Immortality's Gift (The Alternate Version)
A/N: I'm really sorry with how late this is, but if you've been keeping track of my LiveJournal, you'd kinda know why. As well, thank boredom and the sheer need to escape reality for this part finally getting done. Amazing what stress can get you to do to relieve it!
Dedication: This part goes out to whomever nominated my story Heart's Desire for the Crossing Over Awards in "Best Highlander Crossover." I thank you profusely. You made what had been a really bad day better!
Part 24: Awakened
Within the Donan Woods inside Cassandra's cottage, the Immortal's body lay. A vivid dark blue hue tinted parts of the woman's skin and hair, which could be seen clearly in the morning sunlight that streamed through an open window. She stirred for a moment, a deep breath being drawn in then let out in a long sigh, before stilling once again. One minute later, eyelids snapped open to reveal inhuman acid-blue eyes.
Sitting up suddenly, the woman silently rose to her feet with fluid, yet awkward, grace. There was something about her movements that spoke of a newness of being that could not be denied as she moved around the room, observing and studying the objects about her. Minutes passed, and the strangeness left, leaving in its wake a sense of contained power in motion.
Once satisfied with her observation of the room, the woman looked down at her body, examining and moving it, testing its capabilities in motion. Frowning in displeasure after bending every way she could, she strode out of the cottage. Stepping into the sunlight, the woman gazed about her until she spotted the sarcophagus in the otherwise empty field. Seeing what she had been looking for, she quickly moved over to it.
Standing at the head of the monolith, the woman studied it for a moment, then placed her hand over the purple crystal. She flexed her hand, and then dug her fingers into the stone as though it were loose sand. A second later, the crystal was pulled from the stone with ease, leaving a deep fist-sized crater in its wake.
Placing the crystal between both hands, the woman crushed and ground the gem into sand with ease, before allowing the sand to fall onto the casket into the hole she had made. She did this with each of the four remaining crystals.
As soon as all the gems were destroyed, she discarded the clothing she wore. After undressing, she placed her hands on either side of the sarcophagus, and then raised them skyward while throwing back her head, eyes closed. A wind began to blow about the clearing, the fiercest gusts whirling about the woman. One by one, the wind dipped into the crevasses, picked up the crystal sand, and began blowing it about the one whom had summoned it. Flecks of colored crystal began to land upon the woman's skin, and where it landed black light flickered, melding the sand to her flesh to form flexible skin-tight armor.
As the last fleck of sand bonded to the woman, the wind stopped, and she lowered her arms to examine her handiwork. After several moments, she nodded in satisfaction, then gazed coolly at the sarcophagus before her. A wind gusted by as her eyes narrowed, a glimmer of some dark emotion could be seen within those orbs. A sneer slowly formed on her blue-tinted lips, her hands tightening into fists at her sides. Hatred and fury at a level no mortal could possibly reach now shone within the ice-blue eyes.
A moment later, the reborn Old One screamed out her rage as she slammed her fisted hands down onto the sarcophagus, causing deep cracks to form in the stone. Breathing heavily, the demon ground out in forceful declaration, "No more shall I be contained," before she continued to pound her hands onto the casket with supernatural speed and force.
Within a minute's time, the sarcophagus shattered into large jagged blocks, revealing a massive crystalline figure encased within. The sculpture revealed was that of Illyria as she had once been, though many times smaller, and caused the demon to stop what she was doing. Almost lovingly, did the demon touch and caress the image, before slapping her hand down on what was its stomach.
As though it were thin ice, the crystal shattered, collapsing into the sarcophagus. A moment later, in a flash of blinding light, the crystal shards exploded outward. Raising an arm to shield her face, Illyria stepped backwards, and did not notice the shards change course direction towards herself.
The demon cried out as the crystal pieces struck her, causing her to stagger and collapse to the ground. Bloodless gashes appeared upon her body. Where the crystal landed, it seemed to melt and ooze into her, becoming part of the Old One.
Unnoticed by her, the remains of the sarcophagus before her began to turn into sand. As this happened, the wind picked up the granules and began blowing it about the stunned woman. Seemingly weakened by the attack of the crystal shards, Illyria could not protect herself from the windblown sand, and did not even try as it entered every open place on her body it could reach.
Within seconds, nothing remained of the sarcophagus but the dent in the ground where it had lain.
Her body shaking from what had just transpired, Illyria turned onto her side, choking and gagging as she felt the liquid crystal and sand bonding to, and molding, her insides as it willed, further changing the already changed body.
Illyria did not know nor cared what else had been done to the form that she now possessed. All she wanted was to leave this place and find out how this time differed from her own. From what little she had already gleaned from studying the cottage that belonged to the form she now possessed, much was not how it had been.
Rolling onto her stomach as the wounds she sustained glimmered with a strange electric purple light and healed themselves, Illyria rose to her feet and strode purposefully towards the edge of the field she was in. As she reached the edge of the clearing, the sense of another presence awakening within herself caused the reborn demon to pause. A sharp, throbbing ache suddenly surging through her body made her collapse to her hands and knees. Deciding to find out just what the shell's soul was doing, she tilted her head to the side in a bird-like fashion, her gaze and senses turning inward just as the other presence yanked the demon's essence forcefully towards itself.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Awakening. Her body in motion...yet she not in control. A spectator, nothing more. Not right. Not right! Not. Right. Notrightnotrightnotright!
"NO," the essence that was the Immortal Cassandra shouted as she fully came to awareness in the place where her spirit resided.
Looking around wildly in this pocket of the ether that she had created so long ago for herself, she saw the demon Illyria's snake-like essence prone on the ground, looking for all the world like it was asleep...and the blue cord of light trailing from it to her. Looking down, she noted that she was not in human form, and that the cord seemed to be tied around her neck. With a growl, she snapped at the cord, and attempted to jerk it off of herself.
A blindingly bright light flashed within the void momentarily, before she collapsed in sudden pain as the cord flickered and flared with lightning bolts and black light all along its length.
Groaning, the Immortal shook her head, then gazed at the cord, thinking to herself, That must be what came to being to mark the sharing of our powers, but why am I the demon-wolf and not in human form like normal?
As she continued to contemplate the cord and its possible meaning, she became aware of what was happening in the physical realm. Knowing that she must stop Illyria so they could talk before they left the wood, Cassandra eyed the magical rope, remembering what had just happened with it and her. Shuddering, the Immortal gathered up the cord into her mouth once more, and yanked it towards herself.
As the wolf collapsed in pain and stilled, falling into a sleep-like state, the snake stirred awake within the ether.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Cassandra came to in the physical realm, her body trembling with residual pain, and disoriented from shifting from one state to another so suddenly. With some difficulty, she righted herself until she was sitting upright on the ground. As the Immortal gazed about dazedly, instinctively feeling the changes in her body, she winced and placed a hand to her head. The demon was attempting to do what she had done just a moment before.
Grimacing, she said quietly, yet firmly, to the demonic essence within herself, "You won't have control that easily, Illyria. Not if I have anything to say about it!"
From within her mind, yet not part of it, she heard, "I was not reborn to be denied my existence! You will give to me control of this shell."
Cassandra gasped and lurched forward as pain ripped through her anew. Anger burned bright within her heart as she had a brief insight into what was happening. Illyria was trying to use the cord to gain control, just as she had. Clearly seeing within her mind's eye the demon about to pull the cord connecting them once more, the Immortal snapped out, "NO! You will not pull that cord again!"
The command in those words reverberated through the air and within her mind. There was a moment of shocked silence from both. For Cassandra, it was for how powerful the compulsion in her voice had been. Illyria's response was for a completely different reason.
"You dare command me, I who once ruled this world in all my glory?"
"That time is no more," Cassandra exclaimed as she surged to her feet, her anger returning. Brief flashes of a time that existed eons before hers flitted through her mind, of things beyond her imagining and comprehension, making her head go from aching to throbbing. "Your kind no longer exists in this world. You do not belong here!"
"It is not for you to say if I should be here or not! The means of my rebirth is beyond your comprehension. That you survived my revival was not expected."
The Immortal began stalking across the glade back to her home, unaware of her clothing shifting into the attire she wished to wear, nor of the tone of her skin, hair and eyes returning to a more normal human hue. Idly she noted the disappearance of the sarcophagus before entering her home, and said waspishly and bitterly once inside, "Things never happen as we wish it. That is one thing you will quickly come to learn in this era, Illyria."
"You speak of things that do not please me, Immortal. Yet they are things that I must know to understand the time I find myself in. If only my Qwa'ha Xahn were here to guide me in this!"
A shiver ran down Cassandra's back at those words, though she could not understand why. All she knew for certain was that last part had sounded suspiciously like a whine. Habitually, she began to gather the necessary ingredients for a tea to calm herself. As she did this, an image of Methos darted through her mind unwillingly. She gasped and dropped the pot she was holding to clutch her head as the demon clung to the memory.
In panic as she sensed Illyria's sudden interest, the Immortal cried out, "No!" while collapsing to her knees.
The memory was instantly released, as the demon snarled darkly while purposefully pulling on the cord connecting them, "Do not command me. You have not the right!"
Her stomach rolling as shudders ran uncontrollably through her body, Cassandra gritted out through clenched teeth, "I have every right. You dared to steal my body and destroy my essence!" Shakily, as she felt Illyria subside within her, the Immortal sat up, leaned wearily against the counter behind her, and closed her eyes. Sighing as though to expel the emotions rampaging through her, she continued in a near monotone, "There is no Qwa'ha Xahn here to guide you, demon, but there is me. We must come to some sort of agreement to the co-habitation of this body, and you need to better understand the world you're about to venture into before I will allow you control again."
Silence descended, within and without, as the demon thought through what had just been said. A half hour had passed before Cassandra heard Illyria say reluctantly, "Very well, I would know this world before I walk in it. Show me your memories."
She nodded then, and opened her mind to the demon, carefully making sure to shield certain memories fromview. But no matter how careful she was, some slipped through before she could stop them.
The demon immediately sensed what she was doing, and fiercely latched onto those memories to keep her from hiding them. Cassandra struggled frantically to wrench the memories back into her keeping, but could not. As this happened, Illyria looked closely at what it held, and asked curiously, "Who is this, that you would hide him from me?"
The Immortal's head thudded back against the cabinet behind her as she admitted defeat and allowed the memories to be seen. She then said in that near lifeless tone, "I do not hide him from you, but from myself. He is part of a past that I am trying to move on from."
Dark low laughter filled the Immortal's mind and chilled her soul, as Illyria responded, "A past that would have given you ample warning not to touch my casket...had you remembered it! It is your own foolery that has led to your possession, child of Ardnassac. He taught you my language!"
She tried to deny what she was hearing, but the proof was right before her. She remembered fully now the lessons Methos had given her, as well as the markings on the sarcophagus. Markings that had been more than mere decoration she now knew. But that did not matter at this moment, what mattered was dealing with the fallout of what had happened.
Shaking her head to clear it, the Immortal said firmly, "It is of the past and cannot be changed. We must focus on what is needed here. Look through the rest of my memories, and know the world as it is now. From that, we can decide what to do."
Illyria did not respond, only waited impatiently. The moment Cassandra freed her memories for the demon's perusal; it surged forward, and delved deeply. Memories not her own assaulted her as Illyria plundered her mind. Memories that were too alien and horrifying to comprehend. She felt suffocated by the sheer weight and size, the breadth of time lived, and found herself retreating into the furthest corner of her consciousness as far as she could.
Cassandra could feel herself beginning to loose grasp of reality when Illyria finished looking through what it needed from her. The relief she felt was immediate and intense, the words the demon spoke a moment later were not.
"This world sickens me. Humans were nothing but the scum beneath our feet, and now they rule unchecked. That my kind have all but disappeared from this world is intolerable. Our right to exist and rule here must be taken back."
Alarm and panic quickly seized a hold of the Immortal, and caused her to delve into herself to the place of her spirit. She knew she needed to be face-to-face for this conversation.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Cassandra came to in the ether, to find herself in a forest of her own making, one that mirrored the one that surrounded her cottage. Before her stood Illyria. The demon was glaring at her.
"So my words finally bring you back here," the Old One reborn sneered, contempt in its acidic gaze.
Ignoring that remark, the Immortal glared, and snapped out, "You will not even think of attempting world domination, Illyria!"
Incredulous laughter burst forth from the demon's mouth, before it said, "You have no say in this."
Anger causing her Quickening to flicker about her, Cassandra retaliated, "It is my body! I also have no desire to see this world brought to such darkness again."
"Loath as I am to say it, Immortal," Illyria commented while eyeing its opponent, "but it is our body. I have say in what we do the same as you."
"Really?" Cassandra said lightly, wishing she had arms in this form to fold in front of her. "From what I've seen, heard, and experienced of you so far: you wish only for the glory of your former existence...an existence that could very well be our destruction if you attempt it now. The power humans are able to use is far greater than they had in your time. I would suspect that even your natural defenses would be hard pressed to block them, given enough time."
Silence was Illyria's only response, before it said while scowling, "It seems neither of us will give on this matter, and I grow weary of pressing my suite with you. The knowledge you possess is not complete, nor do I completely understand it. There is no sense in some of it. This Immortal, Methos: he knows my language. He will be able to give me the knowledge I seek, and lead me to those that still worship me."
A brief flash of panic ran through Cassandra before she suppressed it. Her hackles raised, the Immortal growled out, "No!"
Black light began to form between Illyria's claws as it snapped out, "Enough! Your constant defiance has grown beyond tiresome. I will listen to your bleatings no mores."
With those words, Cassandra suddenly found herself diving to avoid the ball of energy the Old One suddenly threw at her. As she got back to her feet, she prepared for an attack that never came. Instead, she stared at the demon's now prone form, and knew she had been tricked.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Illyria opened her eyes in the physical realm, ideas and plans already forming. Standing up, the demon looked around the cottage while ignoring the indignation she felt from the Immortal within. Spotting what she had been looking for, she took down a black handcrafted ceramic bowl and soon filled it with water.
Placing the bowl onto the table, the Old One tilted her head to one side, and demanded of the entity within, "You will give to me your sight, Seer."
The answer was immediate, "NO!"
Eyes narrowing, Illyria responded coldly, "Then we'll have to see if my assumption is correct."
Wariness and curiosity flickered along their bond as Illyria rested her hands on either side of the scrying bowl, leaned forward, and gazed into it. Tense silence fell. Time passed. Eyes narrowed in displeasure, and more time passed.
After a half an hour had gone by, Cassandra asked dryly with a touch of amusement, "Does this prove your assumption, Old One?"
"Partly," Illyria coolly answered.
"And what does that mean," came the suspicious response.
A glimmer of anticipation lit within her eyes, as the Old One said simply, "Watch and see."
Grabbing a hold of the scrying bowl, the demon threw the contents into the air. As water droplets began to descend to the ground, Illyria raised a hand...and the handmade rain stopped in mid-air. In the next moment, the Old One moved her hand through the droplets and manipulated them until the water was formed into a clear thin circular sheet.
A faint luminescent glow covered the water as Illyria commanded, "Show me this world."
The Immortal's shock was clearly felt as the water seemed to ripple and an image of Earth became visible.
"How," Cassandra asked, bewildered. "I can feel you pulling on my power!"
Smirking, the demon answered, "Have you already forgotten, Immortal? We joined our powers together to continue existing within this shell. Thus, our separate abilities can be used by the other, provided we can use them through our own power. You have already done so once. The clothing we wear you created. Now be silent, and let me work."
The silence within was thoughtful and attentive as Illyria ordered, "Show me the location where we are."
Earth slowly turned until the European land mass faced the ones watching. Once stopped, the image began to zoom in until it stopped to show an aerial view of Cassandra's cottage and the glade it resided in.
Nodding in satisfaction, Illyria said, "Vahla ha'nesh. I would see where its entrance resides in this time. Now."
The image zoomed out until it once more revealed Earth. The planet turned and stopped when the Americas were revealed. Once there, it began zooming in on North America, then onto California. From there, it focused on the Los Angeles area. Moving through the city, the image stopped once inside a bank.
"I shall have to see how my people fair in there sometime soon," the Old One commented.
"What is vahla ha'nesh," Cassandra asked. "I am not familiar with that word."
"It is my temple. A place I alone can open, as I created it," the demon answered, then ordered of the watery screen before her, "Show to me the location of the Immortal Methos."
The image seemed to distort for a moment, before weaving through LA until it was outside of the city. Once there, it moved along until stopping before a sign that said "Welcome to Sunnydale," then suddenly bounced upwards until it hovered over the town, and did not go further...'though it seemed to be trying
As Immortal and Old One watched curiously, the image started to warp and twist. At first, both thought it was the image doing this, but soon realized this was not so as the sheet of water began to boil and pop. In the next moment, the water exploded and multi-hued light flared brightly.
Reflexively putting up her hands protectively while taking a step back, the demon then stared as she realized the water was no more. The ground was not even wet. Tilting her head, Illyria murmured contemplatively, "Only two things could have caused this to happen: magical wards or a Hellmouth."
Shaking off her shock, Cassandra commented, "Or both."
"True," Illyria conceded, "but regardless of such things, that is where the one I seek is."
"And what if he is not there when we arrive? It will take time to travel from here to there," Cassandra asked and pointed out, her tone hopeful.
"For mortals it might," the Old One said, "but not for us."
With those words, Illyria walked outside. Raising a hand before her as she exited the building, a wave of power went ahead of her. Five hundred feet away, a circular ripple in space appeared, before swiftly parting to reveal the other side. The demon stepped through it without hesitating. A second later, the portal closed.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
In the center of the earth, a place called the Deeper Well, an immortal being stood, torch in hand. Before the man known as Drogyn, an empty cavern could be seen. On either side of the cavern were others, but these were not empty. Instead, these contained sarcophaguses filled with the remaining essences of Old Ones.
As Drogyn continued to grimly stand in front of the empty cavern, his eyes flicked to the engravings outlining the small cave. They faintly shown with a blue light, just like all the others in that place. Even as he watched, though, the dim light flared brightly, before turning a deep blood red.
He knew in that moment that the most feared and revered of the Old Ones had been reborn. Turning away from the cavern, he headed towards his living quarters, then the library to collect what he needed. It was time to bring the Champions together that were necessary to defeat such a one as Illyria. This dimension and many others depended on it.
Next Part: Some magic is done, some things are discovered, and the Watcher's Council gets a slap upside its head. (snicker!)
Part Completed: 12/9/07
