Another repurposing of a previous chapter from the old Grey mage. It was too well written to ignore...
"Okay, Fairy girl I need you to scatter your magic in a grid pattern." Dante directed the fairy in question, stuck in the conservatory of the Manor with the other entitled magical creatures, and the poor thing squeaked in terror when it saw him. "Listen I know you can sense my lack of good or evil, I know it's scary and all but can you get over yourself long enough to ward this manor? I don't have time to deal with your crap?" He glared at it long enough that the thing that it did as he asked and started to scatter her dust. "You, Seer. I need you to organize the various creatures by type and power. I will be making potions with their blood, it should help ward off the Titans if only to give us a moment of peace or a chance to flee."
The seer in question, a massive very handsome man, nodded. "As you wish, my Lord." Then, to his pleasure, the Seer obeyed him without question, probably sensing what he was doing was for the best.
While that was happening, Dante started to set up his talismans. Some were red and looked like stained glass with runes within them, others were outright dreamcatchers and were threaded with turquoise and griffin feathers. He had crafted, bartered, and worked to create each and every one of these damned things. Each was a tiny experiment on defensive magic, things he sold for a profit.
"I feel safer already," Piper said, her voice coming from behind him, the sarcasm clear in her tone. "How many powers do you have? You can conjure, and turn invisible?"
Rolling his eyes, he turned to her. " I was recently given apportion and energy balls, but my actual powers are illusions like any Wizard, and weak telekinesis and of course sensing and divination based powers since all Wizards are seers on some level. I am working on Astral projection and levitation since you can learn those magics. "
She made a huh sound. "You really can do all that?"
"I'm a wizard, we aren't offensively gifted by nature. I needed every advantage I could get. Spellcasting, Potion making, Scrying... their useful gifts, I have become amazing at them,... but without raw power, there was only so much I could do. When I became a freelancer, I made a point to make lessons part of my payment system. When I first came into my powers I spent a year with the sorceress Imara, an ugly but potent bitch that taught me a shit ton of things from advanced spell casting and creation to potent potions to enchantments. These talismans were actually based on her system, she has this gilded cage that can stop magic. She almost put me in it actually... I have one of my own now, took a year to make given my weak magic... or previously weak magic. It used old magic, not just those rhymes but long chants in old languages with herbs, metals, stones and so on. Storing power to create potent spells...it was a bitch to make but fun."
"You are really dedicated to the craft, don't you want a life?"
He laughed. "This is my life. I love my job, I am damn good at it too." he smirked at her, allowing himself to feel the pride he held towards himself.
:::
As much as she did not trust Dante, the kid was cute to look at. He was young, maybe early twenties or late teens with grey eyes and soft curly brown hair and a body rippling with lean muscle. He clearly was a fighter what with his practical clothes, his outfight loose and black with a knife on each leg, what looked like a little dreamcatcher on his neck and a small silver ring on his left ring finger. When he lifted his arms to adjust them on his staff, the boy showed off a perfect sixpack.
"What are those things, the dream catchers and those stain glass things?"
"Protective enchantments that create a binding field. They could take a Power of Three spell and come out on top. Well, only once, but the point is that it blocks out signal so that we aren't not detected and the Titans cannot sense and track anyone to this place. The Fairy dust helps too, quite a bit."
"Wow..." She couldn't help how impressed she was, she may not always like magic but she thought herself an expert,... seeing this young kid's skills made her rethink that. "Do you think you could teach that?" She hated to ask that, but some part of her really wanted to learn at least a little of what he had to offer. "We are always under attack by something, I don't want to traumatize my son, Wyatt with constant attacks. I want him to be safe."
"To you? For a being of pure good and notoriety... For a price."
She sighed. "What do you mean and what do you want?"
"I am neither good nor evil, so to help one side so purely would be... a danger to my reputation. As for what I want, that's easy. To help you with whatever brought Chris here and permission to come and go. I cannot tolerate the idea of someone being so threatened by the future that they came to the past to stop it... something big is going on. I want a future so you'll let me help him and in return I will guide you all, helping you to master new magics."
"Why do you help people on each side if you are on neither side? Doesn't that negate the point?"
The boy sighed and placed down a set of purple crystals. "All wizards can choose what side to be on, but I choose to be on my own, to serve myself first and foremost. I hate the battle between Good and Evil, I hate the controlling nature of good and the abusive nature of evil. I want to be free to use my magic for personal gain but also to help people. I chose to do both. I am able to use my magic for personal gain as much as I please, but I can also use it to help people. I help on both sides to get something out of each, lessons, power, information... I can serve a higher purpose than just Good or Evil but the path I choose. Does that make sense?"
She nodded, slowly getting his point. "I think so... must be nice to use your powers for personal gain. I wish we could without it blowing up in our faces every five seconds." She frowned then. " What did you mean, the controlling nature of good?"
"Everything is decided for us in good. Who you save, why you save them, the kind of powers you have... that you have to save people period but can never save yourself or help yourself in any meaningful way. It's controlling and manipulative and cruel. I believe in choice entirely, it's my biggest virtue. Now... if you're going to ask me more questions, help me with these talismans. I want to put some in Wyatt's room, to alert us if someone is after him and to protect him. P.S. you can keep my protection for another price. I get to learn the basics of Warren magic. Keep in mind, even the Source would struggle to get through my protections. My specialty since I needed a safe lair."
That was an easy one for her to answer. She held out her hand. "If you keep your end of the bargain, proving that you can be trusted... then you have a deal." For some reason, she couldn't explain it, her intuition was telling her to trust this boy. She had a good feeling about him... that his first deed was to successfully save Paige then protect her house from further harm... it set him above cryptic Chris by a metric mile. "So, what do these talismans do? Specifically, I mean. Why the Fairy Dust?"
"Well, the runes cast a protective field that stops unwanted teleportation. The dreamcatchers prevent curses and negative energy... and the crystals are a natural warning system that will ring when danger approaches. I stole that idea from Paige actually, when she tried to keep Wyatt safe, right around the time you guys got involved with the Crone... I wish I met her... she was a legend. Pity you murdered her, but that's what you get for attacking the Charmed Ones."
Piper's eyes widened. "You sure I can trust you?"
"Your brother-in-law was the Source, can you say I am in the wrong here?"
That made her laugh a little, then sigh. "Good point..."
"The Fairy dust casts a net of extra magic that muffles the senses. They won't sense Paige orbing in here. I can make give her a muffling sort of talisman to mask her powers, so she can freely leave... but first let's work on making this place safe."
"""
It was easy evading Piper, since after they finished with the protection efforts moved to stay with her beloved son, and her sisters and corner Chris who was reading the book of Shadows. Walking into the attic, Dante lowered his stance and cloaked himself with an illusion of invisibility, an almost effortless task. Then, with all of his skill he managed to easily knock the boy out with an energy ball that sent him into a wall, far too easy for someone so powerful as Chris' magic clearly stated him to be. Still, Dante was on a mission, he could not afford to stop now even if he made an enemy. Walking over to the boy, he placed a hand on each temple and uttered a spell that he made years ago with the help of a Gyspy.
"As this man enters sleep,
Let me enter his memories deep
Let my wandering mind be
Within his, so I can see
The darkness in his vision
Understanding his purpose and his mission.
In an instant, the world turned black as Dante was sucked into Chris' mind and into a world of utter misery.
"... and then you add the mandrake root." Piper's voice, sweet and soft, drew Dante into the first memory of Chris'. The scent of mandrake root and cooking potion filled his nose next.
Then he fell, literally, onto the floor within the memory. Standing up he looked around and realized something immediately. "I'm in the manor's kitchen?" Confused, he turned and saw Piper, working over a boiling pot of potions. Next to her was a cute kid with dark hair and green eyes, dressed in a blue hoodie. It took him one look to realize that that boy...
Was Chris. They had the same face, the same nose, eyes, hair color, and the same soft aura of potent magic. However, what was shocking was the look of utter adoration in the boy's eyes.
Piper turned and smiled at him. " Remember, when you use Mandrake root you need to expose the flesh or there is no point in it."
Chris nodded, excitement on his face. "Will this potion really kill evil witches?"
Piper laughed. "Yes, it will. My grams made it, we used it on the Wicked Witch from the Fairy Tales. Now, let's add the Mandrake root." She tossed it in and poof, a mass of smoke appeared. "Goodbye, evil witch." They shared a smile, warm and loving... then Piper screamed. "CHRIS DUCK!" She pushed him to the side, as an energy ball flew and smashed into her. Dante watched with horror as Piper flew into the window above the sink, before falling onto the floor. Glass stuck out her back and she was barely breathing.
"MOM!" The boy turned and threw out his hands, Dante turned and saw the Evil Witch in question fly across the room into the wall. Chris grabbed the pot and threw the potion at the witch, who screamed horribly before melting away... but that didn't matter. Chris fell to his knees, sobbing and holding his mom. " Mom... please don't go... Wyatt... please heal her, Dad... someone!"
No one came... no one at all.
Piper gasped, looking at her son. She put out her hand, stroking his face. "It's okay, Peanut... it's okay... your so brave...proud of you, love you, baby."
And then her hand fell, her life-ending.
The entire room shook under Chris' heartbreak but Dante couldn't focus on that as the vision faded and another began.
"Am I at a park?" Dante asked, seeing what looked like a local park only it was destroyed in a way he had never seen before. The world oozed misery, the sky dimmer than it should have been. Looking around, Dante saw Chris and a beautiful girl sitting next to each other, Chris was putting a ring on her finger.
"Will you marry me?" Chris asked, his heart on his sleeve.
The girl made a face. " You're asking me now?"
"Mm-hm."
"Here?"
"This is still our spot, Bianca. No matter what he's done to it. Marry me."
Bianca, since that was her name, smiled. " On one condition. You come back to me, safely."
"Have I ever let you down before?" And then they kissed, warm and tender. Dante was moved but felt deeply uncomfortable, mildly regretting forcing his way into Chris' memories no matter what it brought him.
Bianca suddenly pulled away. "What's that?" A flying object hovered over them and shined a light in Bianca's eyes. "Chris." She said, her tone filled with enough fear to send shivers down Dante's spine. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't good news."
Chris telekinetically threw the object against a brick wall, destroying it. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I don't think it had time to transmit."
"Aagghh! I can not believe he's sending probes after us now. I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch."
"No, no you're not. You're gonna stick to the plan."
"But he knows."
"If he knew he wouldn't have sent the probe. You have to go back, Chris. It's the only way to stop them. It's the only way to change all this."
The memory shifted again and Dante found himself in the Manor, next to people on a literal tour.
The Tour Guide smiled at them. "Welcome to the Halliwell memorial museum. A tribute to magic and of course, the Charmed Ones. Please remember there is no digi-capturing, no holographic and most certainly no magic allowed while inside the museum. That's a big one. Don't worry about those probes, folks, they're merely scanning for witches. Now, as we pass through the foyer, note the family portraits hanging on the walls."
The people walk through the house with Chris and Bianca walking behind them. Chris waved his arm at the probes and they turn away from them.
Bianca smiled. "Nicely done."
The Tour Guide gestured. "Around here you'll notice just a few of the many mythological creatures the legendary sisters transformed into in their demon fighting hayday. "The first image wasThe sisters' superhero outfits displayed on mannequins and what he assumed was Phoebe's mermaid outfit.) "Actually, the Charmed Ones were responsible for well over a thousand demon vanquishes before they were finally vanquished themselves. Now, the time is twenty-five years ago. Imagine yourselves standing here on this floor when the Charmed Ones were reborn."
A hologram appeared, making Dante jump. Whatever this technology was, it was far beyond anything in the present. It almost seemed mystical as much as it was mechanical. The Hologram showed the sisters, as they were when Paige first found out about magic, Blue light descending from the Chandiler the moment the sisters touched hands. Leo was next to them, just behind Piper.
Paige looked horrified. "Okay, what was that?"
Leo spoke next. "I think that means you're supposed to be here."
In the holograph, Shax the assassin barged suddenly through the front door and knocked the girls down with a blast making the crowd gasp. The tour guide turns off the holograph, chuckling.
"Scares them every time. Okay, let's head over to the kitchen where many of the sisters' classic potions were brewed. Some of which are available from purchase in the gift shop on the way out. "They all moved into the kitchen." Of course, the attic was the preferred spot for potion making, principally because that's where they kept the famed Book of Shadows. Which is where we're headed next. A little background on the manor itself, it was actually..."
Everyone left the kitchen except Chris and Bianca. A guard, clearly a demon, shimmered in.
"Hey, you two, move along.
Bianca whispered. "Wait for it."
The guard moved closer to them and a dagger materialized in Bianca's hand.
"Are you deaf? I said..." Then Bianca stabbed him in the stomach and vanquished him, then she walked over to the basement door.
"Come on."
The image shifted again and they were in the basement,
"We should be safe here until the museum closes. Then we'll go get the book. What's the matter?"
Chris had a strange look on his face as if he wasn't sure how to handle what he had just seen. " Nothing. It's just sometimes I forget who you really are."
"Hey." She pulled him closer. "You mean who I used to be, Chris. Before I met you."
"So what do we do now?"
"We say goodbye."
She took off her top and they started to kiss.
The memories whirled once more and he found himself in the attack just as the two walked in it.
Bianca started talking immediately. "Don't tell them anything. Just stick to your cover story. The less they know about the future, the better."
Chris looked worried. "But what if they find out who I really am?"
"They won't. Not as long as you can pass yourself off as their Whitelighter."
"And you're sure I won't lose my powers when I go back?"
"Not with this spell, that's why we need it." Dante, a magical expert, was amazed at what he just heard. No magic allowed one to maintain their powers in the past... this was incredible. " Look, just remember, protect baby Wyatt and you protect the Charmed Ones. Keep them alive for our future."
" Great. No pressure there."
"Chris, you know you're the only one who can do this. You're the only one who can save us."
"If I make it back."
Bianca smiled and got close to him. " Baby, you have to make it back. If you wanna marry me."
They kissed once more.
"You really know how to motivate a guy, you know that?" Then They walked over to a holograph of the Book of Shadows.
"You sure you can summon the real book?"
"Yeah."
"Away from him?"
"Yeah. But we won't have much time once it gets here. His demons will be all over us."
"I won't need much time. Just long enough to send you back to them." Bianca then walked over to a wall and started drawing on it with chalk. Within a minute she made a large triquetra, the sign of the Warren bloodline. "It's time."
" I don't wanna go. I don't wanna leave you."
She took off her engagement ring and put it in his hands. "Here... (She gives him the ring.) This will remind you of why we're doing this, what's waiting for you here." They hugged.
"Just make sure you take care of the guards, okay? Then get out of here. Because if he finds you, if he knows you betrayed him, he'll kill you."
"Don't worry. I can take care of myself."
They walked over to the hologram of the Book of Shadows again and Chris pulled out a piece of paper.
"I call upon the ancient power, to help us in this darkest hour,
let the book return to this place, claim refuge in its rightful space."
The Real book appeared, falling from the sky onto the Hologram. " It worked."
"The spell, find the spell."
Chris flipped through the book and finds a spell.
"Hear these words, hear the rhyme,
heed the hope within my mind,
send me back to where I'll find,
what I wish in place and time."
A portal opened where the drawn triquetra was, but in that moment a demon shimmered in behind Bianca and grabs her. "Bianca!"
She easily started to fight him off while calling out. "Go! Go!"
Then Dante's spell shattered, and he saw the rage-filled eyes of Chris staring at him. However, before he could react, Dante kneeled down and embraced the boy. "You are risking so much to stop your own kin, your brother. It takes a lot of gall and will to do that. Whatever you need, anything... that future will never come to be."
"""
Chris wanted to punish the wizard that mind fucked him, the urge to strangle him with thought was strong but he held back for two reasons. One, the Dante of his time or rather the legend of him stated that he was covered in enough protection to have nearly killed even Wyatt and had actually managed to repel even Wyatt's strongest magic. Chris had no idea if the boy still had this kind of magic in this era...
Second, there was no way he could afford to not have Dante as an ally. The legend was skilled, powerful, and dangerous, he was as skilled as Wyatt was powerful... he was ruthless, smart and capable in a way that no one else was. If there was someone that could stop Wyatt it was him...
His mind was made up easily. "Do anything like that again and you won't have to worry about the future."
Dante just smirked. "I doubt that, Mr. Halliwell..."
It was then that his mother walked in, looking very, very peeved. He remembered that look and knew he was close to being vanquished.
"Alright, what's going on? Leo is not responding to any of my calls and it's been over five hours."
Chris wanted to panic, whatever Dante just did had taken five hours... that wasn't good to lose that kind of time.
Sighing, he turned off his heart. "I really don't know."
"Well, I really think you do."
"Look, you're the one who wanted him to go up there in the first place, not me. Alright, fine, maybe I do know. And if I'm right, he's gonna need some serious alone time."
" You know what? Cut it out with the cryptic crap. You need to go up there and bring him back now. No more games."
" Okay, fine, I'll go." He turned to Dante. "You need to catch them up on this history of the Titans, I know you know more. Do that and you might make it up to me. Also, you're teaching me as much as you can. If I fail one way, I am not failing the other. You know what I mean. Also, you're protecting my head, deal?"
Dante smiled. "Not a problem. I was planning on doing just that anyway. I am telling them about part of your mother's heritage, not the specifics but the what." "
"Good... and fine... they were likely to find out anyway." Then he orbed away, following the path Leo left behind.
""""
Dante sensed the moment Chris was fully out of range, turning to see a confused Piper. "I mind raped him, found out what he's hiding... trust me, you don't need to know. I will be runeing his mind to protect it later."
She just sighed. "What can you tell me?"
"He's half witch, like Paige... that's really it. Now, let's go, I have a lot to share with you girls."
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This was a blast to rewrite.
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.
