Disclaimer: I own nothing here you recognise (and depending on what fandom drew your interest to this fic, I may not own some things you don't recognise); you know how it goes.
Feedback: Always appreciated
The Guardians of Magic
"OK," Paige stepped back from the group as they reappeared in the trailer, glancing around the room with a smile. "That… seemed to go well, right?"
"In the sense that we all got out of there, anyway," Billy said with a tentative glance around, only relaxing when he saw that the rest of the infiltration team were standing in another part of the enlarged interior. "Could you have taken all of us at once?"
"Maybe, but orbing… well, like all magic, it takes a bit of power and effort, and I've never had any reason to do more than take a couple of people at a time," the half-Whitelighter explained. "After all, we're all here because we can handle ourselves in a crisis, and the rest of you were in that position because you were the fighters of our group; I figured you could hold the line until I got back."
"Good call," Tommy nodded at her, flexing his fingers with a slight smile. "It's been a while since I had a serious fight out of morph, but if we're doing this, it can't hurt to get in a bit more practice."
"Talking of that fight, what actually happened there?" Emma looked curiously over at Vision. "I thought you said that place was basically deserted?"
"The data centre is not in regular use, but it is still subject to random inspection to be sure that everything is in order," Vision explained, looking apologetically at the blonde. "I was unable to access the exact timetable for such an inspection, and I believed that we would have time…"
"We can only do so much with the facts on hand," Nick smiled at Vision in understanding. "Trust me, I had a few cases go against me because I couldn't find the relevant information I needed to prove what I'd found out in court."
"Uh… talking of facts, did you manage to get into the systems?" Willow looked over at Vision. "I mean, I found a few interesting things while I was in there, but you're the one who really knew what you were looking for…"
"I was able to determine many things, Miss Rosenberg," Vision smiled at the teen witch as he raised his hand to his forehead. "More importantly, I have established permanent backdoor access to the main Empirikuul database through the local wireless network and the Mind Stone."
"So you can hack the systems?" Billy grinned.
"Up to a point," Vision corrected the teen. "I would not advise asking me to explicitly attempt to change anything in the existing system as such an attempt may attract attention to our presence, but I can freely 'eavesdrop' on active files and read relevant records as I wish."
"And that's… good?" Merlin asked uncertainly.
"To use terminology you'd understand, we basically have access to all local records and libraries and none of our enemies know we have that kind of access," Paige clarified with a brief smile before she turned back to Vision. "So what are we dealing with?"
"I think we'd all like to know that," Bo observed. "I mean, you don't just wake up and decide to establish a whole high-tech empire based on destroying magic across the multiverse without some kind of reason… even if it's probably a bit of a crazy one."
"Quite," Vision said, tilting his head for a moment before he nodded as though confirming something to himself. "According to the available records, the founder of the Empirikuul came from a reality where science was considered just as heretical as magic has been declared in many of our own worlds. His parents were scientists who sought to enlighten their world, creating many of the devices and weapons we have seen the Empirikuul forces using to this day."
"Just so we're clear, is this guy still around?" Dave asked. "The… founder, I mean?"
"I have found nothing to indicate that he has died and we are only dealing with a successor, but there is also nothing to indicate how he may have kept himself alive long enough to establish this empire and still be responsible for leading it."
"OK, that's… interesting to know," Willow put in. "Maybe it's just… something everything should know already?"
"You mean… if this is the same person, he's done it for so long they just take it for granted everyone knows it already?" Mildred said, giving a rueful smile. "I've had to deal with that at Cackle's sometimes; people don't think to tell me things because they forget that I wouldn't know them already."
"Because you didn't grow up knowing you were a witch?" Tommy looked sympathetically at the young girl.
"Pretty much," Mildred nodded. "Maud and Enid and the teachers are getting better at telling me things I 'should' know before I do anything embarrassing, and I'm trying not to take it personally if people just make assumptions, but… well, it gets annoying."
"I can imagine," Emma gave the girl's shoulder a sympathetic squeeze before she shrugged. "Well, whether this guy is the original founder or his successor, we'll just have to call that an unexplained mystery right now. If we get the chance to find the answer, we'll take it, but we can't waste time looking for it."
"Yeah, we've got bigger issues right now than if some guy hasn't died yet," Paige nodded at the sheriff before she turned her attention back to Vision. "So what happened to the founder's family?"
"His parents were arrested by the law enforcement of his native world, known as the Blood Monks of the Temple Macabre, and sentenced to death for blasphemy. Apparently the founder's first memory is witnessing his mother fall trying to protect him while his father was skinned, with the intention of using that skin as swaddling clothes for his own son when the Monks served the child up to their god."
"…That is a very twisted mental image," Kenzi said.
"And he remembers that?" Merlin looked at the android in horror.
"I… remember something about the night my parents died, anyway," Harry put in. "It's not that detailed, but… maybe he's got a better memory?"
"Possible," Dave said. "I mean, we can't even be sure this founder guy was even our kind of human-"
"But- I mean- those monks were… going to sacrifice a baby?" Mildred could only follow Merlin's example as she stared at the Vision.
"Many religions believe in the power of such sacrifices," Angel said, his tone grim as he looked around the room. "I'm sure that none of us approve of doing things that way, but I'm also sure I'm not the only one who's encountered that kind of behaviour?"
"I've had to deal with a few wesen who favour doing things the old way even when some of their kind have moved on," Nick nodded. "Hell, my second wesen-related case involved the mother of a family of bear-like wesen encouraging her son to take part in a ritual human hunt that his father wasn't in favour of."
"Religion… can be used to justify some pretty crap things," Bo nodded grimly. "I mean, I know it doesn't compare to killing kids, but my foster parents weren't exactly very accepting when I went out and had sex even before it turned out I was fae… and since I met the fae I've found a few people who don't exactly see humans as worth much even if I keep getting told it's just a culture thing…"
"And we can probably assume these guys followed a really twisted kind of god," Dave put in, looking apprehensively at Vision. "I get that I'm going to regret asking this, but… what was their god?"
In response, Vision generated a projection of a creature that made Dave think of that giant squid he'd found a picture of earlier, even as it was a far sharper image than anything in the texts. The resemblance to a giant squid was at least basically accurate, but the sheer scale of the creature before them, particularly when Vision added a few humanoid figures to the projection to help the visual reference, made it clear that they were looking at something truly terrifying in scale.
"OK," Emma swallowed slightly as she exchanged glances with Kenzi and Dave, each of them recalling the book they had just been reading. "So… not a metaphor, huh?"
"You knew about that thing?" Wanda asked.
"It was referenced in some of the books we found," Dave said, before turning his attention back to Vision. "So what was that thing and how did some kid end up creating… well, all this?"
"The exact name is not disclosed beyond 'The Unnamed One'," Vision explained. "It would appear that his parents had created a wide range of weapons and technology intended to help them liberate their world from the threat posed by their god. When the Blood Monks came to take the boy, his parents were able to send him to safety along with records of their research… but records confirm that his escape vehicle was almost attacked by this creature before he got away."
"Got away from something like that?" Mildred looked at the monster in horror, her hands tightening around Tabby until the cat let out a pained meow that prompted his mistress to relax her grip.
"The images are…" Vision began cautiously, but ultimately shook his head. "Disturbing."
"Images?" Bo repeated.
"It would appear that the founder's escape vehicle was equipped with recording equipment that confirmed exactly what it was escaping from," the Vision explained. "The founder has bene shown to use this image as part of regular broadcasts to ensure that his people remember the… true nature of magic."
"Right," Nick said with a grim glare. "Well, I think we can all agree that doesn't speak of someone with a stable mind."
"Because he's fixating on the deaths of his parents?" Harry said. "I mean, I think about what happened to my mum and dad a lot…"
"But from what you've told us, their killer is still actively trying to kill you," Emma pointed out, her tone apologetic even as she looked at the young wizard. "Would you go out of your way to obsess over it if the guy who killed them was definitely dead?"
"…No," Harry shook his head after a moment's thought.
"And that's what makes you better than this guy," Emma grinned reassuringly at Harry. "You'd be prepared to move on and try and make your life about something else if the other guy wasn't still actively trying to kill you; it sounds like this founder guy has basically decided to focus on his hatred of magic over everything else."
"That is a fair perspective," the Vision observed. "Particularly when the records explicitly confirm that the founder escaped his people's god."
"He escaped that thing?" Tommy looked at the synthezoid in surprise. "As in… he actually saw it? How did he escape something that big?"
"They sent him to another universe, right?" Billy suggested. "I mean, that's how he had the tech to do all this in the first place…"
"The records are… vague on that detail," Vision said. "Available information states that the founder established a presence somewhere safe and worked on building new versions of his parents' technology once he was old enough-"
"How did he survive?" Harry asked. "On his own, I mean?"
"That is another thing the records do not elaborate on," the Vision affirmed, even as he looked apologetically at Harry. "What I can confirm is that eventually the founder adopted the title of Imperator of the Empirikuul, and set about gathering an army of those who, like himself, objected to the spread of magic across their worlds. These sources have varied from witchfinders like the Salem witch trials to more elaborate campaigns and methods, such as worlds where there are entire cultures dedicated to eliminating the supernatural in the name of 'protecting' people."
"Does he actually rule other worlds?" Dave asked. "I mean, maybe just this place is big enough for him to call it an empire, but I wondered…"
"Available records suggest that the Empirikuul maintain a certain hold on the worlds they 'liberate' from magic to ensure that magic does not return after it has been driven off, but the level of control varies depending on what the Imperator feels each world 'needs'."
"So this guy decides if he needs to take greater control of each reality he attacks after he's 'liberated' it?" Paige shook her head in exasperation. "Like we didn't have enough reasons to think of this guy as an arrogant prick…"
"What about that god?" Dave looked apprehensively at the Vision. "Are we… likely to have to deal with that?"
"It would appear that the Unnamed God of the Imperator's people was one of the Empirikuul's first targets," Vision confirmed.
"He killed it?" Ginny looked at the synthezoid in shock. "A god?"
"W-well, anything can be killed if you find the right way, right?" Willow put in. "I-I mean, last year we had to deal with a demon that was so powerful it couldn't be killed by any weapon forged by man…"
"Really?" Emma looked at Willow curiously.
"The Judge," Angel nodded grimly. "A powerful demon summoned to separate the wicked from the righteous and burn the righteous to the ground; one touch from him could destroy anything with any trace of humanity, and it allegedly took an army to break him down to his component parts before… other parties put him back together."
"OK, sounds like a tough one," Paige nodded. "So… how did you stop it?"
"We… stole a rocket launcher," Willow said with a slight shrug. "The hope was that the definition of 'forged' was literal and the Judge wouldn't even know what he was dealing with until it was too late… and that worked, but I get that's not going to apply here…"
"The point is that everything has its weak spot and it's just a matter of finding it," Nick nodded in understanding. "It's not on the same scale, but I've been there myself; quite a few wesen I've had to deal with are only vulnerable to very specific things, such as this big guy who could only be hurt by bullets tipped with a particular poison."
"So… it's possible?" Kenzi said cautiously. "That these guys… killed a god, I mean?"
"But they haven't fought us yet," Angel put in, giving the young Goth a tentative smile. "We're not giving up just because we're facing a powerful enemy."
"Never said I was; just making sure we're all on the same page," Kenzi affirmed, holding up her hands defensively.
"And talking of being on same page," Wanda put in, looking over at Vision with an inquiring stare, "this information is important, but were you also able to confirm how the scanners detect magic?"
"The databases include a detailed breakdown on exactly what energy frequencies the scanners detect and how the long and short-range scanners subsequently transmit an alert to other parties," Vision affirmed. "It will require some work to put everything together, and I may require some assistance, but I believe that I will be able to use the Mind Stone to generate a cancellation frequency that will render us undetectable to their systems for a time."
"For a time?" Harry asked.
"It would operate on the principle of radioactive contamination," Vision explained. "I would essentially contaminate each of you with a low-level form of radiation that would be harmless to all of you, but would render you undetectable to the scanners until the contamination faded."
"So we'd just need to keep an eye on the timing and get back here before that happened?" Tommy asked.
"Or at least ensure that the relevant parties know when to stop using magic since they would have lost your protection by that time," Vision noted. "As we had already speculated, the short-range personal scanners can pick up magical energy of all kinds if it is in their presence, but the larger scale system active throughout the city will only detect if a spell is actually cast."
"So… if you do this, nobody would be able to detect our magic users on either scanner until the radiation wore off?" Emma asked.
"OK, that makes… a certain sense," Paige nodded thoughtfully at the Vision before she looked over at Willow. "So, if we've got that sorted, let's get you back in the game and work on refining that radiation, huh?"
"Sounds good to me," Willow smiled. "I-I know I haven't really done much magic here or home, but it-it's having the option of doing magic that's really important right now… or it kind of feels that way…"
"Trying not to be insulted here," Kenzi pointed out with a semi-teasing smile.
"Oh- I-I didn't mean anything- I know I can contribute without magic, but it's just-"
"I get it," Kenzi smiled in understanding at the redhead's discomfort. "It's hard not to feel like the third wheel when everyone else has all these tricks and all you can do is pick pockets."
"All?" Bo grinned over at Kenzi.
"Just going with the most obvious skill I've got that might be useful in this situation," Kenzi clarified, before she looked around the trailer. "So, once we're protected from detection, shall we start hitting back?"
"Oh yeah," Bo nodded at her friend, clenching her fist as she looked around the room. "If these people want to go after us just for being magic, let's show them what happens when the magic comes to them…"