W.I.T.C.H. doesn't belong to me. I'm just doing this for fun.
Many thanks to Aesop for his help in editing and consulting with ideas!
Set shortly after the end of Season 2.
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Washington D.C.;
Hexin's Mansion:
The girl lay fast asleep on the altar he had built years ago for this very purpose.
"You led me on a merry chase, my girl," Hexin said, smiling down on the sleeping child. "But good things come to those who wait."
The night of the convergence was at hand. The stars would align tomorrow, and then…
He looked down once more on the sleeping child, and gently stroked her face. "Such a pity," he said in a seemingly sad tone, but it was as fake as Phobos's sincerity.
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Meridian:
The Guardians were all in the Great Hall with Nerissa, standing or pacing the floor in silence. Elyon had by then left for Kandrakar, the injection that Hexin had given her having robbed her of her powers, so she had gone to the Oracle to see if he could help.
Taranee suggested going there with Elyon to ask his advice, but Nerissa refused, believing that all he would do would be to tell them to forget Lillian, to focus on the greater good and not let Hexin acquire the Heart. Most of the girls didn't think for one second he would, except perhaps for Cornelia, but then that was most likely because she was anxious and worried about her sister. Either way, none of them were eager to leave Nerissa on her own in Meridian.
Caleb, too, looked like he was in a state. He had only found out a short time ago that Cornelia's sister was his as well, yet before that he had always carried a burden of worry for her. Granted, he never knew she was a relative of his, but only because she was his girlfriend's sibling, and that he had been raised to always watch over the innocent.
Nerissa and the Regents, Matt and Huggles, had been seen to by the castle's Healers, and had used certain potions and healing spells that Nerissa had told them to get from her former home in the Infinite City. Matt and Huggles were still unconscious, but otherwise unharmed. Nerissa was now more or less healed, but definitely not at ease.
"This is all your fault!" she screamed at them. "If you had never defied me at the start, or at least let me take Lillian's power when they first manifested, she would be safe and sound!"
"Oh yeah, like we'd trust that power with you!" Cornelia shot back.
"QUIET!" Caleb's voice roared. "We don't have time for all that again! We need a plan and to talk strategy, so talk now and scream later!" He eyed each of them dangerously, silencing them.
"Nerissa, you know where Hexin's place is, don't you?" Will asked.
"Of course, but it's built like a fortress! We'd never be able to get in and safely save Lillian and get her out of there!"
"You got out once," Hay Lyn reminded her.
"Only under certain circumstances, by the skin of my teeth, and with pure luck," Nerissa said, looking downcast. "No way I could ever be that lucky again."
"So what do we do?" Cornelia almost wailed. "Like she says, Hexin no doubt has his place built up like Fort Knox. If we do nothing, Lillian is dead, and if we give him the Heart…"
"You'll be condemning the whole universe to darkness!" Nerissa added. "Hexin is powerful enough now, but with his Heart he would be unstoppable."
"But if we don't then Lillian will die for this spell of his, and then he'll get the Heart anyway," Irma pointed out. "Either way, it looks like we're pretty much screwed."
"You got that right," Taranee muttered.
"So what can we do?!" Cornelia demanded, ignoring Caleb's feeble attempts to comfort her.
They all looked at each other.
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Hexin's Mansion; Next Night:
Hexin sat in his study, gently stroking the fine wood of his expensive table while looking out his window at the stars. A few moments later, a knock sounded at the door.
"Enter!" he ordered.
"My Lord," one of his guards greeted him upon entering, and then added simply, "it's time."
Hexin nodded, and got up. "Have the necessary security measures been taken?"
"Yes, sir, but…you don't seriously believe those girls would be so foolish as to attack here, do you?"
He chuckled. "While their little friend is here in my company? Oh, I'd stack my immortality on it. Be sure to inform me once they arrive."
"Yes, sir." The guard bowed before him, as he passed, keeping his head low.
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Meanwhile, From Outside:"Quit shoving, will you?!" Irma hissed at Cornelia, as she struggled to keep a look out of the bush they were in. But having to share her hiding place with another girl was proving it somewhat difficult.
"Well, you're taking up all the room!" Cornelia hissed back.
Guys, chill, okay! Taranee's mental voice silenced them. We can't afford making nay mistakes tonight.
Taranee had bonded all of their minds together, so they could keep in contact, as they silently converged on the mansion. Her own thoughts were on edge, as she swore she could feel eyes watching her everywhere, which if Nerissa were to be believed, could be true.
Their team compressed of all the Guardians, including Nerissa, Caleb, Matt and Huggles. Elyon had offered to send some of her army with them when they confronted Hexin. In fact, she had almost insisted on it, considering what he had done to her and her kingdom, but the Guardians had convinced her otherwise.
It wasn't that they hadn't wanted the extra help. Nerissa had actually been all for it. But the kind of mission they were on now required stealth, and the smaller the group the better the chance they had of making it. Not that Nerissa had a lot of faith they would though.
Matt and Huggles were still a little weak from Hexin's attack, but Meridian's Healers and Lillian's magic had almost completely healed them, and as her Regents there was no way they were going to leave her to Hexin's mercy, no more than Cornelia was willing to do so.
I see four guards out on the balcony. Hay Lyn reported, sounding more anxious than usual.
Hmm, I was expecting more. Will wondered.
Don't think there won't be. Nerissa broke into the conversation. Hexin won't be too bothered with what happens to his house outside. It's inside that will have the most security, as they won't allow anyone in to interfere with the ceremony.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. Matt said wearily.
Guys, enough! Will added. Hay Lyn, take those four guys out.
Consider it done. Hay Lyn's invisible form passed by them all, the only hint being a slight rustle of the bush's leaves. A few moments, the sounds of men either being knocked out, or having the air momentarily sucked out of their lungs, were heard.
Okay, guys! Hay Lyn reported. Clear!
"We should have left the Heart of Kandrakar behind," Nerissa spoke out loud, infuriated. "We're supposed to be keeping it…"
"If Hexin does this spell with Lillian then it won't matter where the Heart is!" Will snapped. "He'll get it anyway, and at least this way we'll be able to barter with him and save Lillian's life."
"At the cost of everyone else's lives!" Nerissa snapped back.
"I can't believe you," Cornelia hissed at her, earning a hot glare from the black-haired sorceress. "You claim to be Lillian's birth mother, yet you're willing to let her die, just as you were willing to let Caleb do, too. What kind of woman are you?!"
Nerissa stared hard at her with a steel gaze. "I do what is necessary," she said quietly. "I assure you, I don't do it with a clear conscience. And if you think for one moment that I don't regret everything that has happened to either of my children because of my decisions in life, then believe me you are wrong. I lay awake at night, every night, wondering if I made a mistake, if I could have done something different, if…"
"Guys!" Will interrupted. "Sorry, but this isn't the time for group therapy. Talk about this later."
Neither Nerissa nor Cornelia said anything, as they just gave each other one final hard look, and then went back to the job at hand.
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Seven men, dressed in ancient Chinese robes, sat in a circle around the altar, chanting in a language that pre-dated the country whose clothes they were wearing. On the altar, Lillian Hale lay fast asleep with a red cushion beneath her head, blissfully unaware of all that was transpiring around her.
"The stars are in alignment!" Hexin declared, also dressed in a robe of Chinese red and black silk. "The chants are spoken, and the sacrifice is waiting! Tonight, my aeons of patience are finally paying off! Tonight, the spell will be spoken, and my Heart shall be returned!"
Cheers of applause rang around the hall they were in, as his followers sang his praise. The only one not singing was Napoleon, as he sat in a huge cage, hanging suspended from the ceiling. He eyed Hexin dangerously, and Lillian worriedly. He had tried breaking out of the cage, but it was apparently magic-proof, as nothing he did had any effect on it.
Hexin snapped his fingers, and a man in a blue robe walked forward, holding a small chest, carrying it as though in a state of worship, holding it in front, as he bowed before his master and lifted it up to him.
Hexin opened the box, and retrieved from within it a dagger with a silver blade, and a golden handle that had a dragon curved around it, which continued to curve around the blade up to the top.
"In the name of Yu, my father, and the sacred ancestors of Kandrakar, and by the power of the four dragons who serve me and mine…Let the…!"
[BOOM!]
He gave a small, thin smile. "It would appear my guests have arrived," he muttered quietly, but did not stop the ceremony.
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"Does the word stealth mean anything to you?!" Will snapped.
"Hey, how was I to know that pipe would burst?!" Irma retorted.
"Can it, will you?!" Nerissa hissed. "With or without it, I seriously doubt we would have got in here without Hexin finding out. At least this way we can dispense with the stealth act and not hold back."
Everyone agreed on that.
"Which way now?" Hay Lyn asked.
"I can't say for sure where Hexin would do this ceremony of his, but his secret rooms were this way. They'll be the best bet where he would hold it."
The group followed the former Guardian for a ways down on the long corridors, until they came upon two huge double-doors, engraved with ancient Chinese-looking symbols, and what looked like four large dragons.
"This is the entrance to…" Nerissa started to say, but was halted when the doors burst open, and half a dozen armed guards came rushing out.
"Never mind!" she shouted, and immediately summoned her power, the rest of them doing the same.
The battle didn't last long, as Nerissa used her Quintessence to deflect the bullets and laser, while Hay Lyn used her wind to blow the men off their feet. The sound of chanting soon reached their ears, and each of them instantly recognised the voice that was speaking.
"Hurry!" Nerissa cried out, as they all raced inside…only to find themselves waiting to be greeted.
"Ohhh rats," Irma moaned, as what looked like a hundred robed priests stood before them, each of them armed to the teeth.
Nerissa and Will used their Quintessence, and Cornelia her telekinesis, to deflect the guards' weapons, Taranee summoned up a wall of fire to hold them back while they regrouped, and Hay Lyn blew another gust of hurricane wind to knock the guards down flat.
Irma used what water she could find in the room, but there wasn't a lot, save for some bowls of liquid scattered around, the scent indicating it was some sort of oil.
Caleb raised his sword, screaming his battle-cry and rushing headfirst into a large group of robed warriors, slashing and punching. Matt and Huggles, aka Shagon and Kor, used both their physical and magical abilities to fight.
All while this was going on, Hexin's voice never wavered or halted.
The room they were all in was huge, like a Great Hall, with dark-brown polished wood and gold highlights, again with Chinese-like symbols and engravings everywhere. The room was so large that they could hear echoes. In the centre, there was a stone construct, like a miniature temple, which was acting as an altar. It reached halfway up to the ceiling, with two huge balls of fire that shone brightly at either side, and in the middle at the top, there was Hexin.
He stood before a stone table, chanting, and on the table lay Lillian.
"Lily!" Cornelia screamed, catching sight of her sister's body on the altar. She quickly mind-blasted a group of Hexin's followers, and flew like she had never flown before.
She wasn't the only one, as Nerissa was soon behind her.
"Let the stars and their infinite knowledge come together, and the magic of the planets grant me their understanding!" Hexin prayed aloud. "From the ends of the universe, grant me the power!"
"HEXIN!" a known voice screamed.
"Hello, Nerissa," he replied casually. "Wonderful to see you again."
A crash of lightning came striking towards him, but bounced harmlessly off him.
"Some people just can't take a compliment," he mused.
"Leave it to a pro, why don't ya!" the fair-haired Cornelia yelled at Nerissa.
This time, Hexin did take notice. He may have been immune to the two Quintessence Guardians, as it was his own power, but the rest of them were another story. He whirled around, grabbing an amulet around his neck.
"Luminos!" he yelled, and a blast of light shot out of the amulet, hurtling towards the two girls. They only just barely managed to fly out of the way, as the light struck the ceiling above where they had been hovering, blasting away chunks of wood and brick that fell to the floor.
Cornelia retaliated, using her telekinesis to lift one of the huge bowls of fire from the side, and flinging it on top of him. But Hexin was quick, as he leaped out of the way, and using his amulet again, blasted the bowl. It exploded, sending balls of fire flying everywhere. Pretty soon, fire was raging on the wooden floor below.
Meanwhile, Matt and Huggles flew up to the cage where Napoleon was being held. They tried to bend the bars with both their strength and magic, but their abilities proved just as useless against the cage's anti-magic defences, just as Napoleon's had.
"Guys, get me outta here, will ya?!" Napoleon snarled, wanting to get out and give Hexin some much serious payback.
"You got an idea, I'd love to hear it!" Matt snapped, pulling at the bars to no avail…and then paused.
"What, you got an idea?"
"Yeah, but…it's nothing you're gonna like."
"What do you me…HEY!"
Matt hovered higher, and with a blast of his own power, struck the cord that was holding the cage afloat. Luckily, it was not magic proof like the rest of the cage. "Hang on, Nap!" he shouted.
"TO WHAAAAAAAAAA…!" Napoleon's voice screamed, as the cage plummeted to the ground, landing with a huge crash and shattering upon impact. A few moments later, a shaking Napoleon slowly climbed out of his destroyed prison.
"You okay, Nap?!" Matt called down.
The Regent cat just looked up at him. "DO I FRIGGIN WELL LOOK OKAY?!"
More of Hexin's followers ran up to attack, but Irma and Hay Lyn were ready. Irma sent a wave of water, drawn from the house's plumbing, crashing into them, followed by a gust of arctic cold air from Hay Lyn, freezing them on the spot.
Eight robed men trapped in ice soon stood before them.
"Taranee, deal with the fire!" Hay Lyn called out, noticing the flames that were spreading far, wide and unbelievably hot.
"Already on it! Irma!" Taranee called to the water Guardian. Together they were able to despatch the flames, with Taranee keeping them under control until Irma was able to douse them with water.
Cornelia and Nerissa continued to fight with Hexin, as they flew in circles over him, hurtling one telekinetic and energy blast after another at him. Hexin merely cast their efforts aside, smirking at their pitiful efforts.
"Is this all you can do against me?" he asked casually. "I must say I'm disappointed, Nerissa. There was a time when you would have had a more planned attack. Not to mention a lot more tricks up your sleeve. I guess, despite your youthful looks, the years have not…" He stopped.
Something had just occurred to him. This attack of theirs really was pathetic, far more than he would ever believe Nerissa to be capable of. He had trained her himself in a number of military strategies, and this was far below her average level. All this could only mean one thing… Diversion!
He twirled around, and found the current Quintessence Guardian right behind him, and holding his little Heart of Earth.
A loud battle-cry sounded behind him, and Nerissa slammed herself into him, tackling him to the floor. "Will, get Lillian out of here!" she screamed. "Fold, now!"
"Fold open!" Will recited, holding the Heart of Kandrakar before her.
"How?!" Hexin demanded, pushing Nerissa off him. He should have been able to sense his Heart from anywhere.
"Power dampener," she hissed in his ear. "Turns out the Oracle at Kandrakar has his own share of trinkets and talismans he's collected over the centuries, including a special little thing called the Veil of Jsd."
Hexin noticed a small cloth that looked as if it had been recently wrapped around his Heart.
"That's only a piece of it, of course. We only needed enough to hide the Heart from you while we were here. And if you're wondering why you've never heard of it. That's because it doesn't come from Earth, and it was created long after you first arrived here."
Hexin thinned his eyes at her. "Clever," he said simply, and then kneed her in her stomach and flipped her over his shoulder.
"NO!" Cornelia yelled, and dove after him, but he was too quick.
Just as the Fold opened, and Will carried Lillian with her through it, Hexin leaped in after them, Cornelia right behind him. Before Nerissa could regain her breath, though, the Fold had already closed.
Cornelia gave a scream of frustration, for the Fold had closed just as she had reached it.
Nerissa cursed. "Everyone!" she screamed, grabbing the Mage Ring that she had reacquired from Meridian. Elyon had only given it back out of necessity, to do anything to defeat Hexin. "We need to get back to Kandrakar, NOW!"
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Kandrakar:
The council all stood respectfully, awaiting word from the Guardians. They had been waiting now for the better part of a few hours, but they knew that such battles sometimes took days.
Elyon had already left. The Council had determined that whatever Hexin had injected her with, had been specifically designed to temporary remove her of her powers. They sensed no mystical energy within it, so they deduced that it had to be human technology, but beyond that they knew nothing else, as they weren't scientists. Elyon had started to slowly get her powers back just shortly after she had arrived in Kandrakar, and the Oracle foresaw that she should get them completely back within the next day or two, but it would be a good idea if she didn't try anything magical for at least three days, just to be sure.
As they continued to wait, a Fold suddenly opened right before them, depositing three individuals.
"Guardian Will?" the Oracle hurried over to the redheaded human, who was holding the young Heart of Earth. "What has…?" He stopped, as he noticed the third newcomer before them.
The Asian man stood up and spared him a glance. "The Oracle I presume?" he said, sneering at him.
Before the Oracle could reply, Hexin rushed forward, grabbing Will by her hair and slamming her head onto the floor, knocking her unconscious.
"Seize him!" the Oracle yelled, summoning his magic to create a binding veil over the intruder.
Hexin heard him, and then threw off the black and red robe he was wearing, revealing a sleek and black modern battle-armour. He grabbed one of the small hand-grenades on his belt, pulling the clip from it and hurling it at the bald Seer.
"Down!" the Oracle cried out, using the veil he intended for Hexin on the grenade instead, containing the blast within. But by the time he turned his sights back to the former Prince of Kandrakar…
Hexin smiled at him, standing over the fallen Will, with the Heart of Kandrakar in his hand.
"Game over," he said simply, and ripped his armour shirt off, revealing the open hole in his chest, and placing the Heart inside.
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One Minute Later:
Returning to Kandrakar had been a lot easier to say than do. Hexin's followers had made sure of that. They seemed to do everything in their power to delay them, but fortunately that task was pointless against several able warriors and powerful Regents, sorceresses and Guardians. They had soon overpowered the priests and guards, and were now on their way.
Napoleon grunted, as he struggled to stay conscious, with Kor and Shagon helping him. He hadn't told them what Hexin had had done to him, but whatever it was, it had certainly left him drained. He wasn't too weak, though, to refrain from giving Nerissa curious and suspicious glares.
Caleb had wanted to stay and continue fighting, most likely out of a need for vengeance for Elyon, who Hexin and his followers had hurt. But even he had seen the necessity to leave quickly.
"Hurry!" Nerissa urged them, as she opened the Fold and hurried through. "We can't waste any…"
Her words faded, as she passed through the portal, but the others were soon on her tail.
"Tell me again why she is on our side?" Napoleon said, groaning.
"Long story," Shagon told him. "Just know that, for now at least, we have the same agenda. But don't worry…none of us trust her any further than we can throw her…assuming none of us had super strength or powers, of course, that is."
Napoleon grumbled, but followed them through the portal…and stopped.
They were soon in the great hall of Kandrakar, with Nerissa standing directly in front of them, looking ahead with her eyes wide and fearful. They followed her gaze, and soon learned the reason.
"How good of you to show up," Hexin's voice sounded, as though it were coming from all around them.
Hexin stood straight and tall, floating in a brilliant display of lightning that sparked and flashed across the room in a way that not even Nerissa with all her years of experience had ever done. The tendrils of lightning stretched throughout the room, lighting up the whole fortress, followed by the crashing sound of thunder that left their eardrums feeling like they were being used as bongo drums.
In the centre of it all, Hexin seemed to be floating in a sea of colours. And around him, there floated Will, Lillian, and the rest of the Council, suspended in air, trapped in prisons that looked to be made out of lightning.
"I was waiting for you," he added, and then with a sudden wave of his hand, the colours seemed to be drawn straight into him, ending with a clashing sound, louder than a hundred cymbals.
'The Aurameres,' Nerissa thought with dread, and before her eyes she watched as a single flash sparked before her, and all the Guardians suddenly fell to the floor in their ordinary human clothes, powerless.
"Now the fun can really begin!" Hexin laughed, raising his arms above him, sending another wave of lightning and thunder, flashing and echoing across the realm. And despite all the distractions, Nerissa noticed that his chest, which had once boasted an empty hole where his heart should have been, was now whole, without even a scar.
"Let the reign of Emperor Xin Hei-an begin!"
To Be Continued…