Legacy 205: Mystery at Magic School

Xxx

As many stars filled the night sky, the dark Elder Amun was standing on a stone balcony overlooking the city of Cairo below. The stars were less bright than they used to be. Much had changed over the centuries, though for someone with his intellect, it was easy for Amun to adjust to this new reality. As much as humanity and technology had advanced, deep down everything still followed the same rules of power. That was something that could probably never be changed, as much as he had tried to change it in the past. Amun looked at the goblet in his hand and used his transmutation powers to turn his water into wine before taking a sip. As he headed back inside the hotel room, he noticed Selene sitting in front of a mirror, staring herself in thought.

"Thinking of a way to free Baldr?" Amun asked.

"Something like that." Selene replied. "We both know that freeing him is not my end goal. He is just the last piece we need to restore our full power."

"We all have different motivations for what we do." Amun said.

"Just as long as our plans don't cross each other." Selene noted. "We are in this together."

"Of course." Amun replied. "That has always been the case."

"Good." Selene said. "Then it is time for the next step."

"And what is that?" Amun asked. "We cannot take on the Heavens with just the two of us."

"Exactly, which is why I have been trying to locate our children while you were staring off into the night." Selene said.

"Don't call them that." Amun replied with some distain in his voice. "We created the Darklighters to serve our purposes. They are not children, they are weapons to be used."

"I was the one who gave them life." Selene countered as she got up and stood across from him. "They are my children, you were the one who forged their weapons, Amun. Your poison made them what they are today."

"True, I forged their weapons, but it was Baldr that turned them into warriors." Amun said.

"Fair enough." Selene replied. "No matter how we feel about them, we still need an army to take on the full force of the Heavens."

"I wish it were different." Amun admitted.

"Yes, you were always were the most conflicted about what must be done." Selene replied. "But you cannot build something new without tearing down what's in its place first."

"I am very aware of that." Amun said determined. "I made the same choice as you did all those years ago. Do not question my resolve."

"I don't." Selene replied. "Can you say the same about yourself?"

"I made my choice." Amun repeated. "There is no going back, only forward."

"Then let's go." Selene replied as she extended her hand.

After both of them put on a grey cloak, Amun accepted her hand and was carried away from the hotel room in a column of grey orbs. When they reassembled, they were standing in a dark Underworld cavern. Amun had always resented the Underworld and all it represented, but he was forced to admit that it felt more like home than the Heavens did at this point. The harsh sounds of scraping metal could be heard through the tunnel and the two Dark Elders made their way toward the sounds. They entered a large cavern where dozens of Darklighters were forging their crossbows and arrows. A tall, bald man in black leather armor was standing in the center of the workplace, overlooking the forging. Amun felt a surge of regret seeing their creations in a place like this.

"Are you in charge here?" Selene asked.

"Who the hell are you?!" The bald man asked angrily as he reached for a sword hanging from his belt. "How did you get in here?"

"Your cloaking was impressive, but not good enough to fool me." Selene replied as she removed the hood of her cloak. "After all, I am the one who gave you those gifts."

"You…" The bald man said hesitantly. "No, it cannot be. You are just a myth."

"A myth?" Selene asked. "That is what the Elders want the world to believe."

"How do I know you're not imposters?" The bald man asked.

"If you think we are imposters, try to strike us down." Selene replied. "I won't hold it against you."

The bald man growled and stepped back, signaling his Darklighters to fire at the intruders. Several crossbows were aimed in their direction and were fired, though Selene quickly shielded them both with a wall of shadow. She then lashed out and tentacles of shadows wrapped themselves around the Darklighters and pulled them into the air. Their leader, the bald man, charged at her with his sword, but Amun blocked his path. He held out his hand and the moment the sword hit him, the blade dissolved into sand, leaving only the hilt. He then grabbed the leader's arm, infecting him with a deadly poison of his own creation through contact. The bald man screamed as he fell back and watched the veins in his arm turn green.

"I created the poison you use in your arrows." Amun said. "I can create any poison imaginable and even new ones. Your blood is turning into acid as we speak. Order your men to stand down."

"Fine, I yield." The bald man snarled. "Stand down!"

Amun nodded contently and touched his skin, reabsorbing the poison from his body without ill effect. Selene recalled her shadows and the Darklighters fell to the ground.

"Rise, my child, and tell me your name." Selene said.

"My name is Wolfram." The bald man replied. "So the myths are true. You are the Dark Elders."

"Indeed, although we prefer to call ourselves the Trinity." Amun said.

"You are our creators." Wolfram said with reverence in his voice and he kneeled, after his which men followed his example. "Forgive me, I did not know."

"There is nothing to forgive." Selene said. "Your skepticism is understandable after millennia of not knowing the truth."

"How can we serve you?" Wolfram asked.

"We need your men and your weapons." Selene said. "The last of us is trapped in the Heavens and we are going to break him free. Any Elder or Whitelighter that stands in our way, shall fall to your poison."

An evil smile formed on Wolfram's lips as his Darklighters began a war cry. To them, Whitelighters were their greatest enemies, so they relished the opportunity to finally attack the Heavens directly. As Selene talked to Wolfram, Amun retreated in silence and wandered around the cavern, observing the many crossbows that had been forged. They were impressive, though not nearly as good as his own work. He would need to make some improvements if they wanted to stand a chance.

Xxx

A bell chimed through the halls of Magic School, indicating that it was time for the students to retreat to their dorm rooms for the night. Leo Wyatt left his office and closed it with a magical key. He had worked late and had once again forgotten dinner, though the kitchen staff had probably left something in the fridge for him, knowing that he often lost track of time. As he made his way to the kitchen, he crossed paths with some students hurrying back to their dorms. The school truly felt like his home now. His wife was gone and his children were adults that no longer needed him. Magic School gave him a sense of purpose and belonging.

"Headmaster!" A somewhat shrill voice sounded.

Leo sighed quietly as he recognized the voice and turned around. Miss Donovan, the former librarian and current Literature professor, came walking toward him. Her strawberry blonde hair was tied in a bun and she wore the traditional black robes of the school. Although she meant well, she could take her job too serious and would often nitpick at things, much to the frustration of the staff and students.

"Miss Donovan." Leo said. "How may I help you?"

"I was hoping to talk to you about the upcoming midterms." Miss Donovan replied. "I was hoping that we could…"

"Miss Donovan." Leo interrupted her. "School hours are over. Perhaps we can discuss this in the morning?"

"Oh, of course." Miss Donovan replied. "I just assumed that you were still at work. We have both dedicated our lives to this school."

"You don't have any plans for the evening?" Leo asked as they continued walking down the hall. "Any social events?"

"I prefer the company of a good book." Miss Donovan replied.

"Don't most professors regularly go out for drinks?" Leo asked.

"They do. I have tried to accompany them on occasion." Miss Donovan said. "But alcohol doesn't really agree with me, which often leads to somewhat embarrassing situations."

"Yes, I remember the complaint from Professor Marks." Leo noted with a faint smile.

"Let's just forget about that." Miss Donovan replied embarrassed. "I got a little carried away, I was only trying to compliment his nicely shaped behind, I shouldn't have grabbed it."

"I'm sure we can all laugh about it now." Leo noted.

"I'd rather not." Miss Donovan replied. "Life as a professor can get…. Lonely sometimes, don't you agree?"

"You are still a young woman, Miss Donovan." Leo said. "You can still build a life outside of the school."

"Please, I'm sure you haven't forgotten about my longevity." Miss Donovan replied. "I am nearing my hundred-and-twentieth birthday."

"And you could live well over two hundred, which is no reason to not find some happiness." Leo said.

"I could say the same to you." Miss Donovan countered.

"I have lived many lifetimes already." Leo said. "I'm content with my life at this school, can you honestly say the same?"

"Maybe you're right." Miss Donovan noted after some consideration. "There is still time left to find some happiness out there. Thank you, Leo."

"You're welcome." Leo said.

"Well, it seems we've reached my chambers." Miss Donovan said as she stopped walking. "Good night. I'll see you in the morning to discuss the midterm."

"I can't wait." Leo replied with a forced smile.

Miss Donovan opened the door to her chambers and went inside. As much as she could be an annoyance to deal with, she was a good person at heart. Leo was about to keep walking when he suddenly heard raised voices coming from her room, followed by sound of struggle and a terrified scream. Not hesitating, Leo used his magical key to open the door and stormed inside. The room was dark and silent, so Leo turned on the light. Miss Donovan was lying on the floor in the middle of the room. Her eyes were frozen in fear and there was a large stab wound in her abdomen, causing a pool of blood to form around her. Leo scanned the room for her attacker, but it was empty.

"No!" Leo called out. "Someone help!"

Leo rushed to her side and checked her pulse, but it was already too late. She was dead. Something impossible had happened, despite the magical protection surrounding Magic School, a murder had been committed on the grounds.

xxx

In San Francisco, a reluctant Payton Halliwell stood in front of Baker High School. Summer was over. Normally, she loved going to class and learning new things, but after everything that happened last year, she just wanted to run and hide. She remembered the chaos her truth spell had caused and breaking up with Sean. The thought of running into him made her nervous. She had no idea what to say or how he would react.

Needing moral support, Payton texted Henry, though she quickly got a text back that he was skipping school. She sighed as usual, her cousin was no help. What kind of person would skip the very first day of their senior year? What if he missed something important? She would never understand his careless attitude. As she decided to face her fears and enter the school, Payton ran into Isaac, who instantly hugged her. They had not seen each other all summer due to what happened to Prue, but they had texted a few times.

"Hey girl, how have you been?" Isaac asked. "How was your summer?"

"That's a loaded question." Payton replied as they started walking into the school.

"Yeah, of course, sorry." Isaac quickly said. "How have things been, all things considered?"

"I'm getting through it." Payton admitted. "It was good spending some time with my parents."

"Definitely." Isaac said. "And New York must have been pretty awesome. Did you at least get to enjoy any of it?"

"A little bit." Payton replied. "I went to the museum of Natural History and went walking in Central Park a few times."

"Yawn." Isaac remarked. "Did you at least see a show on Broadway or go clubbing?"

"You know I don't like going out." Payton said.

"I forgot, you and I have very different ideas of fun." Isaac noted. "I'm still glad that you're back, I missed you, and I have gossip."

"I missed you too." Payton replied with a smile. "Do I even want to know?"

"Oh, I think you do." Isaac said. "Guess who I saw sneaking out of Melissa's window a few times this summer."

"Oh no, please don't let it be who I think it is." Payton said. "I thought they were over. Isn't she still dating Tommy?"

"She is." Isaac replied. "And it's definitely who you think, but I think he ended it."

"At least that's something." Payton said. "So what about you? Had a fun summer?"

"I actually met someone, but it's still fresh and a little complicated." Isaac admitted. "He's not out."

"Does he go to Baker High?" Payton asked.

"He does." Isaac replied. "He's on the football team, which is why he doesn't want to go public yet. He's scared about how his teammates will react."

"It sucks that society still hasn't evolved to be accepting." Payton said.

"We can dream." Isaac replied as he rolled his eyes. "Speaking of dreamy football players, have you talked to Sean at all?"

"He messaged me after Prue, but other than that, no." Payton admitted. "We broke up for a reason, so I think it's better to give each other space."

"Too bad, you were a cute couple." Isaac said. "But new year, new chances, right?"

"I'm not sure if I'm ready." Payton replied.

"I knew you'd say that." Isaac said. "I have to get to class, but let's meet for lunch and talk. We'll find you someone."

Before Payton had a chance to argue, Isaac gave her another hug and disappeared into the crowd in the hallway. Payton sighed and decided to get to class as well, though she needed to stop by the bathroom first. Maybe dating again was a good idea, but the thought about opening up to someone scared her. What if she was rejected because of her magic again? As she entered the girls' bathroom, she was startled when a column of orbs appeared in front of her and materialized into Noah.

"Noah, what the hell?" Payton called out. "What if someone saw you?"

"Don't worry, I sensed you were alone." Noah replied.

"That's… a little creepy. Please don't sense in the girls bathroom again." Payton noted.

"There wasn't much time. I need you to come with me." Noah replied in a serious tone, ignoring her comment. "Something happened at Magic School, Leo specifically asked for your help."

Xxx