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Chapter 25

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As soon as Buffy returned from a lunch time training session that day she was accosted by a rowdy argument that resounded down the hall. Rolling her eyes, Buffy hurried to her room where she knew her friends bickering was coming from. Upon opening the door, she was hit by a short silence, which once more exploded into a loud verbal fight. They all shouted incomprehensible accusations and protests that rang through her head in a painful echo. The content and happy feeling she had radiated after training was gone; all that remained was a thumping, head-splitting headache. She glanced to Oz for help and he understood her silent plea immediately, placing two fingers in his mouth and sounding a high-pitched whistle. The fighting stopped, and Buffy sagged in relief.

"What the hell is going on?" she demanded.

Willow stepped forward. "We can't agree on a suspect. They all acted suspiciously in some way."

"So?"

They stared at her, confused as to why she could not see the dilemma.

"So?" Xander said. "So…we've done all this work and gotten nowhere."

Buffy sighed and rolled her eyes. "At least we know one of them is the culprit."

"Yes, b-but…" Xander sputtered, trying to find the words that seemed to elude him.

"But nothing. We'll watch them again tomorrow. Now get out so I can have a shower before our Unusual Demons class."

They reluctantly left, and Buffy quickly showered. Half an hour later she wriggled into a spare seat between Willow and Cordelia in the amphitheatre, dropping her books onto the desk in front of her. Lorne entered a moment after she slid into her seat and the students quietened. They all loved this lecture. Buffy thought it was rather sly of the teachers to put this class on a Friday afternoon, the last class of the week. Instead of being slow and tired as most schools would be, this particular class was well anticipated.

Lorne gave a little bow and began.

"Today we will finally talk about the niggling question that's been on everyone's tongue since the day they found out about the evils in this world."

There was a still silence, and Lorne nodded.

"Is the devil real? Does Satan exist? Is the Lord of the Underground a myth, or simply a forgotten truth?"

Buffy's attention was focused and eager. Like everyone in the amphitheatre, this was one question she wanted to know. Although she had brushed off the notion of God and the Devil long ago, it was something that had never been asserted, and the thought of finding out now grabbed her attention like food grabbed Xander's.

"The truth is…nobody knows."

The disappointment was almost tangible. Buffy rolled her eyes, mentally slapping herself for actually thinking she would get a straight answer from these guys.

"But scrolls have been discovered in the ruins of a castle in Hampshire, England, retelling a chronicle of a girl's life. The Watcher's Council discovered it was written by a young woman, and the tales recounted were that of a Slayer, apparently the girl's servant."

Buffy's interest was instantly grasped again, and she fought the urge to punch Xander for his obvious glance her way.

"The girl wrote of overhearing her maid's Watcher speak of an earthquake and a storm as fulfilling the signs of an impending apocalypse, and his discovery of a demon attempting to rise on the equinox. Do any of you know what an equinox is?"

A young girl near the front timidly lifted her hand.

"Yes?"

"Two moments of the year where the sun is directly above the equator and day and night are of equal length."

"Good job. It was foretold that at this moment, He would rise. Care to take a guess as to who He was supposed to be?"

A chorus of students called out. "Satan."

"Exactly." Lorne scooted onto his desk. "The Slayer was called to thwart the ritual that would set him free, but she was apparently hindered and arrived too late. He…wait, does anyone know why I am using He, instead of Satan?" No one answered so he continued. "The Devil and Satan are names created by man. His real name can not be pronounced in our language or any other than the language He created. But back to the story. The girl who wrote in the diary did not see the actual fight, but told of her belief that the Slayer may have been betrayed. Nothing is known about what happened later. All we know is that He needed a corporal body to survive on this plain, and he was resurrected into the form of a raven before transforming into his true form. The woman recorded that the Slayer succeeded in destroying him, at the cost of her own life."

There was a wave of whispers at the conclusion of the story, and Lorne continued to tell of other reported sighting and prophesies. Buffy listened in rapt attention, amazed at how skilled the Slayer must have been to defeat Satan himself. A wave of defeat washed over her as she pictured the abilities the Slayer must have had. Would she ever be as good at that?

Buffy had been told by her Watcher that she had excelled in her training. Her senses were well developed and her strength amazing for someone called so recently. But there was a lingering shadow of Kendra, the dark Slayer they had met first, and the one which had changed their point of view on the entire Slayer deal. She had been one of the longest lived Slayers, one of the most effective and dangerous. She did not like to admit it, but she felt that she had to live up to her their standards. That she had to become Kenda the second and be as good a Slayer as she had. Buffy felt the expectations weigh her down, and no matter how much she tried to ignore them they were always in the back of her mind.

Although Miss Kirly had recounted many stories of past Slayers, never had one had such an effect on her. For God's sake, this Slayer had defeated the fear of all humans. She had banished the horror most people dreaded finding in their afterlife. She was ashamed at the fear flooding her veins.

Buffy sensed that she was being watched and glanced up to see Miss Kirly observing her. Her face was passive, and she gave Buffy a small smile before turning to face Lorne. Buffy frowned, wondering why a teacher was present for Lorne's lecture. She dismissed it with shrug, turning to collect her books as Lorne ended the lesson. She trouped back to her room with Willow and Cordelia in tow, chatting about what they planned to do on the weekend.

Willow quickly changed and babbled some excuse about studying in the library, but her cheeks flushed crimson as she spoke and Buffy and Cordelia had no illusion about what 'studying' meant.

"No probs, Will," Buffy teased. "I'm sure Oz will be waiting for you."

The redhead scurried away, embarrassed, and Cordelia sniggered.

"I'm going to see what's on at the movies," Cordy declared, reapplying her lip gloss. Buffy rolled her eyes. Cordelia was not checking the movie guide, she knew, but the brunette would never reveal what she was actually going to do. Buffy had caught, with much surprise, Cordelia and Xander kissing. She knew how embarrassed they both were and did not persist in attempting to get Cordelia to admit it. Nodding and murmuring a short goodbye, Buffy waited until she had the room to herself before sitting in the middle of the floor, her legs crossed. Closing her eyes, she began to focus on her breathing, moving her body as it desired. Her tai chi sessions were relished, and she took every spare chance she got to practise.

Buffy was half way through her session when she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She staggered on her feet, reaching out for something to balance her. Finding the bed, she slumped onto the mattress and found herself falling back. Her head hit the bed with a soft thud, and she couldn't do anything as her vision turned black and the world slipped away.

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"Don't go."

A red-haired girl stopped and turned around, a weak smile on her face. She looked into the eyes of her mistress, the Lady of the house, her friend.

"I have to, Mary."

Mary stamped her foot in frustration, a hint of fear behind her blue eyes. "No, Lucy. You don't!" she said, pushing back the tears threatening to spill.

"Of course I do," Lucy said quietly. "Who else will stop it?"

"I-I…I don't know. But I won't let you go." Mary crossed her arms, a look of fierce determination and authority in her eyes. "This is not like those little fights you always win, Lucy. This is worse than anything you've ever faced. This is HIM we are talking about." She dropped her head, losing the battle to keep her tears from falling. "He will kill you, Luc."

Lucy sighed and walked over to her friend, pulling the brunette into a hug. Mary clung to her, burying her face in Lucy's shoulder.

"Then so be it," Lucy whispered in her friend's hair. "But He will come with me."

She pulled away from Mary's embrace and fled from the room, disappearing over the balcony and into the night. Mary stood still in the middle of the room, then collapsed to her knees, sobbing into her hands.

Lucy ran through the night, easily evading the guards, and hurrying as fast as her legs would carry her. He would be waiting, and there was nobody else but her to stop him. The world slept on, unaware that it could come to an end within the very hour. She envied their oblivion. Her hand slipped behind her back and she touched the edge of her sword, more for comfort than reassurance. A small dagger and a stake were strapped to her ankles, and she felt them chafe at her skin as she ran.

She saw the edge of the forest in front of her, and her keen sense of hearing could hear the murmur of chants on the wind. The ritual had already started. She increased her speed, weaving through trees and leaping over fallen logs. The chants became louder as she approached, and she could vaguely make out the orange glow of fire. She slowed her pace as she reached the outer circle of trees in the clearing, careful to remain hidden in the safety of shadows. She quickly counted the number of vampires. Twenty chanting and four humans as sacrifices. Damn. She hated when humans were involved. It complicated matters because not only did she have to slay the vampires, but she had to make sure the people got away safely.

The next few minutes passed in a blur. She silently dispatched the outer ring of vampires; the others did not realize their comrades were dust until it was too late. Then she stood in the middle of the clearing, alone, except for a solitary figure kneeling in front of a stone alter. It stood and held the knife above its head, bringing it down on a wriggling bird tied to the alter. It was black as night, and screamed in agony as the knife ripped through its chest.

She was tired and bruised and sore, but her mouth seemed to ignore the pains. "Sorry to interrupt, but I think you just lost this round."

The figure began to laugh, a faint chuckle at first, and then a full fledged booming. Lucy watched, a trace of fear tingling down her spine. The figure rose to his feet and her blood chilled in her veins when she heard it speak.

"So you believe…Lucy."

A strangled cry of disbelief rose into the night, and Lucy's eyes widened. No…it couldn't be.

"But…"

"You thought you could defeat such an evil? It is above everything on this earth, and no mere girl shall stop it."

"Why?" she whispered.

"Your Watcher died the day you were called, dear, those four months ago. I felled him with my own hand. My Master bade me wait, ordered me to guide you as a Watcher would, so that when the time came, you would be ready."

"R-ready?" she asked, hating the voice her voice shook.

"Yes, ready. Ready to become the final sacrifice. A drop of your blood came from him when the Slayer was created. That is why the Slayer's essence is shrouded in darkness. Now it shall return to him."

A knife appeared in her Watcher's hand and before she could move it sliced through her arm. She cried out and tried to snatch the knife away, but her Watcher shot towards the alter and held it over the stone, screaming in a forgotten language.

Lucy watched helplessly as a drop of her blood fell from the knife. As soon as the red liquid hit the dead bird a fire erupted on the alter, and she could do nothing as a figure emerged. The wind whipped her hair and stung her eyes, but she held her ground. The figure was no more than a man but when he locked eyes with her she saw the emptiness, the pure evilness reflected in the black orbs. This was Him. She was too late.

Her Watcher laughed.

Lucy felt the haziness of denial slip away, only to be replaced by the sting of betrayal. She had trusted her life in her Watcher's hands. She had given her love, devotion and confidence to this person and here they were, the minion of one of the greatest evils to exist. And it broke her heart.

A clarifying sensation passed through her body and mind, and Lucy felt every sting of pain this treachery caused. Her fury raced through her blood, making her skin prickle. She felt strength like never before and it burned. She thought of Mary, waiting at the castle for her to return, felt the fear belying her friend's cool exterior. The memory of her friend's face focused her mind. As she looked into the eyes of her Watcher, she smiled.

"You have lost," her Watcher murmured in glee. "The world will fall! There is no way to defeat Him!"

Lucy turned to face Him.

"Yes there is."

Her Watcher's smile faltered. "Oh? With what?"

"Me."

Lucy grabbed the bloody knife from the alter and plunged it into His stomach. He shrieked, pulled it out and flung it through the air. He reached forward and clutched her neck, the shriek slowly turning into a howl. She gasped for air, and struggled violently against the growing coldness seeping into her body. She kicked out, catching His shin, and heard bone crack. She felt the fingers around her throat loosen and twisted away, but she was too slow. His nail sliced across her throat, and she felt detached as her blood flowed from the wound, covering Him in crimson liquid. It seemed to burn him and the blood glowed.

As the world exploded around her, she saw her Watcher scream and grab the knife then flee into the night. Then she was free.

Buffy woke with a scream.

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Yes, I know it's been a while but we're finally coming to the end! Please review and tell me what you thought. And sorry for the mini-cliffhanger.