FOURTEEN
"He's talking crazy," said Leo. "Chris isn't the first being to move
through time. It's happened before with no serious consequences."
"Okay, hold on a second," said Piper. "You people just barge into our
home and start talking about demons and white liners and torturing us to death
and all this. Just what is going on here?"
"White Lighters," Leo corrected. "Piper, I know this is all confusing to
you and your sisters. Just bear with it for a few minutes. I'll try to explain
everything once we've resolved this issue."
"You will not be able to," said the Source. "You will be dead. All of
you will be dead."
"As will we, my liege," said Tempus, "unless this young upstart is
returned to his own time immediately."
"Well, if that is the case," said the Source, "simply return him to his
own time. I will still have the others to deal with."
"I can't," said Tempus. "I don't have the power to do it. If he's to
return to his own time, he must do it on his own."
"Which I'm not about to as long as you're threatening them," said Chris.
"Fool," said Tempus. "You have no idea the forces you are meddling with.
The White Lighter speaks the truth. Others have moved through time without
serious repercussions. But they returned to their own time after only a short
stay. How long have you been in the past?"
"A few months," said Chris. "Certainly not long enough to have caused any
serious problems."
"Are you such a fool that you believe that?" asked Tempus. "Humans are so
arrogant in their beliefs. They believe time to be a linear existence. That it
moves in only one direction. And that once you have passed beyond a certain
point, that point can never be reached again.
"If that were true, it would not be possible to move through time. Time
is a force not unlike a river. It has currents and eddies, many of which
connect and interconnect with others. It moves both forwards and backwards. It
surrounds everything. Have you any idea how many decades it took me to learn to
properly control my powers? To alter time in such a manner that only what I
wished would be affected?"
"But I don't have those powers," said Chris. "I simply used a spell that
brought me back to the past."
"And had you returned after only a short visit, there would have been no
noticeable affects," said Tempus. "But you didn't. You remained in the past.
Bending time backwards to accommodate your stay. Without any of the safeguards
necessary to prevent it from spilling over into other areas. That is the
catastrophe I speak of."
"How?" Leo asked.
"The magic a being uses flows with them through time," said Tempus. "It
is not a static power that simply waits to be used. It moves with you as you
move through the currents of time. By returning to the past, this young fool
has forced the magic he uses to return with him. Bending back upon itself so
that he may still have the use of it.
"Only this cannot be sustained indefinitely. It can be for a short time.
But to force it to do so for as long as he has is not natural. Because of this,
other forces dependent upon magic are forced to compensate. Creating an
unnatural pressure that builds with each passing moment. Soon that pressure
will be more than can be contained. It will rupture the very fabric of our
existence, spilling over into all areas. When that happens, all beings of
magic, mortal or immortal, will be consumed by it. We shall be destroyed by
it."
"Chris, if he's right," said Leo, "then staying here is too dangerous.
You have to return to the future right away. It's the only way to protect
everyone."
"No," said Chris. "I can't leave you all here unprotected. As long as I
refuse to go back, you're all safe."
"Then the solution is simple," said the Source, forming a fireball. "If
he will not return to his own time, I will simply destroy him. That should
prevent the magic from flowing."
"That is not an option," said Tempus. "Returning to the past creates a
vortex of sorts. One that allows the magic he uses to return with him. Only by
returning to his own time can that vortex be closed. If you destroy him, the
vortex can never be closed and there will be no way to stop our destruction."
"I'm not going," said Chris. "If I do, you'll just kill everyone. And
I'm not about to let you do that."
"Chris, don't you see?" said Leo. "If you return to the future,
everything will be set right again. The changes you told us about should
correct themselves and everything should be as it's supposed to be. If your
coming back in time has caused all this, then returning to the future and
closing the vortex should put everything back."
"How do we know he's telling us the truth?" Chris asked. "How do we know
this isn't some ploy just to get rid of me?"
"Fool," said Tempus. "If that was all I wanted I would let the Source
simply destroy you. But if he does that, then he seals all of our fates. Only
by returning to your own time can you repair the harm that's been done. Your
White Lighter is correct. Whatever changes have occurred have done so because
of your presence. Return to you own time and everything will return to its
natural state."
"Chris," said Tiffany, "maybe he's right. We haven't been able to figure
out why the changes occurred. Maybe this is the reason."
"If what you've told us is true," Chris said to Tempus, "then why wasn't I
affected by the changes? Why am I the only one who remembers things as they're
supposed to be?"
"The spell you used," said Tempus. "Did you cast it so that your power
would be accessible to you here, in the past?"
"Of course," said Chris. "You don't think I'd come back here powerless,
do you?"
"There is your answer," said Tempus. "The protection that allows you to
use your powers also protects you from the changes in the timeline. It is why
you alone retain the memories of what should be."
Chris looked at Tempus. He knew this could be a trap. That Tempus could
be simply trying to dispose of him. But the explanation made sense. No one had
ever remained in the past as long as he had. And it was logical that being out
of his own time could have repercussions that no one could even guess at. Deep
inside him something told him that Tempus was being honest with them, even if he
was a demon.
"Chris," said Leo, "at the very least you'll be protected. We can take
care of ourselves. But if Tempus is telling the truth, you can't stay here.
Too many lives are at stake. You have to return to the future now."
Chris looked around the room at those gathered there. Evil and good alike
waited for his next move. To see if he would return to the future and save all
those who used magic. Or if he would disbelieve Tempus and refuse to.
"I can't," Chris said finally. "The spell that brought me back only works
in one direction. Into the past. I can't return to the future. This was a
one-way trip."
"He's talking crazy," said Leo. "Chris isn't the first being to move
through time. It's happened before with no serious consequences."
"Okay, hold on a second," said Piper. "You people just barge into our
home and start talking about demons and white liners and torturing us to death
and all this. Just what is going on here?"
"White Lighters," Leo corrected. "Piper, I know this is all confusing to
you and your sisters. Just bear with it for a few minutes. I'll try to explain
everything once we've resolved this issue."
"You will not be able to," said the Source. "You will be dead. All of
you will be dead."
"As will we, my liege," said Tempus, "unless this young upstart is
returned to his own time immediately."
"Well, if that is the case," said the Source, "simply return him to his
own time. I will still have the others to deal with."
"I can't," said Tempus. "I don't have the power to do it. If he's to
return to his own time, he must do it on his own."
"Which I'm not about to as long as you're threatening them," said Chris.
"Fool," said Tempus. "You have no idea the forces you are meddling with.
The White Lighter speaks the truth. Others have moved through time without
serious repercussions. But they returned to their own time after only a short
stay. How long have you been in the past?"
"A few months," said Chris. "Certainly not long enough to have caused any
serious problems."
"Are you such a fool that you believe that?" asked Tempus. "Humans are so
arrogant in their beliefs. They believe time to be a linear existence. That it
moves in only one direction. And that once you have passed beyond a certain
point, that point can never be reached again.
"If that were true, it would not be possible to move through time. Time
is a force not unlike a river. It has currents and eddies, many of which
connect and interconnect with others. It moves both forwards and backwards. It
surrounds everything. Have you any idea how many decades it took me to learn to
properly control my powers? To alter time in such a manner that only what I
wished would be affected?"
"But I don't have those powers," said Chris. "I simply used a spell that
brought me back to the past."
"And had you returned after only a short visit, there would have been no
noticeable affects," said Tempus. "But you didn't. You remained in the past.
Bending time backwards to accommodate your stay. Without any of the safeguards
necessary to prevent it from spilling over into other areas. That is the
catastrophe I speak of."
"How?" Leo asked.
"The magic a being uses flows with them through time," said Tempus. "It
is not a static power that simply waits to be used. It moves with you as you
move through the currents of time. By returning to the past, this young fool
has forced the magic he uses to return with him. Bending back upon itself so
that he may still have the use of it.
"Only this cannot be sustained indefinitely. It can be for a short time.
But to force it to do so for as long as he has is not natural. Because of this,
other forces dependent upon magic are forced to compensate. Creating an
unnatural pressure that builds with each passing moment. Soon that pressure
will be more than can be contained. It will rupture the very fabric of our
existence, spilling over into all areas. When that happens, all beings of
magic, mortal or immortal, will be consumed by it. We shall be destroyed by
it."
"Chris, if he's right," said Leo, "then staying here is too dangerous.
You have to return to the future right away. It's the only way to protect
everyone."
"No," said Chris. "I can't leave you all here unprotected. As long as I
refuse to go back, you're all safe."
"Then the solution is simple," said the Source, forming a fireball. "If
he will not return to his own time, I will simply destroy him. That should
prevent the magic from flowing."
"That is not an option," said Tempus. "Returning to the past creates a
vortex of sorts. One that allows the magic he uses to return with him. Only by
returning to his own time can that vortex be closed. If you destroy him, the
vortex can never be closed and there will be no way to stop our destruction."
"I'm not going," said Chris. "If I do, you'll just kill everyone. And
I'm not about to let you do that."
"Chris, don't you see?" said Leo. "If you return to the future,
everything will be set right again. The changes you told us about should
correct themselves and everything should be as it's supposed to be. If your
coming back in time has caused all this, then returning to the future and
closing the vortex should put everything back."
"How do we know he's telling us the truth?" Chris asked. "How do we know
this isn't some ploy just to get rid of me?"
"Fool," said Tempus. "If that was all I wanted I would let the Source
simply destroy you. But if he does that, then he seals all of our fates. Only
by returning to your own time can you repair the harm that's been done. Your
White Lighter is correct. Whatever changes have occurred have done so because
of your presence. Return to you own time and everything will return to its
natural state."
"Chris," said Tiffany, "maybe he's right. We haven't been able to figure
out why the changes occurred. Maybe this is the reason."
"If what you've told us is true," Chris said to Tempus, "then why wasn't I
affected by the changes? Why am I the only one who remembers things as they're
supposed to be?"
"The spell you used," said Tempus. "Did you cast it so that your power
would be accessible to you here, in the past?"
"Of course," said Chris. "You don't think I'd come back here powerless,
do you?"
"There is your answer," said Tempus. "The protection that allows you to
use your powers also protects you from the changes in the timeline. It is why
you alone retain the memories of what should be."
Chris looked at Tempus. He knew this could be a trap. That Tempus could
be simply trying to dispose of him. But the explanation made sense. No one had
ever remained in the past as long as he had. And it was logical that being out
of his own time could have repercussions that no one could even guess at. Deep
inside him something told him that Tempus was being honest with them, even if he
was a demon.
"Chris," said Leo, "at the very least you'll be protected. We can take
care of ourselves. But if Tempus is telling the truth, you can't stay here.
Too many lives are at stake. You have to return to the future now."
Chris looked around the room at those gathered there. Evil and good alike
waited for his next move. To see if he would return to the future and save all
those who used magic. Or if he would disbelieve Tempus and refuse to.
"I can't," Chris said finally. "The spell that brought me back only works
in one direction. Into the past. I can't return to the future. This was a
one-way trip."