The Dark Half
(This is a continuation of the universe I started in Lineage.)
CHAPTER 1: Nightmare
Demons surrounded the Source in the Main Chamber of the Underworld. The coronation ceremony was about to begin. The last remaining High Priest turned and said, "Are you ready to take the oath?"
"I am," said the Source in a deep voice.
"Then place your hand upon this page of the Grimoire, and repeat after me."
When the oath was complete, the Source glowed with an evil light for a moment. All the demons in the chamber bowed before him. The Source removed his hood from his head.and his face was Michael's.
****
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Michael. He sat straight up in bed, drenched with sweat. His heart was pounding within his chest. He could feel the blood pulsing in his ears. A nightmare, he thought, but it felt so real. He took several deep breaths to try and calm down.
The thunderstorm raging outside seemed nothing compared to the storm inside his head.
Phoebe rolled over and turned on the light. When she saw the state he was in, she put her arms around him and kissed him tenderly. "Are you okay, honey?" she asked.
"No," he said. "I had a nightmare. It was so horrible."
"Shhh," she soothed him. "It was only a dream. You're safe now."
"No, it felt real. I saw a new Source being crowned," he said. "And he had my face." Michael shook his head for a moment. When he looked back at Phoebe, he saw that her face had paled considerably. "You know that I would never allow that to happen, ever."
"I know, but thinking about that still scares me," she said. "How about we try and get some more sleep? I think we'll feel better in the morning."
"Yeah," he said, relaxing in her embrace, "I think so too." He shifted position so that he could put his arms around her. "I love you, Pheebs," he murmured as he drifted back to sleep.
"I love you, too," she whispered back. Being together was the safest place either one of them could think of.
****
Michael woke early the next day. To his own surprise, he found that he was quite calmer about his nightmare. Still, there was a small, nagging suspicion about it that he couldn't shake, but he ignored it. He didn't want Phoebe to worry about anything, not after getting back together with her.
"Good morning, sweetie," said Phoebe as she came into the kitchen. Kissing him on the cheek, she said, "Do you feel any better this morning?"
"Yeah, thanks," he replied. "I can't believe I was so shaken up by it. I mean, I certainly don't plan on becoming the Source anytime soon, and the Grimoire is currently buried in a mountain, so there's nothing to worry about." Piper and Leo then entered the kitchen.
"What were you guys talking about?" asked Piper. "I thought I heard the word 'Grimoire' being mentioned."
"I had a nightmare last night. That's all," replied Michael. He was not in a hurry to worry anybody else. Suddenly, Leo looked skyward.
"Sounds important," he said. He kissed Piper and said, "I'll be back soon." Then he orbed out.
Michael finished his coffee. Turning to Phoebe, he said, "I was going to work out in the basement for a while. Care to join me?"
"Sure, honey," she said in her baby voice. She kissed Michael lightly on the lips. "Just give me a minute to get into some workout clothes." She turned and went upstairs.
As Michael watched her, he wondered for the thousandth time how he had gotten so lucky to find a girl like her. They were perfect for each other. Suddenly, he became aware of a shimmering behind him. He whirled around in time to see a demon hurl an energy ball at him. Michael brought up his hand and deflected it aside. "You guys never seem to learn: NO DEMON has ever left the house of the Charmed Ones ALIVE." Michael immediately gestured to form a fireball.
However, as he did so, the demon reacted in a way he was not expecting.
Rather than shimmering away, the demon dropped to one knee and said, "Forgive me, my liege. I did not recognize you."
Michael slowly turned his head to the right, dreading what he would find there.
And then, his worst fears were confirmed.
He was holding a Source-style fireball, complete with the rotating spiked rings.
"What the hell?" he said, absolute horror spreading through him. He shook himself and threw the fireball at the demon. The explosion was almost instantaneous.
Piper rushed in from the kitchen. "Did something just get vanquished in here?"
Michael nodded slowly. His stomach was churning.
At that moment, Phoebe came downstairs, dressed in a sports bra and shorts. Noticing that Michael's face had started to turn a shade of green, she said, "What's wrong, baby?"
Rather than answer her, Michael ran to the bathroom and promptly vomited.
****
The demon approached Veraline cautiously. The Queen Mother of the Underworld was known for having a short temper, and the demon definitely did not want to get on her bad side.
"What is it?" she snapped irritably.
"The - the Master requests your presence, my lady," said the demon, bowing nervously.
"You're excused." She waved a hand, dismissing the demon. She then flamed to another chamber in the Underworld, where a figure in a black hooded cloak sat on a throne. She bowed respectfully. "My son," she greeted him.
"Hello, Mother," said the Source.
"How have things progressed since the coronation?" asked Veraline.
"It has begun." The faintest outline of an evil smile could be seen within the cloak.
****
"Baby."
Her voice came to Michael from a long way off.
"Baby, wake up."
Michael's eyes fluttered and opened. Phoebe was staring down at him, gently stroking his cheek. He smiled weakly at her. "I passed out, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did," she said, kissing his forehead. "You really scared me there."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," he said. A chill ran up his spine. He then noticed that Piper, Paige, and Leo were standing a few feet away, watching.
"Did something happen?" Phoebe asked tentatively.
"I want to sit up first," he said, pushing himself up with his arms. He reached out for Phoebe's hands and held them tightly. "A demon came to the Manor while you were upstairs. He was targeting me. I went to make a fireball, and the next thing I know, he - he was bowing down to me. I looked at my hand, and the fireball was..." His voice trailed off.
"What about it?" Leo asked.
"It was a Source-style fireball, the kind with the rotating spiked rings." Michael shook his head. "I didn't have that power yesterday. Last night, I had a dream where I was crowned as the new Source. Today, I can throw Source-style fireballs. Would somebody please tell me what the HELL is going on here?" The last part was directed at the ceiling. Then he noticed Leo looking at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"The Elders told me that a demon found the Grimoire and brought it back to the Underworld," said Leo gravely.
"Oh, man." said Michael, realizing the implications. With the Grimoire in evil's possession, a new Source could be crowned.
"But that doesn't explain where the power came from," remarked Phoebe.
"The Elders think that Michael is somehow linked to whoever became the new Source, although they have no idea how that's possible."
"Well, that's just great," said Michael. "For all we know, I could be turning evil right now and we wouldn't even know until it's too late."
"The link is magical, not psychic," explained Leo, "so there's no chance of that happening."
"You know, this could give us an advantage," suggested Paige.
"How exactly does that work?" asked Michael. He could feel a migraine coming on.
"Well, with somebody on our side who has the Source's powers, we would dramatically increase our ability to protect ourselves," said Paige. "Besides which, if demons start thinking you're the Source, it could give the element of surprise when we have to vanquish them."
"That's all well and good, but right now, I think I need to lie down," said Michael, holding his head in his hands.
"C'mon, I'll take you upstairs," said Phoebe, helping Michael to his feet.
"Poor guy," said Piper after they were out of sight. "I can't even imagine what he's going through right now."
"Cole could," said Paige with a hint of sadness in her voice.
****
Phoebe decided to stay with Michael after he lay down. Seeing him so distraught made her want to be with him even more. She wanted him to be comfortable. Phoebe snuggled close to him, hoping that lying close with him would allow her love to calm his spirit.
"You know, you didn't have to stay here with me, not that I'm complaining," said Michael.
"I wanted to," she said. "I hate seeing you so upset."
"I guess I'm still a little freaked out by the whole thing," he admitted.
"You may find this surprising, but I'm not," said Phoebe.
"I AM surprised to hear that, actually," said Michael, facing her, "but I'm glad you're not. Why is that?"
"Well, I've been thinking. Magic isn't inherently good or evil by itself; it depends on the person using it. Now, it just so happens that the Source's powers happened to be originally black in use because they were tied to the Source's evil, but that doesn't mean that they can't be used for good as well."
"You're right," he said. "I hadn't really thought about it from that perspective." He smiled at her. "Thanks for that. I feel a lot better now."
"You're quite welcome," said Phoebe, kissing his lips. "You still want to work out for a while?"
"Sure," said Michael. "I still want to find some answers about all this, but that can wait until afterward." As they both got up from the bed, a mischievous smile crossed Michael's face. "I want to test something here," he said, pulling Phoebe to him. Without warning, he flamed them to the basement.
"Ooh, that was not nice," Phoebe said as they materialized. She playfully slapped his arm.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," said Michael, laughing warmly. "I figured that if I had one of the Source's powers, I probably had others as well." He glanced around at the makeshift gym and smiled. "Shall we?"
****
Veraline sat in her chambers, contemplating the past.
She remarked on how many strange turns her life had taken.
She had grown up to be a very powerful demoness. Being descended from the first Source gave her a very elevated standing in the Underworld, and she had been in the Source's inner circle.
Then she had been sent after Thomas Smith.
Smith was a witch from a very powerful bloodline, and killing him would have ended the threat. She was supposed to get close to him and then kill him.
But something happened that she did not expect.
In getting close to him, she fell in love with him.
Of course, he knew her true nature from the beginning from his ability to sense magic, but it didn't matter to him, because he fell in love with her, too.
So, she turned her back on the Underworld.
For nearly two years, everything was perfect. When she became pregnant with twins, she and Thomas had been overjoyed.
Then the Source decided to intervene.
He realized that the children stood to be the most individually powerful magical beings ever, and he wanted that magic for himself. So, he sent up a legion of demons to kidnap the children and take them to the Underworld.
However, he was only able to take one. As it happened, one of them, Damien, had been left with the housekeeper for the day since he was sick, while Thomas and Veraline had taken the other, Michael, out for the day so the housekeeper would not have to be burdened with two babies.
It turned out to be very fortunate indeed. Thomas and Veraline came home to find the housekeeper dead and Damien missing. The scorch marks were all the evidence they needed to figure out who had invaded their home. Although they were devastated, they resolved to keep their other son safe. They never told him about his brother.
Things stayed that way for twenty four years.
Then it all went to hell.
The Source realized the only way to defeat Veraline was to make her come back to him. So he removed the thing that made her good in the first place.
Thomas.
And what made it worse was that it had been Damien who had done it.
Thomas was no match for him, not nearly powerful enough to survive his evil son's onslaught. Michael, devastated by the loss of his father, cut his ties to the outside world and went to complete his training. When Veraline realized that she had nothing left in the mortal world, she allowed her heart to die, and she went back to the Underworld.
The Source had made only one critical miscalculation.
In his obsession to get Veraline back, he had forgotten about Michael, who was still in the cloak at Castle Stonehenge.
But Veraline hadn't.
After the Source/Seer had been vanquished and the Grimoire was taken by the Charmed Ones, Veraline declared herself Queen of the Underworld by right of blood. She was reunited with Damien, and although he acknowledged her and was loyal to her, he did not love her.
She ruled with an iron fist. All who opposed her or Damien were killed. When there were none left to stand in her way, she had demons sent to find the Grimoire and bring it back to the Underworld, and, after that was done, she decreed that Damien would be the next Source.
Then Michael had come out of the cloak.
She sensed him almost immediately, and her heart, although buried for so long, went out to him.
Deep down, she wanted to go back, to leave the Underworld and be in Michael's life, but she knew that Damien would see to it that she was killed, and she wasn't about to let that happen. Damien, of course, knew about his twin brother, and since their magic had been linked at birth, the coronation had given both of them the full powers of the Source, although he did not have all the same powers as Michael. Damien had his Whitelighter powers stripped as a teenager. And although Damien was her son, she knew that there was no way he could ever embrace his human half and try to redeem his soul. He had been in the Underworld for far too long.
So, Veraline decided to pretend that she was still evil until she could find a way out.
She knew that the ten warlocks would be no match for her son.
Soon, he would be more powerful than ever before.
She just hoped it would be enough to defeat Damien.
TO BE CONTINUED...
(This is a continuation of the universe I started in Lineage.)
CHAPTER 1: Nightmare
Demons surrounded the Source in the Main Chamber of the Underworld. The coronation ceremony was about to begin. The last remaining High Priest turned and said, "Are you ready to take the oath?"
"I am," said the Source in a deep voice.
"Then place your hand upon this page of the Grimoire, and repeat after me."
When the oath was complete, the Source glowed with an evil light for a moment. All the demons in the chamber bowed before him. The Source removed his hood from his head.and his face was Michael's.
****
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Michael. He sat straight up in bed, drenched with sweat. His heart was pounding within his chest. He could feel the blood pulsing in his ears. A nightmare, he thought, but it felt so real. He took several deep breaths to try and calm down.
The thunderstorm raging outside seemed nothing compared to the storm inside his head.
Phoebe rolled over and turned on the light. When she saw the state he was in, she put her arms around him and kissed him tenderly. "Are you okay, honey?" she asked.
"No," he said. "I had a nightmare. It was so horrible."
"Shhh," she soothed him. "It was only a dream. You're safe now."
"No, it felt real. I saw a new Source being crowned," he said. "And he had my face." Michael shook his head for a moment. When he looked back at Phoebe, he saw that her face had paled considerably. "You know that I would never allow that to happen, ever."
"I know, but thinking about that still scares me," she said. "How about we try and get some more sleep? I think we'll feel better in the morning."
"Yeah," he said, relaxing in her embrace, "I think so too." He shifted position so that he could put his arms around her. "I love you, Pheebs," he murmured as he drifted back to sleep.
"I love you, too," she whispered back. Being together was the safest place either one of them could think of.
****
Michael woke early the next day. To his own surprise, he found that he was quite calmer about his nightmare. Still, there was a small, nagging suspicion about it that he couldn't shake, but he ignored it. He didn't want Phoebe to worry about anything, not after getting back together with her.
"Good morning, sweetie," said Phoebe as she came into the kitchen. Kissing him on the cheek, she said, "Do you feel any better this morning?"
"Yeah, thanks," he replied. "I can't believe I was so shaken up by it. I mean, I certainly don't plan on becoming the Source anytime soon, and the Grimoire is currently buried in a mountain, so there's nothing to worry about." Piper and Leo then entered the kitchen.
"What were you guys talking about?" asked Piper. "I thought I heard the word 'Grimoire' being mentioned."
"I had a nightmare last night. That's all," replied Michael. He was not in a hurry to worry anybody else. Suddenly, Leo looked skyward.
"Sounds important," he said. He kissed Piper and said, "I'll be back soon." Then he orbed out.
Michael finished his coffee. Turning to Phoebe, he said, "I was going to work out in the basement for a while. Care to join me?"
"Sure, honey," she said in her baby voice. She kissed Michael lightly on the lips. "Just give me a minute to get into some workout clothes." She turned and went upstairs.
As Michael watched her, he wondered for the thousandth time how he had gotten so lucky to find a girl like her. They were perfect for each other. Suddenly, he became aware of a shimmering behind him. He whirled around in time to see a demon hurl an energy ball at him. Michael brought up his hand and deflected it aside. "You guys never seem to learn: NO DEMON has ever left the house of the Charmed Ones ALIVE." Michael immediately gestured to form a fireball.
However, as he did so, the demon reacted in a way he was not expecting.
Rather than shimmering away, the demon dropped to one knee and said, "Forgive me, my liege. I did not recognize you."
Michael slowly turned his head to the right, dreading what he would find there.
And then, his worst fears were confirmed.
He was holding a Source-style fireball, complete with the rotating spiked rings.
"What the hell?" he said, absolute horror spreading through him. He shook himself and threw the fireball at the demon. The explosion was almost instantaneous.
Piper rushed in from the kitchen. "Did something just get vanquished in here?"
Michael nodded slowly. His stomach was churning.
At that moment, Phoebe came downstairs, dressed in a sports bra and shorts. Noticing that Michael's face had started to turn a shade of green, she said, "What's wrong, baby?"
Rather than answer her, Michael ran to the bathroom and promptly vomited.
****
The demon approached Veraline cautiously. The Queen Mother of the Underworld was known for having a short temper, and the demon definitely did not want to get on her bad side.
"What is it?" she snapped irritably.
"The - the Master requests your presence, my lady," said the demon, bowing nervously.
"You're excused." She waved a hand, dismissing the demon. She then flamed to another chamber in the Underworld, where a figure in a black hooded cloak sat on a throne. She bowed respectfully. "My son," she greeted him.
"Hello, Mother," said the Source.
"How have things progressed since the coronation?" asked Veraline.
"It has begun." The faintest outline of an evil smile could be seen within the cloak.
****
"Baby."
Her voice came to Michael from a long way off.
"Baby, wake up."
Michael's eyes fluttered and opened. Phoebe was staring down at him, gently stroking his cheek. He smiled weakly at her. "I passed out, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did," she said, kissing his forehead. "You really scared me there."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," he said. A chill ran up his spine. He then noticed that Piper, Paige, and Leo were standing a few feet away, watching.
"Did something happen?" Phoebe asked tentatively.
"I want to sit up first," he said, pushing himself up with his arms. He reached out for Phoebe's hands and held them tightly. "A demon came to the Manor while you were upstairs. He was targeting me. I went to make a fireball, and the next thing I know, he - he was bowing down to me. I looked at my hand, and the fireball was..." His voice trailed off.
"What about it?" Leo asked.
"It was a Source-style fireball, the kind with the rotating spiked rings." Michael shook his head. "I didn't have that power yesterday. Last night, I had a dream where I was crowned as the new Source. Today, I can throw Source-style fireballs. Would somebody please tell me what the HELL is going on here?" The last part was directed at the ceiling. Then he noticed Leo looking at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"The Elders told me that a demon found the Grimoire and brought it back to the Underworld," said Leo gravely.
"Oh, man." said Michael, realizing the implications. With the Grimoire in evil's possession, a new Source could be crowned.
"But that doesn't explain where the power came from," remarked Phoebe.
"The Elders think that Michael is somehow linked to whoever became the new Source, although they have no idea how that's possible."
"Well, that's just great," said Michael. "For all we know, I could be turning evil right now and we wouldn't even know until it's too late."
"The link is magical, not psychic," explained Leo, "so there's no chance of that happening."
"You know, this could give us an advantage," suggested Paige.
"How exactly does that work?" asked Michael. He could feel a migraine coming on.
"Well, with somebody on our side who has the Source's powers, we would dramatically increase our ability to protect ourselves," said Paige. "Besides which, if demons start thinking you're the Source, it could give the element of surprise when we have to vanquish them."
"That's all well and good, but right now, I think I need to lie down," said Michael, holding his head in his hands.
"C'mon, I'll take you upstairs," said Phoebe, helping Michael to his feet.
"Poor guy," said Piper after they were out of sight. "I can't even imagine what he's going through right now."
"Cole could," said Paige with a hint of sadness in her voice.
****
Phoebe decided to stay with Michael after he lay down. Seeing him so distraught made her want to be with him even more. She wanted him to be comfortable. Phoebe snuggled close to him, hoping that lying close with him would allow her love to calm his spirit.
"You know, you didn't have to stay here with me, not that I'm complaining," said Michael.
"I wanted to," she said. "I hate seeing you so upset."
"I guess I'm still a little freaked out by the whole thing," he admitted.
"You may find this surprising, but I'm not," said Phoebe.
"I AM surprised to hear that, actually," said Michael, facing her, "but I'm glad you're not. Why is that?"
"Well, I've been thinking. Magic isn't inherently good or evil by itself; it depends on the person using it. Now, it just so happens that the Source's powers happened to be originally black in use because they were tied to the Source's evil, but that doesn't mean that they can't be used for good as well."
"You're right," he said. "I hadn't really thought about it from that perspective." He smiled at her. "Thanks for that. I feel a lot better now."
"You're quite welcome," said Phoebe, kissing his lips. "You still want to work out for a while?"
"Sure," said Michael. "I still want to find some answers about all this, but that can wait until afterward." As they both got up from the bed, a mischievous smile crossed Michael's face. "I want to test something here," he said, pulling Phoebe to him. Without warning, he flamed them to the basement.
"Ooh, that was not nice," Phoebe said as they materialized. She playfully slapped his arm.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," said Michael, laughing warmly. "I figured that if I had one of the Source's powers, I probably had others as well." He glanced around at the makeshift gym and smiled. "Shall we?"
****
Veraline sat in her chambers, contemplating the past.
She remarked on how many strange turns her life had taken.
She had grown up to be a very powerful demoness. Being descended from the first Source gave her a very elevated standing in the Underworld, and she had been in the Source's inner circle.
Then she had been sent after Thomas Smith.
Smith was a witch from a very powerful bloodline, and killing him would have ended the threat. She was supposed to get close to him and then kill him.
But something happened that she did not expect.
In getting close to him, she fell in love with him.
Of course, he knew her true nature from the beginning from his ability to sense magic, but it didn't matter to him, because he fell in love with her, too.
So, she turned her back on the Underworld.
For nearly two years, everything was perfect. When she became pregnant with twins, she and Thomas had been overjoyed.
Then the Source decided to intervene.
He realized that the children stood to be the most individually powerful magical beings ever, and he wanted that magic for himself. So, he sent up a legion of demons to kidnap the children and take them to the Underworld.
However, he was only able to take one. As it happened, one of them, Damien, had been left with the housekeeper for the day since he was sick, while Thomas and Veraline had taken the other, Michael, out for the day so the housekeeper would not have to be burdened with two babies.
It turned out to be very fortunate indeed. Thomas and Veraline came home to find the housekeeper dead and Damien missing. The scorch marks were all the evidence they needed to figure out who had invaded their home. Although they were devastated, they resolved to keep their other son safe. They never told him about his brother.
Things stayed that way for twenty four years.
Then it all went to hell.
The Source realized the only way to defeat Veraline was to make her come back to him. So he removed the thing that made her good in the first place.
Thomas.
And what made it worse was that it had been Damien who had done it.
Thomas was no match for him, not nearly powerful enough to survive his evil son's onslaught. Michael, devastated by the loss of his father, cut his ties to the outside world and went to complete his training. When Veraline realized that she had nothing left in the mortal world, she allowed her heart to die, and she went back to the Underworld.
The Source had made only one critical miscalculation.
In his obsession to get Veraline back, he had forgotten about Michael, who was still in the cloak at Castle Stonehenge.
But Veraline hadn't.
After the Source/Seer had been vanquished and the Grimoire was taken by the Charmed Ones, Veraline declared herself Queen of the Underworld by right of blood. She was reunited with Damien, and although he acknowledged her and was loyal to her, he did not love her.
She ruled with an iron fist. All who opposed her or Damien were killed. When there were none left to stand in her way, she had demons sent to find the Grimoire and bring it back to the Underworld, and, after that was done, she decreed that Damien would be the next Source.
Then Michael had come out of the cloak.
She sensed him almost immediately, and her heart, although buried for so long, went out to him.
Deep down, she wanted to go back, to leave the Underworld and be in Michael's life, but she knew that Damien would see to it that she was killed, and she wasn't about to let that happen. Damien, of course, knew about his twin brother, and since their magic had been linked at birth, the coronation had given both of them the full powers of the Source, although he did not have all the same powers as Michael. Damien had his Whitelighter powers stripped as a teenager. And although Damien was her son, she knew that there was no way he could ever embrace his human half and try to redeem his soul. He had been in the Underworld for far too long.
So, Veraline decided to pretend that she was still evil until she could find a way out.
She knew that the ten warlocks would be no match for her son.
Soon, he would be more powerful than ever before.
She just hoped it would be enough to defeat Damien.
TO BE CONTINUED...