Truth Keeper
A/N – It's been a really long time since I've updated – sorry about that, insanely busy. Thanks for all the emails telling me to hurry up, I'm surprised people aren't sick of this fiction yet. I really wish I could speed up the posting (stupid obligations and life). Just so you know, I've had this plot in my head long before the end of last season, I just finally got the balls to start writing and posting this in June. Obviously (if you catch onto a few references) things have changed/influenced it a bit, but pretty much this was thought of long before the whole Spike-souled thing (which I love). Any-hoo, the REAL plot is going to start coming into play from this chapter out, but I don't know how fast my next update will be. Again, thanks for all the reviews and requests for me to hurry up – I've really tried to listen to them and get this posted as soon as I could. (Yes that is a hint to review, like all fanfiction authors, I am a feedback junkie)
Chapter 15 – Legend
"Ah, Buffy, you've joined us. I can begin now."
"Begin what?" Buffy's face didn't show a hint of emotion as she looked at the red head. Crossing her arms over her chest she looked at Arabella expectantly. Inside Buffy felt as if she was going to be sick. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach, and she knew that the hell that was her day was not near finished.
"Please sit down. I've got a lot to say and a very short amount of time to say it in." Buffy stared at her for a moment and then grudgingly sat in the empty chair beside Dawn. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Spike perched on the steps leading up to the library, his jaw clenched with tension.
Arabella placed the briefcase she had in her hand on the round table and carefully took out two books. The first was large and thick, like any of the texts the Scoobies had spent night after night flipping through, trying to find information about their latest demon problem. The second was small, and looked both new and ancient. At the sight of the small book Anya's eyes grew wide.
"Patience, Anyanka. Let me get to it in my own time." Anya looked down and blindly reached out to Xander, entwining her fingers with his tightly.
"So, are you going to tell us what the significance of these books are, or are we all going to just stare at them dumbly for a few hours?" Buffy was feeling nervous, very, very nervous. All of her training was telling her to jump up and demand to know what was going on, but she knew there would be no point. If the contact she had had with the being in front of her had taught her one thing, it was that Arabella would not be intimidated by an angry Slayer. So Buffy stayed in her seat, and hoped that whatever was said wouldn't begin or end with the word apocalypse.
"I was meant to stay here for at least a few more months before this meeting was to occur. But, forces unseen even to the Powers have stepped in and, well, events have sped up and changed. You would be amazed at what free will can cause if it's executed by the right being. I remember this one time –"
"Lamb, topic, stay on it."
"Oh, right, sorry. I get distracted quite easily with over seven hundred and fifty years of memory." Arabella smiled lightly, but turned serious when she noticed the grim expressions worn by all others present. "First thing, I need to explain a concept to you that you might have some difficulty accepting. I just ask that you let me finish before you start objecting." Arabella looked around and when she was sure everyone would comply with her request, she began. "The Council of Watchers' role is to train Slayers to kill all demons indiscriminately. They have to ensure that she will not question this role. To do this, they tend to leave out important details when educating Slayers about the supernatural world. They have even gone so far as to teach blatant lies. The most blatant of all is that only humans have souls. All beings have souls: demons, humans, higher beings, vampires. They're just not all the same.
Demons are demons because there soul is combined with a demon essence. They are at constant battle with one another. Sometimes, the demon gains complete control over the soul. Reversely, it is just as equally likely that the soul will gain complete control over the demon. In most demons, there is not complete control of one or the other, but a slight tip of the balance one way or the other. Angelus' demon had complete control. That's why he was such a right bastard. The emotions of his soul that would help to restrain his impulses never got in the way. In contrast, there's an empath demon in Los Angeles whose soul has complete control. He's one of the most delightful men I have ever known." Arabella walked over to Spike and placed her hand on his cheek. "Your demon and soul are constantly battling, William. Both too strong to gain any control over the other, unable to tip the balance in their favour. You feel with your soul and fight with your demon. Most choose to see only the demon, Spike. But I can't help but see the soul as well."
Spike drew his cheek away from Ari's hand and reached into his duster, desperately needing a cigarette. She had always insisted that there was more to demons than the demon. She had just always refused to explain the vague statements she would make regarding souls. He could feel all eyes in the room on him, and desperately wanted to say some sarcastic remark. Unfortunately, he was at a loss of words for the first time in his unlife.
Across the room, Buffy could actually taste the bile rising in her throat. With every word Arabella uttered, the fragile truths that Buffy had based her entire life around were systematically getting shattered. The concept that Angelus had his soul, Angel's soul, the entire time he had tormented her, was almost as disturbing as the fact that it wasn't unique for Angel to have a soul. Neither of these pieces of information were what were making her sick, though. It was the fact that Spike had a soul. That every demon she had ever killed had a soul. Arabella had told her the same thing yesterday, but she had ignored the meaning behind them. The full meaning of the words was finally hitting her and she wasn't sure if she could process anymore information.
"How do we know you're telling the truth? You're not human, and you obviously prefer demons to humans, so how do we know you're not just saying all of this to get us to stop killing your friends?" Xander said angrily, standing up and wrenching his hand from Anya's. The idea of what Arabella was saying flipped his whole world around, their whole world around. He didn't want it to be changed.
"I don't want you to stop killing demons. When the demon has dominant control they are inherently bad. Wicked, corrupt, amoral, violent, and vicious. It's all in a demon's nature. But, if there is close balance with the soul, or if the soul is more powerful, then they are emotionally and morally, just like human beings. There are varying degrees to how demons choose to act, just like with human beings."
Arabella perched herself on the corner of the desk and started flipping through the larger of the two books casually, her calm demeanour only causing Xander to get angrier. Willow's eyes were wide and looked very lost, her brain trying to process everything that had just been thrown at her before there was more. Tara had always felt there was more to the demon equation than what they had known, and all her theories were falling into place as the Keeper spoke.
"Still wanting evidence here, because, hey, just so you know, your soothing words are not all that soothing." At Xander's words, Anya grabbed his hand and yanked him into the chair beside her, giving him a pointed look.
"Thank-you, Anyanka. What do you think I'm doing right now, flipping through an ancient text for some leisurely reading? This lovely piece of literature is commonly known as the eighth volume of the Book of the Soul. At least, that's what it's called in English. It was originally written in –"
"Topic, lamb."
"Right." Arabella plopped the book down in front of Willow. "I've gathered you're the brains – at least the brain that willingly participates, so here you go for conformation. Third passage down is the most relevant to this particular topic, but the entire series of texts are central to origins of the supernatural."
Willow scanned the page eagerly, and then looked at Ari. "Giles mentioned these texts once. They're a legend, supposedly revealing the origin of demons, Slayers, and everything supernatural in this dimension. He said they were no longer in existence. Almost every text I've studied refers to them."
"Well, then, this text is a gift from me to you. Protect it with your life and don't let the Council of Wankers learn of it. They've already found seven of the thirteen texts and put them in the deepest vault they have. Couldn't let their Slayers know their true origin, now could they?"
"What do you mean by that?" Buffy spoke tensely, the fragile control she had over her emotions was very close to cracking. All of her instincts were screaming at her to either run away or run to Spike. But she didn't even dare to look at him, afraid that one look into his eyes would not just crack, but shatter all of her control.
"To be honest, I can't really say. The Council has had your breed's volume for so long it's never seen been seen by a Keeper's eyes. But that's not the point of this little lesson, we haven't even gotten to that yet. Anyanka, could you summarise the Legend of Vidhamaka and Bhagavantu please."
Anya's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She stared at Arabella in shock, not moving a single muscle.
"Please Anyanka."
Anya continued to stare blankly for a few minutes before Xander's hand on her shoulder snapped her out of the stupor she had gotten lost in. Ringing her hands nervously, she looked at the expectant face around her. For once she didn't know how to say what needed to be said. "The Legend of Vidhamaka and Bhagavantu is probably the most important, and scariest depending on your outlook of all demon mythology. It's a romantic fairytale and a horror story." Anya bit her lip nervously. The expressions of the other Scoobies had gone grim and she didn't blame them. Gulping down the lump in her throat and decided to be as blunt as possible. "Vidhamaka and Bhagavantu will join together to determine the outcome of all dimensions. Depending on circumstances they might reign terror, bring peace, or create something in between. There's a lot of romantic junk and some violence before and after they do this, but that's pretty much the point of the whole legend." Everyone just stared at Anya, mouths open, Dawn eliciting a small squeak. Arabella tipped her head down and rubbed her temples with a frustrated sigh.
"Well that's one way of putting it, Anyanka. I was hoping you'd skimp on some of the more flowery details, not the entire bloody legend."
"Sorry, Arabella, but there's pressure!" Anya snapped and stalked over to the cash register. She didn't like where this was going, and needed something to calm her nerves. She picked up a wad of bills and began to count the money, her hands shaking nervously as she tried to focus.
Buffy straightened her back and looked at Arabella, her brain in full Slayer mode. "So how do I stop the apocalypse from happening this time?"
"There is no apocalypse, just destiny." Arabella said it calmly, eyes focused on the smaller book in front of her.
"Vidhamaka and Bhagavantu are opposite sides of a coin, meeting in the middle. Where Vidhamaka comes from the darkness, Bhagavantu comes from the light. They meet in the shadows after long journeys which will lead them through individual trials. Vidhamaka, the Destroyer, is said to be younger than the years, and Bhagavantu, the Blessed, older than all the years combined, but they will appear the same in time and space in similar forms, when the stars of all dimensions align and the countdown has begun. Both will affect the mystical world and its inhabitants greatly. Bhagavantu is said to be the mother of souls and the giver of light, while Vidhamaka is the controller of the dark and the child of the balance. They will be both at odds and alike until the day their paths meet. When this occurs all will change; nothing can prevent this from occurring, only influence the result. This union will be power embodied and will determine the outcome in the Days, be it for the light, the dark, or the grey." Anya's words were spoken softly, her eyes never leaving the money in her hands. Without looking up, she continued t shuffle the bills around, ignoring the silence and stairs she was receiving. She replaced the bills in the register, and slowly closed it, the sound of it clicking into place causing everyone t jump. Looking up, she looked directly into Arabella's eyes. "I've figured it out; you should tell them why you're here."
Instantly, everyone's eyes were on the Keeper. Willow was clutching Tara's hand in a death grip, and Dawn had moved close to Buffy, forgetting how angry she was meant to be with her sister. Arabella looked down sadly, and then up, her entire focus on the youngest Scooby. "The Blessed's gift is that she strengthens weakened souls. With demons, she strengthens and intensifies the emotions and feelings that the soul feels and the demon suppresses. The demon dulls emotions that prevent it from its blood lust – guilt, remorse, regret, empathy for its victims… She gives a soul that extra strength it needs to gain permanent control in the balance. The Blessed is the key to the balance."
It hadn't gone unnoticed to Buffy that Arabella's eyes had remained fixed on Dawn throughout her speech. The last words she spoke implied an idea that Buffy's didn't want to entertain. Before she could question it, Arabella continued.
"When the stars aligned Bhagavantu was created in the form of a sister."