"Paige! Paige!"
Paige awoke to see a blurry vision of her older sister standing over her. She didn't know why she was on her back, or why she felt so weak. For a moment she didn't even know where she was, and she felt almost at peace. But once her vision straightened, reality kicked in and she wished she was back in the place where she didn't remember. But she took the wish back in the instant that she had made it, for she didn't want to chance it coming true and ruining her chance at ever meeting Prue. She just took a moment to stare at her sister, not letting on that she was in her right mind again. What a vision of power and strength she is. I could never replace such presence, nor should I try. But I very much want to know her, if only the circumstances were better. If only her thoughts weren't just focusing on getting Piper back. I wonder what she thinks of me, if I've done her proud. Who am I kidding? She doesn't know me and I doubt that she cares to, she won't even touch me. Look at her in all her utter despair, but keeping from breaking down even a little. I don't want Piper and Phoebe to die, I don't want to die. I hate that Prue had to die for me to have these thoughts, to feel for these strangers.
"Are you all right?" Prue stood over her sister with her hands on her hips and her head tilted to the side. "I thought you were a goner there for a moment."
Paige lifted her hand for Prue to help her up, but Prue turned away pretending not to notice. Paige shrugged it off and just got up without assistance. She still felt rather drained though, as if she would never feel at full strength again. Some assistance would have been nice. There seemed to be a tinge of concern, so we're making progress. Prue continued with her back turned: "Do you have any idea what might have happened to you? One second we were talking and the next you were out like a light. You've been that way for an hour at least, based on what I remember of time." What she remembers of time? What?! Paige was about to ask for an explanation, but then stopped herself, deciding to just let it all slide.
"I don't know what happened, but I feel like the life was sucked out of me for a moment there. I felt at peace I guess, but that's only looking back on it. Maybe I didn't feel anything at all." Prue turned around after Paige uttered that phrase and it seemed to Paige that they had made a connection. But then Paige went on, "No, I definitely felt something. It was this piercing pain. Must be what I felt the moment before I went into that little coma. Never had I felt such pain," and the connection was lost. "I think my powers are gone."
"Well of course your powers are gone. No one has their powers up here anymore. Magic is out everywhere."
"No. This feels different. I don't feel like I even have the ability for power. I've never felt such an empty feeling before, as if a part of me is missing. I've been stripped of my powers." And at that, another connection was made.
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The Power of Three now resided within the Seer. The power was overwhelming and both she and Phoebe were blown back by the force of it. The clock broken yet again, this time the honor went to the Seer. Phoebe felt drained and weakened, empty. "What just happened?" She tried to levitate herself up for she could barely position her hand on the floor to lift herself. "Wait. Where are my powers, I can't levitate."
"Fear not young Halliwell." And with those eerily soothing and kind words, the Seer got down on bended knee at Phoebe's side. And the way a mother would to comfort a fallen child she placed one hand on the back of the witch's head and another upon the knee. "I pass to you, what is yours. Together our visions will see all our power has in store." As soon as the Seer hissed the last word, Phoebe jerked back, and had the most pristine premonition she had ever had. It was in color and moved at a steady pace. She could hear words and could return to images she didn't quite understand the first time. It was a rush of such great power that when she came out of the premonition she was surprised to not be flat on her back, instead she was cradled in the Seer's arms, protected from the pain a hardwood floor would have brought her.
"What did you see?"
Still cradled in the Seer's arms Phoebe lifted her head and began to speak slowly and almost to herself: "I saw such wonderful things, felt such wonderful power. A woman was walking into traffic and got hit by a bus. I made it all happen. According to what I saw, I made it all happen. It was amazing what I could do. Promise me that it will all come to pass. Promise me that I will truly know that power."
"Yes. Yes, young Halliwell. You all ready possess that great power and now I will teach you how to use it. The visions will get easier and you will no longer need me to keep you from harm. First, rest my little Halliwell. Just rest now, just rest." She continued to sit there on the ground holding Phoebe, rocking her back and forth as she gently rubbed Phoebe's head and sang her a lullaby.
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Piper began to slowly walk backwards, looking down only to see on what the mobile fire was shedding light, which was nothing but more and more ashes. She had no real strategy, backing up just seemed like the right thing to do at the moment. Then she suddenly stopped and the beast which had been matching her every step came to a halt as well. She flashed her hands to freeze it and much to her surprise it did, she was sure that it would be immune, but it stood there frozen just the same. She began to look around as quickly as she could, unsure when or if it would unfreeze. But she knew in her heart of hearts that it would unfreeze, keeping monsters frozen indefinitely was just a pipe dream, so it was really only a matter of when. As she whipped her body around she still only saw nothing but bones that seemed to form a perfect circle around her. The ashes were like sand beneath her feet so that's what she told herself it was. It's just sand, Piper. It's just sand.
An idea came into her head to walk around to the monster to see what was located behind it. Sure enough there were tons of weapons: swords, guns, giant knives, little knives, kitchen knives, axes, etc. There were belt buckles, and other trinkets all claimed by this beast of fire and eyes, and all useless against it. Piper used the light to see what the beast could claim from her and saw nothing but blood and ash, that's all it wants anyway. My blood and my ashes, she thought to herself. Surprised that that the beast was still frozen she approached it to see if there were any weakness. Perhaps I could blow up the eyes. Other than that there doesn't seem to be a weak spot. As she ran through options in her head she soon realized her mistake. She saw one eye blink and the monster give its illusion away, for this monster never was frozen, it was only pretending. It had seen her every move and now it had her right where it wanted her. Piper started to step away and tried to blow up the eyes as she did so. Then she realized that something wasn't right and she whispered aloud to herself, her eyes filled with shock and fear: "My powers are gone."
And with that realization Piper lifted up an axe and used all her might to hurl it at the monster's head. It landed right in the monster's neck and served as enough of a distraction for her to run into the sea of bones and ash. She fought her way through and found that she had gotten a considerable distance away since there was not even a hint of light that could guide her. She stumbled, but it was her last fall that counted. She fell on her back and found herself unable to breathe, unable to even move. She just lied there, peaceful for but an un-measurable second until a mini-geyser of blood gushed from her mouth.
It was a familiar feeling of death taking her, her heart no longer wanting or able to keep beating. She couldn't even think in that moment and the last vision that fell before her eyes was the beast. No longer with an axe in its neck it was an unreal sight, the monster in flight as it was, a mixture of green and orange hues, and landing "feet" first onto the bones. It stared at her, taunted her. And with the light she could finally see what it was that defeated her. It could have been an arm or a leg, whatever it was it pierced her heart. She couldn't even bring herself to care, she didn't even remember why or if she even should. And as the thoughts faded again, the beast got down on bended knee and the eyes watched as Piper burned and turned to ash.
