Most of the group were able to scramble to their feet quickly, blinking through the light to distinguish the figure. As the blinding light cleared; the group were able to get their first look at the mythical warlock. He was taller that Chris had expected- easily taller than Leo or Cole. He was old, but not so ancient as the stories had written- his hair was grey, but his beard was disappointingly unimpressive. Despite this, however, as the man walked towards them- using his long staff as a walking stick- they could all feel the raw power he emitted.
Wyatt had disappeared before the light had even faded- apparently deciding that even he could not battle Merlin, the Charmed Ones and their allies now that he was no longer within the protection of the stones. He left Chris behind however, a fact that Chris was both grateful for and slightly resentful of. Wyatt had just witnessed half the group attack him and had left him there undefended. Not that Chris had much time to dwell on this- Merlin stopped a metre away from the group, his hands behind his back, surveying each member's face before speaking.
"Well?" He asked. He spoke in a deep voice that resonated with power. No one knew what to say. His eyes kept moving from one member to another waiting for a response. "Witches, Demons and Mortals all united in bringing me here, yet none of you can tell me why? Curious." It was Adric who found his voice first.
"With respect, my lord." He said, bowing slightly as he moved to the front of the group. "Matters are delicate; it is difficult to know where to begin." Merlin rested his eyes on Adric and Chris recognised the look- it was the same one Adric used when he was reading a witch's power. After a moment, the Warlock gave a small nod.
"Very well. Why not start from the beginning? Tell me, how were you able to summon me? The ring is enchanted to require the power of the Guardians."
"We hoped our powers would be strong enough to work in place of the Guardians." Explained Prue, stepping up to stand besides Adric. Merlin's eyes flicked to her, and he focused on her with the same intense stare.
"Even the Power of Three should not have sufficed." He stated, still looking confused. "The enchantment was created to require more than just power. One guardian should not have been enough. Theoretically the spell could work with fewer, but no less than three and certainly not with just one." It was Adric's turn now to frown.
"I'm sorry; you keep on saying 'one' Guardian. Could you maybe elaborate on where this guy is?" Merlin's eyes flicked back to him, focusing on him intently until he drew to the realisation himself. "Me?" He questioned. He turned angrily to Chris. "Me?" He repeated. "I don't understand I thought you said I was locked out of my country in your time?"
"Well you said yourself guardians can get in and out of the shield." Replied Chris- trying to process this revelation himself. "I suppose you must have travelled back home to summon him and then escaped the shield to keep up with the illusion that you were not one of them." Adric shook his head.
"So I convince Wyatt that I am not a guardian and then when he learns that my family has these powers he murders them all completely unnecessarily?" He states blankly. "It's my fault that they're dead." Chris, who hadn't previously made that connection, opened and closed his mouth a few times trying to work out a reply. Prue, fortunately, got their first.
"I know it must hurt now, but from the sounds of it, you saved millions of people." She comforted, twining her fingers with his, and squeezed his hand tightly.
"She's right." Agreed Chris. "You never told me about this, and I'm guessing that's not the only way you came up with to save people."
"I don't care about any of them!" Yelled Adric, in an unusual display of emotion. He pulled his hand out of Prue's and moving away from the group.
"This is all very touching, but it doesn't answer my question." Cut in Merlin. "The spell would not work with just one guardian or anyone would be able to do it. I know the Charmed ones are not- the Power of Three is its own breed of power, so there must have been someone else within the ring with a connection to me."
The answer was clear; Wyatt's connection to Excalibur and strong powers must have been sufficient enough for the spell to work. Before they could explain this, however, and discuss the danger Wyatt posed, dark orbs suddenly appeared directly behind Merlin- apparently Wyatt had realised the danger of his retreat and had returned- Excalibur in hand and ready to strike- before the group could be prepared.
His attack was not fast enough however, as, the moment the orbs appeared, Merlin wheeled around, slamming his staff into the ground- sending a great wave of power directly at Excalibur's heir. Wyatt's shield and various protective enchantments may have been enough to defend himself, where it not for the intervention of the sisters. Prue sent out a wave of kinetic energy, whilst Piper blasted her son as lightly as she could, and Paige orbed a series of rocks at where he was standing. Chris joined Prue and sent out his own telekinetic powers, and Cole and Adric also joined the fray.
Wyatt didn't stand a chance and the power of their combined efforts sent him flying backwards, straight into one of the large stones that made up Stonehenge, knocking him out cold.
"Does that answer your question?" Asked Prue.
The Future
Darryl quickly called a meeting of all the senior resistance leaders to inform them of the pressing situation. Already reports were coming in of increased activity from demons, and it seemed to be worsening by the hour. Some believed that their best chance was to fight back now, whilst others argued they needed to focus on protecting the base and the people within the resistance if Wyatt did return all powerful. Darryl's office quickly became a hive of activity as every leader argued their case, using every map of demon activity and report of Wyatt's organisation that they could locate. Darryl tried to call for order, but no one would listen, he looked around for Adric who was supposedly in charge of this whole operation, but he was nowhere to be found, nor was Bianca.
"What the hell do you think you two are doing?" He demanded once he had tracked them down to a disused meeting room. "I need you back in there! The leaders are panicking and nothing is being decided." Although he was largely directing his words at Adric, only Bianca was listening as Adric kept working on the sheet of paper before him, and only looked up when he had finished what he was writing, rolled the paper up into a scroll and handed it to Bianca. He seemed perfectly calm, despite the increasing amounts of danger they were all in.
"What do you expect me to do about it?" He asked. "You're the one they think of as their leader, in this time of crisis do you really want to tell them they are living in the base protected by the magic of the Emperor's second in command?" Darryl knew this revelation would do more harm than good in the current climate, but he wasn't ready to give up.
"You have to do something!" He insisted. "If we don't work out a plan soon then Wyatt will win, and you may play both sides, but I refuse to believe you don't care which is victorious."
"Mr Morris." Began Adric in a tone that suggested he was growing dangerously bored of this conversation. "With the Emperor gone I now have complete command of his army, a command which is being eroded every second I am away from my post. On top of this I have to alert an entire country that they may soon be unprotected and under attack, and then contact every other resistance I have helped to establish to prepare them for war as well, and to do this I have to reveal my identity as a double agent, putting my life at risk if there is even one mole in any resistance leadership anywhere in the world. I assure you I am doing everything I can to assist your cause, and I apologise that I have inconvenienced you by expecting you to know how to run your own organisation." Darryl decided it was best not to argue with the man who was at this moment essentially running the world.
"Right, well..." He nodded. "I'd best let you get on then." Adric gave him a small bow of thanks, before turning to Bianca.
"Do you understand what you need to do?" He asked gesturing to the plans in her hand. Bianca rolled her eyes- not entirely happy with this new alliance, but nodded.
"Track down the leaders of the various demon clans individually then give them these commands saying they come directly from Wyatt who will kill them in terrible ways if they don't comply." She stated in a tone that suggested they had been through this plan many times before. "Each will believe another is treacherous and they will start attacking other demons rather than innocents." Adric nodded, turning back to Darryl.
"Do you think you can get your people into line?" He asked. Darryl wasn't sure, but he nodded anyway, wanting to play his part. "Good." Stated Adric, moving to the door to the room, before turning back. "I shouldn't worry too much Mr Morris." He said in a slightly kinder tone. "Don't forget, this country was the first to fall under Wyatt's rule. This resistance was built under the most pressure in a small amount of time. It is by far the smallest and most ineffectual and yet you have still made a difference. When the time comes to fight, the others will join you and I believe it just might be enough to win." Darryl nodded, uncertain whether this news was comforting or insulting, Adric turned and left the room without another word, but Bianca lingered for a moment.
"If you see Chris before I do..." She began, not used to the sentimental drivel. "Tell him I... tell him to come find me." She tailed off. Darryl smiled and assured her he would, and Bianca nodded, before leaving the room as well. Darryl was just about to follow suit, when he was ambushed by Prue and Henry Junior, who had apparently worked out something big was happening.
"We want to help." Said Prue instantly. Henry Junior stood behind her, arms crossed, a look of fierce determination on his face.
"Hmm... let me think about that. No." Replied Darryl, mirroring Junior's stance. "You don't even know what's going on."
"You've assembled the war council." Pointed out Junior "We can take a fairly safe bet. And if you're going to war you need all the help you can get and we're Halliwells, we're the best you've got!"
"You don't even have any powers." Pointed out Darryl, though he knew these days more than half the resistance was in the same situation as Junior.
"He's still a better fighter than most." Defended Prue, flicking her fingers at a nearby chair to make it explode, both in a demonstration of her own power and out of frustration at Darryl's stubbornness. "And if you're going to fight Wyatt than you're going to need us."
"You're sixteen Prue, and Henry your fifteen." Persisted Darryl. "The rule is you have to be over eighteen to fight- no exceptions."
"Chris was our age when you let him go under cover in Wyatt's group. He fights all the time and you never stop him."
"Chris made that decision before the resistance even began so he wasn't breaking any rules." Pointed out Darryl. "Besides Wyatt doesn't know Chris is with us whereas he does know about you two." Prue and Henry opened their mouths to argue again, but Darryl held up his hand. "Look, Paige left me in charge of all of you and you're going to listen to me. You need to stay down here, not because you can't fight but because your siblings and my boys can't. You need to defend them because if anything happens to this base then you will be their only defence. Your role will be just as important as anyone else's and if you defy me then you are putting your siblings in danger and I know you don't want to do that." Prue and Junior had no response, and Darryl didn't give them time to formulate one. He walked out of the room without another word, praying he could get the rest of the leaders to listen to him as well. War was coming. There was no more time for debate.
The Present
Taking advantage of Wyatt's unconscious state, the group returned to the Manor and, using a combination of their knowledge, spells and potions, sealed Wyatt into the basement.
The moment they had arrived back in San Francisco the young Paige had run out of the house- declaring everyone to be insane and dangerous. Darryl offered to go after her, while Victor volunteered to put the baby Wyatt down for a nap, leaving just the four sisters, Chris, Cole, Adric and Leo in the living room with Merlin.
"How could this happen?" Asked Merlin, who was carefully examining Excalibur, with something of a sadness in his eye. "How could Excalibur's heir... Arthur's heir- become so corrupted? This is meant to be used as a force for good, not evil." No one had a response. Chris and Paige were the only ones who had witnessed Wyatt's transformation, but even they struggled to comprehend how far Wyatt had fallen.
"I think it all started when he lost someone very deer to him." Began Chris, avoiding looking at his mother. "He believed with enough power he could bring them back, but when he realised this was not possible, he decided he needed more power to defend those who remained. Excalibur never corrupted him, but the moment he started steeling demonic powers, the sword began corrupting that part of him." Merlin considered this explanation, but seemed less than convinced; his expression mirrored that of Paige, who bit her lip uncertainly before she began.
"It started earlier than that." She confessed- a fact she had never even told Chris before. "Something happened when he was very young- before you were even born, but after he had received Excalibur. "He went missing for a few weeks and when we finally got him back he seemed different, not in a way we could ever put our fingers on but he was. Had Excalibur crossed our paths later, I don't believe Wyatt would have been deemed worthy." Merlin nodded thoughtfully- this explanation sounding much more likely to him.
"If it is the first explanation then there is something I can do." He informed them slowly, still nodding his wizened head. "If, however, it is the second it is not my help that you should be seeking." The group exchanged glances at this news- each silently praying it was the first.
"We read in a book that you once took the power of the source and bound it into a grimoire." Said Prue, who was sat next to Adric squeezing his hand tightly with hope. "Would you be able to do that again?" Merlin considered this, perhaps trying to recall the memory.
"Whatever book you read makes a false account of this tale." Said Merlin, to the great disappointment of the group. "I do not have the ability to strip a being of their power, but I found a witch with the mark of the Phoenix and she, with the help of my power, transferred the powers to the book." Chris knew of such a witch very well- he was dating her after all- but in this time Bianca would barely have been born, and he doubted her mother, who had been all too willing to join Wyatt's cause, would be prepared to help.
"Soo... We need to find this witch then." Clarified Cole, who sat with his arm around Phoebe, her head resting on his chest.
"They would be able to draw out the boy's demonic powers, yes, but if it is the second explanation than it may take more to heel him." Replied Merlin. Most of the group accepted this possibility, but Piper shook her head.
"My son did not turn evil as a toddler." She stated to the room at large. Leo wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into a tight hug, but she did not relent. She turned to Paige, with fire in her eyes. "I don't know what dark timeline you come from, but what you are describing, I would never allow to happen." Paige looked down at the floor, but both Phoebe and Prue jumped to her defence.
"Piper, I know it's not what you want to hear..." Began Phoebe. "But Paige has no reason to lie. And if she is right and this is why Wyatt is... the way that he is, then we are going to need to find a way to fix it."
"She's right." Agreed Prue. "None of what we have learnt in these last few days has been what we want to hear, but if we bury our heads in the sand then we won't be able to fix it." With this she turned back to Merlin. "Is there a way to fix the second option?"
Merlin considered this question for what felt like an age before answering. "For every heir to Excalibur…" he began slowly, "their must also come one who can act as a guide, just as I helped to guide Arthur through even Camelot's darkest moments. It is they that must guide the heir back to the light, and it is only they that will be able to help Wyatt now."
"So who is this 'guide'?" Questioned Leo. "Are they back in the future or can we find a version in this time as well."
"The one you seek is closer than you know." He said, his eye's moving across the group, before eventually settling on Chris.
"Wait. Me?" Questioned Chris in disbelief.
"I told you all that it takes at least three with a link to me to open the gateway I came here through. Even with all their power, on guardian and Excalibur's heir would not have been enough. You were in the circle too, were you not?" Chris nodded slowly, but he still couldn't believe he had such a destiny- for one thing he had spent most of his life trying to act as a guide to Wyatt- trying to persuade him back to the side of good, and Wyatt had never listened to a word he had said.
Before he could respond however, they heard a sudden explosion from the basement- apparently Wyatt had awoken and he did not sound happy. The group walked hesitantly to the door way to the basement, praying their combined magic would be enough to keep Wyatt contained. There was another explosion, followed by another, but the door seemed to be holding firm, and Wyatt didn't seem to be escaping any other way.
Just then, Chris heard a jangling of bells, and Wyatt's voice clearly rang out in his head, calling out for him, and when Chris failed to answer, he began to call for Leo instead- apparently trying to take advantage of Leo's paternal urges. When no one continued to answer, the explosions re-started, and Chris imagined Wyatt blasting the door again and again trying to weaken the defences, and Chris knew, eventually. he would succeed.
"We need to act quickly!" Declared Paige, apparently having the same thought. "With all our protection that door should last a couple of hours, but when he gets out, he's going to be angry, and I for one want to be prepared with a powerful knockout potion and a phoenix witch for when that happens."
The rest of the group concurred with that opinion, but Chris couldn't get Merlin's words out of his head. Was he really born with the destiny to guide Wyatt to the light? He certainly hadn't been doing a great job up until now, and if he didn't embrace this responsibility soon it was going to be too late.
