Well, this is the last chapter of this story. Don't worry; there will be a sequel, and soon. The reason I'm making the sequel rather than continuing on with this one is because this story was meant to be in season four, and my plans for furthering the plot require it to move into seasons five and six. The other major reason is because the file size of the story is getting pretty large and I prefer to work with smaller files. Well, here's the final chapter of The Greatest Power.
Chapter 37:
Paige was calling for Jerome. She wanted to thank him for saving their lives and helping to defeat Amenti. By helping vanquish Amenti Jerome had saved tons of love and thousands of lives, including the lives of the Charmed Ones. Paige hadn't discussed it with her sisters, but she figured they would have to admit that Jerome's actions with Amenti more than made up for killing Prue. She figured she could convince Piper and Phoebe to let Jerome back into their lives. Maybe he wouldn't be allowed to stay in their house, but he could at least help them and gain some of his powers back.
"Jerome! Come on, I know you can hear me, get over here!" Paige yelled.
Jerome Flickered behind her and said "You called?"
Paige jumped; Flickering was a silent form of teleportation, so she hadn't heard Jerome until he spoke. "I just wanted to say, thank you for helping us with Amenti. We owe you our lives," she said.
"You don't owe me anything. I ruined your lives by killing your sister. Saving them was the least I could do to make amends," Jerome said.
"You didn't ruin our lives. I don't mean to sound selfish or heartless, but if Prue hadn't died I would never have been united with my sisters, and I would never have become a witch," Paige said.
"I still ruined your sisters' lives," Jerome said.
"I doubt they think that anymore. If I talked to them I'm sure they would be more than happy to let you help us, like you were sent to do," Paige said.
"No. I'm not going to come back," Jerome said.
"Why not?" Paige asked.
"There are certain... things that I need to look into. You won't see or hear from me until you need me," Jerome replied.
"We need you now," Paige said.
"No. You don't need me. Your bond as sisters is strong. You will be perfectly fine without me, for now," Jerome said cryptically.
"Wait, what do you mean for now?" Paige asked.
"Goodbye, Paige," Jerome said. Jerome Orbed away, leaving Paige confused and sad.
"Goodbye," Paige whispered.
Piper, Leo, Cole, and Phoebe came into the attic a few minutes later. "Paige, there you are," Phoebe said.
"Oh, hey," Paige replied.
"Listen, Paige, we've been talking, and we were thinking that Jerome has more than made up for killing Prue. We're willing to let him come back," Piper said.
"After all, he saved our lives and the lives of countless future innocents," Phoebe said.
"Both I and the Elders agree that he can be trusted, now. He put everything he had into defending you," Leo said.
Paige looked at them, her expression getting sadder and sadder. "He was just here. I told him that you would probably let him come back, but it didn't matter. He still left. He's gone," Paige said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Piper and Phoebe hugged Paige to comfort her. After everything Jerome had done for them, they were pretty sad, too. Even Phoebe, who hadn't trusted Jerome since the day they first met him. Cole and Leo, too, were sad that Jerome was gone. All they had were his last words. "You will be perfectly fine without me, for now." What did he mean by for now? Was there an evil so powerful that they wouldn't be able to defeat it without him? If so, when was it coming?
Confectrix, the destroyer; Evorsor, the obliterator; Segregatio, the elimination; Finis, the end; and Temeravit, the desecration; and Segravit, the name He used last time he broke free. All of these names He had used upon breaking free. Now, however, was a new time. A new language. A new world. His new name would be Excisio. He was destruction, obliteration, ruin! He was close, so close to breaking free. The bonds that held him were growing weaker and weaker. Soon, they would be weak enough that He would be able to destroy them and break free once again. The power of the obelisk was weakening, His chains were loosening, and He was so close to freedom. Not even the interference of the Defenders of the Grand Design could stop His escape. His escape was imminent.
Author's Note:
This is the final chapter of this story, as I mentioned earlier. Yeah, I know it's extremely short, but all it's meant to do is tie a loose end or two and give me a chance to tell you this: the next story will be called Jerome's Return, and it will be posted in the next few days. Keep an eye out for it and feel free to leave a review with ideas for the next story and anything else you'd like to leave in a review.