Legacy 104: Halliwell Family Values
Part 6
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Phoebe Halliwell walked around the dark mansion as she felt herself shifting through time. She was still shocked by the revelation that her son had been born within a day of her nephew Wyatt, though it made sense in a strange way, as he was conceived before him and Wyatt was born weeks early. However, it could not be a random strike of coincidence. As much as she had denied it for years, her son was more involved in the lives of her family than she realized.
Suddenly a shadow appeared before Phoebe and took form of a four year old boy, running through the hallways. She followed him and watched him age before her eyes as time shifted. Soon he was eight and running down the stairs. There was a crash and an eleven year old version was standing near a destroyed vase. The cloaked woman appeared and Phoebe screamed as she hit him across the face for breaking the vase. The boy cried and she hit him again to make him stop. Tears welled up in Phoebe's eyes and she witnessed it helplessly.
"I don't want to be here." A voice sounded.
Phoebe turned around and saw a thirteen year old version of her son standing before her. He was handsome like his father. He looked like Cole with brown eyes and short black hair, more so than he resembled her. He was dressed in black and seemed sad and frightened.
"Can you see me?" Phoebe asked confused.
"I don't want this. I am not ready." The boy replied.
"Calm down." Phoebe said softly as she took a step closer, though the boy backed away. "What is your name?"
"It is time. Don't make me do it." The boy said in fear. "Please."
The boy turned and walked away. Phoebe followed him into a large room with little furniture. There was a small table with a bowl and candles surrounding it. On the wall, a demonic reversed pentagram had been painted, with two cloaked demons at either side. The woman in the black cloak with silver linings entered.
"It is time." The woman spoke. "This is what you were born for. Now accept your fate."
The boy looked over his shoulder at Phoebe and she wanted to reach out to him, though she couldn't. The boy turned and kneeled down before the small table. He revealed a small blade and cut his finger, letting some blood drip into the bowl. The cloaked woman and the two demons started chanting a spell. Suddenly, the pentagram on the wall started turning and combusted in flames.
"No, don't make me!" The boy cried out.
"You must. You have been prepared for this your entire life." The cloaked woman replied.
A stream of black particles emerged from the pentagram and started swarming around the room. The particles swarmed around the two demons and both screamed as they combusted in flames. Phoebe watched in horror as the streams started to swirl around her son and he got up to cover his face and chase them away as he continued screaming.
"No!" Phoebe cried out as she stood there helpless. She knew she was powerless and she felt paralyzed. She felt it was all her fault.
The streams black particles entered the boy through his mouth and nostrils and he fell silent. Then he screamed as he looked at the ceiling and his eyes were engulfed in flames before turning pure black. The boy calmed down, and Phoebe realized the Source of All Evil had returned. He stared at his own body and turned to the cloaked woman, who bowed slightly.
"My lord." The cloaked woman said, though there was little respect in her voice.
"What took you so long?" the Source asked in a demonic voice.
"It took time to gather all that was needed for the ritual." The cloaked woman said. "Also, the boy needed to reach a certain age, otherwise his body could not handle your return. Either way, I kept my end of the deal."
"It will take time to return to my full power." The Source replied. "Years even. As powerful as this body is, it still needs to mature."
Shadows filled the room and the figures faded away, leaving Phoebe alone in the darkness. She fell to her knees and cried. How could she have lived her life in happiness without knowing what was going on. She did not even know her son was alive, she did not even consider him hers to begin with. How could she live with herself now that she knew the truth?
The shadows faded and Phoebe found herself back in the Underworld. She was back in reality. As she sat up, she wiped away her tears. The Source emerged from the shadows.
"You monster!" Phoebe screamed as she launched herself at him.
"No!" the Source said as he raised a hand and telekinetically stopped her in tracks. "You are the true monster. After all, you abandoned your son to begin with. This all started with you, Phoebe."
"Who was she?" Phoebe asked, thinking of the woman in the silver lined cloak.
"Unimportant." The Source replied. "She was a means to an end, nothing more. A back-up plan to secure my return in case of my untimely vanquish."
"So what now?" Phoebe asked.
"Now it is time for my coronation." The Source replied. "I will assume my rightful place and ruler of the Underworld, and nothing will be able to stop me. Guards!" Two demonic guards entered the cavern grabbed Phoebe by each arm. "Take the prisoner to the coronation room. Her sacrifice will ensure my rise to power."
Phoebe screamed and struggled. As she was being dragged, she looked at the face of her son. She wondered if any part of him was still alive, if he still had a soul buried deep under all that evil. When she looked into his eyes, she saw nothing but evil, though when she screamed she was sorry, she saw a short flicker of something else.
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While staring at his watch, Chris stood impatiently in the basement on the Halliwell manor. He felt nervous. This would be the most impressive and important spell they had ever cast. As the minutes ticked away, Chris hoped everyone had gotten to their position in time. He got nothing from the telepathic connection, that would only inform the others when the spell had started. He really needed this to work. He stared at his watch and saw the last seconds ticking away.
Chris kneeled down and drew a large pentagram on the floor with white chalk, each point representing one of the five elements of nature. He then stepped aside and started chanting the spell. This had to work.
"From ancient time this power came,
For all to have but none to reign.
Banished once, we witches implore,
Unite the elements five to now restore."
As she stood in Kenwood Park late in the evening, Prue felt a sensation through the telepathic connection and knew it was time. She closed her eyes and held out her hands in the direction of the manor. "Wood."
"Fire." Wyatt said as he stood surrounded by the hot springs.
Henry looked down on the city from the twin peaks and held out his hands. "Earth."
While standing in the middle of Mountain Park, Penny held out her hands. "Metal." She said as she felt it was time through the telepathic connection.
A in the middle of the bay, Payton Halliwell floated a few inches above the peaceful waves, about a hundred feet from the shore. "Water." She said.
In the basement, Chris watched as bright white lights appeared on each of the five points of the elements as his family channeled the elements. Determined, he continued the spell.
"We call the forces of nature to embrace,
Restore the suxen in this time and space."
The white lights on the pentagram started burning brighter and started to connect across the lines, forming a perfect pentagram. Suddenly, a beam of white light shot up. Across five points around San Francisco, a bright white light appeared and it shot it several directions, forming a pentagram across the entire city. Although invisible to mortals, all magical beings could sense its power. The pentagram started to move to the center, engulfing the city in light. The lights circled in across the Halliwell manor and disappeared inside. Chris looked in amazement as the lights withdrew to the pentagram drawn of the floor and then unleashed one final flash of bright light. He could feel the power in every fiber of his being and knew it had worked.
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The Source of All Evil walked through a dark tunnel in the Underworld. The coronation was almost upon him and nothing could stop him from reclaiming what had always been his. Not even the Halliwells could stand in his way now, soon they would all die. Suddenly, the Source groaned in pain and leaned against the wall. The inside of his head felt like it was being torn apart. He suppressed the feeling and pushed it away. It would all be over soon, then he would be in complete control. He had come too far to be stopped now.
Out of nowhere, there was a sensation of power and the entire Underworld trembled. A few rocks and some dust fell down from the ceiling and the Source wiped it off his cloak. A moment later, the dark priest that had been his faithful servant entered the tunnel.
"What was that?" the Source asked.
"A great power has been restored." The Dark Priest said. "The power of nature itself."
"The Nexus." The Source concluded angrily. "The Halliwells know I have her. They will attempt a rescue. We need to hurry and move along with the coronation."
"My lord, preparations are still…" The Dark priest began.
"I said now!" the Source screamed at him. "Get it done. The coronation must be over before I face them again."
The Dark Priest quickly bowed his head and hurried away as soon as his old feet could. The Source angrily slammed his fist against a wall and caused it to crumble. It was not over yet, he would get what he had worked for all these years. And then the witches would get what was coming to them once and for all.
Xxx
Chris waited in the conservatory for the others to return and paced around. He knew the spell had been successful, but that had only been the first stage of the plan. Now came the hard part. When orbs appeared, Chris looked up and saw Wyatt and Henry appear. A moment later, the girls all appeared as well.
"It worked, didn't it?" Penny asked. "I felt it. It was like this wave of power."
"Yeah, it worked." Wyatt replied. "Unbelievable, we actually did it."
"Don't get too excited." Chris warned them. "What is coming next will even more difficult. Now we get the Source here and vanquish him."
"What about my mom? We need to summon them both." Payton said.
"Now that we have the nexus on our side, that should not be a problem." Chris replied. "Come on, let's set up in the attic."
Chris led the others to the attic and they got ready for their plan. While Prue and Penny wrote a summoning spell, Wyatt gathered the crystals while Henry got some reserve potions from the trunk just in case. They could not be too careful, since they were dealing with the true source of evil. There was no room for mistakes, so they discussed their strategy until it was perfect. When everyone felt ready and confident enough, or at least, not scared out of their minds, Chris told Prue and Penny to cast the summoning spell.
"We call upon to the spirits to find,
Those we seek with heart and mind,
The strongest power we invoke,
Break through chains and evil cloak,
We summon loved one and evil foe,
To bring them forth from hell below."
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Dressed in a ceremonial black cloak with heavy metallic wings attached, the Source strode through the coronation room past the demons representing the Underworld as the new infernal council. In the center of the room, the Dark priest stood with the Grimoire on its pedestal and large torches surrounded the room in a perfect circle. Across the room, near the shattered cage, Phoebe Halliwell stood with both arms chained against a pillar and a gag in her mouth. He smirked at her tears and felt nothing but distain toward her. Soon she would be dead. He ignored the pounding in his head.
"My lord, please kneel down so we can begin the ceremony." The Dark Priest said.
The Source kneeled down and the priest opened the Grimoire. All demons present bowed their heads as the priest raised his hand and started chanting in an ancient demonic language. The Source closed his eyes, ready to receive the true force of the Underworld. Suddenly, several demons gasped in shock and the Source opened his eyes. He looked aside and saw white orbs swirling around Phoebe as she started to disappear.
"No!" The Source screamed as he stood up and threw a fire ball, but it was too late.
"My Lord." The Dark Priest called out.
The Source looked at him furiously. Only then did he notice that white orbs had started swirling around him as well. Before he could respond, he was enveloped in white lights and the Underworld disappeared from his sight.
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Chris leaned against a wooden truck hidden behind the couch in the attic as he waited. He felt his brother breathing next to him. After casting the summoning spell, everyone had taken cover. They all knew what to do. All they needed to do was wait. The suspense was killing him. Suddenly two streams of white orbs appeared.
"Incoming!" Chris called out, this was it.
The first stream of white orbs formed into Phoebe, who had a gag in her mouth and had obviously been bound. Henry ran forward and pulled her away, dissolving into orbs to protect them both from potential harm. Chris and Wyatt then jumped up and both raised their hands. Five white crystals orbed in a perfect circle and formed a crystal cage as the Source appeared. He stared at them furiously, with his eyes engulfed in flames. When the large metallic wings on his back hit the crystal cage, they were destroyed, shocking him and forcing him to his knees.
"Now, before he has a chance to break free." Wyatt called out.
Prue, Penny and Payton appeared out of hiding the same time Chris and Wyatt stepped forward. Meanwhile, Henry helped Phoebe up. All six of them started to cast the vanquishing spell.
"Prudence, Penelope
Patricia, Melinda,
Astrid, Helena,
Laura and Grace,
Halliwell Witches,
Stand strong beside us
Vanquish this evil…"
The Source screamed in pain as fire surrounded him. However, before any on them could finish the spell, Phoebe pulled the gag from her mouth and threw herself between them and the crystal cage, yelling at them to stop. As the spell was left unfinished, the flames subdued and the Source laughed. Phoebe shot him a quick glare and turned to her family.
"Aunt Phoebe, what you doing?!" Chris called out. "This is our best shot."
"You can't vanquish him." Phoebe replied determined as she turned to the Source. "At least not all of him. I know he is still alive in there, I can sense it."
"You bitch, you should have vanquished me when you had the chance!" The Source snapped at her and he rose to his feet. "Even if his soul was still alive in here, he is beyond saving. I am bound to him as much as he is to me. We are one and the same."
"No, I can sense he is resisting you." Phoebe replied.
"Mom, what is going on? What are you talking about?" Prue called, she seemed both upset and confused. None of them knew what was going on.
"I know this seems strange, but you need to trust me." Phoebe said as she turned and walked to the Book of Shadows. "There has to be a way. I am not giving up on him twice. I can't."
"What are you talking about?" Penny asked confused. "Tell us what is going on."
However Phoebe ignored her and she grabbed a piece of paper and started flipping through the Book of Shadows while muttering to herself about different spells while scribbling on the paper.
At the same time, the Source closed his eyes and formed a large fire ball in his hands with swirling metallic rings. It grew in size and power by the second and Chris realized it would eventually be strong enough to break out of the cage, and take all them down with it when it exploded. Whatever his aunt Phoebe was doing, she needed to hurry.
"We can't stand by and do nothing!" Prue called out. "What if he is controlling her somehow?"
"Honey, it is me. You just need to trust me for now." Phoebe replied with some desperation in her voice. "I am doing what needs to be done. It is the only way."
After finishing her improvised spell, Phoebe walked to the crystal cage and looked at the Source. While she seemed sympathetic to him for some reason, he looked back at her with a hateful glare,
"This will never work. I am never releasing this body. And when I get out of this cage, I will slaughter your entire family, but I will let you live, so you can suffer over all the mistakes you made." The Source told her in spite.
"I know I made a lot of mistakes. I just hope I can correct this one. I don't except him to forgive me, but at least he will be free of you." Phoebe told him as she took a step back from the crystal cage. She then wiped away a tear and started casting the spell she had written.
"I call forth from space and time,
Matriarchs of the Halliwell Line,
Gather now in this sacred place,
Help me bring this soul to grace,
Set him free from the evil within,
Expel the dark essence from his skin,
Blood to blood, I summon thee,
Blood to blood, return to me."
As she finished the spell, Phoebe revealed an athame she had taken earlier and cut herself in her hand, pressing it against the crystal cage. Suddenly, white wisps of the Halliwell line appeared and started surrounding them. A shocked Source released the fire ball he had formed and it dissolved. As the wisps coursed through the crystal cage, it shattered, unleashing a powerful blast that threw everyone except the Source off their feet. The Source screamed and as the white wisps entered his body and fell to his knees in agony. As he started to glow in a silvery white light, a darkness emerged from his nostrils and mouth, which swirled across the room before disappearing through the floor. When the darkness had gone, the wisps left his body and faded away. Chris looked up at the Source, who sat there in silence, before losing consciousness.
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