EIGHTEEN
"The Nexus would have the sufficient power I need," said Tempus. "Except
that I no longer have the power to call it. It rests beneath us and the house
is consecrated for good. I do not have the power to break that consecration.
Not even the Source has that kind of power or he would have done so long ago."
"No," said Leo. "We're so close. There has to be a way to get to the
Nexus."
"There is," said Chris. He walked over and stood next to Phoebe. "She
can call it. It will answer her. No one else can do it."
"I don't understand," said Phoebe. "You say I'm a witch, but I don't have
any powers. How can I call this Nexus thing?"
"We unbind your powers," said Chris. He walked over and took the Book of
Shadows from Leo and then walked back over to Phoebe. "All you have to do is
read the incantation in the front of this book. Once you do that, your powers
will be unbound and you can call the Nexus. It will answer you."
"No," shouted the Source. "This has been a trick. To give the sisters
their powers. I won't allow it. I will destroy you all before I allow that
incantation to be read."
"Source," said Tempus, "if you believe that then you are a fool. You have
seen the changes yourself. The sister that vanished and the other that
appeared. Your vanquishing of the Woogie. It should not have been vanquished
so easily. Yet you had no trouble doing so. This is the only chance of preventing
all of our destruction."
"No," screamed the Source, "this is a trick. You have betrayed me as
Belthazor betrayed me. You are all my enemies. I shall vanquish each of you
and claim the Nexus for my own."
"He's insane," said Leo.
"He has been for a long time," said Chris. "But his magic made him too
powerful to oppose. Now we have only one chance to stop the destruction and
he's going to let it slip away because of his paranoia."
Suddenly a fireball engulfed the Source from behind. He screamed in agony
as the flames consumed him. Within moments the flames went out and all that was
left was a charred mark on the floor where the Source had stood. Standing at
the top of the stairs was the Seer.
"Not this time, my lord," she said. "Tempus, I know you speak the truth.
My sight has allowed me to see much of what was supposed to be. I could not
allow the Source to destroy us all. Witch," she turned to Phoebe, "you must
recite the spell now. Before it is too late. Before we are all consumed."
Chris opened the Book of Shadows to the first page and handed the book to
Phoebe. She wiped the last of her tears away and looked down at the book. She
glanced up at Chris, and then at Leo. Then she looked at Piper and Paige.
Finally, she decided there was nothing to loose and began to read the spell
written on the page.
"Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night.
"The oldest of gods are invoked here, the great work of magic is sought.
"In the night and in this hour, I call upon the ancient power.
"Bring your powers to we sisters three, we want the power.
"Give us the power."
A soft yellow glow emanated from the ceiling covering Piper, Phoebe, and
Paige. It lasted only a few seconds and then went out.
"What happened?" Piper asked.
"Your powers have been unbound," said Chris. "You're now the Charmed
Ones. Phoebe, you have to call the Nexus so Tempus can tap into its power."
"How?" Phoebe asked. "I don't know anything about magic."
"Just cast a spell," said Chris. "You have a natural ability to cast
spells. All you have to do is rhythm. Just make up something. You've done it
plenty of times. Call on the Power of Three. Hurry. There isn't much time
left."
"What's the Power of Three?" Phoebe asked.
"There's no time to explain," said Chris. "Just do it. I can explain
everything later."
"I call upon the Power of Three," said Phoebe, "to summon the Nexus to
come to me."
Suddenly a glowing blue-white orb rose from the cellar floor. Small bolts
of lightning shot out from it and small colored lights danced around it. It
flashed and blinked as if charged with some tremendous energy.
"Is that it?" Phoebe asked. "Is that this Nexus?"
"No," said Leo. "The Nexus itself it buried underneath the manor. This
is only a physical manifestation of the power it possesses. A very small
portion of its power."
"Hurry," Chris said to Tempus. "Do whatever you have to now. It won't
last long."
Tempus moved up to the glowing orb and spread his arms. The lightning
from the orb suddenly began to strike him but the demon was not injure.
Instead, the tremendous power of the Nexus began to fill him, recharging him as
if he were a dead battery.
"How did you know that Phoebe could call it?" Leo asked Chris. "I've
never heard that before."
"It won't be discovered for several years," said Chris. "But Phoebe is
the only one who can call it like this. Not even her sisters possess the power
to call the Nexus to them."
"Why not?" Piper asked.
"Because Phoebe was the only one who was actually born in the manor," said
Chris. "She has a connection to it that not even you have. In the future that
connection is going to be very important."
"If Tempus can set thing right," said Leo. "Time is almost gone."
"It is done," Tempus announced, turning to the group.
He seemed changed. His appearance had altered little but he looked
younger somehow. Younger and stronger. The power that coursed through him had
restored him to his former self. Now he was once again the time manipulation
demon he had been for centuries.
"Quick," said Leo, "send Chris back to the future."
"No," said the Seer. "It is too late for that. The vortex he opened has
caused such a swell of magic that closing the vortex alone will no longer stop
it. Instead, that magic must be redirected. Allowed to find other avenues that
will more easily withstand its power."
"I understand," said Tempus.
The time manipulation demon moved up to Chris. He closed his eyes and
extended his hands. Beams of energy shot from his fingertips engulfing Chris.
The strain was nearly unbearable. Chris did not see how he would be able to
withstand so much power being directed into him.
But he also felt the tension of the time changes begin to ease. The
pressure that had built up over the past few months began to lessen. Bit by bit
the magic began to flow through other eddies and currents in time. Within
minutes the pressure was completely gone.
"There," said Tempus, nearly collapsing on the floor. "It is finished. I
have installed the safeguards that you neglected with your spell. Time should
now be restored to its true path."
"Why hasn't anything changed?" asked Tiffany. "If he corrected things,
shouldn't everything be back the way it's supposed to be?"
"In due course," said Tempus. "The changes happened slowly over a long
period of time. You cannot hope to correct everything in an instant. They will
correct themselves in a natural progression. When enough of the changes have
been corrected...."
"Oh," said Chris, steadying himself on the banister of the stairs. "I
feel light-headed and dizzy. Almost like I did when I orbed into the manor a
couple of days ago."
"That is the changes that are correcting themselves," said Tempus. "Your
body is readjusting to the true flow of time. It may be a bit unpleasant, but I
assure you it is not dangerous."
"Are you sure?" asked Leo. "He doesn't look good."
"I am sure," said Tempus.
Suddenly Chris nearly lost consciousness. He started to collapse on the
floor when Leo grabbed him to steady him. He looked up at Tempus wondering if
the demon was telling the truth. He was beginning to feel sick. And he wasn't
altogether sure Tempus was being honest. Suddenly Chris' vision blurred and
blacked out completely. He felt sure he had been tricked. Tempus had done more
than correct the timeline. He had destroyed a White Lighter in the process.
"The Nexus would have the sufficient power I need," said Tempus. "Except
that I no longer have the power to call it. It rests beneath us and the house
is consecrated for good. I do not have the power to break that consecration.
Not even the Source has that kind of power or he would have done so long ago."
"No," said Leo. "We're so close. There has to be a way to get to the
Nexus."
"There is," said Chris. He walked over and stood next to Phoebe. "She
can call it. It will answer her. No one else can do it."
"I don't understand," said Phoebe. "You say I'm a witch, but I don't have
any powers. How can I call this Nexus thing?"
"We unbind your powers," said Chris. He walked over and took the Book of
Shadows from Leo and then walked back over to Phoebe. "All you have to do is
read the incantation in the front of this book. Once you do that, your powers
will be unbound and you can call the Nexus. It will answer you."
"No," shouted the Source. "This has been a trick. To give the sisters
their powers. I won't allow it. I will destroy you all before I allow that
incantation to be read."
"Source," said Tempus, "if you believe that then you are a fool. You have
seen the changes yourself. The sister that vanished and the other that
appeared. Your vanquishing of the Woogie. It should not have been vanquished
so easily. Yet you had no trouble doing so. This is the only chance of preventing
all of our destruction."
"No," screamed the Source, "this is a trick. You have betrayed me as
Belthazor betrayed me. You are all my enemies. I shall vanquish each of you
and claim the Nexus for my own."
"He's insane," said Leo.
"He has been for a long time," said Chris. "But his magic made him too
powerful to oppose. Now we have only one chance to stop the destruction and
he's going to let it slip away because of his paranoia."
Suddenly a fireball engulfed the Source from behind. He screamed in agony
as the flames consumed him. Within moments the flames went out and all that was
left was a charred mark on the floor where the Source had stood. Standing at
the top of the stairs was the Seer.
"Not this time, my lord," she said. "Tempus, I know you speak the truth.
My sight has allowed me to see much of what was supposed to be. I could not
allow the Source to destroy us all. Witch," she turned to Phoebe, "you must
recite the spell now. Before it is too late. Before we are all consumed."
Chris opened the Book of Shadows to the first page and handed the book to
Phoebe. She wiped the last of her tears away and looked down at the book. She
glanced up at Chris, and then at Leo. Then she looked at Piper and Paige.
Finally, she decided there was nothing to loose and began to read the spell
written on the page.
"Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night.
"The oldest of gods are invoked here, the great work of magic is sought.
"In the night and in this hour, I call upon the ancient power.
"Bring your powers to we sisters three, we want the power.
"Give us the power."
A soft yellow glow emanated from the ceiling covering Piper, Phoebe, and
Paige. It lasted only a few seconds and then went out.
"What happened?" Piper asked.
"Your powers have been unbound," said Chris. "You're now the Charmed
Ones. Phoebe, you have to call the Nexus so Tempus can tap into its power."
"How?" Phoebe asked. "I don't know anything about magic."
"Just cast a spell," said Chris. "You have a natural ability to cast
spells. All you have to do is rhythm. Just make up something. You've done it
plenty of times. Call on the Power of Three. Hurry. There isn't much time
left."
"What's the Power of Three?" Phoebe asked.
"There's no time to explain," said Chris. "Just do it. I can explain
everything later."
"I call upon the Power of Three," said Phoebe, "to summon the Nexus to
come to me."
Suddenly a glowing blue-white orb rose from the cellar floor. Small bolts
of lightning shot out from it and small colored lights danced around it. It
flashed and blinked as if charged with some tremendous energy.
"Is that it?" Phoebe asked. "Is that this Nexus?"
"No," said Leo. "The Nexus itself it buried underneath the manor. This
is only a physical manifestation of the power it possesses. A very small
portion of its power."
"Hurry," Chris said to Tempus. "Do whatever you have to now. It won't
last long."
Tempus moved up to the glowing orb and spread his arms. The lightning
from the orb suddenly began to strike him but the demon was not injure.
Instead, the tremendous power of the Nexus began to fill him, recharging him as
if he were a dead battery.
"How did you know that Phoebe could call it?" Leo asked Chris. "I've
never heard that before."
"It won't be discovered for several years," said Chris. "But Phoebe is
the only one who can call it like this. Not even her sisters possess the power
to call the Nexus to them."
"Why not?" Piper asked.
"Because Phoebe was the only one who was actually born in the manor," said
Chris. "She has a connection to it that not even you have. In the future that
connection is going to be very important."
"If Tempus can set thing right," said Leo. "Time is almost gone."
"It is done," Tempus announced, turning to the group.
He seemed changed. His appearance had altered little but he looked
younger somehow. Younger and stronger. The power that coursed through him had
restored him to his former self. Now he was once again the time manipulation
demon he had been for centuries.
"Quick," said Leo, "send Chris back to the future."
"No," said the Seer. "It is too late for that. The vortex he opened has
caused such a swell of magic that closing the vortex alone will no longer stop
it. Instead, that magic must be redirected. Allowed to find other avenues that
will more easily withstand its power."
"I understand," said Tempus.
The time manipulation demon moved up to Chris. He closed his eyes and
extended his hands. Beams of energy shot from his fingertips engulfing Chris.
The strain was nearly unbearable. Chris did not see how he would be able to
withstand so much power being directed into him.
But he also felt the tension of the time changes begin to ease. The
pressure that had built up over the past few months began to lessen. Bit by bit
the magic began to flow through other eddies and currents in time. Within
minutes the pressure was completely gone.
"There," said Tempus, nearly collapsing on the floor. "It is finished. I
have installed the safeguards that you neglected with your spell. Time should
now be restored to its true path."
"Why hasn't anything changed?" asked Tiffany. "If he corrected things,
shouldn't everything be back the way it's supposed to be?"
"In due course," said Tempus. "The changes happened slowly over a long
period of time. You cannot hope to correct everything in an instant. They will
correct themselves in a natural progression. When enough of the changes have
been corrected...."
"Oh," said Chris, steadying himself on the banister of the stairs. "I
feel light-headed and dizzy. Almost like I did when I orbed into the manor a
couple of days ago."
"That is the changes that are correcting themselves," said Tempus. "Your
body is readjusting to the true flow of time. It may be a bit unpleasant, but I
assure you it is not dangerous."
"Are you sure?" asked Leo. "He doesn't look good."
"I am sure," said Tempus.
Suddenly Chris nearly lost consciousness. He started to collapse on the
floor when Leo grabbed him to steady him. He looked up at Tempus wondering if
the demon was telling the truth. He was beginning to feel sick. And he wasn't
altogether sure Tempus was being honest. Suddenly Chris' vision blurred and
blacked out completely. He felt sure he had been tricked. Tempus had done more
than correct the timeline. He had destroyed a White Lighter in the process.