CORRUPTED

Note: Sorry… I was away on a vacation. Wow… all those reviews are definitely encouraging. Thank you so much.

wAnAbE pIpEr: as usual, you're one of the first to review. I thank you with all my heart. And oh yeah, it's alright. Your dedication to my story has already touched me. I hate it when things get deleted… especially if I've typed a lot and all.

Piper Halliwell-Turner: Who says I'm killing Piper off??? =) Yet. She might die, she might not. Who knows? I personally don't. Thanks for the review.

Charmed Fanatic: I really appreciate all the thought and effort you put into the reviews!

Piperperson: another great reviewer. Thanks.

Sweetone41185: I appreciate the support. As for why Leo's dead – he was a Whitelighter who died from Darklighter poison. Prue and Paige are back as Whitelighters. Does that make sense? And yeah, Paige has powers too.

Piper132: I hope you had a great vacation! Thanks for the review.

Trunks Ichijouji: Hey, you're not the only one who doesn't know what I'm going to do next. I don't know what I'm going to do next! Thanks so much for the review!

Chapter 22

-Manor-

The sisters were silent for a brief moment, before Prue let out a sigh.

"Yeah, you're right. We've been selfish. Too many people have already died… too many… this can't go on. I'm all for bringing Piper back, but when push comes to shove, we have to do it…" Prue muttered, even though the decision to vanquish her little sister is killing her on the inside. 'Forgive me, Piper… I know you would forgive me.'

Darryl looked grim, and Cole nodded sympathetically.

"Okay. What do you propose we do?" Darryl asked.

"First, we find whatever witches are left, and hide them. Phoebe, Paige, you guys work on spells and potions. We're going to see if we can fight the Source on our own turf. We've got to be ready," Prue stated, taking the lead once again.

The others nodded in agreement, and Phoebe and Paige left to get started on the spells and potions.

"You sure you're up to this?" Cole asked Prue worriedly.

"I don't have a choice."

-Underworld-

"Some of the witches that we have been tracking have disappeared from our radars," a demon informed Piper.

"Resistance. I pretty much assumed that the witches would start taking action. And I'm pretty sure I know who the leader is…"

"My queen?" The demon asked confused.

"Speed up the witch trials. Torture is fun, but our arrogance will be our downfall. Scratch that. Kill the witches the moment you see one. We don't have time to waste. If the Charmed One is recruiting witches or protecting them, we've got to eliminate as many as we can."

"Consider it done."

"Excellent."

"My queen," another voice spoke up.

"Darklighter. Where's the Whitelighter?"

"I am unable to find any, my queen. The Elders have called all the Whitelighters up there. The Charmed One's sisters are the only Whitelighters left down here."

Piper frowned. Things are not going smoothly at all. But then again, she had a pretty good idea good would figure things out. Though it was much quicker than she had anticipated, things could still go according to plan if she proceeds carefully.

"Fine. Leave that task up to me. The Whitelighters are too powerful for you to take on. Be ready to take in the power, Darklighter. Since it's going to be difficult to kill them, I suppose some Whitelighter blood and a spell should work," Piper reasoned. "And you," she commanded the demon, "You get things speeded up."

-Manor-

"Alright. We've got fourteen witches in here. Cole and Darryl are out again, trying to find more," Prue stated as she orbed in. "How are the spells and potion going?"

"Pretty good. We've got twenty-seven offensive potions, and nineteen defensive potions. There's a protection spell around the manor. We've also got tons of spell written down," Phoebe replied.

"Okay. The Source has probably figured out what's going on by now. We need to be extra cautious. She could attack anytime," Prue cautioned.

"Damn, you are good, Prue," Piper said evenly as she shimmered in the attic.

Paige flung a potion at Piper, but Piper incinerated it with an energy ball.

"Relax. I'm not here to steal your new coven of witches. I'm just here for some Whitelighter blood," Piper explained as she shot Prue with a Darklighter arrow.

Prue grimaced and crumpled to the ground. Phoebe and Paige rushed towards their fallen sister, hoping to remove the arrow to prevent the poison from spreading.

"Darklighter!" Piper ordered, as the Darklighter smoked in. Piper approached the Book of Shadows, but suddenly, a shield went up, knocking Piper back a few feet. The triquetra glowed. "What the hell?"

By then, Prue had been healed, and she used telekinesis to fling Piper into the stain glass windows. Piper's body shattered the coloured glass upon impact, and crashed to the ground heavily. The Darklighter quickly picked up the arrow and smoked out. The sisters raced towards the broken window, but Piper was nowhere to be found.

"What the hell just happened?" Paige asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"I think that the book recognizes her as evil now…" Phoebe muttered.

"But not before. She could still use it before," Prue countered.

"I think it's because you're here, Paige. The Power of Three has been reconstituted again. Except that Piper's not a part of it…" Prue rationalized.

"You think?" Phoebe questioned.

"I've got no other explanation."

-Underworld-

"Okay… that is one mistake I definitely won't make again. I'm so damn powerful. Why the hell would I need the Book of Shadows?"

"My queen, the Whitelighter blood."

"Excellent job, Darklighter," Piper commented.

"But we failed to find a spell."

"I don't need a spell from the Book of Shadows. The Whitelighter blood will do."

Minutes later, Piper had concocted a potion with Prue's blood in it. "Here, drink this," she demanded the Darklighter.

-Up There-

The Darklighter orbed himself and Piper up there, each armed with Darklighter poison. The moment they arrived, they stealthily made way towards their targets.

Piper led the way, firing an arrow at the first Whitelighter they saw. The Whitelighters had no chance, for with Piper's powers and the Darklighter's poison, they were soon defeated. No more than a handful escaped.

"What a rush," the Darklighter cried enthusiastically.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now, for a bigger challenge. The Elders."

-Manor-

Prue and Paige grimaced slightly, as the pains of other fellow Whitelighters enveloped them. Six Whitelighters suddenly orbed in.

"Prudence, Paige. We've been attacked. The Elders are in trouble."

"What? How?"

"The Source, she's up there. We were massacred… didn't even stand a chance. She's too strong. The Elders are trapped up there."

"Alright. Phoebe, stay in here. Paige and I will go up and investigate."

"Prudence," a Whitelighter said.

"What?"

"The Elders have a message for you. They want you to vanquish the Source."