Disclaimer : I do not own Charmed or Buffy the Vampire Slayer or SG-1. These characters are all great works done by their creators. And it will stay that way :p I own nothing and am only writing this story to see how these worlds will mesh.
Note: Sorry for the delay, Chap5 is up and I have also freshen up the previous four chapters. Thanks for reading my story, but my grammar and vocabulary are not that good so if you guys see any errors and have some time, I'll appreciated if you can email me and tell me where I have structured the sentence wrongly. :D Thanks a lot!
Chapter Five
"So it has been done." Elder Ralph said glancing at the woman beside him. She was bath in a fiery red glow, the mark of one of the ascended.
Oma Desala nodded. "The sword remained bonded to the child. If the future holds true, that young man will learn to wield Excalibur and prevent the destruction the seers had foreseen."
"Good." Elder Ralph said, a troubled frown on his face. "Unfortunately things had become complicated. A young woman, descendant of the Halliwell line came into power during the chaos spell. She had created some unexpected problems. None of the elders had known of her existence up till now."
"What kind of problems?" Oma asked. After they had seen the terrible future ahead for the world, the two of them had spent years finding a way to prepare for the inevitable. She cannot allow their efforts to go to waste, the world will not survive if the plan failed.
"Paige Halliwell managed to dispel the chaos spell from her cousin, the current slayer and herself. However due to her inexperience, the effects of the chaos magic remained. Those three still bears the powers and memories of who they dressed as."
Oma frowned. "The slayer's loyalty lies with the light. And the Halliwell women had been champions of good for decades. I am sure it is no hard thing to sway the younger cousin to fight for the light."
"And therein lies the problem. Because of the over balance in power, for the first time in decades, chaos had chosen a champion. An immortal champion, one who will never die. And I have a feeling we are not the only one meddling to change the future." Elder Ralph said. "That Paige Matthews was in Sunnydale during the spell may mean a greater power may be trying to interfere secretly."
"But seeing that Paige Matthews is a Halliwell, does not that mean a Power of Good may also be acting in this world's best interest?"
"But our plans may clash with this invisible ally. Like tonight, creating an overbalance of power."
Oma sighed, the implication was dire. "Surely the over balance in power is not so great? They are only three children after all."
"You have forgotten about Excalibur who is also a champion of light now bonded to Xander Harris. Together they may be a force to be reckoned with." Elder Ralph said. "We will need to move cautiously to ensure our efforts are not in vain and we did not release a greater evil. There is no telling how that Chaos' chosen one will move. He may align himself with good or evil as is always the way of chaos."
"Perhaps I should go down again to ensure all goes well." Oma said.
Elder Ralph shook his head. "No, the elders and other powers are watching over those five young people closely now. To interfere now will draw attention to us. We have already broken the law by meddling with the mortals. We can't risk being found out."
Oma nodded. "Very well elder, we can only watch and see. But should anything happens, I will have to interfere once again."
Night turned to dawn as the four of them trek through the woods in the outskirts of Sunnydale. Xander gave a tired yawn. They had no time to rest, as Excalibur had kept harping on in their heads, the quicker it, he, returns home, the safer it will be for everyone involved.
Apparently, there was something called a ley node that was located a few miles from Sunnydale. According to Giles, it is a convergence of mystical energies that will enable Excalibur to cast a teleportation spell to bring them back to Excalibur's cave.
Xander sighed, sometimes he wish he was someone special like Buffy, or even Willow, who was top scholar and apparently now a potential witch. It's true that he was linked to Excalibur now and is the only one that can lift up the freaking sword. But the sword had made it plain to him that he was not King Arthur material, it fact, from the snipe comments Excalibur had made, it thinks that Xander is far from worthy of being its bearer. He got that kind of snubbing a lot from Cordelia and her gang. He had always tried to cover up his hurt with a goofy smile, but truth is, Xander felt very depressed at the moment.
"What are you thinking about?" Willow asked softly beside him. The scooby gang had set out armed to the teeth with crossbows and swords. Usually someone will be making a laugh at the apocalypse joke, but it had been a long day or rather, a long night, and everyone was tired and weary.
"Nothing special." Xander said forcing out a smile. He shifted the sword in his hands and moved forward. "Excalibur, are we nearing the place yet?"
Nearly, but not yet. The entrance to the portal lies in a clearing in the west. Excalibur's voice resounded in their heads.
"I'm tired, cold and grumpy." Buffy moaned next to them.
Willow nodded understandingly. "Not having your regular beauty sleep can do that to a person."
Giles sighed. "Children, please keep your mind on the problem here." He paused as they stepped into a small clearing ringed with trees.
Great this is it. Excalibur said with considerable relief. Now Xander, I need you to open your mind to me. I need to synch my energy to yours.
"How do I do that? Is it those meditation things Buffy always do?"
I have no idea what you are talking about. Just keep your mind blank and not think of anything. Excalibur said with a long suffering sigh. Xander could virtually hear the word "fool" attached to the end of the sentence.
"Taking deep breaths might help." Buffy offered helpfully as she lean against a tree. She sprung up suddenly, brushing at her clothes as she gave a yelp. "Yikes, there are ants here!"
Giles rolled his eyes and muttered something about Americans. He waved at Xander to take the lead and step into the clearing. Carrying the sword wearily into the center of the clearing, Xander let the tip of the sword touched the ground as he closed his eyes and tried to think of nothing.
"I think I feel something… It might be stomach related ..." Xander said as his stomach growled. They had not had any food since dinner.
Willow giggled as Giles groaned.
"Xander please concentrate, I have no wish to spend my weekends out in the woods."
Quite rightly. Excalibur gritted out. I rather long for my cave right now.
An image of a vast cavern flashed in everyone's mind.
Xander closed his eyes and try concentrating again. There was a whisper of sound and he heard Willow screamed. He quickly opened his eyes and saw a dark cloaked figure in front of him and what looked like minotaurs beside the demon.
Oh no.. Excalibur said with dread.
Xander brought up Excalibur, slashing at the minotaur nearest to him. Excalibur cut through the demon like a knife on butter. The minotaur let out a scream as it fell to the ground twitching in death trolls.
An energy blast sent Xander crashing into the tree behind him, Excalibur flying out of his hands onto the ground. Xander groaned painfully, trying to open his eyes, Buffy, Giles and Willow are fighting against the second minotaur while the dark cloaked demon walked towards him.
The demon paused next to Excalibur for a moment. "So we meet again Excalibur." He said. He reached for the sword but his hands seemed to slide off Excalibur every time he tried to grasp it. "Ah.. so the protection still holds. A pity then, I'll have to do it another way." He walked towards Xander.
Excalibur hissed. I will never let you have me. Xander stand up and fight now, you must not give in to him!
Xander groaned painfully, pushing himself back to his feet. The demon pushed him back to the ground sinking his talons into Xander's head.
"You will be mine Excalibur." The Source chuckled.
Xander blinked, one moment he was in the woods, and then he was standing in a red desert land, a red sun blazing down on him. There was an overwhelming sensation of heat as Xander collapsed onto the hot sand. He felt as if his life was getting sucked out of him.
Xander groaned, trying to see in the distance. The shimmering mist of heat was everywhere around him and they were closing in on him. He cannot breathe, he cannot move. All he can do is writhe silently in pain trying to hold on to his life.
Excalibur tried unsuccessfully to enter Xander's mind, but the Source's mind probe has all but shut him out, leaving him unable to be of any assistance to the young man. For the first time, Excalibur felt a bit of fear and dread in its soul. If Xander should fall, the Source will encroach on the mystical link between the two of them and take Excalibur's powers by force.
Child, can you hear me?
"What? Who is that?" Xander rasped through dry lips. He tried to open his swelling eyes to no avail.
Child, this is a mind probe, you must fight it. The feminine voice whispered in his head.
"How?" Xander gave a strangled sob, he had never felt such pain in his life.
You are trapped in your own mind. Your mind is yours, turn it against the one who wishes to use it against you. You are of my blood, you can do it.
For a moment, a calm cooling strength filled Xander's heart. Gritting his teeth, Xander pushed himself up, his arms bleeding from cuts made by the sand. An enormous pressure tried to push him down but he fought it off. In the distance, he thought he could hear the howling of a hyena.
"This is my mind. I just need to change my thoughts." Xander rasped. Veins stood out in his head as he closed his eyes in concentration. The air around him cooled. Slowly, a blue mist spread outwards from him.
Dark withered forms lashed out of the sand trying to latch onto Xander, but the blue mist buffered them off.
Go Child, let lose your might...
The mist expelled outwards, dispelling the desert landscape.
….And forget everything about our conversation.
The Source cried out in pain as the backlash of a counter mind probe struck his head. In front of him, the young man awakens with a growl and barreled into him, sending him flying a few feet away.
The young man quickly ran and picked up Excalibur, pointing it at him. The Source looked at the other end of the clearing where the slayer was just finishing up, cutting his minotaur servant into pieces.
"It ends here." The bearer of Excalibur said, slashing it down at him.
With a growl, the Source shimmered back to the underworld. The odds were against him now.
Excalibur looked at Xander in surprise as the young man fought free of the Source's mind probe on his own. With his senses, he checked his bearers to ensure that the young man was in no ways tainted. Normal humans would not have been able to attempt such a feat without magical assistance. The Source was old and powerful, that this young man had fought the mental grip on his own was nothing short of a surprise.
Excalibur could sense no sudden awakening of a magical talent that could had aided the young man. In fact, now that he had bothered to check, the young man had next to no magical aptitude, something he had not seen for a very long time. Humans mostly have a spark of magic in them, the spark of magical ability in Xander was so faint as if it was none existence. As if something was suppressing it.
Excalibur mused, he had only seen this happening in a few mortals in his lifetime, and some of them are not totally human. Perhaps there might be more to this young man than he had expected. If so, plans will need to change.
Buffy ran worriedly towards Xander who was looking decidedly pale, sword in his hand. Buffy's own sword was dripping with the blood from the fallen minotaur. Her face was sporting a bruise where she had been hit.
"Xander, are you ok? The other demon went after you, but we were so busy fighting the other demon that we couldn't get to you in time."
"It's a minotaur Buffy." Giles said, putting away his crossbow and helping Willow out of a hedge she had fallen in.
"Well, whatever." Buffy said, turning back to Xander, checking him for injuries. His head was bleeding from cuts but the amazing thing was they were healing before her very eyes. "Wow, I didn't know Xander can heal that fast." She said staring transfixed at the deep cuts that were closing.
I am afraid that's my doing. I have the ability to heal my bearer. Excalibur said.
"Oh that's like super cool." Willow said brushing leaves from her hair. Buffy had been the one taking the blunt of the damage during the attack, but Willow was still shaken.
"I'm just glad, you're not hurt." Xander said, looking at Willow and Buffy in relief. He frowned. There was something, a whisper of memory that he could not seem to remember.
"So how did you fight off that demon, I have never seen the type before." Giles said.
That demon was the Source, lord of all demons in the underworld. Excalibur said dryly. He was trying to weaken Xander's mind with a mind probe and I too would like to know how you fight it off.
"Good lord, the lord of the underworld." Giles said weakly.
"Well he couldn't be too powerful cause Xander had scare him away." Buffy said thumping Xander on the back. "Anyway, that's a job well done."
Xander grinned. "Actually I can't remember anything, just that he sinks his claws into my head and I couldn't move. But after a while I must have managed to fight it off and the first thing I did was to retrieve Excalibur." He looked down at the sword. "I think that demon is more afraid of Excalibur than me."
Giles shrugged. "No matter, the important thing now is for Xander to return the sword back to where it belongs. I wouldn't want anymore demons paying us visits."
Well... Excalibur begun hesitantly but was cut in by Buffy.
"That's a great idea, come on sword. Take us to your home so we can return you." Buffy said.
There was a sigh as if Excalibur was deep in thought. Xander, Stand in the clearing, I'll project to you the location and teleport you there. With your help of course.
"Ok." Xander say, moving back into the clearing, standing in a sea of calm. He saw a picture of a vast cavern filled with riches beyond his imagination. For the first time, Xander felt a connection to the sword, linking him into the ley node underneath them.
Stand closer everyone. Excalibur said.
Xander felt a twisting sensation in his head as Excalibur manipulates the power of the node sending them all thousands of miles away from their location. In the clearing, there was a brief flare of white light as the four humans were teleported, the ley node in the area depleted of power for centuries to come.
"That was a risk Oma." Elder Ralph said looking down in his viewing globe which shows images of the four would be champions of light.
"A risk I am willing to take, I cannot allow the Source to ruin our plans." Oma sighed. "The sword still plans to bring Xander back to the cave. If it really plans to sever the bonds between it and its bearer, I may have to make an appearance once again."
"And so risk everything?" Elder Ralph demanded.
"I will risk only myself, you will still remain to manipulate from the shadows." Oma said. "You know what the severance of such a bond means. I cannot allow the young man to pay the price for our interference."
Elder Ralph sighed. "A foolish decision, but understandable. After all, he is one of the few left of your mortal bloodline. The blood of the Ancients."