Chaos Rising
Lilith appeared in the Underworld, she was wearing a dark red armor that protected most of her body, leaving only her arms and head out; she had a sword in a scabbard in her waist. Her hair was loose, and every now and then, a snake fell from it, but it wasn't a normal one, they spat fire and could vanish in the dark. The chains she had broken were still tied to her wrist, but they had no longer power.
The priest was by her side, in a dark armor; instead of a sword, he held a staff with red symbols all over it. He stood close to her, guarding her back while she summoned her hounds; they appeared as half man half wolf creatures, but, at her presence, they became men in grey armors, armed with swords, spears and blades.
-My soldiers. –She called. –The underworld has failed me. I trusted my brothers' judgment, but now I resent it. Demons are submissive, weak and angry; the others are lost in vices, contenting in attacking weak humans and witches. They don't serve my purpose; I need strong, cruel monsters to fight by my side in a quest to get the land reserved for me.
The small group, made of 15 men, shouted and roared in approval. Lilith smiled at her immortal army, nothing would stop her now.
-The underworld will burn, only the strong will be turned into new warriors! And you'll be rewarded when I rule the upper land! –She gestured onward. –Go!
The small army marched out of the cave; they killed every creature they encountered, leaving a trail of dust and fire.
-My lady, what will you do? –The priest asked Lilith.
-I'll summon everyone back to this hellhole; I can't let any of them free. The only ones free to choose are the vampires, they're my only true children. But the ones who don't follow me will surely end up dead. –She answered coldly.
She put her hands in the air and started to chant; demons, warlocks and other creatures that were in the human world appeared in front of her.
-Ad mortem infirma. –She said and many of the monsters kneeled down, being vanquished right after. –Only the strong shall follow me.
-What about the angels? We must face them too…
-They'll fight with their special humans. I'll show no mercy.
…
Two weeks later…
Piper, Prue, Billie, Paige and Phoebe were at the manor, discussing plans. They all looked tired; actually, they looked like a truck had run over them. The Book of Shadows was opened on the table, apparently, they had earned it back.
-Ok, plan number… what… 20? –Phoebe said. She had dark circles around her eyes, as if she hadn't slept at all in those 14 days.
-Still nothing from the angels. –Leo said, coming into the living room. –They won't even tell me about the kids now. –He said, sad.
-It was the best choice. –Paige sighed. Besides the tiredness marks, there were also signs of crying on her face.
She remembered the plan they had right after Nathaniel orbed away; they sent the kids, Henry, Coop and Andy to Magic School, the whitelighter and the cupid were supposed to come back, and Leo was supposed to go there after he tried to contact the elders, but something closed the gate, keeping them from communicating at all. After two days, an elder told them they had shut communications between the magic school and the heavens with Earth to avoid Lilith from reaching them. They told them that the Underworld was slowly being destroyed, as Lilith built her army.
-There's nothing else we can do, no one else we can call. –Prue said. –We can't even use the Demon's Lock anymore.
-The Angel of Destiny was right, we can't face this. –Paige said. –It's over.
-Come on, it's not over! –Billie said, but she couldn't sound happy or optimistic.
-Yes, it is. –Phoebe said. –It's been two weeks; the Underworld is probably gone, and she'll take her army to our world. We have no idea on how to defeat that evil monster. We've tried every possible spell and potion; even the Book has nothing for us anymore. We're good witches again, but that hasn't helped us at all. –She sounded hopeless.
-We can't even figure out what we did exactly; the darkness, the ring, everything. We don't know what happened. –Prue said. –We're as lost as we were before we knew we were fighting against Lilith.
-Can you all please stop?! –Piper exclaimed, saying each word slowly. –We never give up, why are you so eager to do so now? We spent terrible weeks with that darkness around us, it will be hard to get that energy back, but what we can't do is give up! We're the Charmed Ones, and we made a promise to our families! We promised we would go back!
She hit the table hard, so hard that the golden necklace shaped like a pawn that was over it fell on the floor; it moved through the floor, heading to a mirror.
-What is going on? –Billie asked.
The pendant crept up the mirror and stopped in the middle of it. It started shining brighter, and cracks appeared over the glass, forming one word: hope.
-Hope? –Paige asked. –What is it supposed to mean?
-I think that hope is the key to use the pendant. –Phoebe said. –Piper said we shouldn't give up.
-But we've done this countless times. –Prue said.
-This time was different. –Leo said. –We were all broken, this was the last bit of hope we could find. –His eyes shone with the possibility of being right.
-Does this mean there's something we can… -Paige started saying, but was interrupted by Piper.
-Look. –She said, pointing at the window. They had enchanted it to show any attempt of a demon army to arrive.
The window was showing a desert, somewhere in the world, where demons were crawling out of the sand; people ran away, screaming and crying.
-We don't need hope. –Piper said. –We need a miracle.
…
Three days later
-This is a disaster. –Phoebe said as he and Prue stared at a window. –Magic is exposed and people are terrified. Demons were spotted all over Europe and Asia, in some countries in Africa and in most of the US.
-Every time someone dies, their army grows bigger, and we're only sitting here, like preys waiting for the hunter! We should fight.
-Sometimes it's better to stand back and make a good plan than to attack blindly, hoping to die trying to stop the unstoppable. –Leo said, joining them. –This is horrible, but we can do better trying to find a solution than fighting along everyone else.
-Leo, the world is becoming a war camp. We can't sit and watch anymore. Piper spends her day talking to that pendant, trying to get it to help, but the truth is we're alone! –Phoebe said; she was on the edge of breaking down. –I miss my husband, and I miss my daughters, and I wish there was something I could do!
Prue was sitting on a chair next to them, she had her eyes closed, as if she was thinking about something.
-Maybe we can! –She said suddenly; her face lit up with an idea. –Hope is the key, right? We tried being positive and hopeful, but that didn't work. Maybe… Hope is a person. We could have been looking at it the wrong way all the time.
-It's a long shot. –Leo said. –But the best we've had in days! Piper! –He called his wife.
-What? –She asked rushing from the other room, with Paige and Billie right behind her.
-This will sound crazy, but tell the pendant to show you Hope. –Prue said with her fingers crossed.
-Hmm, ok. –Piper said, raising a brow. –Show me hope. –She whispered to the necklace and it gained life, glowing like a star. It flew straight into a map, marking a location in the middle of a park. –What's that?
-We'll explain on the way. –Phoebe said; she was excited for the first time. –Paige, orb us there!
In a second, they were alone in a park. People had been warned to stay in their homes, even though the monsters hadn't arrived to San Francisco yet.
-What's going on? –Piper asked.
-Prue was right. –Phoebe said. –Hope is a person. We need to find her.
-And tell her what? –Billie asked. –Hey there, a magic necklace sent us here to talk to you. You're supposed to help us save the world from one of the oldest demons.
-We'll figure that out. First, we need to find her. –Leo said.
-Find who? –A woman said approaching them. She had dark, curly hair and dark skin; she was wearing a plain white dress, along with golden bracelets and a necklace with a pendant in form of a chess piece; a queen. –I heard you...
-Are you Hope? –Phoebe asked.
-Yes. How do you… -She was interrupted when her necklace started to glow. –You found me. –Her voice was different, now; it sounded like three people speaking at the same time. Her eyes were emanating a bright white light.
-Guys… -Billie said as she saw a grey knight not so far away. –They're coming.
-Fear no more. You've accomplished your mission. –Hope said; beside the distance, they heard her voice clearly. She raised her hand and everything went white.
…
Prue was the first to wake up, they were in a large room, with golden armchairs and pillows. Hope was waiting for them, with glasses of water over a tray.
-Drink this; it will make you feel better. –She said, handing Prue a glass.
-Thank you. –The woman said, getting up. –Who are you? I mean, you're not Hope, not anymore.
-You're right. I'll tell you everything, just wait for them to wake up.
-Just tell me where we are, please.
-We're somewhere between time a space, somewhere safe. I'm afraid this journey is far from ending.
Some minutes later, everyone was awake, waiting for Hope to tell them everything.
-Piper. –She said. –You've been wondering what was your role in all of this, right? You had to bring me this necklace, it would activate mine when the time came; Destiny chose you for this mission, but it could have been any of your sisters. Each one of you has a role, there's still challenges that must be done by the right person. –She looked at all of them, one by one.
-Why us? –Phoebe asked. –Why is it always us?
-When the Grand Design was made, long before the known Shakti and Shiva were created, and it created a web of events that happened from the beginning of all until the end of all; everyone has a role, some harder than others, and it chose you to go through so many battles. Few can be charged with such a burden, which causes them to be overloaded with deathly missions. But you were meant to get here, none of your challenges was too big for you. –She explained, calmly.
-Who are you? –Paige asked. –You know so much about everything.
-That's a question I'll only be able to answer later. Right now there are more urgent things.
-Lilith. –Piper said. –How can we defeat her? Is there a weapon, or something?
-To beat her, you have to know her story.
-Knowledge is power. –Leo said.
-Exactly. Lilith was created along with her six brothers; they represented what we call evil, even though they didn't see it that way. They remained asleep until the ancient Egypt, when Lilith woke up. She saw all the monsters they had created while they slept, but this wasn't enough; she conjured the most cruel, cold and violent creatures, and marched on earth, destroying everything. She let the Underworld live, to see what she would do to Earth…
-Wait. We should know about that. We looked everywhere for something like this! –Billie interrupted.
-There are some things that were forgotten, for your own good. Lilith was unstoppable, she ruled over the men, until 6 warriors found a way to defeat her. Her only flaw, her only weakness was that she was too proud, and they used it to trick her into giving them her brothers' rings. They used it in a spell, chaining her to her throne; then, they used her own ring to put her back to sleep for thousands of years. Without their rings, the brothers would never be able to wake up, so they destroyed them, but they kept Lilith's afraid it would break the spell if it was destroyed. The ring was passed a long, and hidden from evil, until Paige called for it; she had good intentions, so she managed to get the ring, to become its owner.
-So this is all my fault. I gave it to the priest. –Paige said, shaking.
-No… -Phoebe said. –The ring wasn't the key, it was only the lock. The real key was the darkness, and she tricked all of us into giving her that.
-You're right. Now that you know everything, you can fight her. –Hope said.
-Wait. –Prue said. –You're not gonna help us?
-I cannot touch Lilith, nor get near he; it's a long, old story, but I can help you.
-Are you gonna teach us the spell they used? –Billie asked.
-No, no. That spell cannot be used again. I'm gonna do something different. The original gods, the ones who created the Grand Design and everything else were the Egyptian gods, as you know them; from them came Shakti and Shiva, responsible for the universe, and all the other gods and goddesses. They only came to your plane once, right before Lilith rose; they left us a spell, which would be used only once, in one of the darkest hours. I was given this necklace, and it would activate when the spell was needed.
-Which is now. –Prue said. –What kind of spell is that?
-To conjure the gods' essences.
-Wait, you wanna turn us into gods? I've been there way too many times to know this is crazy. –Piper said.
-This time will be different, you'll see. You'll keep the best from you, and you'll be in control. I can only do this, if you accept, but if you don't…
-The world ends. –Phoebe finished. –We'll do it. –Hope smiled and snapped her fingers, transporting them.
…
They were taken to an ancient tomb, with hieroglyphs all over the wall; magic torches illuminated the place, which was empty, except from an urn, in the middle of the room.
-Where are we? –Paige asked.
-You never get tired of this question, do you? –Hope joked. –We're in a tomb in Egypt. It's also near the place where the demons rose from and where Lilith must be…
-Why can't you get near her? –Billie asked.
-You need our trust to do this, but to get that you must trust us too. –Piper said.
-I'm an angel, and ancient angel, born at the same time as Lilith. I was trapped inside Hope's body, being born again and again, just like you humans. I was created to balance her evil with my goodness. My brothers are already gone, deep in their sleep.
-What will happen to you if we defeat her? –Phoebe asked.
-Oh, Phoebe, so loving. I don't know, but don't let this stop you. You must do anything to stop her.
-What's gonna happen? You already know the end, don't you? –Leo said.
-Knowledge is sometimes a problem too, but… this time I don't know. Even angels like me have destinies.
-Ok, let's do this spell before Lilith can do any more damage. –Prue said. –How does it work?
-To do this, you must be human, you'll give your witch powers to the urn, in exchange for the gods' powers.
-What about me? –Billie asked. –I'm not a witch anymore, what do I have to offer?
-You may not have your powers, but you'll always be a witch; right now, actually, you're a witch, a human and a mermaid at the same time.
-And Leo? –Piper asked. –He has to leave.
-No way. I'm staying.
-I have something else for him. –Hope said. –He wishes to fight, you must let him.
-I can't risk it. –Piper said.
-Pipes, we've been through so much. We deserve one last battle together. –Piper was trying hard to hold back the tears.
-How do we do this? –Paige asked.
-Raise your hands and say with me:
"Accipere, oportet me dare
Quam ego dabo vobis vires
Et accipiemus mutuo
Ut animam et tueretur"
After they chanted, five little spheres of light left their bodies, flying into the urn. They waited a few seconds before the urn broke, releasing a blue smoke that filled the room; slowly, it disappeared, getting inside each girl. There was a strong flash of light and the girls had been turned into warriors; they were wearing blue and golden armors, decorated with drawings, and each one had a staff in their hands.
-You're ready. –Hope said. –Billie, you hold the essence of Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing, of balance and of laws. – Prue. –She turned to the other woman. –You're Neith, the goddess of war and hunting. Piper, you're Isis, the goddess of magic, nature and motherhood. Paige, you hold the essence of Anubis, the god of the dead and of the souls. And at last, but not least, Phoebe, you're Nut, the goddess of the sky. I'll give you a moment before you head to battle.
She walked away and headed to Leo; she grabbed a sword from the wall and handed it to him.
-This is one of the swords used by the warriors who first defeated Lilith; use it to protect the ones you love. –She said and walked to the door, to wait for the girls.
In the corner of the room, the five girls were together, talking.
-This is it, girls. Our last big battle. –Prue said. –After all this time, all this crazy stuff…
-No matter what happens, we'll always be together, because we're sisters. –Phoebe said.
-The five of us. –Paige added, looking at Billie.
-I hate getting emotional, but… -Piper squeezed her sisters' hands. –I hope this will end well for all of us, but if we need to…
-We'll do whatever it takes. –Billie finished. –It was an honor fighting besides the Charmed Ones.
They turned to Hope and followed her outside to the big battle. The sisters, Leo and Billie walked out of the tomb, finding themselves in the middle of a desert, next to the Nile. The place was empty, every human had run away, but they could see demons in the distance, rising from the sand or flaming there, probably coming from other countries.
-I must stay here. –Hope said. –I wish you luck. –She said calmly and a door closed the tomb, sealing her inside.
-What am I supposed to do? –Leo asked. –She said I should protect you…
-No, she said to protect your loved ones; I think Lilith has got a card up her sleeve. –Billie said.
-She's right. –Piper agreed. –You should stay here, with Billie. Send any human away. –She, then, turned to Billie. –I need you to figure out how to defeat Lilith, we can't just fight her until one of us falls. –The blond nodded, in agreement.
-The four of us should go after her before any more demons appear. –Paige said. –I can't orb us anymore, so we'll have to walk.
-How are we gonna find her? I mean, there are dozens of demons, and she could be anywhere in Egypt. –Prue said.
-The pendant will lead us to her. –Piper said. –I can feel it.
-Well, off we go. –Phoebe said and they started marching to the horde of demons in front of them.
…
At the same time, Lilith stood behind her army, with the hoodoo priest by her side; they were both dressed to fight.
-My lady, are you sure they're here? We're bringing all of our forces from the rest of the world.
-They're here. I'm sure! They escaped from my demons in a way they only could have done with some help. Her help. –She said, bitterly. –I don't know what she's planning, but I felt a wave of energy… I can't see anything anymore, and this is annoying me.
-What are we going to do, then?
-Let them face my army. I need to see their strengths and weaknesses, only then, we'll attack, and they'll be sorry they ever dragged their dumb witch heads all the way across the globe to attack me. –She carved her sword into the ground, making the sand burn until it turned to glass.
The priest raised his bat and closed his eyes. After a while, he opened them again.
The human is here, in the middle of the desert. –He said. –I don't know what he's doing here, but we should send him a message.
Lilith nodded; she waved her hand and a demon crawled up from the sand; he had metal drills instead of hands, and an armor that covered his body and head. He kneeled down to Lilith and, somehow, knew what he had to do. He drilled back in the sand and disappeared.
-What was that? –The priest asked.
-One of our first demons. There are so little of them left… -She smiled. –But they're good at what they do: destroying things.
…
Leo and Billie were still at the tomb, waiting, as Piper requested.
-How do I do this? –Billie asked. –I'm supposed to know everything, aren't I?
-Well, technically. Just focus and try to see something; hopefully it will work.
-Ok. –Billie took a deep breath and raised her hands. Her staff started glowing and a light dome appeared around her. –Yeah, that's what I was talking about.
-What is this? –Leo asked, curious.
-I can see everything. It's a mess. –Billie said, her eyes glowing. –I don't know how to find anything. There are words, and spells, and everything spiraling around me.
-You have to focus… -Leo said, but was interrupted by a blast. A hole had appeared in the sand and the drill demon got out of it, with his red eyes glowing behind his armor.
Leo got up after being knocked down by the blast and wielded his sword. Billie was still inside the dome, not able to see what was going on outside. With no hesitation, Leo ran forward, with his sword pointed at the demon's chest, but when he reached his target, it was like hitting a concrete wall. Leo was sent back, dropping his weapon.
The demon titled his head, probably smiling under the brownish armor that looked like his skin. He raised his arm and lunged at Leo, pointing his drill at him. The man barely managed to escape, by rolling to his side and grabbing back the sword. He got up and the two engaged into a fight, drill against sword.
-Prepare to die. –The demon said; his metallic voice echoed in the empty desert. He raised one of his drills and hit Leo's right flank, making him fall; the red blood dying the clear sand.
He was about to attack again, but a light blast sent him flying away. Leo looked up and saw Nathaniel next to him, his hands still up, after he sent the blast.
-I said I would come back. –He said, helping Leo get up. –Here, I've got this. –He healed his wounds.
-Thank you. –Leo said, breathless. –What was that demon?
-That was a digger demon. I had never seen one before.
-How do we vanquish it? He has like an indestructible armor.
-I guess we'll have to figure that out on our own. –He said as the demons slowly got up.
To be continued…