Shortly before Xander's birthday, Giles called to say he'd tracked down the prophecy they wanted to study and Xander invited him to Los Angeles so they could see it. He arrived with a carefully bound scroll.
"Finding it wasn't easy." He told them. "I found numerous references to it, but not the actual prophecy itself until I was able to contact Brother Luca. You remember Xander, he was the contact of Jenny's who warned us about the Anointed One being a child. He was able to direct me to where it was hidden. He said, the time for its fulfillment has come."
"The Anointed One?" Duncan asked.
"A prophecized warrior who would help the Master escape his prison. We thought we'd found him, a religious nutjob vampire." Xander informed him. "Then Brother Luca informed us the Anointed One was a child. It was already too late, Buffy had found out the Master was prophecized to rise and let him lead her to the Master."
"He'd been sending out his alert for awhile, we just didn't see it in time." Giles said. "But I believe I've found the prophecy you're looking for and Cassandra, I think you may have misunderstood about a Highlander being involved."
"How so?" She asked, curious.
"Because the first line is, The one made high over the land of Hell on the winter's solstice."
"Made, not born, as the in made immortal?" She suggested.
"Quite possibly and we know Xander activated in Sunnydale, where the Hellmouth is. The largest known Hellmouth ever." Giles agreed.
"But I didn't active on the winter's solstice, that's my birthday." Xander protested.
"Except we don't know how immortals come to be and since we start out as babies, that would normally imply we are born somehow." Duncan pointed out. "If whatever process allowed you to come into existence happened in Sunnydale on the winter solstice, then it would fit."
What's the next line?" Xander asked, "Because Cassandra said something about darkness to light and thought that meant me leaving Sunnydale."
"It might refer to something else as well. The second line is, who challenged death and moves with ease from darkness to light."
"Well we already thought you reviving Buffy was challenging death." Cassandra said. "Moves with ease from darkness to light, could refer to being a were hyena. The hyena isn't evil, but because of how it came to be apart of you, you can't really call it of the light either. So darkness, which isn't evil either, just the favored hiding place of evil, would fit as well."
"So I have darkness but not evil in me? And I've learned how to control the transformation, so moving with ease would also fit."
"The next line is, Blessed by Chaos, a Champion made." Giles read.
"Nakano said that too." Duncan said. "He said Xander is Blessed by Chaos, a game changer and that he brings the winds of change."
"I've been trying to figure out what he meant by that, how is one Blessed by Chaos?" Cassandra asked, perplexed.
"Halloween!" Giles exclaimed. "Ethan invoked Janus for his spell and Xander was the only one that we know of who remembers what he learned that night."
"Because he's a naturally occurring psychic, but Janus could have taken the opportunity to Bless him and in doing so make him a Champion of his. Which we would have known before now if you'd done diagnostics the way you should have been. Specific diagnostic spells are required for use when something involves a god. Which is why I haven't found out about it with the diagnostics I've been doing on him. But you knew Janus was involved and still didn't check. Not that I can really blame you, you should never have been assigned as the Watcher to a Slayer, being a perpetual recovering addict to Magic. I'll do the specific diagnostic spell when we're done here.
"I can't disagree with anything you said." Giles agreed. "The next line is even more interesting. 'With his rejoined heart, the mate of his soul, shall seek the Prize.' Obviously a reference to the Prize of the Game."
"And Cordelia." Duncan pointed out. "Both Nakano and Xander called Cordelia, Xander's heart. Nakano said Xander's heart is whole again, which would fit the rejoined heart part."
"And we're soul mates?" Cordelia said. "My Doofus is the perfect guy for me?"
"You are my Queen." Xander agreed.
"You two do seem to fit together pretty well." Duncan agreed. "So the prophecy knew you'd be separated but that you'd need to find each other again in order to fullfil it."
"And if I hadn't left Sunnydale that might not have happened."
"And someone else was trying to manipulate me, according to Cassandra, maybe to keep us apart, so we couldn't fullfil it. Not that the prophecy is why I'm happy that we're back together again." Cordelia smiled her brilliant smile at Xander.
"Same here." He agreed.
"The next line though is confusing." Giles said. "Only the One, and it's capitalized, with the blood of a god, can lay claim to the power to speak to gods."
"Someone with the blood of a god in them?!" Cassandra exclaimed. "That's who the One is? A demigod? One of the beliefs regarding the Prize is that the Prize will make the One a god, but the prophecy says in order to claim the Prize, one must have the blood of a god. Who has the blood of a god in this day and age?"
"Cordelia." Duncan said quietly.
"What?!" Cordelia exclaimed. "What are you talking about?!'"
"Nakano called you the child of the Huntress. Artemis is the Huntress. Somehow you're the daughter of a virgin goddess." He told his stunned companions.