Cleansing part 2
This story takes place after the episode "Sam I am". I do not own any of the characters of charmed, I just write about them.
"Leo, could the Elders tell you anything?" Piper demanded.
"I'm sorry, but there are just too many things Damon could do with the Gem for them to even know. They checked all the other major Good artifacts, and they're all there. Unfortunately, that's all they can do."
"The Elders are useless, how surprising," Paige said sarcastically.
"Cut them some slack, they weren't expecting you to give an artifact as powerful as the Gem to evil," Leo retorted, and then added, "I'm sorry. I just feel so useless right now. I just wish we could find out what Damon is up to."
"Your wish shall be granted," a new voice said. Piper and the sisters looked up as Damon shimmered in. Piper started to gesture, but Damon smiled and continued, "I would be more than happy to fight you, considering how powerful I now am. However, I require some messengers, and you'll do nicely."
Phoebe pushed Piper's hands down, and asked, "Messengers for what?"
Damon's smile widened, and she said, "Well, well. You finally show some insight and common sense. I must say I'm shocked given how pig-headed and evil you've been recently."
"I'm not evil, and I don't do evil," Phoebe countered.
"Oh, am I thinking of a different Phoebe Halliwell?" Damon asked with mocking surprise. "The Phoebe I'm thinking of took a man who could be a powerful force for good, and utterly crushed him. My congratulations, by the way. That evil is very impressive." Damon concluded with a mocking bow.
"What do you want," Paige interrupted, as Phoebe's face went pale.
"I just came so you can present a gift to the Elders for me," Damon continued. He threw a set of wood scraps at the sisters, who let them fall to the ground.
"That's it, a bunch of scraps? What are we supposed to be fright..." Paige began, but she stopped as Leo's face went ashen.
He had bent to pick up the fragments, and something on them scared him. Leo jumped up and said, "ARE YOU INSANE! Do you have ANY idea what you have unleashed?"
"Yes, I do," Damon replied.
"Leo, what's wrong?" Piper asked.
"Piper, look at these fragments! What do they remind you of?" Leo handed a fragment to Piper. Piper studied it curiously. The runes were vaguely familiar, almost as if she had seen something like that before. But the last time she saw runes on wood was...
Piper started shaking her head, and said vehemently, "No, NO, it can't be..." she whirled to Damon and continued, "YOU UNLEASHED THE HOLLOW!"
As the other two sisters gasped, Damon started to clap. "Very nice, I'm glad you figured it out. Yes, the Hollow and I are now one, and there is no way to stop me. Using it, I will cleanse all of magic, and make the world a better place. However, I'm going to save you three for last, because I could never have accomplished all of this if you hadn't done my three huge favors."
"What favors?" Paige said suspiciously.
"As I'm sure Leo will tell you, the first thing you did was devastate evil," Damon said. "If you hadn't done that, you may have been able to get create another box. Now though...as for the second thing, shall I remind you who gave me the Gem that let me get the Hollow out? Oh, well, it is time to go, so much magic to absorb, so little time."
As Damon prepared to leave, Phoebe asked, "Wait, what was the third favor?"
Damon smiled, and said, "I'll let you figure that out on your own. It will be so much better that way." He then laughed and shimmered out.
Piper leaned back in Leo's embrace, needing that comfort. No one spoke for several minutes, and then Phoebe asked, "So, what do we do now?"
"I'm not sure there is anything we can do," Piper said. "We didn't ever vanquish the Hollow, Evil banded together with us to stop it. Even then, we had a complete box...wait, can we reassemble it?"
Leo shook his head, and said, "No, it would require great power from Good and Evil. We can keep up our end, but only a crowned Source would have enough power to complement us, and we have stopped that from happening."
"What about Cole?" Paige asked.
Leo sighed, and commented, "Even if we could find him, Cole lost the part of him that was the Source. Each side didn't trust the other, and so they did their magic separately before combining them into the box. Even if Cole had enough power, he doesn't have the knowledge required to do it."
"Well, we can't just sit here and wait to die!" Phoebe shouted.
"I never suggested that, I was merely..." Leo began, but then his eyes lost focus. When he came back, he was visibly shaken.
"What's going on?" Piper asked.
"The Elders are calling," Leo began.
"Probably want you to report in..." Paige commented, but Leo shook his head.
"They already knew...no, they want to see us. ALL of us," Leo replied.
****
In Africa, a woman was just closing up her shop. The name of the store translated to "Magic Shop." She was just finishing when a man came in. She looked up and pointed to the sign on the door that said CLOSED.
The man smiled, and said, "No, I'm afraid I've come for something else, witch." He then began to approach the woman menacingly. The woman thrust her hands up, and two bolts of lightning shot out of them. They hit the man and blew him up, leaving a swarm of black shapes. A few seconds later, the man reformed. He smiled and said, "Thank you." He then raised his hand and fired a lightning bolt back. The woman was slammed against the wall, her midsection gone. She was dead before she hit the wall. The man smiled, and then shimmered out.
****
"We are deeply concerned about what is happening on Earth," One of the Elders began. The sisters were in a chamber somewhere up in heaven, surrounded by five of the Elders. Each one stood solemnly, cloaked and hidden so no one could see their faces.
"Yeah, well, we're kind of worried too," Paige replied, and Leo winced. He really wished they would show proper respect.
It seemed the lead Elder smiled, and then he said, "Don't think we are not aware of the debt we owe you, we just wanted you to understand our position."
"Didn't any of you see this coming?" Piper asked. "No offense, but at least one of you can see the future. Why didn't you detect this?"
The Elder on the far right pulled back his hood, and the sisters recognized Kevin, the boy who they had helped become an Elder several months ago. "There were too many possibilities for me to find the one true path. I knew something evil was coming, but I simply could not tell what it was. I am sorry, but we had no idea it was coming."
"The bottom line is, we have to take drastic action if we are to survive," the lead Elder said. "It is only a matter of time before Damon defeats every magical being on earth. We have already dispatched whitelighters to bring as many witches as possible up here to try and slow Damon down, but it is only a matter of time before he will get here. Therefore, we are breaking one of our most ancient traditions. It was a very close vote, but we have no choice."
"What's the decision?" Phoebe asked.
The lead Elder looked at the sisters for a few moments, and then he turned back to Leo and said, "Whitelighter Leo, you are ordered to take your charges to the Library of Nivara."
Leo looked like he had been hit by a lightning bolt. "Are you sure? I mean, you know..."
"Yes, Leo, we are sure," the Lead Elder interrupted.
"Leo, what is this library?" Paige asked.
Leo sighed, and then said, "It is the most extensive library of good magic in existence, and the most closely guarded secret. There is a spell on every Book of magic a witch uses, one that creates a copy in the library. Everything written in there as long as you are good is also put in the other book."
"Wait, so OUR Book of Shadows is there?" Phoebe asked.
"Yes, along with thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of others, not to mention all the other works. Every good being with magic who has ever written down anything about the powers of good has a book somewhere there. If there is a way to stop the Hollow, it will be there."
"Well, then let's go," Paige said. "No offense, but time is awasting."
The Lead Elder seemed to smile, and then said, "Very well. I have already told the archivist you'll be coming. Good luck."
As soon as they were gone, Kevin turned to the others and said, "Are you sure we did the right thing?"
The Lead Elder sighed, and replied, "We did what we had to do."
"But you know what they'll find there," Kevin continued, "It is the same thing you found when I told you the Hollow was going to be unleashed a month ago. We could have saved them a trip."
"Yes, but they have to find that same information for themselves," another Elder said. "If they don't, they won't believe it, or may doubt it."
"Well, we could have tried to help, tried to convince..." Kevin began.
"How? We stood NO chance of getting the help we needed. Only they had the chance, and given how it has played out, I'm no longer sure even they can get it. We may well still be doomed."
****
A group of demons were gathered in the Underworld. Each led a faction of demons, and each had been asked to come to a meeting by someone who wanted to be the new Source. While this was a common meeting now that the position was open, this invitation was different. After they arrived and sat down, there was still no sign of the contender.
Suddenly, he was there, and one of the demons snarled. "Damon, how dare you show your face again?" he said threateningly. "You were banished by the Source centuries ago for your ideas. Leave, or I will kill you myself."
Damon smiled, and said, "Things have changed, and I would love for you to try and kill me. Come on, show me what you have."
Three of the faction leaders threw energy balls. Damon blew apart, leaving behind a cloud of dark energy. A few moments later, he was back, and smiling. The same demons tried again, and found their powers didn't work!
Damon looked around, and then he gestured. A forcefield appeared around the chamber. When the demons looked back, Damon smiled and commented, "A power I picked up from a witch I ran across. Now then, I am no longer Damon, I am the Hollow!" As the demons paled, Damon continued, "Good, you know what I'm talking about. Now then, all of you will give me your powers. You can do it willingly, and I'll let you leave. Or I will torture you until you use them. It is your choice. I am waiting. You each have one minute to decide."
****
When the sisters could see again, they gasped. They were in a vast chamber, with tables in the center. On all the walls were bookcases stocked full of books, and the bookcases went in all directions (including up) as far as the eye could see.
"My god! There must be a million books here," Paige exclaimed.
"Actually, there are 7,125,856 books," a thin querulous voice said. The sisters whirled to find a gnarly old man looking at them with unabashed curiosity. To the sisters' shock, the man had POINTED ears.
"My goodness. A human, I haven't seen one of those in centuries," the man looked at each, and his eyes widened suddenly when he saw Piper. "OH MY GOD! You are pregnant, this is SO EXCITING." Before Piper could move, the man had put a hand on her stomach. He felt for a moment as Piper tried to adjust, and then said, "Do you mind if I conduct a few thousand tests. There is just so much..."
"Are you the archivist?" Leo interrupted.
The man looked back at Leo and smiled. He then slapped his head and replied, "Oh, how silly of me! My name is Banfiz, and I am the archivist." Banfiz shook each of their hands hard and then asked, "So, what do you need to know about?"
"I thought the Elders told you. We are looking for information on the Hollow," Piper said in confusion.
Banfiz slapped his head again, and said, "Right, of course. I'm sorry. I was distracted exploring the most powerful forces in the world."
"What forces are those?" Paige asked excitedly.
Banfiz looked around, and then leaned into Paige. He then whispered, "Sugar cookies and Weinershnitzels."
"Huh?" Paige asked.
"Never mind. That is obviously far beyond your training," Banfiz said solemnly. "Now then, the books you can start with are over there." As Banfiz pointed, the sisters saw a stack of books that wasn't there before. Before they could comment, Banfiz continued, "I will go get some of the more obscure texts. And consider my request for tests," he shouted back at Piper as he ran off.
"What the hell is with him?" Phoebe asked as they walked to the table.
"Banfiz is the last of his type of magic, and is very powerful. He is just a bit...eccentric, but that is his magic type," Leo explained.
"What magic type is that?" Paige asked.
"Chaos Wizard," Leo replied, and then said, "now, come on, we have work to do."
****
"Don't worry, I'll think we'll be safe here," the man said to his daughter and wife. "I don't think the demon will look here, so we can wait for Jen to get here."
As he finished speaking, two things happened. A Whitelighter orbed in, and the door exploded inward. The family flew backwards. The Whitelighter grabbed the wife and the daughter and began to orb out.
"Wait, what about my husband!" the woman shouted.
"I'm sorry, but there's no time," the Whitelighter said compassionately, and then they were gone.
Damon calmly walked into the room, and surveyed it. He walked over to the man, who was slowly coming to his feet. "Now then, are you going to use your powers, or do I have to torture you to get them?"
The man smiled, and said, "Go ahead."
Damon shrugged, and slammed his fist into the man's face, shattering his nose. The man fell back, and Damon said, "Will you give it to me now?"
The man got to his feet, and to Damon's astonishment, he was UNHARMED. "Is that all you've got?" the man said with a sneer.
"Well, well. Incredibly rapid healing. This was unexpected." Damon thought for a moment, and then said, "Oh, well, I can deal with that." With brutal speed, Damon's arm shot out and slammed into the man's chest. He grabbed the man's heart, and waited. Sure enough, the man's power activated, and tried to heal it. Within seconds, the power was Damon's. Damon smiled at the man, who was in obvious pain. He leaned forward and whispered, "Don't worry...your wife and child will join you." He then pulled out the man's heart.
****
"Ugghhh," Paige said as she pulled the book away. "How long have we been here?"
"About five minutes," Banfiz said as he returned.
"What? We've been here for hours," Paige said.
"Yes, in here, but outside in your world, five minutes have passed. One of the spells here that I activated for you," Banzif replied absently.
"Look, there has to be something here we are just missing," Piper said. "I can't believe in all these books on the Hollow, there is nothing to help us."
"Well, that is why I brought you this," Banzif said, as he handed over a well-worn volume. "This is the journal of the man who was the High Elder at the time of the Hollow. He and the Source sealed it away. I found page 86 the most useful."
"Let me read it out loud," Leo commented. "The time of the Sealing grows close. I just hope Magos can keep it contained long enough. He is our only chance, the only one immune. Who would have thought I would ever rely on a demon?" Leo looked up, and said, "Immune, wait, I read something about him somewhere."
"Yeah, it is right here," Paige said, "Magos was a demon possessed by the Hollow. He eventually was tossed aside for a new vessel. The Source, low on demons, gave Magos more powers, and Magos was somehow immune to the Hollow."
"Wait, there's more," Leo said, "My theory is that something in the symbiosis of the Hollow and its host gives them a certain gift. Whatever the reason, all those beings possessed by the Hollow and then released were found to be able to keep their powers against the Hollow. Apparently, the Hollow grants its hosts immunity for passage. Whatever the reason, these beings are the only ones who can stop the Hollow. Unfortunately, none of them were very strong to start with, so we had no choice but to seal it away. We made the cage, and they got it in."
"So, what they're saying is if someone somehow kept their powers after the Hollow possessed them, they would be able to use them against it?" Piper asked. When Leo nodded, she added, "And if that person was strong enough, to destroy it forever?"
"That's what it sounds like," Banzif said.
"Well, it's too bad we don't have someone like that..." Paige began, but Phoebe's gasp stopped her. The sisters turned, and cried out. Phoebe had gone dead white, and had fallen back in her chair heavily.
"Phoebe, what's wrong?" Piper asked.
"I understand it now, I know what the third favor to Damon was," Phoebe said.
"What?" Paige asked.
"Don't you get it? We have someone who fits those criteria, someone both powerful and immune," Phoebe said bitterly.
"Who..." Piper began, and then she went pale and whispered, "Cole."
Phoebe let out a bitter laugh, and then added, "Cole is the only one who could stand against Damon and stop him, and I...we drove him away. If we hadn't gotten rid of him, Cole could have stopped Damon."
"You know what that means, don't you?" Leo asked.
Phoebe nodded slowly, and said, "Whatever the cost, whatever it takes, we have to find Cole."
TO BE CONTINUED...
This story takes place after the episode "Sam I am". I do not own any of the characters of charmed, I just write about them.
"Leo, could the Elders tell you anything?" Piper demanded.
"I'm sorry, but there are just too many things Damon could do with the Gem for them to even know. They checked all the other major Good artifacts, and they're all there. Unfortunately, that's all they can do."
"The Elders are useless, how surprising," Paige said sarcastically.
"Cut them some slack, they weren't expecting you to give an artifact as powerful as the Gem to evil," Leo retorted, and then added, "I'm sorry. I just feel so useless right now. I just wish we could find out what Damon is up to."
"Your wish shall be granted," a new voice said. Piper and the sisters looked up as Damon shimmered in. Piper started to gesture, but Damon smiled and continued, "I would be more than happy to fight you, considering how powerful I now am. However, I require some messengers, and you'll do nicely."
Phoebe pushed Piper's hands down, and asked, "Messengers for what?"
Damon's smile widened, and she said, "Well, well. You finally show some insight and common sense. I must say I'm shocked given how pig-headed and evil you've been recently."
"I'm not evil, and I don't do evil," Phoebe countered.
"Oh, am I thinking of a different Phoebe Halliwell?" Damon asked with mocking surprise. "The Phoebe I'm thinking of took a man who could be a powerful force for good, and utterly crushed him. My congratulations, by the way. That evil is very impressive." Damon concluded with a mocking bow.
"What do you want," Paige interrupted, as Phoebe's face went pale.
"I just came so you can present a gift to the Elders for me," Damon continued. He threw a set of wood scraps at the sisters, who let them fall to the ground.
"That's it, a bunch of scraps? What are we supposed to be fright..." Paige began, but she stopped as Leo's face went ashen.
He had bent to pick up the fragments, and something on them scared him. Leo jumped up and said, "ARE YOU INSANE! Do you have ANY idea what you have unleashed?"
"Yes, I do," Damon replied.
"Leo, what's wrong?" Piper asked.
"Piper, look at these fragments! What do they remind you of?" Leo handed a fragment to Piper. Piper studied it curiously. The runes were vaguely familiar, almost as if she had seen something like that before. But the last time she saw runes on wood was...
Piper started shaking her head, and said vehemently, "No, NO, it can't be..." she whirled to Damon and continued, "YOU UNLEASHED THE HOLLOW!"
As the other two sisters gasped, Damon started to clap. "Very nice, I'm glad you figured it out. Yes, the Hollow and I are now one, and there is no way to stop me. Using it, I will cleanse all of magic, and make the world a better place. However, I'm going to save you three for last, because I could never have accomplished all of this if you hadn't done my three huge favors."
"What favors?" Paige said suspiciously.
"As I'm sure Leo will tell you, the first thing you did was devastate evil," Damon said. "If you hadn't done that, you may have been able to get create another box. Now though...as for the second thing, shall I remind you who gave me the Gem that let me get the Hollow out? Oh, well, it is time to go, so much magic to absorb, so little time."
As Damon prepared to leave, Phoebe asked, "Wait, what was the third favor?"
Damon smiled, and said, "I'll let you figure that out on your own. It will be so much better that way." He then laughed and shimmered out.
Piper leaned back in Leo's embrace, needing that comfort. No one spoke for several minutes, and then Phoebe asked, "So, what do we do now?"
"I'm not sure there is anything we can do," Piper said. "We didn't ever vanquish the Hollow, Evil banded together with us to stop it. Even then, we had a complete box...wait, can we reassemble it?"
Leo shook his head, and said, "No, it would require great power from Good and Evil. We can keep up our end, but only a crowned Source would have enough power to complement us, and we have stopped that from happening."
"What about Cole?" Paige asked.
Leo sighed, and commented, "Even if we could find him, Cole lost the part of him that was the Source. Each side didn't trust the other, and so they did their magic separately before combining them into the box. Even if Cole had enough power, he doesn't have the knowledge required to do it."
"Well, we can't just sit here and wait to die!" Phoebe shouted.
"I never suggested that, I was merely..." Leo began, but then his eyes lost focus. When he came back, he was visibly shaken.
"What's going on?" Piper asked.
"The Elders are calling," Leo began.
"Probably want you to report in..." Paige commented, but Leo shook his head.
"They already knew...no, they want to see us. ALL of us," Leo replied.
****
In Africa, a woman was just closing up her shop. The name of the store translated to "Magic Shop." She was just finishing when a man came in. She looked up and pointed to the sign on the door that said CLOSED.
The man smiled, and said, "No, I'm afraid I've come for something else, witch." He then began to approach the woman menacingly. The woman thrust her hands up, and two bolts of lightning shot out of them. They hit the man and blew him up, leaving a swarm of black shapes. A few seconds later, the man reformed. He smiled and said, "Thank you." He then raised his hand and fired a lightning bolt back. The woman was slammed against the wall, her midsection gone. She was dead before she hit the wall. The man smiled, and then shimmered out.
****
"We are deeply concerned about what is happening on Earth," One of the Elders began. The sisters were in a chamber somewhere up in heaven, surrounded by five of the Elders. Each one stood solemnly, cloaked and hidden so no one could see their faces.
"Yeah, well, we're kind of worried too," Paige replied, and Leo winced. He really wished they would show proper respect.
It seemed the lead Elder smiled, and then he said, "Don't think we are not aware of the debt we owe you, we just wanted you to understand our position."
"Didn't any of you see this coming?" Piper asked. "No offense, but at least one of you can see the future. Why didn't you detect this?"
The Elder on the far right pulled back his hood, and the sisters recognized Kevin, the boy who they had helped become an Elder several months ago. "There were too many possibilities for me to find the one true path. I knew something evil was coming, but I simply could not tell what it was. I am sorry, but we had no idea it was coming."
"The bottom line is, we have to take drastic action if we are to survive," the lead Elder said. "It is only a matter of time before Damon defeats every magical being on earth. We have already dispatched whitelighters to bring as many witches as possible up here to try and slow Damon down, but it is only a matter of time before he will get here. Therefore, we are breaking one of our most ancient traditions. It was a very close vote, but we have no choice."
"What's the decision?" Phoebe asked.
The lead Elder looked at the sisters for a few moments, and then he turned back to Leo and said, "Whitelighter Leo, you are ordered to take your charges to the Library of Nivara."
Leo looked like he had been hit by a lightning bolt. "Are you sure? I mean, you know..."
"Yes, Leo, we are sure," the Lead Elder interrupted.
"Leo, what is this library?" Paige asked.
Leo sighed, and then said, "It is the most extensive library of good magic in existence, and the most closely guarded secret. There is a spell on every Book of magic a witch uses, one that creates a copy in the library. Everything written in there as long as you are good is also put in the other book."
"Wait, so OUR Book of Shadows is there?" Phoebe asked.
"Yes, along with thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of others, not to mention all the other works. Every good being with magic who has ever written down anything about the powers of good has a book somewhere there. If there is a way to stop the Hollow, it will be there."
"Well, then let's go," Paige said. "No offense, but time is awasting."
The Lead Elder seemed to smile, and then said, "Very well. I have already told the archivist you'll be coming. Good luck."
As soon as they were gone, Kevin turned to the others and said, "Are you sure we did the right thing?"
The Lead Elder sighed, and replied, "We did what we had to do."
"But you know what they'll find there," Kevin continued, "It is the same thing you found when I told you the Hollow was going to be unleashed a month ago. We could have saved them a trip."
"Yes, but they have to find that same information for themselves," another Elder said. "If they don't, they won't believe it, or may doubt it."
"Well, we could have tried to help, tried to convince..." Kevin began.
"How? We stood NO chance of getting the help we needed. Only they had the chance, and given how it has played out, I'm no longer sure even they can get it. We may well still be doomed."
****
A group of demons were gathered in the Underworld. Each led a faction of demons, and each had been asked to come to a meeting by someone who wanted to be the new Source. While this was a common meeting now that the position was open, this invitation was different. After they arrived and sat down, there was still no sign of the contender.
Suddenly, he was there, and one of the demons snarled. "Damon, how dare you show your face again?" he said threateningly. "You were banished by the Source centuries ago for your ideas. Leave, or I will kill you myself."
Damon smiled, and said, "Things have changed, and I would love for you to try and kill me. Come on, show me what you have."
Three of the faction leaders threw energy balls. Damon blew apart, leaving behind a cloud of dark energy. A few moments later, he was back, and smiling. The same demons tried again, and found their powers didn't work!
Damon looked around, and then he gestured. A forcefield appeared around the chamber. When the demons looked back, Damon smiled and commented, "A power I picked up from a witch I ran across. Now then, I am no longer Damon, I am the Hollow!" As the demons paled, Damon continued, "Good, you know what I'm talking about. Now then, all of you will give me your powers. You can do it willingly, and I'll let you leave. Or I will torture you until you use them. It is your choice. I am waiting. You each have one minute to decide."
****
When the sisters could see again, they gasped. They were in a vast chamber, with tables in the center. On all the walls were bookcases stocked full of books, and the bookcases went in all directions (including up) as far as the eye could see.
"My god! There must be a million books here," Paige exclaimed.
"Actually, there are 7,125,856 books," a thin querulous voice said. The sisters whirled to find a gnarly old man looking at them with unabashed curiosity. To the sisters' shock, the man had POINTED ears.
"My goodness. A human, I haven't seen one of those in centuries," the man looked at each, and his eyes widened suddenly when he saw Piper. "OH MY GOD! You are pregnant, this is SO EXCITING." Before Piper could move, the man had put a hand on her stomach. He felt for a moment as Piper tried to adjust, and then said, "Do you mind if I conduct a few thousand tests. There is just so much..."
"Are you the archivist?" Leo interrupted.
The man looked back at Leo and smiled. He then slapped his head and replied, "Oh, how silly of me! My name is Banfiz, and I am the archivist." Banfiz shook each of their hands hard and then asked, "So, what do you need to know about?"
"I thought the Elders told you. We are looking for information on the Hollow," Piper said in confusion.
Banfiz slapped his head again, and said, "Right, of course. I'm sorry. I was distracted exploring the most powerful forces in the world."
"What forces are those?" Paige asked excitedly.
Banfiz looked around, and then leaned into Paige. He then whispered, "Sugar cookies and Weinershnitzels."
"Huh?" Paige asked.
"Never mind. That is obviously far beyond your training," Banfiz said solemnly. "Now then, the books you can start with are over there." As Banfiz pointed, the sisters saw a stack of books that wasn't there before. Before they could comment, Banfiz continued, "I will go get some of the more obscure texts. And consider my request for tests," he shouted back at Piper as he ran off.
"What the hell is with him?" Phoebe asked as they walked to the table.
"Banfiz is the last of his type of magic, and is very powerful. He is just a bit...eccentric, but that is his magic type," Leo explained.
"What magic type is that?" Paige asked.
"Chaos Wizard," Leo replied, and then said, "now, come on, we have work to do."
****
"Don't worry, I'll think we'll be safe here," the man said to his daughter and wife. "I don't think the demon will look here, so we can wait for Jen to get here."
As he finished speaking, two things happened. A Whitelighter orbed in, and the door exploded inward. The family flew backwards. The Whitelighter grabbed the wife and the daughter and began to orb out.
"Wait, what about my husband!" the woman shouted.
"I'm sorry, but there's no time," the Whitelighter said compassionately, and then they were gone.
Damon calmly walked into the room, and surveyed it. He walked over to the man, who was slowly coming to his feet. "Now then, are you going to use your powers, or do I have to torture you to get them?"
The man smiled, and said, "Go ahead."
Damon shrugged, and slammed his fist into the man's face, shattering his nose. The man fell back, and Damon said, "Will you give it to me now?"
The man got to his feet, and to Damon's astonishment, he was UNHARMED. "Is that all you've got?" the man said with a sneer.
"Well, well. Incredibly rapid healing. This was unexpected." Damon thought for a moment, and then said, "Oh, well, I can deal with that." With brutal speed, Damon's arm shot out and slammed into the man's chest. He grabbed the man's heart, and waited. Sure enough, the man's power activated, and tried to heal it. Within seconds, the power was Damon's. Damon smiled at the man, who was in obvious pain. He leaned forward and whispered, "Don't worry...your wife and child will join you." He then pulled out the man's heart.
****
"Ugghhh," Paige said as she pulled the book away. "How long have we been here?"
"About five minutes," Banfiz said as he returned.
"What? We've been here for hours," Paige said.
"Yes, in here, but outside in your world, five minutes have passed. One of the spells here that I activated for you," Banzif replied absently.
"Look, there has to be something here we are just missing," Piper said. "I can't believe in all these books on the Hollow, there is nothing to help us."
"Well, that is why I brought you this," Banzif said, as he handed over a well-worn volume. "This is the journal of the man who was the High Elder at the time of the Hollow. He and the Source sealed it away. I found page 86 the most useful."
"Let me read it out loud," Leo commented. "The time of the Sealing grows close. I just hope Magos can keep it contained long enough. He is our only chance, the only one immune. Who would have thought I would ever rely on a demon?" Leo looked up, and said, "Immune, wait, I read something about him somewhere."
"Yeah, it is right here," Paige said, "Magos was a demon possessed by the Hollow. He eventually was tossed aside for a new vessel. The Source, low on demons, gave Magos more powers, and Magos was somehow immune to the Hollow."
"Wait, there's more," Leo said, "My theory is that something in the symbiosis of the Hollow and its host gives them a certain gift. Whatever the reason, all those beings possessed by the Hollow and then released were found to be able to keep their powers against the Hollow. Apparently, the Hollow grants its hosts immunity for passage. Whatever the reason, these beings are the only ones who can stop the Hollow. Unfortunately, none of them were very strong to start with, so we had no choice but to seal it away. We made the cage, and they got it in."
"So, what they're saying is if someone somehow kept their powers after the Hollow possessed them, they would be able to use them against it?" Piper asked. When Leo nodded, she added, "And if that person was strong enough, to destroy it forever?"
"That's what it sounds like," Banzif said.
"Well, it's too bad we don't have someone like that..." Paige began, but Phoebe's gasp stopped her. The sisters turned, and cried out. Phoebe had gone dead white, and had fallen back in her chair heavily.
"Phoebe, what's wrong?" Piper asked.
"I understand it now, I know what the third favor to Damon was," Phoebe said.
"What?" Paige asked.
"Don't you get it? We have someone who fits those criteria, someone both powerful and immune," Phoebe said bitterly.
"Who..." Piper began, and then she went pale and whispered, "Cole."
Phoebe let out a bitter laugh, and then added, "Cole is the only one who could stand against Damon and stop him, and I...we drove him away. If we hadn't gotten rid of him, Cole could have stopped Damon."
"You know what that means, don't you?" Leo asked.
Phoebe nodded slowly, and said, "Whatever the cost, whatever it takes, we have to find Cole."
TO BE CONTINUED...