Damonculous bolted upright in the bed. He had been using Persius' house to recoup his power. With the warlock now vanquished he'd have no use for it. And it allowed Damonculous to replenish the power he had expended fighting the demons.
He had sensed the use of a great power. Instinctively he knew where that power had been used. The Charmed Ones had found a way to break the blocking he had placed on their magic. That was impossible. Only the Elders possessed the necessary power to oppose him and with their power blocked they weren't a threat.
Unless this Power of Three Persius had told him about was as great as everyone believed. Perhaps he had misjudged the situation entirely. They had been only witches after all. Humans with power granted to them. He had not considered that perhaps this power was a great as that of the Elders.
But to break the blocking he had placed on them would require a tremendous level of power. Power unheard of in humans. If that were true then he may not need the Elder at all. He could use this Power of Three to accomplish his goals just as easily. In fact, once he had the Power of Three that would leave the Elder they were protecting defenseless. He could then drain the Elders power and become even that much stronger.
This would give him a distinct advantage over them. They knew he would reserve his most powerful magic for the Elder. He couldn't afford to waste what power he had on anyone else. But now he could use that power on the sisters. They would attempt to protect the Elder as they had in the past. Only this time the Elder would not be his target. The sisters would. And even the demon couldn't protect them all at the same time.
Damonculous lay back down on the bed. His magic and power were almost completely restored. It wouldn't be long now. Even with the bulk of his power being used to block good magic he was still infinitely stronger than those who opposed him. They were not strong enough to destroy him. And they were human. Humans could be harmed or killed in so many different ways.
Damonculous would bide his time. When he was ready he would return to the manor. And this time the outcome would be different. He had all ready sensed the demons return to their hiding place. They wouldn't be around to hinder him any longer. And even if they should come to the witches aid as they had before, they would be too late. Damonculous just smiled knowing that in a very short time the Charmed Ones would be dead.
"Percy, I don't understand something," Phoebe said. "You said Damonculous and his followers wanted to rid humanity of evil. Well, wiping out an entire race is evil, isn't it? Doesn't that seem just a bit hypocritical? They want to wipe out the human race for being exactly what they've become?"
"Actually, it does," said Percy. "But there was a great deal of time that passed when the idea was first advanced and the fight that finally ensued. Several hundred years, as a matter of fact. Over those centuries, while the Gray Council was debating the matter, their objectives were subtly altered.
"Soon, it became less a matter of the evil in humanity. This was replaced with the rebellion mankind seemed to exhibit at the dictates of the Council. As I've said, humans can be quite strong willed when they choose to be. After a while it became not a matter of good or evil but the unwillingness of many humans to follow the direction the Gray Council had laid out for them."
"Well, that just seems wrong," said Piper. "You talk about this Gray Council as if they were parents to the human race."
"In many ways that's a quite accurate description," said Percy. "In those days mankind was little more than loosely organized bands. Their very existence was a struggle to simply stay alive from one day to the next.
"The Gray Council saw the potential mankind possessed. Originally, it was their desire to nurture this potential. Much like parents nurture the potential in their children. What the Council failed to realize was that at some point children must be allowed to stand on their own. To make their own decisions whether for good or evil. They never considered that humanity was capable of taking care of itself without their intervention."
"And when mankind began to stand on its own two feet, so to speak," said Prue, "they began to resent it. Is that what you're telling us?"
"Something to that affect," said Percy. "That is why the Founders forbad interference with free will. Humans have progressed to the point where they are no longer children. And, as all children who eventually reach maturity, they must be allowed to decide for themselves what they will do and what direction they will take. We may offer guidance and advice but ultimately humans must choose for themselves."
"Like when children finally move out on their own," said Piper. "Parents may not always like the decisions their kids make but they have to let them make those decisions for themselves."
"Precisely," said Percy. "That's also why the Founders instituted the Elder Council. They knew the desire to circumvent free will would be too great for many of them. So they stepped out of the limelight, so to speak, to allow humanity, with the aid of the Elders and Whitelighters, to stand on their own."
"I wonder where Cole is," said Phoebe looking around. "He's been gone an awfully long time. I hope he's okay. Damonculous may have gone after him to prevent his helping us. Or bounty hunters may have found him."
"I'm sure he's all right," said Percy. "He seems quite capable of taking care of himself. He's faced one of the most powerful beings in history twice and come out the victor both times. That is no small feat."
"Still," said Phoebe, "he's not invincible. And every minute he stays away is another minute someone will catch up with him."
"I'm sure Percy is right," said Piper. "Maybe this plan he came up with is just taking him longer than he originally thought. Whatever that plan is."
"He seemed to think it might be something that could help us with Damonculous," said Leo.
"Another demon, perhaps?" questioned Percy. "It would have to be a very powerful demon to stand up to Damonculous. And as he said, I doubt that any of the main stream demons would be willing to assist us."
"Cole seems to know a lot of dubious people," said Prue. "I'm not sure I fully trust him, let alone those he brings here. Whomever it is I hope this time..."
Her sentence went unfinished as Damonculous suddenly shimmer-orbed into the entryway. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe jumped to their feet and took up defensive positions in front of Percy. Damonculous just stood in the entryway smiling at them.