EIGHT
"I think your business is all ready finished," said Piper as she brought her hands up.
She tapped into her explosive power and cast it at the creature. In the center of the cloud an explosion occurred. But it was quickly absorbed by the swirling mass of the cloud, leaving the creature virtually unharmed.
"Your power is of no affect against me, witch," hissed the creature.
Phoebe suddenly kicked out at the creature with her martial arts training. But as with Piper's explosive power, she kicked nothing but dead air.
"You are as ineffective as your sister," the creature hissed at Phoebe. "You are of no threat to me. None of you are. I am the Darkness. Against me there is no defense."
Suddenly Phoebe looked around her. She was no longer in the manor. Instead, she seemed to be in some type of mall. All around her demons descended on the innocents passing through the mall. One after another of the innocents were struck down by demonic attacks and Phoebe could do nothing but stand by and watch. She didn't have Piper's explosive or freezing abilities or Paige's ability to orb. Against the onslaught of demons she was virtually powerless.
Phoebe saw all this in her minds eye. In the manor she had fallen to the floor holding her head in her hands. Her greatest weakness was her inability to combat demons as her sisters were capable of. The knowledge that she could do nothing but stand by and watch as demon decimated innocents she was helpless to protect.
Paige found herself standing in the middle of a great room. The room was totally empty except for her, standing in the middle of it. There was no movement, no sound, no noise at all. Just a great deafening silence that pressed in on her as if a great weight. And there were no exits from the room, not even windows.
The Darkness had found Paige's greatest weakness. It was her aloneness. Abandoned by her natural parents, the death of her adoptive parents at a young age, Paige had always felt alone, isolated from the rest of the world. That had changed somewhat when Piper and Phoebe had found her.
But in many ways Paige was still alone in the world. Cutoff and isolated from others she felt the loneliness deepen within her. A loneliness that cut into her as if it were a knife cutting her to the soul. In the manor, Paige had dropped to her knees, sobbing into her hands as the loneliness pressed in on her.
Piper found herself standing alone facing only a single person. Ordinarily, she would have been overjoyed to see this person. She was facing her older sister, Prue. But instead of the loving, comforting, giving person Piper had grown up with and come to love deeply, Prue chided her and belittled her for failing the family. She spoke harshly to Piper and the words cut Piper deeply.
Piper's greatest weakness was her deeply hidden doubt that she was not the tower of strength her sister had been. That somehow she could never quite measure up to the example that Prue had set her entire life. Hearing Prue say how deeply disappointed and saddened she was that Piper was not the leader the family needed after her passing, Piper could do nothing but cower in front of her sister.
In the manor Piper had also fallen to her knees. Prue had always been such a source of strength and comfort to not only her but Phoebe as well. While there had been fights and arguments, there had always been love. This Prue showed no love, no compassion for her sister. Only contempt and anger that Piper had failed utterly to hold the family together. And had then replaced her with a half sister without so much as a passing thought.
Leo was in his own hell. Of all gathered in the manor, the White Lighter was perhaps the easiest of the Darkness' victims. The Darkness need not read Leo's mind to know what his greatest weakness was. It was the greatest weakness of any White Lighter. The inability to help, or protect, his charges.
Leo could only stand and watch as one by one his charges were attacked, and overwhelmed, by demonic forces. He couldn't orb them away. His healing power was ineffective. Even his physical attacks were little more than annoyances to the demon hoards that descended on the helpless witches. Leo could do nothing but watch in muted horror as one after another of his charges fell, and died, at the hands of the demons.
"No," screamed Cole. "Leave them alone."
Cole struck out at the creature but like Phoebe hit nothing but air. It was like attacking a mist. There was nothing substantial to connect with. And he knew his powers would be as ineffective against it as Piper's had been. There was virtually nothing Cole could do.
"Or what?" asked the Darkness. "Leave here, human, and you may yet escape me."
"I won't leave them," said Cole. "Get out of their minds. Leave them alone."
"Or you'll what?" asked the Darkness. "Had you left when you had the opportunity I would not have sought you out. By remaining you have sealed your own fate."
Suddenly Cole felt just the very beginnings of a headache. The Darkness was using its telepathy against him. In seconds it would have his greatest weakness. He knew it was too late to run. Before he had moved, the Darkness would have begun its assault on him. And he would die just as Leo and the girls were dying now. Sucked dry by the Darkness that was feeding on their grief and fear.
"Now," said the Darkness, "it is time to finish this. Three witches, a White Lighter, and a human. The Source will be pleased. And I will be filled."
Cole could do nothing except stand and watch the images that began to flood his mind as the Darkness turned its attention on him.
"I think your business is all ready finished," said Piper as she brought her hands up.
She tapped into her explosive power and cast it at the creature. In the center of the cloud an explosion occurred. But it was quickly absorbed by the swirling mass of the cloud, leaving the creature virtually unharmed.
"Your power is of no affect against me, witch," hissed the creature.
Phoebe suddenly kicked out at the creature with her martial arts training. But as with Piper's explosive power, she kicked nothing but dead air.
"You are as ineffective as your sister," the creature hissed at Phoebe. "You are of no threat to me. None of you are. I am the Darkness. Against me there is no defense."
Suddenly Phoebe looked around her. She was no longer in the manor. Instead, she seemed to be in some type of mall. All around her demons descended on the innocents passing through the mall. One after another of the innocents were struck down by demonic attacks and Phoebe could do nothing but stand by and watch. She didn't have Piper's explosive or freezing abilities or Paige's ability to orb. Against the onslaught of demons she was virtually powerless.
Phoebe saw all this in her minds eye. In the manor she had fallen to the floor holding her head in her hands. Her greatest weakness was her inability to combat demons as her sisters were capable of. The knowledge that she could do nothing but stand by and watch as demon decimated innocents she was helpless to protect.
Paige found herself standing in the middle of a great room. The room was totally empty except for her, standing in the middle of it. There was no movement, no sound, no noise at all. Just a great deafening silence that pressed in on her as if a great weight. And there were no exits from the room, not even windows.
The Darkness had found Paige's greatest weakness. It was her aloneness. Abandoned by her natural parents, the death of her adoptive parents at a young age, Paige had always felt alone, isolated from the rest of the world. That had changed somewhat when Piper and Phoebe had found her.
But in many ways Paige was still alone in the world. Cutoff and isolated from others she felt the loneliness deepen within her. A loneliness that cut into her as if it were a knife cutting her to the soul. In the manor, Paige had dropped to her knees, sobbing into her hands as the loneliness pressed in on her.
Piper found herself standing alone facing only a single person. Ordinarily, she would have been overjoyed to see this person. She was facing her older sister, Prue. But instead of the loving, comforting, giving person Piper had grown up with and come to love deeply, Prue chided her and belittled her for failing the family. She spoke harshly to Piper and the words cut Piper deeply.
Piper's greatest weakness was her deeply hidden doubt that she was not the tower of strength her sister had been. That somehow she could never quite measure up to the example that Prue had set her entire life. Hearing Prue say how deeply disappointed and saddened she was that Piper was not the leader the family needed after her passing, Piper could do nothing but cower in front of her sister.
In the manor Piper had also fallen to her knees. Prue had always been such a source of strength and comfort to not only her but Phoebe as well. While there had been fights and arguments, there had always been love. This Prue showed no love, no compassion for her sister. Only contempt and anger that Piper had failed utterly to hold the family together. And had then replaced her with a half sister without so much as a passing thought.
Leo was in his own hell. Of all gathered in the manor, the White Lighter was perhaps the easiest of the Darkness' victims. The Darkness need not read Leo's mind to know what his greatest weakness was. It was the greatest weakness of any White Lighter. The inability to help, or protect, his charges.
Leo could only stand and watch as one by one his charges were attacked, and overwhelmed, by demonic forces. He couldn't orb them away. His healing power was ineffective. Even his physical attacks were little more than annoyances to the demon hoards that descended on the helpless witches. Leo could do nothing but watch in muted horror as one after another of his charges fell, and died, at the hands of the demons.
"No," screamed Cole. "Leave them alone."
Cole struck out at the creature but like Phoebe hit nothing but air. It was like attacking a mist. There was nothing substantial to connect with. And he knew his powers would be as ineffective against it as Piper's had been. There was virtually nothing Cole could do.
"Or what?" asked the Darkness. "Leave here, human, and you may yet escape me."
"I won't leave them," said Cole. "Get out of their minds. Leave them alone."
"Or you'll what?" asked the Darkness. "Had you left when you had the opportunity I would not have sought you out. By remaining you have sealed your own fate."
Suddenly Cole felt just the very beginnings of a headache. The Darkness was using its telepathy against him. In seconds it would have his greatest weakness. He knew it was too late to run. Before he had moved, the Darkness would have begun its assault on him. And he would die just as Leo and the girls were dying now. Sucked dry by the Darkness that was feeding on their grief and fear.
"Now," said the Darkness, "it is time to finish this. Three witches, a White Lighter, and a human. The Source will be pleased. And I will be filled."
Cole could do nothing except stand and watch the images that began to flood his mind as the Darkness turned its attention on him.