TWO
"What the?" started Cole as he looked around.
He was standing in a cavern. He recognized it immediately. He was in the
underworld. He didn't know how he had gotten there. He didn't have any powers.
Which meant someone had brought him here.
"Welcome, Belthazor," said a voice behind him.
He turned around to see the Seer standing several feet from him.
"You," said Cole. "Why did you bring me here? I thought our business was
concluded when I helped defeat the Source."
"You've become a foolish human," said the Seer. "Did you really believe
that would be the end of our business? Did you honestly believe the Source
could be so easily vanquished?"
"Easily?" Cole questioned. "It took the power of the Hollow to defeat
him. I wouldn't exactly call that easy."
"Of course," said the Seer. "But defeated by witches? How little you
understand the true nature of the Source of all Evil."
"What are you talking about?" Cole asked.
"Did you not wonder why he often said his was the power of the
underworld?" the Seer asked.
"He controlled the underworld," said Cole. "All demons obeyed him.
That's a lot of power to control."
"It certainly is," said the Seer. "But it was much more than that. The
ascension ceremony that brings the new Source to power is much more than a
ceremony. It infuses the candidate with the very essence of demon kind. Over
the centuries, that essence grows and increases within the Source. After five
hundred years the Source was as close to evil incarnate as possible for a
corporeal creature to be."
"He was destroyed," said Cole. "I watched it. You said his power went
into the void."
"It did," said the Seer. "The void inside you. The void left behind when
the Charmed Ones vanquished your demonic half. There it waits to be recalled so
that it may once again take its place as the ruler of the underworld."
"You're wrong," said Cole. "I'm human now."
"Are you so blind that you think that?" said the Seer. "You are half
demon. It is your nature. In you the Source will be reborn. When one has
commanded the underworld as long as the Source did, they cannot truly be
vanquished. They can only be reborn in another form."
"In me?" Cole questioned. "No. My life is now at peace. Even if what
you say is true - even if the power of the Source resides in me - I won't allow
it to control me. Serving evil is a choice. It is my choice not to serve evil.
And not even your power can take away my power to choose good over evil."
"You are correct," said the Seer. "As a human you have free will. That
is not something that all the power of the underworld can change. It is an
obstacle that I cannot overcome."
"So there's nothing you can do about it," said Cole. "Just send me back
to Earth. You won't get me to do what you want so you can just give it up."
"You are correct," said the Seer. "I cannot force you to choose evil.
But as I said, that is simply an obstacle. Not the first I have had to
overcome. But one, I am pleased to say, that can be easily circumvented."
"What do you mean?" Cole asked.
"The power of the Source resides within you," said the Seer. "If the
Source is to be restored to his rightful place, I will need that power. You may
recall that I once said that you and I would do great things together. This is
the beginning of those things. Unfortunately, it is the only portion that you
will actually be participating in. But the most important, I can assure you."
Suddenly a demon walked up and stood next to the Seer. It stood as tall
as Cole but was a milky-white color. Its face was only reminiscent of a human
face. There were eyes and a mouth but instead of a nose there were only two
small slits. Cole recognized the demon. It was a Changling: a demon that was
capable of altering its form to whatever it chose.
"Now, Belthazor," said the Seer, "it is time you returned what has been
entrusted to you."
The Seer raised her hands and beams of energy shot from her fingertips.
The beams struck Cole in the chest and he could only stand as he felt the power
of the Source being drawn out of him.
"What the?" started Cole as he looked around.
He was standing in a cavern. He recognized it immediately. He was in the
underworld. He didn't know how he had gotten there. He didn't have any powers.
Which meant someone had brought him here.
"Welcome, Belthazor," said a voice behind him.
He turned around to see the Seer standing several feet from him.
"You," said Cole. "Why did you bring me here? I thought our business was
concluded when I helped defeat the Source."
"You've become a foolish human," said the Seer. "Did you really believe
that would be the end of our business? Did you honestly believe the Source
could be so easily vanquished?"
"Easily?" Cole questioned. "It took the power of the Hollow to defeat
him. I wouldn't exactly call that easy."
"Of course," said the Seer. "But defeated by witches? How little you
understand the true nature of the Source of all Evil."
"What are you talking about?" Cole asked.
"Did you not wonder why he often said his was the power of the
underworld?" the Seer asked.
"He controlled the underworld," said Cole. "All demons obeyed him.
That's a lot of power to control."
"It certainly is," said the Seer. "But it was much more than that. The
ascension ceremony that brings the new Source to power is much more than a
ceremony. It infuses the candidate with the very essence of demon kind. Over
the centuries, that essence grows and increases within the Source. After five
hundred years the Source was as close to evil incarnate as possible for a
corporeal creature to be."
"He was destroyed," said Cole. "I watched it. You said his power went
into the void."
"It did," said the Seer. "The void inside you. The void left behind when
the Charmed Ones vanquished your demonic half. There it waits to be recalled so
that it may once again take its place as the ruler of the underworld."
"You're wrong," said Cole. "I'm human now."
"Are you so blind that you think that?" said the Seer. "You are half
demon. It is your nature. In you the Source will be reborn. When one has
commanded the underworld as long as the Source did, they cannot truly be
vanquished. They can only be reborn in another form."
"In me?" Cole questioned. "No. My life is now at peace. Even if what
you say is true - even if the power of the Source resides in me - I won't allow
it to control me. Serving evil is a choice. It is my choice not to serve evil.
And not even your power can take away my power to choose good over evil."
"You are correct," said the Seer. "As a human you have free will. That
is not something that all the power of the underworld can change. It is an
obstacle that I cannot overcome."
"So there's nothing you can do about it," said Cole. "Just send me back
to Earth. You won't get me to do what you want so you can just give it up."
"You are correct," said the Seer. "I cannot force you to choose evil.
But as I said, that is simply an obstacle. Not the first I have had to
overcome. But one, I am pleased to say, that can be easily circumvented."
"What do you mean?" Cole asked.
"The power of the Source resides within you," said the Seer. "If the
Source is to be restored to his rightful place, I will need that power. You may
recall that I once said that you and I would do great things together. This is
the beginning of those things. Unfortunately, it is the only portion that you
will actually be participating in. But the most important, I can assure you."
Suddenly a demon walked up and stood next to the Seer. It stood as tall
as Cole but was a milky-white color. Its face was only reminiscent of a human
face. There were eyes and a mouth but instead of a nose there were only two
small slits. Cole recognized the demon. It was a Changling: a demon that was
capable of altering its form to whatever it chose.
"Now, Belthazor," said the Seer, "it is time you returned what has been
entrusted to you."
The Seer raised her hands and beams of energy shot from her fingertips.
The beams struck Cole in the chest and he could only stand as he felt the power
of the Source being drawn out of him.