explain that to you later Mr. Giles," she said, and watched as he shook his head in the affirmative.
"Why does Eru Ilúvatar keep sending her fëa back into her body?" Maglor asked.
"It's His Will and she's His champion," she answered.
"What is the slayer scythe?" Maglor asked.
"It's a mystical weapon that's embodied with the essence of the slayer, which was made for the chosen one many, many, many, untold ages ago by a group of women called the Guardians – who guarded the slayer line," Giles answered. "When we were researching how to defeat the First Evil's army, we found a secret room in a abandoned Mission in a small town not to far from Sunnydale. In that room we found an inscription carved in stone that read: 'It is not for thee. It is for her alone to wield'. Buffy told me the moment she laid eyes on the scythe she knew it was her's, and she had to fight Caleb to get to it; and when she lifted it out of the rock it was buried in, he backed down and let her leave the vineyard. He found the scythe first and sent a message to her and told her he had something that belonged to her."
"While the Guardians were making the scythe, Lord Eru was guiding their hands the whole time. After they finished, He put his own power in it and hallowed it. That's why a slayer was able to defeat the last Old One and why Caleb couldn't lift it out of the rock it was buried in – even with the power of the First Evil in him; Caleb knew only Buffy could. It's the most powerful weapon in existence and the slayers are the only ones who wield Lord Eru's power," Angela said.
"Eru Ilúvatar put his own power in the scythe?" Maglor asked, with an elegant raised eyebrow.
"Yes," she answered.
Giles turned and looked at her again.
"That's right Mr. Giles," she said, with a bright smile.
Giles was surprised to hear this, but didn't show it. "Now you know why they're slayers, half-angels and others on our world doing the Lord's Will. We hold the line and if we fail, there will be no creation left," Giles told Maglor.
"Why are you telling me this?" Maglor asked suspiciously, looking between the two of them.
"You've been drafted as a Watcher by Eru Ilúvatar Maglor – that's why we're here – and this is not a request, but your doom," Angela answered in a tone that was final.
xxx
Maglor looked at her for a moment. He did feel different inside but he didn't know why. "I'm an Elf and I'm bound to Arda until its ending," he stated.
"Eru Ilúvatar has sundered you from Arda forever. When my father touched you on your shoulders, he gave you the gift of the magic and languages; that's why you were surprised when you spoke to us in a different language. You can now speak, read and write in English, Latin, Samarian, French, Spanish, a few demon languages, and your own languages as well. You can also master other languages in a short period of time. My father also put a magical glamor on you so no one on our world will ever see who you really are. Only Mr. Giles, the slayers, Watchers and Members from the Angel Institute will know. These are the gifts Lord Eru wanted you to have to survive on our world, and the tingling you felt in your ears, eyes and mouth was so you can survive the sounds, lights and food on our world. You won't fade or die from grief on our world, and your sight, hearing, speed and fighting abilities will serve you well – and believe me, you're going to need those abilities – and you can also see into the hearts of men.
Look around you Maglor, they're no more elves here. They've been assigned to oblivion and have faded from memory. The Dwarves are all dead and the remaining Hobbits have changed as well. The Powers lifted the spell the Angel Gandalf put on the Shire. They couldn't hide behind those walls forever. Mortals on Arda have never heard of the Valar or Maia and they too have faded from memory, and been assigned to oblivion. The race of men could never understand why the Valar let Melkor run wild all those years ago, to the detriment of them. They thought the Valar didn't care about them, and when men came over the mountains in the First Age, they feared, felt estranged from and disliked the Valar and never loved them. They also cursed, scorned and mocked them and thought they were no better than Melkor. It was only our beloved Ulmo who was the savior of everyone on Arda.
The place where you're going will be very strange to you. You'll not understand what you're seeing at first, but in time you will. Our customs and ways are very different than what you're used, and you'll be the only Elf in a world full of humans – which you are now. We call our world the modern world and we've surpassed the Elves in all things; including weapons, science, math, industry, technology, transportation and medicine. We know things they've never know and our accomplishments are beyond what they could ever image.
We've already been to the moon and back several times and we're now preparing to explore space and colonize the moon, Mars and space itself. In 150 years, half the people on my world will be living in space, which will become their home and most will never see a planet in their lifetime. The Ainur and elves always thought men were the weaker race, and the elves looked down on men and thought they were better than us, but Lord Eru knew better. The elves are forever looking back and mourning what was lost. We don't mourn yesterday because it's never coming back. The Elves saw what we were – not what we could become – and we've vaulted to the stars. After we awoke on our world, Eru Ilúvatar told the Ainur in the Timeless Halls that we'll surpass them in wisdom – and we've already done so – just as their Father told them we would.
This has always been your doom Maglor. Valinor is shut to you. You can't lament for things that were never yours in the first place; you can only move forward. If your life ends in our world, you will not be called to the Halls of Mandos; but will travel beyond the circles of the world and Eru Ilúvatar will decide your doom. There is a reason for all things Maglor," she finished.
Something stirred in Maglor and he wasn't sure what it was. He looked at Angela, Giles and Whistler and before he could speak, Giles spoke.
"I've read your file Maglor, along with Members of the Angel Institute...and your history will never be revealed to anyone; this is your tale to tell. I have my own secrets as well, and like you, I'm ashamed of something I did in my youth. One of my Watcher's has more blood on her hands than you and your brothers could ever image, and I blame myself for her fall. She became a very power witch and started using black magic...and everyone who loved her repeatedly warned her of the consequences, but she didn't listen. It consumed her and she fell utterly, and became the embodiment of black sorcery like Melkor and Sauron. She used the blackest of all black magic, and it didn't come any bigger than that. Black magic not even Melkor or Sauron knew about; which had unintended consequences and set off a chain of events that almost destroyed Eru Ilúvatar's entire creation, including Arda and Valinor. She even turned against me and her friends and tried to destroyed our world, and you'll be working with her," Giles finished.
"Whistler," she said.
Whistler snapped his fingers and Maglor could see Willow sitting at her desk working on her laptop.
"Is that her?" he asked.
"Yes," Giles answered, surprised to hear what Angela just said.
"She carries the dark mark," Maglor said.
"She always will, and it's been a long hard road back for her and she'll never be the same person she once was...and she's truly sorry for what she did. Men are very forgiving Maglor and none of us are perfect," Giles replied.
"These are the slayers," she said. "Whistler."
Whistler snapped his fingers again and they saw the slayers training in a gym, and an eight year old girl with a sword in one hand and a toy in the other. Then Buffy walk into the room and the picture disappeared.
"The young blond woman you saw walk into the room was Buffy," Giles told him.
"They're only children," Maglor said, stunned.
"The young girl with the sword and toy is eight years old and her name is Gail, who's now a slayer and has been called to fight evil," Giles replied. "The first slayer was called at that age."
"Gail knows how to wield that sword and can best you any day of the week. I wanted you to see who's been protecting our world and Eru's entire creation since the beginning. Those young girls are the reason the Valar, Maia and Elves sit in their bliss in Valinor," she said. "It's ironic isn't it...that a young mortal girl has always kept them safe and always will."
