Legacy 205: Mystery at Magic School

Part 2

Xxx

In the Underworld, Selene watched her children prepare for their battle against the Heavens. Although she hated having to put them at risk, she knew it was why she had created them. Once the Trinity had achieved their goals, the Darklighters could be free to follow their own path, but for now they were a means to an end. Baldr needed to be freed and the Elders that imprisoned them would finally face retribution for their actions. It was not a reunion that Selene looked forward to, as even thinking about it broke her heart all over again.

"Are you ready?" Amun asked as he appeared next to her.

"I am." Selene said determined. "Are they?"

"I have inspected their weapons and made some improvements." Amun said. "The poison should act faster now. I also forged a new sword for Wolfram."

"Good, let the poison end it quickly." Selene noted. "It will lessen the suffering."

"Feeling sentimental?" Amun asked.

"A little." Selene admitted. "But that doesn't change what needs to be done. Besides, a quicker poison will lessen the chance of them escaping and healing."

"Once we do this, there is no going back." Amun said.

"We crossed that threshold a long time ago, Amun." Selene replied. "All of this was set in motion millennia ago. Nobody can change that."

"Agreed." Amun said. "Are you sure you can open a portal?"

"My shadows can pierce any defense." Selene noted. "Gather the men and stand back."

Amun nodded toward Wolfram and he ordered his men to get ready. As the Darklighters loaded their crossbows, Selene extended her arms and summoned streams of shadow from her hands. The shadows swirled and formed a large circle in front of her. She pushed the shadows and they slipped through the cracks of reality, forcing open a portal. Selene gasped for a moment as she saw the ethereal skies and clouds before her. She had been trapped in the darkness for so long that she had almost forgotten what the Heavens looked like.

"Go!" Amun ordered.

Wolfram commanded his man to step through the portal. As Amun followed, Selene hesitated. Was she truly ready to face her again after her betrayal? The last time she had entered the Heavens, she had lost everything that mattered to her. At that moment, she realized that there was nothing left to lose, but everything to gain. She stepped through the portal, determined to get back the thing that she desired most of all.

Xxx

A column of orbs descended through the ceiling of Magic School and materialized into Payton and Noah. The youngest Halliwell looked around and found herself standing in the great hall, where her uncle Leo was waiting for them. She wondered what was going on and why Leo specifically requested her instead of her cousins. The only thing she could think of was that she was needed for her premonitions. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that, as she was more than just her power. The rest of the grand was empty, as the students were in class, as she should be.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice." Leo said. "It's good to see you, Payton."

"Thanks, it's good to see you too." Payton replied as she hugged her uncle. "We miss you."

"My place is here now." Leo said. "Your cousins don't need me anymore."

"But you're still a part of the family." Payton replied. "Just because we don't need you, doesn't mean that we don't want to see our parents."

"Of course, you're right." Leo said. "I'll try to stop by for the occasional visit."

"You called us here for something urgent, right?" Noah asked.

"Yes, we shouldn't waste any more time." Leo noted. "Let's move while I explain what has happened."

Leo motioned them to follow and they entered a long hallway. Payton looked around with amazement, she had only been in Magic School a few times, but it was beautiful and she could practically feel the magic all around her. It was nothing like her high school.

"Something very tragic has happened." Leo explained. "Somehow, despite the magical protections of the school, someone has been killed."

"Oh my god." Payton replied. "That's horrible. What happened?"

"We don't know." Leo said. "I informed the senior staff, but the students don't know yet."

"Was it a student or member of the staff?" Noah asked.

"A professor." Leo said. "Miss Donovan."

"The magic of the school has always prevented people from being killed on school grounds." Noah reasoned. "Those protections are very powerful, so whoever is responsible must have access to very dangerous and powerful magic."

"That is what I fear, yes." Leo said. "And as long as we don't know who did it and why, everyone in the school might be in danger."

"You had a similar situation a few decades ago, if I recall correctly." Noah said. "A student targeted the staff because he was unhappy here."

"Yes, but nobody was killed at that time, at least not on school grounds." Leo replied. "Back then, the sisters were called in to figure out what was going on."

"My mom and aunts?" Payton asked. "I never heard about this."

"It was their first time visiting Magic School." Leo replied. "I considered the former headmaster a close personal friend at the time. Things changed after that, which is why it's not a subject that we like to discuss."

Payton sensed that it was a sensitive subject and decided not to press it any further. Her uncle still had not told them why she was there, but after hearing what was going on, she had put the pieces together. Leo stopped in front of a door and turned to face her.

"You must be wondering why I called you here, Payton." Leo said. "I asked for you specifically, but not just for your premonitions."

"Then why me?" Payton asked.

"Part of me hopes that we can find the killer with a premonition, but when powerful magic as this is involved, I doubt it will be that easy." Leo explained. "Last time something like this happened, a student was responsible and that might be the case again."

"You want Payton to go undercover as a student." Noah reasoned.

"Exactly." Leo said. "You're the right age, you're a bright student and you can easily blend in. You're the perfect candidate."

"I… I don't know." Payton replied nervously. "I've never done anything like this. Won't people know I'm a Halliwell? And what about Henry? He's only a year older."

"Your parents kept you from Magic School to give you a normal childhood." Leo said. "And so that you don't have to feel the pressure of the Halliwell name. The magical community doesn't know who you are as an individual."

"And your powers allow you to easily blend in." Noah added. "Your premonitions are a rare power, so you have to keep them a secret, but your invisibility will be an asset."

"Junior's powers will reveal him as a Whitelighter-Witch, which will let the other students realize he is part of our family." Leo explained. "Besides that, he's more likely to draw unwanted attention."

"You mean cause problems." Payton remarked.

"Something along those lines." Leo admitted. "I know I'm asking a lot, Payton, but I wouldn't have asked if I didn't think you were the best choice."

"When Leo asked me, I instantly agreed." Noah said. "I've seen you grow stronger and more confident over the last year. You can do this."

Payton hesitated. Part of her was scared and nervous, as she wasn't sure she could do it. The thought of tracking down a murderer seemed frightening. However, hearing her uncle and Noah have such confidence in her gave her some courage. As the youngest of the cousins, she had always felt like the weakest and least important one. She had shown on several occasions that that wasn't the case. She wasn't a little girl that needed her sisters or cousins to solve her problems. She could be strong and independent when she wanted to be.

"I understand." Payton replied. "I'll do it."

"Great, thank you, Payton." Leo said. "I already took the liberty of enrolling you in the advanced class under the name Payton Cooper."

"Cooper." Payton replied with a smile as she remembered her sister once used the same name to apply for a job. "I like it."

"I knew you would." Noah said.

"You'll start classed today and be assigned a dorm room." Leo continued. "Officially, you will be a student and have to follow school rules. The professors don't know of our plan, so if you get caught, you'll be treated like any other student."

"So be careful while snooping around, got it." Payton said.

"We'll break the news of the murder later today, which will give you some time to settle in." Leo said. "Report anything out of the ordinary."

"We should hurry, as classes will end soon." Noah said. "We still have to check out the crime scene. Any premonition that could send us in the right direction will help."

"Good point." Leo replied.

Leo retrieved a key from his pocket and opened the door. Payton took a deep breath before stepping inside. She had seen some awful things through her premonitions and it never got easier. Her mom had often explained that their premonitions were both a blessing and a curse, as you could help a lot of people, but had to deal with tragedy as well.

The body was lying in the middle of the room, covered by a white sheet. It was a normal looking room. There was a couch and a desk on one side and a small kitchenette on the other. Two doors led to the bedroom and bathroom, but there was only one way in and out. Payton walked around and saw herself reflected in a full length mirror in the corner. She saw the body behind her and realized Miss Donovan had been standing in front of the mirror when it happened. Payton carefully extended her hand, but nothing happened when she touched it.

"Nothing." Payton said. "But she was facing the mirror."

"I heard an argument and shouting right before it happened." Leo replied.

"Mirror gazing?" Noah suggested. "Or perhaps it was used as a portal somehow."

"Perhaps." Leo noted. "Anything is possible at this point."

"I can try one more thing." Payton said.

Payton turned around and kneeled down next to the body. She was glad it was covered with a sheet, but that wouldn't make the next part any easier. She touched the body and focused, pleading for something to happen. Again, her premonition failed her.

"Still nothing." Payton admitted.

"I feared as much." Leo said. "Thank you for trying, at least."

"It was worth a shot." Payton said as quickly got up and stepped away from the body. "So what happens now?"

"I think it's time to get to class." Leo replied.

Payton nodded and the three of them left the room, which Leo locked behind them. At that moment, Noah suddenly cried out in pain and slumped to the ground. As she tried to help him, Payton looked to her uncle and saw him clutching his heart, though his pain seemed lesser. The look on his face, however, revealed that something was very wrong.

"What's going on?" Payton asked concerned.

"The Elders." Noah groaned. "Something is wrong… They're hurting."

"I feel it too." Leo said. "Although I'm mortal, my connection to the Heavens never truly faded away. You need to go and see what is happening."

"But Payton…" Noah replied.

"She'll be safe under my care." Leo said. "Go, the Heavens need you!"

Noah nodded and disappeared in a column of orbs. Payton hoped that he would be alright. Whatever was going on, it seemed serious and she didn't want him to get hurt. Knowing that she couldn't help Noah, she decided to focus on her own task instead. She needed to find whoever was responsible for killing Miss Donovan, which meant playing the part and enrolling in Magic School.

Xxx

When Noah rematerialized in the Heavens, the pain he felt in his heart became a reality. He saw several Whitelighters lying dead in front of him, each pierced by one or more Darklighter arrows. He crawled over to one and attempted to heal her, but it was too late. Somehow Darklighters had managed to infiltrate the Heavens, which should be impossible. He managed to pull himself together and shut off his connection to the others as much as he could, easing the pain.

Noah started running toward the temple and stopped when he saw an arrow piercing a white column, the poison dripping down the marble. A shocking realization came to him when he recognized the image. It was one of the five paintings Laura had created, one of the five events that led to the end of the world.

"No, it can't be." Noah whispered.

"Noah, get down!" A voice called out.

Before Noah had a chance to react, he was tackled to the ground by a stranger in white robe. A second later, a second arrow pierced the column, which would have struck him if he had not been saved. He looked at his savior and saw it was Kyle Brody. A Darklighter stepped out from his hiding spot and heading toward them.

"What's going on?" Noah asked.

"We're under attack." Kyle replied. "We don't know how they got in, but it's a full-scale assault."

"And the Elders?" Noah asked.

"Alive for now." Kyle said. "The Darklighters have not reached the inner temple yet."

"We need to get to them." Noah said. "But first we need to take care of that Darklighter. Distract him and give me an opening."

Kyle nodded and disappeared in swirl of orbs. Noah took off his jacket and wrapped it around his hands, allowing him to pull free one of the arrows in the column without exposing himself to the poison. Kyle reappeared in front of the Darklighter and orbed in circles around him, causing the Darklighter to waste his arrows. Once he had a clear shot, Noah orbed behind the Darklighter and stabbed him in the back with the arrow, instantly vanquishing him.

"Their poison has changed." Kyle said. "It kills almost instantly. We never had a chance to heal the wounded."

"Something or someone has given them an upgrade." Noah replied. "When I talked to Kevin a few months ago, he feared a coming darkness. One of the Halliwell cousins also had troubling visions that seem to have predicted this."

"You knew this was coming?" Kyle asked angrily.

"No, of course not." Noah quickly replied. "I had no idea what her visions meant or if they were even real. There was no way to know this was coming."

"That's not entirely true." A voice sounded and Noah spun around to see Sandra standing behind them. "We have always feared this day would come. The day that the Trinity would return."

Xxx