Legacy 112: Noah's Arc
Part 4
Xxx
Many years ago,
As the morning sun entered through the window, Noah woke up with a content smile. He rolled to his side and watched Calliope sleep beside him. Together, they had created a little sanctuary away from the council, a cloaked cottage in the mountains.
Things had been peaceful for a while now, ever since he had given up his ideas of a revolution. Instead of plotting against the council, he had focused on what made him happy, training new Whitelighters. He could still change things that way, to ensure the new generation would be better. Calliope had more difficulty letting go, though she had eventually realized the same. She had dedicated herself to her charges instead. When Noah heard Calliope waking up, he kissed her good morning.
"I wish I could wake up like this every day." Calliope whispered.
"Me too." Noah replied. "But we have to do with the time we got. If the council found out…"
"Why can't we tell them?" Calliope asked. "It has never affected our work."
"I don't really want to stir that pot." Noah said. "Can't we just enjoy what we have?"
Noah wanted to kiss her, though Calliope turned and sat up. Noah rolled his eyes and dropped down on his pillow, knowing what was coming. Despite being content, Calliope had never truly given up her resentment toward the council. Every little thing could provoke an argument.
"So once again, we bow down to the council." Calliope said annoyed as she got dressed.
"Calli, can we please not do this now?" Noah asked.
"You never want to talk about it anymore." Calliope replied as she turned to him. "You've rolled over and given up on everything we stood for."
"We're still making a difference." Noah argued.
"Barely." Calliope said as she stormed out.
Noah sighed and got out of bed. He put on some clothes and followed Calliope outside. She was standing in the grass, overlooking the valley below. He walked up behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist, softly kissing her neck.
"Don't try to make this go away with kisses." Calliope said. "It may have worked the first dozen times, but not anymore."
"Alright, then let's just talk about it." Noah replied.
"I can't." Calliope said as she freed herself from his embrace. "I have to report to Odin. He has some kind of special assignment for me."
"What kind of assignment?" Noah asked.
"I don't know." Calliope replied. "He asked for me specifically. He knows I can't stand him. Maybe he is doing it to mess with me. Or to keep an eye on me."
"Wait, do you think he knows about us?" Noah asked concerned.
"I don't think so. We've been careful." Calliope replied.
"Right." Noah said. "Maybe I'm overthinking this. You're a good Whitelighter and Odin knows it. He probably just has an important job."
"I should get going." Calliope said.
"Maybe we can meet back here tonight? Talk about things?" Noah asked.
"That sounds good." Calliope replied. "I'm sorry I reacted like this. You know how I get."
"I know. And I love you for it." Noah said.
"I love you too." Calliope said with a smile. "See you tonight."
Calliope kissed him before disappearing in a column of orbs. Noah went back to the cottage. A special assignment. Maybe Odin really was on to them and this was some kind of test? He could ask the other council members, but that would only draw suspicion to them. He just needed to trust that their secret was safe.
Xxx
Present,
Prue woke up with a horrible scream and sat up in her bed. Her sleep had been filled with guilt-ridden nightmares about the Empusa and the innocent man. She realized she was covered in sweat and her eyes were red and swollen from crying in her sleep. She got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, thinking a warm shower might help shake this horrible feeling. It didn't help, things could never be that easy. After getting dressed, Prue headed to the kitchen, but her stomach was too upset to eat or drink. She wondered where her sisters were. When she grabbed her phone, her hand was trembling.
"Come on, Prue. Pull yourself together." She whispered to herself.
Prue put the phone down and started pacing around. She needed to find a way to stop the demon. Maybe then she would finally get some peace of mind. But what if she was not strong enough? What if more people got killed because of her? She obviously wasn't strong enough. How could she ever trust herself to protect an innocent again? She wanted to crawl back in bed to hide from the rest of the world, but a column of orbs appeared, materializing into Noah and Penny.
"You're up." Penny said surprised when they saw her.
"Only a little while." Prue replied.
"How are you feeling?" Noah asked. "Did you sleep okay?"
"I slept a little, but I still feel exhausted." Prue admitted. "I can't get my mind to stop thinking about it. I left an innocent to die."
"Prue, you didn't." Penny replied. "You had no choice. You were powerless against her. If you had stayed, you would have died as well."
"And that makes it okay?" Prue asked.
"No, losing an innocent should never be okay." Noah said. "But we made the decision to leave, so we could regroup and find a way to stop the Empusa."
"How am I supposed to accept that?" Prue asked angrily. "Aren't we supposed to protect the innocent? Isn't that our destiny?"
"Prue, the hardest part of your destiny is to accept that you cannot save everyone." Noah replied. "Not even your mother and aunts were invincible. They lost people too."
"I just don't understand why." Prue said.
"Everything happens for a reason." Noah said. "Maybe you weren't meant to save this innocent. Perhaps his death was meant to help you fight the Empusa. To make sure she could not hurt anyone else."
"How?" Prue asked. "I'm powerless against her. I can't do it."
"That's why you have us." Penny said. "You don't have to do this on your own. Noah and I found a spell and potion to vanquish the demon at Magic School."
"You're not alone, Prue." Noah added. "Trust in your bond as sisters, stand up against the Empusa and maybe then you can forgive and trust yourself again."
"Don't let the demon win." Penny said. "If we don't stop her, that innocent will have died for nothing."
"Alright." Prue said, though the tremble in her voice revealed that she was still scared. She clenched her fists and tried to shake it off. "You're right. I owe it to that innocent to stop the demon. I cannot give up. Show me the spell."
"Here." Penny said as she handed over a piece of paper. "I'll go gather the potion ingredients and call Payton. We're going to need her."
Xxx
When Payton got the text from Penny, she rushed home to help her sisters. As she arrived, she saw they were brewing the vanquishing potion in the kitchen. As she headed over to help, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She grabbed it and saw Sean had texted her. His parents were out tomorrow night and he asked her to hang out there so they could be alone. Did that mean what she thought it meant? Payton hesitated to reply and was startled when Noah suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Hey, you made it." Noah said.
"Yeah." Payton replied as she quickly put away the phone. "How are things?"
"We have the potion and spell." Noah said. "The three of you casting it should be enough."
"Good, good." Payton replied distantly.
"Are you okay?" Noah asked. "You seem a bit distracted."
"I'm fine." Payton said. "Just a lot on my mind."
"Payton, I'm your Whitelighter too, remember?" Noah said. "You can always talk to me if something is bothering you."
"Oh, you can't help me with this." Payton replied awkwardly.
"Payton, good, you're here." Penny said she and Prue entered the living room. "The potion is almost ready. All we need to do now is find the demon."
"How are we going to do that?" Payton asked.
"We were hoping you could help with that." Prue replied. "We need a premonition."
"How? I need something to focus on and we have nothing." Payton noted.
"Then focus on me." Prue said. "I faced the demon and she absorbed my psychic blast. Hopefully that means I'm still connected to her."
"Will that even work?" Penny asked with a frown.
"It might." Noah reasoned. "The Empusa absorbed Prue's power, which means she absorbed her emotions. If those emotions still linger inside of her, they might be connected."
"Okay, give me your hands." Payton said as she held out her hands.
Prue nodded and placed her hands in hers. Payton closed her eyes. She tried to picture the demon in her mind and focused on the pain and guilt Prue felt. She wanted to help her sister beat the demon before anyone else fell victim. Suddenly she was sucked into a premonition. She saw a dark nightclub, people dancing and loud music. The name of the club flashed before her. The demon was moving through the crowd like a predator. Her eyes lingered on a young couple kissing in the corner. Such sweet young love, she wanted to devour it whole. Payton gasped as the premonition ended.
"She's a monster." Payton said as she sat down. "I could feel her picking her next target. A young couple. She will kill them for the pleasure."
"Where?" Prue asked.
"A nightclub." Payton replied. "Nebula."
"That's the same club I encountered her." Prue said.
"Must be her favorite hunting ground." Penny added.
"We have to hurry." Payton said. "She is there now."
"I'll orb us." Noah said.
The sisters grabbed the spell and potion and gathered around Noah. He placed a hand on Prue's shoulder and they all disappeared in a column of orbs.
Xxx
After orbing to an alley behind the club, Prue and the others headed inside to find the demon. The bouncer gave them trouble because Payton was underage, though Penny quickly resolved the problem with a little hypnosis. As they entered the club, Prue looked around for the demon. According to Payton, she was targeting a young couple, but the club was too crowded to see anything.
"Oh, I love this color scheme." Penny said as she looked around. "And those longue seats would be perfect for P3."
"Penny." Payton remarked.
"Right, demon business first." Penny noted. "I can take pictures later."
"We're never going to find them." Prue said desperately, ignoring her sisters.
"You don't need your eyes to find the demon, Prue." Noah assured her as he took her hand. "You're an empath. Use your power to track her down."
"I don't think I can." Prue replied. "It's too crowded. Too many emotions."
"Focus on the negative." Noah said. "Remember what Payton said. The Empusa is a predator. She is on the hunt."
"Unfortunately, that goes for most creeps here." Penny remarked.
"Quiet." Prue snapped at her. "I have to be able to do this. I can't let anyone else die."
Prue closed her eyes and tapped into her powers. She imagined her empathic power expanding through the club like a wave. She could feel everything. It was almost too much to handle. Her wave suddenly crashed into something. A shadow was moving through the club. The shadow was stalking a young couple as they slipped away up the stairs for privacy. Suddenly the Empusa stopped and turned to her. Even across the club, it was clear she had sensed her presence. Prue opened her eyes and saw the Empusa smile at her before disappearing up the stairs.
"Not again." Prue said determined as she ran after her.
xxx
Many years ago,
After spending the day training new Whitelighters, Noah returned to the cottage and started preparing dinner. He needed to find a way for Calliope to let it go and be happy. He had hoped their relationship would be enough, but he realized it wasn't, not as long as they were hiding. That's why he decided to tell the council. He would make them accept their relationship.
At that moment, the cottage door burst open and Calliope stumbled in. She was in pain, clutching her side. Noah ran to her and caught her before she fell. She had a wound in her side and was bleeding badly. A fragment of an arrow was sticking out. Noah tried to reach for it.
"Don't!" Calliope called out as she grabbed his arm. "It's poisoned."
"What happened?" Noah asked in a panic.
"Darklighter. Ambush." Calliope said breathing heavily. "I went to the place Odin sent me, but there was nothing there. It was a trap."
"Don't talk. Just wait, I can heal you." Noah replied as he held his hand over her wound. However, nothing seemed to be happening. "No, I don't understand. Why isn't it working?"
"It's too late." Calliope said. "It's tracker poison. It has spread too far."
"No, no, no." Noah cried out. "We can still fix this."
"We can't." Calliope replied as she grabbed his hand. "Listen to me. There was nothing there. Odin sent me into a… trap."
"What?" Noah asked shocked. "That's impossible."
"He found out about us." Calliope replied. "He tried to get rid of me."
"No, there has to be another explanation." Noah said. "This has to be a mistake."
"It's not." Calliope said. "This what the council does. They want to keep us under their control. You can't let them, Noah. You have to stop them."
"How?" Noah asked.
"I found a way." Calliope said. "I was going to tell you tonight. In the heavenly vault, there is an artifact. It can help make our dream come true. Use it to end the council."
"I don't care about our dream. I only care about you, Calli." Noah said.
"Then do it for me." Calliope said.
Calliope placed her hand on Noah's face and kissed him. As their lips touched, Noah could feel her life slipping away. She became silent and her hand dropped to the floor. As he cried over her body, it dissolved into millions of orbs and faded away. Noah cried as he sat on the floor. This could not be happening. It couldn't be true. Or could it?
Noah slammed his fist on the floor. He remembered how Odin had schemed to keep Leo in the council. Calliope was a threat to him, because of her ideas and their relationship. If the threat was great enough, Odin was capable of anything. The council was corrupt, and it was up to him to stop them. Not just to avenge Calliope, but for the greater good.
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