Halloweentown: Kalabar's Return

By: Gabriel Kayne

DISCLAIMER! I OWN NOTHING!

A.N.- Sorry for the lack of updates, i just have had a lot going on, what with the move to another city, my new job, and writer's block out the ass. I will try to update more often, so please be patient. as always, ENJOY THE SHOW!

(theme from 2001: a space odyssey plays, as a curtain opens and the author is seen naked covered in soap before screaming and trying to cover his areas.)

Chapter One- The Man From The Dreams…

Marnie Piper and her younger sister Sophie, two witches in an ancient magical family are walking outside of a mall, bringing some things home from their shopping spree.

"Hey, Marnie, What's up with you, lately? You seem a bit distracted. Is something wrong?"

"No, I've just been having these weird dreams, lately. It's the strangest thing, but I feel as if they mean something."

"What're they about?"

"There's this guy in them being tortured by somebody, asking for help. He looks kind of familiar, but I can't quite place it. He also says something about this thing called 'Ars Demonicum', and that time was running out for someone. He was really cute, even with that scar, and that strange eye of his."

"What did it look like?"

"It had a sort of design in it, and it was black with three red circles in it, one inside the other, while the other one was green. He looked kind of desperate, though."

"Hmmm, maybe we should ask Grandma Aggie about it. She would probably know more about what these things mean."

"Yeah, she would. Well, let's get home." Marnie says, about to cast a spell, when all of a sudden there is a flash of light and a young man dressed in torn rags is propelled out of it, falling on the ground. The sisters immediately rush forward and check on him. That is when Marnie gets a shock. In front of them, in the flesh, is the man from her dreams. He is a fair-skinned youth, with a black scar over his left eye in the shape of an 'x'. His hair is long and dirty blonde, greasy from years of grime. However, even with the muck, there is no smell, and he is still handsome.

"Who is this guy, Marnie? Where did he come from?"

"I don't know, Sophie, but we need to get him home. Grandma'll know what to do." She answers, noticing something that sends chills down her spine. In his hand is a necklace, one that should have been in Halloweentown with her brother Dylan. The Gift, a magical item that allows a Cromwell witch to utterly control another being, a power that is forbidden, and is punishable by death.

Together, they magically travel to their home, and their mother is outside, wondering why they are home so early, until she sees the unconscious man in between them.

"Oh my god, what happened? Are you okay? Who is he? Where did you find him?" Judith, their mother, asks, to which they explain. They then go inside and get the family Witch's Glass, and contact their grandmother. She immediately magics herself there, and examines him. All of a sudden he lets loose a bloodcurdling scream and wakes up, eyes darting around the room in panic before he notices the others around him.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

"You're safe. My name's Marnie Piper and this is my family. Do you know what happened when you appeared in front of me?"

"It worked, then. To answer your question, I have to ask for your assistance. There is a cult known as Ars Demonicum that is hell-bent on controlling both the mortal realm and Halloweentown. I have no love for that place, but I refuse to allow anyone to fall under this group's control. Especially considering what they will do to everyone once they succeed."

"What'll they do? Who are you?"

"My name is Caliban. I can't go into specifics, but I will tell you that they wish to make a living hell on both realms, literally."

"How did you get here? Why have I been dreaming about you so much? How do you know these things?"

"How I arrived here, as well as the source of my knowledge, is unimportant. As for why you have been 'dreaming' of me, I cannot say. All that matters is that we stop these monsters, if you will pardon the term, from destroying everything. Please, you have to trust me. I have no reason to lie to you, especially since I need your help. I beg you; help me stop the Ars Demonicum."

"Why don't you like Halloweentown?"

"That is private. All you need to know is that, as much as I hate that place, I don't want anyone, even my worst enemy, to suffer under the rule of those… things."

"You aren't giving us much reason to trust you, Caliban. And I have to say, your name sounds an awful lot like those of two other enemies we've faced. Namely Kalibar and Cal. Why is that?" Aggie asks suspiciously.

"Because, unfortunately, they are my father and brother." Caliban answers, causing the others to immediately ready themselves to attack. "Wait, before you kill me, allow me to explain. They are only related to me by blood, nothing more. My 'father' was constantly trying to pit me and my 'brother' against each other, forcing me to fight against him to the death. Of course, I say forced me because Caliburn was more than eager to kill me. Probably sibling jealousy or some such garbage. Those were the first ten years of my life. I always ended the day by being branded for my failures, literally. On my sixteenth birthday, however, something… happened. During one of my…training sessions, as he called them, I lost control. Ten servants died that day. They were more my family than the two I am related to, and I slaughtered them, like animals. All in five minutes, ten people- good people- died. I- I tore them apart. That was the day my dear old dad decided to push my training even further, by taking out my eye and giving me this… thing. Ever since then, I have been able to see the truth of things, whether it be a statement, a hidden item, or someone's innermost secrets, their very soul. And that scared him. I was soon locked up in the dungeon, chained to the ceiling, hooks stabbed through my body, a mask covering my entire head, so that life was darkness to me. However, about ten years ago my father was defeated and destroyed. My 'brother' disappeared. I was alone. Eventually I was found by a group of people that were… resentful towards my father and brother. I had a faint glimmer of hope that I would be allowed to have a life of my own." He says, laughing wryly. "Funny, for a second I thought that I would be helped. That someone would care. Strange how things work out, huh? As soon as I told them who I was they put blood-chains on me and dragged me to the Tower, leaving me there to rot. The only times that I had any contact with anyone was for my daily beatings. They broke every bone in my body at least once. I was told that I was nothing. I WAS nothing. The only thing that kept me going was my memories of mother, as few as they were. However, a few weeks ago I had a… vision. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give me purpose. That purpose is to destroy the Ars Demonicum."

"Why do you need us?" Marnie asks, sadness overwhelming her at hearing his tale.

"Because, your family founded that order, and magic law dictates that a group can only be destroyed by the blood of those that created it. And yes, I am serious. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't completely sure of this. Now, will you help me?"

"What makes you think our family started this?" Judith asks, suspiciously glaring at him.

"Because, I see the truth of things. I already tried to destroy them, but I failed completely. The punishment was… unpleasant, to put it politely. Anyways, I soon 'looked' into things, so to speak, and saw who created this… cult. Alistair Cromwell, founder of the Cromwell bloodline. I was, to be honest, quite shocked. To put it succinctly, I am unable to destroy these… interlopers, these… demons, for lack of a better word, without your help. Now will you lend me your aid?"

"I don't know. I don't quite trust you, young man, but for some reason I don't think you care whether we do or not. What do you all think?" Aggie asks the rest of the family, to which they all have unsure expressions on their faces. All except for one of them.

"Marnie, we should help him. He needs us." Sophie says, conviction in her eyes.

"Sophie, what are you saying? What makes you think he's telling the truth?" Dylan asks, exasperation evident in his expression.

"I don't know, I just know he needs our help."

"Correction: I don't need anyone's help. I simply have no other choices, considering how little time we have."

"Well, we might as well think on this overnight and decide in the morning. Come, let me show you where you'll be sleeping tonight." Judith says, clearly exhausted from the information that has been forced on her, as is everyone else.

"I don't sleep, or rather, I can't. It is physically impossible for me to sleep. I would like to have some sustenance, however. I have not eaten in almost two decades."

"Oh, well, we have some leftovers in the fridge. Let me heat it up for you." She replies.

"Thank you, Ms. Cromwell."

"No problem, and it's Piper, not Cromwell."

"My apologies. I meant no disrespect." He says, bowing his head respectfully.

"It's nothing. As for the rest of you, bed. NOW."