Here is the new chapter, a quite long one. I hope you enjoy. Sorry for the cliffhanger :-)
Chapter 34
Chris watched the two demons that were supposed to be watching him, play cards.
What lousy guards! But then again, he had no way to get anywhere, anyway.
However, they jumped up from the rocks they had been sitting on when steps could be heard on the sandy ground.
Josey came into the lair – this time without the ridiculous hood over her face.
"Brandon is with Wyatt now," she said. "Make yourself ready for when he has killed the Elders."
Chris frowned. It wasn't clear who should be the one killing any Elder.
"You can go after the whitelighters then. Their witches will be easy targets. You can go now."
The demons looked towards the cage Chris was captured in. "He's no threat to me," she replied.
The woman approached her prisoner while the demons shimmered out.
She stood still only inches away from Chris – he could smell her cheap perfume.
"Too bad I can't read your mind," she said. "I have never been able to, why is that?"
"You are telepathic?"
"And here I thought you knew everything about us. I am in deed. Only with you I hit a wall."
"And I thought you knew everything about us too," Chris replied. "I had to cast a spell on me lately."
"I know nothing about you," Josey laughed. "Why should I, my only interest is Wyatt or let's say his powers."
"You want his powers? You can't handle them."
"Maybe. I can handle him as long as he uses his powers for our goal."
"And that would be?"
"Rid the world of Elders first, but then of course the whitelighter and witches are an easy kill. Maybe we can get some on our side. You see I don't have to kill as long as no one stands in my way. Which brings me to you." She smiled sweetly. "Do I kill you?"
"You'll have to. I won't turn evil."
"Don't be so arrogant. Everyone can be turned."
"Are you talking out of experience?"
"Maybe. I don't have to be able to read your mind to know what you are thinking. But with Brandon it's a different story. He was raised by demons. He was never good. He doesn't want to be good."
"And Wyatt?"
"Can be influenced. As long as you are out of the way. Maybe he won't turn evil. But when he realizes what he has done, he'll give up his powers and then he's just a mortal."
"That's your great plan?"
Josey glared at him. "Can you tell me one witch or mortal that could stop him apart from you?"
Chris showed no reaction but knew she was probably right.
"That much I know only the Charmed Ones together could block his powers and…oh dear, mommy is dead."
Chris moved forward but was stopped by the electric bars.
"Don't be so emotional," Josey shook her head. "Well, the only thing valuable about you is this memory you have. Luckily, I can get that without having to keep you alive. Frankly, you piss me off."
"Right back at you."
"Your smart remarks won't help you in the least."
"But you can't read my thoughts remember?"
"I don't have to. I know someone who helps me with that. I'll go home, take a bath and wait for my boys to come back with good news about the death of the Elders," Josey smirked evilly.
She nodded towards the entrance of the lair and through black dust a tall skinny demon with white eyes appeared next to her.
"Have fun," Josey told him. "Don't kill him, though, if possible. Some things have to be done by me. I have been looking forward to it since we first met."
"I can't promise he'll survive," the demon replied in a husky voice. "Not if you want to see everything."
"If that's the case then I'm sure I can live with the loss." With that she turned around an left the lair.
Chris quickly tried to remember if he knew that demon standing in front of him but found himself being unable to focus on anything but the white eyes.
He felt hypnosed a moment before he sunk to his knees grabbing his head as the pain set in before suddenly images appeared in front of his inner eye.
Wyatt served Brandon a bottle of beer before rounding the bar and sitting down next to him.
They clinked bottles.
"I feel pretty bad. I really don't know what had gotten into me," Brandon said. "I have no right whatsoever to speak against your family."
Wyatt waved it aside. "Stop apologizing already, you weren't that wrong. I just never seemed to see that, but that is something we need to discuss as a family."
"Sure, absolutely."
They both nipped on their drinks, staying silent a moment.
"I sometimes whished there was someone that would hold the world together. Someone who has a plan worked out, who has a destiny in store for every single one of us," Brandon stated.
Wyatt wondered a moment whether this one bottle of beer had got in his head already but it turned out that Brandon had barely took a sip.
"What do you mean? God?"
The red haired man shrugged. "God is good to hold on to but I'm talking about real people. Someone I could sit down with and talk."
The tweenty five year old scoffed.
"What?" Brandon asked. "You find that stupid?"
"No, I'm just thinking that it'd be better to not know about my destiny. Believe me, those people would have high expectations in you and you'd struggle your whole life to meet their expectations and still stay your own person."
"Seems like you know what you are talking about. Who has expectations in you, Wyatt?" Brandon turned in his chair facing Wyatt.
"I can't tell you."
"Why not? Is anyone forbidding you? Didn't you say you want to stay your own person? Doesn't that mean that you have to make your own decisions? If you want to talk open with me, no one should stop you."
Wyatt took a deep breath. "This is different."
"This is about magic, isn't it?"
Wyatt was taken aback by the question. He instantly moved away from Brandon. Could Chris be right after all?
"Don't worry, Wyatt. Your family's secret is safe with me," the other man replied calmly.
"How do you know?" Wyatt breathed.
"I know about magic. I have always been interested in it."
"Do you have powers?"
"No. Neither does Josey before you ask. But we are both fascinated by paranormality. We read tons of books. We studied it. We talked to people; that's how we found out about the Halliwell witches. I admit it is not a coincidence we moved next door. But we don't mean you any harm. We are just curious."
Wyatt was still confused. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for mortals to know about magic, about us?"
"No one knows we know." Brandon shrugged. "No one would believe us either. But you are thinking of Noelle, right? She didn't fall, she was killed magically, wasn't she?"
Wyatt gulped and nodded. The thought of his girlfriend still hurt terribly.
"That's horrible, and there are really people that know about your destiny."
"They say," the blonde spat. "It's their excuse for everything."
"And they knew Noelle would die and didn't do anything to help?"
The witch shook his head. "What? No, they only know my destiny, not Noelle's."
"But they knew you had no future together."
Wyatt thought about it. "Probably but…"
"They couldn't help Noelle. They couldn't help your mom. Who can they help then?"
Wyatt shook his head.
The Elders wouldn't even let him heal his brother after the accident. He almost died and they did nothing. They refused to help when Chris was stabbed by Excalibur.
"Even if they could, they wouldn't help," he said bitterly.
"Because whatever happens is destiny?"
"It's the great design that's more important than one life."
"Is that you talking or them?"
Wyatt looked away.
"Why is no one showing them that they don't rule the world and the people that live on it? Someone powerful should show them their borders. Frankly, Wyatt, do you want ot be their marionette? When all they do is hurting you by taking loved ones away?"
Wyatt stared ahead listening to Brandon not noticing that his hand was clenched in a fist.
Flashback
Wyatt saw through the window to his brother's room a nurse fixing a new tube in Chris' arm. For the last two weeks the blonde had not seen his little brother without a bandage somewhere on his body and a tube in his arms.
The nurse spotted him and smiled a little giving him an okay to enter the room.
"Your father is here as well. He's talking to Dr. Murray," she whispered.
Wyatt frowned. "Why does he have to talk to the doctor?"
The nurse had a worried look on her face. "It's just that your brother got a high fever yesterday," she replied with a glance towards the brunette.
Wyatt followed her eyes and noticed how flushed Chris' cheeks were compared to the paleness of his face over the last days.
"Is that so bad?" he asked.
"I'm sure your father will be able to tell you more after the conversation with the doctor."
She gave him another small smile before leaving not without checking on her patient one more time.
Wyatt had no idea about anything medical but he understood when his brother looked sick.
He sat down on the orange plastic chair and watched Chris sleep. There was also a machine beeping regularly signaling the brunette's heartbeat.
The tone made Wyatt sleepy as well but the chair was way too uncomfortable.
Chris slowly opened his eyes and blinked against the light.
Wyatt leaned forward combing some loose strands out of Chris forehead with his fingers.
"Hey, you are up," the blonde said in a light tone.
"Not really," Chris replied.
"Slightly. How are you feeling?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? Are you in pain, hot, cold?" Wyatt watched Chris rubbing his eyes. "Tired?"
"I really don't know. I don't feel anything really. I blame this liquid for that," he said pointing to the infusion bottle.
Wyatt nodded.
"Hadn't dad been here earlier?" Chris asked. "I think I talked to him. Or maybe he talked to someone else in the room."
"I haven't seen him either but was told, he's here somewhere. Probably getting coffee." Wyatt decided there was no use to worry Chris or himself as long as he didn't know anything.
Leo entered the room 20 minutes later (Chris had already fallen asleep again) looking very tired and sorrowful. He claimed the other chair.
"What's up?" Wyatt asked.
"Dr. Murray said the surgery went well. He's positive that Chris will recover full strength in the leg eventually."
"But?"
"But he's still planning one more surgery. However they can't do anything right now. He's still waiting for the tests results of today but he fears the fever is caused by sepsis."
"Which is?"
"Blood poisoning."
"Oh, okay. So, they can do something about that, right?"
Leo sighed but nodded. "They started threatening already."
Wyatt stared at him. "Dad." He made a small pause. "Dad, you don't think they will let him die?"
His father looked up surprised by the question. "Wyatt, this is a hospital full of doctors. I'm sure they do their very best and they have faced this before."
"Not the doctors. They." Wyatt pointed upwards. "They won't let me heal him. I tried. I tried every day since the accident. They know that Chris is not getting better obviously but won't let me help him. Why not?"
"I don't know, Wyatt."
"I think he has suffered enough. We all did. They rather decide what is right or I'll go up there and give them a piece of my mind. Damn it."
"Wyatt," Leo placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "It will be alright. I promise you. I don't know why they want Chris to fight through this the mortal way but we have to believe that there is a reason for that and that he will come out of it okay."
The blonde took a deep breath.
"Whether we like it or not," Leo added.
The next days passed by painfully slowly as Chris remained feverish. They put him on higher meds, changing between three different infusions in regular periods. Whatever was in the liquids kept Chris asleep most of the time; when he was awake he seemed zoomed out and dazed.
Dr. Murray came in with two other doctors discussing further treatment.
Wyatt saw the three doctors standing in front of his brother's room when he came back with two paper cups of coffee for himself and his father who only left Chris' bed when a nurse kicked him out late after visiting hours were over.
"We'll give him blood infusions as well as insulin and cortisone," Dr. Murray said.
Wyatt had a rather low knowledge of medicine but he saw a chance to help his brother. After all they had the same blood group. When Dr. Murray walked past him, Wyatt stopped him.
"I could donate blood for Chris," he said and suddenly flinched at his own words. He hated needles. He had totally forgotten about the fact how they would get his blood. He took a deep breath. No time to act like a cry baby. It was for Chris.
The doctor did not hesitatet acceptting the offer and had a nurse take care of Wyatt.
A few minutes later the young man entered the patients room with a nurse who now changed the transparent liquid that went into Chris' veins to the dark red Wyatt had donated.
Leo looked up from his book. "Did you get sick now, too? You look very pale, son."
The nurse smirked.
"That's my blood," Wyatt replied meaningful.
However his father knew that the paleness was a result of Wyatt's fear of injections more than the loss of blood.
The next day, Wyatt came to the hospital, he found his brother sitting in his bed upright flipping through a magazine his father had left there.
"You are up," Wyatt exclaimed relived.
Chris nodded. He still looked pale and exhausted but not as dead sick as the last days.
"More or less. Very smart, Wyatt."
"What do you mean?"
"You do know. However I'm not sure if this was the lesson you had to learn in the first place."
"I had to learn a lesson?"
"Uhu. That you can not only rely on your powers. The mortal way can have the same results."
"Hey, I don't believe just anyone's blood would have had healed you."
"Me neither."
"Then what are you saying?"
"I'm saying you found out that you could help me like this, on your won. By the way, I also don't think your blood can just heal anyone. Otherwise we'd have to donate blood now ever day."
Wyatt scrunched up his face. "Well, next time they try to teach me a lesson by almost letting my brother die, they'll have to face me."
Paige took a deep breath.
"What you mean is, that you maybe made a mistake?" she asked into the round.
She and Leo sat together with Kevin, Melachy and two female Elders around the large conference table in the teacher's library.
"We stopped searching for any Spearman witch after a few months had passed unsuccessful," the grey haired woman, Jane, replied.
"Kevin actually just brought us this new input," Malachy added with a side glare towards the boyish looking Elder. "He has a soft spot for your son's theories."
He told Leo in a voice that made it totally clear that he didn't, and thought the least of Chris theories.
Leo ignored it and addressed Kevin. "What new input?"
"They searched for the family's powers , but the child was too young to have come into his powers, of course they wouldn't find anything."
"We tried to re-do our mistake and searched again this time focusing on the power and the blood line," the second dark haired female replied.
"And found something?" Leo mused.
All three Elders nodded.
"And the powers are being used," Kevin added. "But we can't make out by who."
"So nothing speaks against Chris' theory," Paige said.
"No, but nothing speaks for it either," Malachy answered.
Paige rolled her eyes. This was one stubborn Elder.
"We could find out for sure, though," Jane purposed. "Bring them here."
"Bring them here? What if they are evil?" the Charmed One asked. "And what if not, they could be innocents."
"We can handle evil. We can also handle innocents," Malachy crossed his arms over his chest.
"But still…" Paige couldn't finish her sentence as orbs filled the spot behind Leo and turned into her twin daughters.
"Hi mom," Holly said shyly noticing all the Elders. "I'm so sorry to interrupt."
"We can't find Chris," Haley replied not caring about the Elders. "Actually, we can't even search for him. I mean we can't sense or scry for him and Wyatt isn't answering our calls either."
Paige and Leo exchanged worried glances.
"What do you need them for?" their mother asked.
"Actually I only wanted to talk to Chris about Jenascia. He had promised to call her but never did. I wanted to yell at him for that to tell you the truth."
"But now we are worried. What's going on here, mom? I feel like your little conference has something to do with their missing."
Paige sighed. "We don't know for sure. We are just talking about finding a witch that maybe have been turned evil."
"The new neighbor?" Haley asked. "We know that story. So, it's no crap."
"As I said, we don't know."
"Chris went to the underworld searching," Leo said.
"You two need to find him," Kevin got into the discussion. "Then you'll find Wyatt together."
"Hurry girls, but be safe," Paige told her daughters biting her lip nervously.
"Do you think Wyatt's not answering our calls because something happened to him?" Holly asked.
Haley took her sister's hand. "Doesn't matter, Hol. We'll find out about Wyatt as soon as we found Chris." Saved Chris, she thought. It was obvious her cousin once again got himself into a situation where he couldn't get out of alone. Again.
Paige sighed. She was a lot more worried about her kids than she had ever been about herself.
"Your daughter's destiny is yet unclear but it's supposed to be bright," Kevin whispered to her.
Chris had seen it a thousand times. He knew those memories. They didn't scare him any more. It was a time he was so confident with that he felt like he really had lived there. But then again seeing the pictures of that timeline was like watching a movie by now.
He learned to disconnect his emotions from them. At least he had thought so.
He looked up trying to focus on something particular but all he saw were images of a time that had never existed. It mixed up with his memories of things he had really lived through in this life becoming one.
"Chris?" Holly held her hands above her cousins kneeling next o him in the cage he had been captured in. She couldn't see an injury but the way he had held his head in pain showed the demon had done something to him.
"Chris?" she shook him softly.
The brunette opened his eyes carefully, blinking a few times as his vision cleared.
"Are you okay?" Holly asked.
Chris rubbed his forehead. "Yes, I think. What are you doing here?"
"Saving your ass," Holly replied. "We were worried when we couldn't sense you."
"We?" Chris sat up and spotted her twin standing a few feet away outside the cage. "Did you vanquish that demon?"
"I did," Haley replied. "Now, Chris…"
"Where's Wyatt?"
"We hoped you could find him."
"I will. You guys go back to the Manor," Chris replied.
"What? No, we'll help you," Haley disagreed.
"No, you won't. I'll go and get Wyatt." Hopefully, he hadn't done anything stupid already. "It's important that you go back to the Manor. Get Prue if necessary."
"Why would that become necessary?" Holly asked but got no answer as Chris had already orbed out.
"I hate when he does that," she sighed.
"Me too. What are we going to do?"
"We should maybe talk to mom."
"Right, absolutely. She might know something." Haley agreed and orbed out as well.
The other twin shook her head. "I meant we should ask her for help. And I hate when you do that as well."
Chris orbed into P3 – the last place he had sensed his brother, but the club was empty.
He took a deep breath and looked around the only half lit room but heard noises out of the back room.
He walked to the door quietly and peeked inside. He couldn't see anything but before he could enter, he was blinded by a bluish light and was thrown backwards hitting some chairs in the guest room.
"I though Josey had taking care of you," Brandon said stepping out of the room.
"She tried but failed," Chris shrugged and stood up.
Brandon squinted his eyes.
"She's not dead," the twenty two year old replied. "Seems like you care."
"Of course, I care."
"Unusual for demons."
"We are not demons."
"But evil." Chris shook his head. He was curious about Brandon and Josey but his brother was more important. "Where's Wyatt?"
"wouldn't you want to know. I thought you were so powerful, can't you find him yourself?"
"Where is he?" Chris demanded. "What did you do to him?"
"I just talked to him," Brandon replied innocently.
"Brain washed him, you mean."
"Hey, I did no such thing. I only asked him a few things and we agreed it was about time that someone challanged the reign of the Elders."
"You think they reign the world?"
"Don't they? That's what Wyatt said, it's what he believes."
"It's what you made him believe."
Brandon walked a few steps forward, moving in on Chris. "What do you think, Chris?" he asked. "What did they ever do for you?"
Chris looked him straight in the eyes. "No one says they have to do anything for me. They don't care about a single person. The world is what matters to them."
Brandon laughed. "I forgot, you are one of them."
"I'm not."
"Then why do you defend them? They don't care about you or any of your family. Why do you care for them? They put your parents through hell. They let your mom die and both yours and Wyatt's girlfriends, but still you are on their side. Why?"
"Because I've seen a world without them. It's nothing I want a repeat of."
"Well, if that's your opinion. I think you are crazy."
"I've heard that before but I'm too stubborn to change. However, why do you hate the Elders so much?"
"They let my family die. They don't care about witches, Chris. They want you to serve them, to use your powers for their image of the greater good no matter what it takes from you. They never give anything back. They knew those demons were coming after my family they even blamed my mom. She made one mistake. That's no reason to let her die; to let all of them die. But I will aevenge them."
Chris watched the other man. How he paced the floor, gesturing nervously with his hands while talking and the pain that showed in his eyes.
"But you don't aevenge them," he replied softly. "You played with my brother's head. He is taking your revenge for his own. As soon as he understands what's going on, he'll go after you."
"The moment he understands what he has done it will break him. I'm not sorry for him as long as my plan works out."
"Your plan? You mean Josey's plan."
"What are you talking about?" Brandon frowned.
"She said that the two of you will take in Wyatt's powers to reign yourselves; kill witches and whitelighters."
"What?" Brandon looked at him surprised. "No, the Elders are our aim no one else. I don't want to reul a world. I want my revenge."
"Do you want to tell me that you don't know about her activities in the underworld?" it was obvious how confused Brandon was hearing this. "She sent demons to kill Noelle. It was no coincidence she died. It was all part of the plan. Killing Noelle, making Wyatt vulnerable, and getting him on your side to get his powers. That's her plan."
"No, no," Brandon muttered. "No."
"It's true. She told me right before she gave order to kill me."
"No, we never wanted to kill you. I'm no murderer."
Chris scoffed. "Now that's right. Wyatt will be the murderer for you. Maybe you are no demon but you are not better than one."
Brandon shook his head. "That's not true."
"No? After all, you are half demon, I've heard."
"I'm not."
"But your mom fell for a demon. The result was you."
"Shut up!" Brandon waved his arm sending Chris flying backwards. "You know nothing about me."
The brunette sat up when he heard his Aunt Paige call for him sounding more than urgent.
"Frankly, I don't want to know you," he said to Brandon before orbing out in reaction to his aunt's calls.
Paige sat on the old sofa in the attic with her daughter healing a wound on her forehead. She impatiently waited to be healed and her nephew to orb in in-front of her.
"Finally," she said before the orbs fully disappeared to turn into Chris. She stood up brushing Holly's hand aside. "Seriously, when I call I expect immediate reply. Didn't you learn that from the past?"
"Mom, we don't have time for this. Yell at Chris later," Haley replied.
"What happened?"
"We got mom here to help if we needed her but now none of us can orb back to magic school and the door disappeared from the stair case."
"Uncle Leo is still there," Holly said obviously worried.
Chris quickly sensed for his father and brother but both times hit a blockade. He couldn't believe Wyatt could truly be that influenced by some random people to go against Elders in magic school of all places where not only their father was but also a whole lot of innocent, young witches that were just about to come into their powers.
"We need to find a way to magic school and see what's going on," Paige insisted.
"I'll go. You stay here, I'll be back when I need you," the twenty two year old said.
"You can't orb in there, remember?" Holly replied.
"I know ways to get to magic school. Don't worry about me."
Chris orbed out.
"I always worry the most when he tells me not to worry," the former Charmed One mumbled.
"Especially when he runs off without any potions or a plan for that matter," Holly agreed.
"When you don't know what you're up against, then you don't need a plan," her twin argued.
Holly and her mother both rolled their eyes simultaneously at that statement.
During the time when Wyatt had been evil, magic school had long been the only place for good witches to hide. They had invented many different ways to get behind the safe walls of the school – potions, spells, magic transportation – they all had been created for just this one aim.
Chris had spent hours and hours to have a complete written versions of this alternate timeline. Every little detail he had written down; every spell he had ever used or heard someone else use; information on dozen of demons regardless whether they had worked for or against Wyatt; several pages were lists of potion ingredients, where to find them, how to use them (especially what to take care of); he had also noted various important events including personal thoughts and feelings on the situation. Everything was registered and chronological.
Therefore Chris found information not provided in the Book of Shadows, plus he found it quicker and the combination of both sources often was the key for solving many demonic and other magical problems.
Chris braced himself and let the vial drop down in front of his feet. He was engulfed by purple smoke (He had chosen Billy's transportation potion that only had brought her back and forth to magic school).
When he stepped out of the fog and stood in the cafeteria of magic school.
The young man quietly moved onto the hallway and looked around.
It was dead silent in the school – a more than suspicious and also dangerous sign.
He closed his eyes and sensed for his brother but all he could get was a signal that Wyatt was in "Existence" – no sign of where he was exactly.
Chris decided on a direction. Even though he got closer to the Great Hall it was still silence surrounding him.
He shivered being hit by a wave of cold air.
He turned around narrowing his eyes but couldn't see anyone.
When he turned back to the direction he was going to, he jumped visibly coming face to face with a very angry Elder – Malachy. His robe was dirty and ripped at the collar.
Chris eyes' widened at the sight of the Elder's injured body. He instantly reached out to support Malachy but his hands were pushed aside.
"Well, it's about time someone of the Halliwells show up," he said through gritted teeth. "But unfortunately too late, I guess."
"I'm not too late," Chris disagreed.
"You are," Malachy repeated. "Dark times are ahead of us." He sunk to his knees.
"I can work it out." Chris shook his head. "I can fix this." He kneeled down next to Malachy. "I can fix this," he repeated.
The Elder took a few shuddered breaths. "We all knew that it was too much power for one witch to handle. It was obvious that they are too strong; and their owner too weak."
"That's not true. It's not too late, he is good. I promise." Chris stood up. He contemplated to heal Malachy who pressed a hand to his chest in pain.
"We are the Elders," he whispered. "This will have consequences for all Halliwells."
Chris gave Malachy one last glance but the Elder didn't see it. He was shaken by heavy coughs. It was unnatural loud in the quiet hall.
The young man took a deep breath and walked away, rushing through the hallway towards the Great Hall.
The double doors stood open.
Chris looked in the room shocked, unable to move at the sight of the destroyed antique furniture and the three unmoving bodies clad in golden robes – two female Elders lay dead on the ground.
A few feet away, half covered by broken wood lay the third body – a friend.
Chris dropped on his knees next to him. One of his tears fell on Kevin's pale face. He grabbed the soft, golden fabric. "God, no"
A figure stepped out of the shadows.
"What have you done?" Chris whispered still holding onto Kevin. "What have you done?" he yelled at his brother.
"I had to," Wyatt simply replied slowly walking towards Chris.
"You had to?" Chris shook his head disbelieving. "You had to become a murderer? Why? Explain it to me, Wyatt. Give me one good reason for your actions apart from the excuse that Brandon had brainwashed you for his own goal. Do it, talk!"
Wyatt remained standing, towering over his crouching brother. "I had to make a point. They do what they want, they rule our lives. They take people we love away from us...Mom, Bianca, Noelle. It'll never stop unless we do something. Unless we show them that they don't hold the power over us."
"It's all about power?" Chris asked.
"No, it's all about us. Us as brothers and humans, something they always forget about."
Wyatt crouched down next to Chris holding him by the shoulders. "Chris, we can't let them decide our lives. We can influence our destiny. You told me, remember? The two of us together are way stronger than all the Elders together."
"But we don't use our powers to kill," Chris said desperately. "Please, Wy, snap out of this."
"I'm just trying to live," the blonde replied. "To really live, not just exist for their purpose" In the twenty five year olds eyes flickered pure hate.
"Wyatt!" Chris grabbed his brother's collar. "Wyatt, listen to me, please."
But he was interrupted by a group of five Elders orbing in.
They eyed Wyatt suspiciously.
"See what you've done," a tall skinny Elder stated. "You are corrupted by evil. We will not accept that."
"We'll have to strip you off your powers to protect all of us," another choppy male Elder replied.
"Okay, fine. I don't want them anyway," Wyatt answered. "You'll do me a favour."
A female Elder sighed. "Don't you regret your actions? I'm sure this is not what your mother taught you."
"Leave her out of this! She's dead...also because of you!" Wyatt yelled throwing the Elder into a wall through a wave of his arm.
The tall skinny Elder shot an Elder bolt at Wyatt hitting his shoulder.
Wyatt instantly opened up his force field.
"Just stop it!" Chris yelled frustrated.
Suddenly everyone focused on him.
He stood up approaching his big brother. "Tell me, what can I do, Wyatt? What can I do to help you? Do you want Noelle back, is that it?"
"You can't bring back the dead. I know that, I just want to live in peace and be happy."
"I want that, too," Chris said. "But to what price?"
"I've ready given up everything." Wyatt lowered his shield. He looked into his brother's eyes before orbing out.
"Follow him," the chubby Elder told a forth Elder. He orbed out.
"You can't take his powers," Chris said. "We have a demon to take care of; and an evil witch."
"I'm sorry but he's lost," the female Elder said. She had gotten up again and stood with the other Elders.
"No, give me a change. I can help him. Trust me."
"You couldn't safe him. It's up to us now."
"Whatever you do, it means that I won't see him again. I'm just asking you for a chance."
"We already gave you one," the chubby Elder replied.
"What do you plan?" the tall Elder asked ignoring the protests of the others.
"Just trust me," Chris repeated avoiding them.
There was a small silence before the Elder nodded. "Go. But we'll only give you one hour."
"I don't need that long."