Legacy 206: Pardon My Past Again

Part 7

Xxx

Everything happened in a blur. Penny saw glowing red eyes charge towards her in super speed and she felt herself being grabbed. She was dragged into the dark tunnel underneath the warehouse. When she finally stopped, she felt the grip release and fell on hard stone. She looked around and saw she was in an underground cavern, carved out in the rocks of the shoreline. Water was dripping down the damp cavern, lid by large industrial lamps run by generators. The most disturbing part of the cavern were the hundreds of cocoon-like pods on the walls, large enough to fit a person. They were semi-transparent and covered in a green slime. Penny let out a little yelp when she saw something move inside the closest cocoon.

"Impressive, aren't they?" Alvize asked.

Penny turned and saw the demon standing over her, dressed in a nice grey suit. Seeing his face after experiencing the life of Phillipa was weird, as she had felt her feelings for him. She had both loved and resented him and not even his demonic nature could fully erase the love. He held out his hand, but Penny crawled back and rose to her feet on her own, worried that he would put the ring on her.

"I know why you brought me here." Penny said.

"Ah, so you know about the ring." Alvize replied. "Ivy mentioned that she ran into some problems."

"It will never work." Penny said. "Even if you bring Phillipa back in my body, she will never take you back."

"She will." Alvize replied. "I know she was angry, but she still loved me in the end. I just need more time with her."

"I experienced her last moments." Penny said. "I know what she felt."

"Then you know the love we shared." Alvize noted as he revealed the ring. "That kind of passion can never be erased, no matter what either of us did. She'll forgive me eventually, even for sacrificing your soul to bring her back."

Alvize shot forward in a blur of speed, though Penny leaped back and levitated up, kicking him across the face. As he stumbled and crashed into one of the cocoons, Penny landed and ran to the tunnel. However, before she could reach it, about a dozen Cicadas appeared in a blur to block her path.

"Don't hurt her!" Alvize ordered. "She's mine."

Penny stepped back as the demons began to surround her. An explosion sounded in the tunnel and a demon fell down, exploding in flames as he hit the ground. A moment later, her backup appeared through the tunnel. Julian quickly threw a stream of fire to clear a path for Penny, while Wyatt pushed the demons back with a force field. One of the demons grabbed Penny by the arm, though Henry orbed her free and the demon was quickly shot by Reed.

"Are you okay?" Wyatt asked.

I'm fine." Penny replied. "Glad you could make it."

"We need to destroy these cocoons." Reed noted as he looked around. "We can't let a single one remain."

"I'm sure they'll burn quite nicely." Julian replied as he summoned a flame.

"You're not destroying my hive." Alvize said angrily. "No matter what you do to us, we'll always come back. The Cicada evolved beyond death."

"You're just a bunch of slimy bugs." Henry replied. "And you're about to be exterminated."

"Kill them all except my love." Alvize ordered his demons.

The demons hissed and assumed their demonic bug-like shapes. They spit acid at them, though Wyatt protected them with a force field. However, even the energy of the force field seemed to be slowly melted by the corrosive acid.

"This won't last much longer." Wyatt said.

"Then we fight our way out of this." Julian replied.

Wyatt nodded and extended his force field, knocking the demons back again. He orbed a rock from the wall and threw it at two demons, vanquishing them instantly. On the right, Julian electrocuted two demons with a lightning bolt, while Reed shot one more on the left. Penny ran forward to kick a demon. As two more tried to attack her, she levitated up, causing the demons to melt each other with their acid. Henry then vanquished the third with a potion. As Henry turned around, another demon buzzed toward him with super speed, knocking him to the ground. The demon was about to spit acid at him, though it was struck by lightning before he could.

"Are you okay?" Julian asked as he extended his hand.

"Yeah, I'm good." Henry replied as he accepted it. "I could have totally orbed through that, you know, but thanks."

"Of course." Julian said.

"Julian, destroy the cocoons." Wyatt ordered.

Julian nodded and went after the cocoons. Two demons charged after him, but Wyatt trapped them in a force field, after which Henry vanquished them with potions. Penny hit the last remaining demon and grabbed him tightly, allowing Reed a clear shot to vanquish him.

"Nice shot, agent." Penny said.

"Thanks." Reed replied. "I'm out of enchanted bullets though."

"Don't worry, we've got this." Wyatt noted.

"That's where you're wrong, witch." Alvize remarked.

Alvize shot forward in a blur of speed, sending Wyatt flying back. Henry quickly threw his last potions at him, though he easily avoided them and forced Henry back with acid. As the Cicada headed toward Penny, Reed tried to attack him, though Alvize blocked his punch and struck him in the chest, knocking the air out of him.

"Nobody left to protect you, my love." Alvize said with a smile. "Time to become mine."

"That will never happen." Penny snapped back.

Alvize shot forward and grabbed her, forcing her against the wall. He smiled as he revealed the Soulthorn ring. Penny struggled, but the demon was too strong. Several more Cicadas erupted from their cocoons around the cavern, separating Penny from her family. For a moment, Penny thought it was over, but then a thought occurred to her. She was shown the Past Life spell for a reason. She knew Phillipa, she had experienced her life and her love for Alvize. Perhaps the answer was not to resist the ring, but to embrace it instead.

"I'll do it." Penny said determined. "Give me the ring."

"I knew you would see reason." Alvize replied. "There must be some of Phillipa left in you after all."

Alvize released her and handed over the ring. Penny hesitated for a moment, but then slipped the ring on her finger. Time seemed to stand still as she was pulled into a dark void within her own mind, where she came face to face with Phillipa. It was like looking in a twisted mirror.

"You put on the ring." Phillipa noted.

"I'm giving you control." Penny replied. "I know what you've been through and I know you'll do the right thing. This is your chance to end it."

Phillipa nodded and the dark void faded away, returning her to the cavern. Penny remaining trapped in the darkness, where she would only obverse as Phillipa took control. Since she had put on the ring willingly, taking over her body was quick and easy. Phillipa took a deep breath and smiled contently. It had been ages since she had been alive and it felt great. She looked at her lover and all her emotions came rushing back at her. Tears formed in her eyes.

"Phillipa?" Alvize asked.

"Yes, my love." Phillipa replied. "It is me."

Alvize held out his hands and Phillipa embraced him, leading to a passionate kiss. For a moment, Phillipa forgot the world around her. She was back where she wanted to be, in the arms of her love. However, she knew it could not last. She had sworn to end it, to end him. She stopped her kiss and stepped back, looking Alvize in the eyes.

"We are together again, my little phoenix." Alvize said. "We shall rule this city together."

"There is just one problem with that, my love." Phillipa replied as she released him. "I don't want to."

Phillipa threw a stream of fire from her hands and engulfed a shocked Alvize in flames. He screamed as he stumbled and fell, turning to ashes as the fire consumed him. The remaining demons stopped fighting the others and charged at Phillipa at buzzing speed. Phillipa surrounded herself with a wall of flames and vanquished them all in a fiery wave. She then turned to the cocoons and set them ablaze, destroying the hive once and for all.

With her vengeance finally complete, Phillipa looked at the Soulthorn ring. Her soul was pulled back into the darkness, where her future incarnation was waiting for her.

"You did it." Penny said.

"You gave me the chance to finish it myself." Phillipa replied. "What made you choose to trust me? I could have gone back to him."

"I saw what you went through." Penny noted. "Despite all the pain and tragedy, you did the right thing in the end. I was confident that you would do it again."

"Thank you, Penny." Phillipa said. "I see much of myself in you, both good and bad. But you've already proven to be a better person than I was. I am fortunate to have met you."

"I still have a lot to learn." Penny admitted.

"And you will have plenty of chances to do so." Phillipa replied. "Blessed be."

Phillipa smiled as she dissolved into wisps of light and disappeared from the dark void. Penny looked at the ring around her finger and pulled it off, returning her to the cavern where her family waited.

"Penny, is that you?" Wyatt asked.

"Yes, it's me." Penny replied. "Phillipa is at peace."

"What were you thinking?" Julian asked. "That ring could have destroyed your soul."

"It felt like the right thing to do." Penny explained. "I believe this is the reason I was meant to experience her story, to give her a chance to finish it herself."

"Well, it worked." Henry noted. "You past life had some serious firepower. The hive is burned to a crisp."

"I'll call MIND to make sure this place is cleaned up." Reed said. "We won't miss a single cocoon."

"Good, I want to get out of here." Penny replied.

"Agreed." Wyatt said. "With the Cicadas gone, the city is a much safer place. We could have never done this without all of us working together."

"We get it, Wyatt." Henry remarked. "We don't need an inspirational speech."

"Yes, let's not make this awkward." Julian added.

Wyatt wanted to argue, but instead he chose to keep quiet and shook his head. As he exchanged looks with Penny, they both smiled. They had all worked together to defeat these demons, Julian included. That meant that he could be a part of this family if he really wanted to. They still had a long way to go, but it was a step in the right direction.

Xxx

The following morning, Julian woke up in his new bedroom in the manor and felt rested. Fighting the Cicadas had been exhausting, so he was glad for a comfortable bed in a safe place. It was strange to consider the manor as such, as it wasn't that long ago that he felt like an outsider there. The manor was a symbol of the Halliwell family, which he never considered himself part of. He still wasn't quite there yet, but at least he felt a little more at ease. He got out of bed and got dressed before heading downstairs. As he entered the kitchen, he found Henry sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

"Morning." Julian said.

"Good morning, there is coffee in the pot." Henry replied. "How'd you sleep?"

"Alright." Julian said as he grabbed a cup of coffee. "What about you?"

"Good." Henry said. "So I realized that I hadn't properly thanked you for saving me yesterday. So thank you."

"I would have done the same for any of you." Julian replied.

"I know that now." Henry noted. "I wasn't sure about it earlier, but I see that you're trying your best to atone for what you've done."

"So what are you saying?" Julian asked.

"I'm saying that if you want to stay at the manor, you're welcome to." Henry said. "It's not like we're going to be best friends or anything, but you deserve a chance, I guess."

"Coming from you, that's almost a warm welcome." Julian replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, if you want warmth and optimism, you need to talk to Wyatt." Henry remarked.

"Honestly, I could use a break from the optimism once in a while." Julian said.

"I know, right." Henry replied as he rolled his eyes and hesitated for a moment. "There is actually one more thing I wanted to talk to you about."

Henry reached into his pocket and placed something on the table. Julian instantly recognized it as the Soulthorn ring and wondered why his younger cousin was carrying it around.

"I asked Penny to give it me." Henry explained. "I figured that since it suppresses the soul of the wearer, perhaps we can use it for your inner demon problem."

"Like how Penny was able to interact with Phillipa." Julian noted.

"Exactly, maybe you can talk to your demon and figure out how to deal with it." Henry continued. "You might even discover what truly happened in Bangkok."

"Maybe, but it's dangerous." Julian said. "The demon could take over completely."

"I know, that's why we need to be careful how we use it." Henry said.

"We?" Julian asked.

"Of course, we're not going to let you take a risk like this on your own." Henry replied as he put it back in his pocket. "I'll keep onto the ring until we figure out a plan."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Julian said. "So are we going to talk about how we got that ring in the first place?"

"You mean Ivy." Henry noted.

"Exactly." Julian replied. "She says she wants nothing to do with us, but she could still cause problems if left unchecked. The Cicadas were only an example of that."

"You're right." Henry said. "We should figure out what she'll do next."

"Well, she hates me, but she seems to have a thing for you." Julian replied. "We can use that."

"Are you asking me to hit on your aunt?" Henry asked with a frown.

"That's an awkward way of putting it, but yes." Julian admitted. "If she is anything like Elizabeth, we'll need to deal with her sooner rather than later."

"Alright, no promises, but I'll try if I run into her." Henry replied as he got up. "I have to get to school."

Henry grabbed his backpack and headed out the backdoor. Julian finished his coffee and leaned against the counter, thinking about Henry's plan. Maybe it really was possible to communicate with his demonic side through the ring, but it was dangerous. The last time his demonic side was freed, it nearly killed his sisters. Was it even possible to reason with it? It was worth trying to figure out what was happening to him. If he ever wanted to be a part of this family and be a good person, he needed answers. He needed to know if he could be redeemed.

Xxx

Later that day in a hotel room, agent Reed closed his laptop after finishing his report to the director. She was glad the threat of the Cicadas was over and had sent a cleanup crew to the warehouse at the docks. There wouldn't be a trace left of the demons once they were done. Billie had also asked him about the other part of his assignment, joining forces with the Halliwells. Reed had been intentionally vague on the subject. It was getting more and more complicated to keep a professional distance. He had been honest with the cousins about his intentions, but it still felt like he had a double agenda. He needed to come clean and see how things went from there.

Seeking to clear his mind, Reed went to a hotel gym for a workout, but a certain someone kept popping up his thoughts. He returned to his room for a quick shower and headed out. He drove around the city and arrived at P3. When he entered the club, he saw Penny was taking a drink order from a group of women at a table, while Wyatt was sitting at the bar with a beer. Both had a crush on him, they weren't exactly subtle in their attempts to flirt, but Reed was only interested in one.

"Is this seat taken?" Reed asked.

"Reed." Wyatt said surprised. "Yeah, it's available."

"Good, I could use a drink." Reed replied as he sat down. "What are we having?"

"Can I get two more beers?" Wyatt asked the bartender. "So what brings you by? I hope it's not another demonic emergency."

"No, I'm not on the clock." Reed replied. "I'm here for personal reasons."

"Oh." Wait said with smile. "I'm all ears."

"You're really going to make me say it, aren't you?" Reed noted. "Alright, I think we both know there has been some tension between us."

"I wasn't sure I was picking up the right signals." Wyatt said.

"I was trying to stay professional." Reed replied. "I still think we need to work together to face the Trinity, but I was recently reminded that there is more to life than just work."

"This could get complicated." Wyatt noted. "For multiple reasons."

"I know." Reed admitted. "But I'm willing to take that risk. Are you?"

Reed looked at Wyatt and placed a hand on his leg. The handsome blond smiled as Reed leaned in closer for a kiss that sent static electricity through his body. It had been a while since he had feelings for anyone, so it felt like a reawakening. All he wanted was take Wyatt back to his hotel room and give into those feelings. As their kiss ended, Reed put some money on the bar for the beers and they got up to leave.

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