Legacy 211: Burning Memories

Part 3

Xxx

Eleven years ago,

In the middle of a small-town park, a cloud of white smoke rose from the ground and formed into Billie and Tyler. They had teleported there through the use of a teleportation potion and were almost immediately followed by Arthur and Violet through a whirl of blue spirals. Although Billie wasn't really supposed to do field missions anymore, she had made an exception to help her friends, as it was a personal matter to them. They were on the hunt for a rogue wizard named Ronan, one of many children of Ambrose that had followed his father down the dark side.

"Where are we?" Tyler asked.

"A small town in Connecticut." Violet replied. "I scried for his location and it led us here."

"Why would Ronan be hiding here?" Arthur asked. "There is nothing here."

"Exactly, that's probably the point." Billie noted. "He needs a place with a lot of privacy for his cult. This place has many estates on the edge of town that can house large numbers."

"I don't think it's as simple as that." Violet replied. "I had a premonition and he appears to be searching for something, he seemed desperate to get it."

"Do you know what it was?" Billie asked.

"It looked like a weird puzzle box, but that's all I could see." Violet said. "That strange box in the hands of a brunette woman."

"Then we have to find her." Tyler replied. "She could be in danger. Ronan has already proven he is willing to kill to get what he wants."

"I should have seen this coming." Arthur noted. "I should have stopped it."

"You couldn't have known." Violet said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "He fooled us all. He let us believe he wanted to be part of the family, but it was all a lie."

"And people got hurt because of it." Arthur said bitterly.

"I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree." Tyler remarked. "He is just an insane as your father."

"Tyler." Billie snapped at him.

"Sorry, but it's a fact." Tyler replied. "Ambrose nearly killed us all and now Ronan is trying to do the same."

"We still don't know what his endgame is." Billie said. "We know he is obsessed with this Eternal Night thing, but we still don't know what it is or what it can do."

"We know it's dangerous." Arthur said. "Our ancestors fled their home realm to escape it. That's how wizards ended up here on earth. I can't imagine why Ronan would try to summon it."

"Perhaps he thinks he can control it." Billie suggested. "Or gain something from it."

"Immorality." Violet noted. "He always seemed jealous of the Atlanteans and he has always been a little vain."

"So he risks destroying the world because he fears a few grey hairs?" Tyler remarked.

"Tyler enough, remember we're on a mission." Billie said. "Go check around town for any signs of cult activity."

"Sure thing, madam director." Tyler replied with a smirk on his face.

Tyler left the room and headed to the west, while Billie and the others headed east. Tyler was a talented agent, but he could be cocky and hotheaded at times. It was probably a side effect of being a powerful Firestarter. They also needed to readjust their friendship and professional relationship now that Billie was his superior. She knew that he respected her, but he occasionally seemed to forget it in the heat of the moment. As Arthur went on ahead, Violet grabbed her arm to slow her down so they could talk in private.

"How is it being director?" Violet asked.

"As you can see, it's an adjustment." Billie replied. "Sometimes it feels normal, but other times I'm suddenly reminded that I'm responsible for all agent lives."

"It's not too late to quit and move to Atlantis." Violet suggested. "We can help you with the kids."

"Thanks, but I made a commitment." Billie said. "Besides, I tried settling down once and look how that ended."

"Remember the offer stands." Violet replied. "Always."

"I know, thank you." Billie noted with a smile. "How is Arthur taking all of this?"

"Well, you heard him." Violet said. "He's heartbroken. Seeing Ronan turn to evil reminds him of his father and he blames himself for not stopping it."

"He's not responsible for his siblings." Billie replied. "They were all free to make their own choices."

"Of course." Violet said. "But Ronan manipulated us, he used our connection to the royal family to gain access to restricted information. Arthur trusted him."

"So he feels personally betrayed." Billie noted.

"He won't be able to let this go until Ronan is stopped." Violet said.

"Then we'll stop him." Billie replied determined. "Whatever it takes."

Violet nodded and they increased their pace to catch up with Arthur by the edge of the park. They headed into the main street, which only had a few local stores and a single diner. Billie realized this town was about as plainly all-American as could be. Next to her, Violet suddenly gasped and pointed across the street. Billie followed her gaze and saw a brunette woman in her thirties leaving a store along with a lanky teenaged boy. Billie could guess it was the woman from the premotion, which was all but confirmed when the woman spotted them and quickly got her son in their car, after which she drove off in high speed.

Xxx

"Sorry for the delay." Violet said. "The weather on Atlantis was dreadful."

Lincoln was surprised by the sudden arrival of Violet and Arthur, though he remained silent and distant as they greeted Billie and Wyatt. He had met the couple from Atlantis a few times over the years, as Billie and her kids viewed them as extended family. However, he had no idea why they were here or how it connected to the deaths of his parents. It all felt like another way for Billie to delay telling him the truth. He felt a growing unrest now that he was getting closer to the answers he wanted for years. What did Billie mean when she said she failed his parents?

"Lincoln." Arthur said. "It's good to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same." Lincoln replied.

"Right, I can imagine that this must be hard on you." Arthur said. "The news of the cult returning is difficult for us all."

"He doesn't know everything yet." Billie said. "I decided to wait until you were here to tell the full story."

"That's probably a good thing." Violet noted. "Where to even begin?"

"Start at the beginning." Lincoln said harshly. "I want to know all the secrets you've been hiding from me."

"Lincoln, calm down." Wyatt said.

"No, he's right." Billie replied. "The time for secrets is over, we need to tell you everything. You deserve to know the truth about what happened and where you came from."

"I guess I'll start then." Arthur said. "Good thing I'm a history professor, as we need to take a little trip into the distant past to understand the Cult of Eternal Night."

"Just keep it brief." Lincoln replied impatiently.

"Alright, what do you know about the wizards and our past?" Arthur asked.

"You were a powerful magical race once, with many cities all over the world." Wyatt noted. "But a war with the Source of All Evil nearly decimated you."

"Correct, but to understand the cult we actually have to go further back in time." Arthur said. "You see, wizards did not originally come from this world. We were refugees when we first got here."

"Wait, do you mean that wizard came from another world?" Wyatt asked. "Like aliens?"

"No, there is no such thing as aliens." Arthur replied. "At least that we're aware of, anyways. We used a spell to scry the galaxy once and…"

"Arthur, stick to the point." Violet interrupted him.

"Right, of course." Arthur said. "No, we came from another realm of magic. Our ancestors lived in peace and harmony there until they were forced to leave."

"What happened?" Lincoln asked.

"We're not entirely sure, though we know it was an apocalyptic event that destroyed the realm entirely." Arthur explained. "We found vague notes and references to something called the Eternal Night, which was described as complete darkness."

"I guess the cult got its name there." Wyatt noted.

"So how is an ancient wizard apocalypse connected to a cult in this world and my parents?" Lincoln asked.

"Well, that is the painful part." Arthur said. "You see, my father was one of the ancient wizards. In order to reclaim his former glory, his plans included siring a lot of children across the world. One of them was Ronan. My brother."

"Ronan is the leader of the cult and the one we were trying to stop that night." Billie added. "He's the one that killed Tyler."

"What was he trying to do?" Wyatt asked.

"We believe he was trying to summon the Eternal Night to this world." Arthur said. "He worked his way into our family, learning about the Eternal Night in the process."

"We trusted him and he betrayed that trust." Violet added.

"We managed to stop him, but it came at a huge cost." Billie said. "We dealt with the cult, but Ronan managed to escape. He's been trying to get his plan back in motion ever since."

"Why did you not track him down?" Lincoln asked. "He was clearly a high-level threat."

"We tried for several years, but he seemingly vanished." Billie replied. "We thought the threat was neutralized because we destroyed the thing he needed for his plan."

"What was that?" Wyatt asked.

"A magical artifact known as the Keystone of Worlds." Violet said. "It looked like a puzzle box, but it had the power to unlock gateways to other realms and dimensions. If fallen into the wrong hands, it could tear open reality beyond repair."

"The ancient wizards used it to flee to this world." Arthur added. "But they decided it was too dangerous to be kept around, so they found a way to hide it even from themselves."

"Where did it go?" Lincoln asked.

"They couldn't trust the keystone in magical hands." Arthur replied. "So they placed it in the hands of a mortal family, making their bloodline the gatekeepers sworn to protect the keystone."

"Lincoln, you're part of that bloodline." Billie said. "Your mother was the last gatekeeper."

"What?" Lincoln asked. "That's impossible."

"It's the truth." Billie replied. "Ronan tracked her down to get his hands on the keystone. Think about it, think about the way you grew up."

Lincoln hesitated as he let the words sink in. He didn't like thinking about his childhood, as it hurt to remember his parents. It had always been just the three of them. He was happy back then, as his life was simple and quiet. Perhaps even a little too quiet. His parents kept to themselves, not having many friends and deciding to homeschool Lincoln. He had also felt lonely at times, as he was never allowed to bring friends over. He remembered asking his mom if he could go to school like normal kids once, though she had told him no. Thinking about it now, it seemed his parents were indeed hiding something all along. The creepy house from his nightmare popped up in his mind, along with the cloaked figures.

"My mom was scared of something those last days." Lincoln said. "I heard her arguing with my dad the night before they died. She mentioned that creepy house."

"You lived close to that house, right?" Billie replied. "But you were never allowed to go near it."

"Everyone in the neighborhood was scared of it." Lincoln said. "They said it was haunted."

"Your parents actually owned the property." Billie explained. "They spread rumors to keep people away as they used it to hide the keystone."

"So they lied to me for my entire life." Lincoln noted. "And when they were gone, you just continued the lies."

"The keystone was destroyed." Billie said. "There was no reason to burden you with it. I wanted you to remember your parents the way you saw them."

"You didn't have the right to make that choice!" Lincoln snapped.

"You're right." Billie admitted.

"We believed the keystone was destroyed." Arthur said. "But if Ronan is preparing to summon the Eternal Night again, he must have somehow been able to repair it."

"Then we stop him again." Lincoln replied determinedly. "And make him pay for what he did to my parents."

"He also needs to answer for what he did to Tyler." Wyatt added.

"There is just one more thing we need to discuss." Arthur said.

"What more could there be?" Lincoln asked.

"Like I mentioned before, my father sired many children." Arthur replied. "Ronan somehow manages to convince my youngest sister to join him."

"Quinn is young and we think she's being manipulated." Violet added. "We need to save her before she crosses a line like Ronan did."

"If she joined him, she already crossed it." Lincoln replied.

"No, she's nothing like him." Violet said. "She's part of our family. I still believe she can be saved."

"Lincoln, she is still an innocent." Billie added. "Our mission is still to protect."

"Screw the mission." Lincoln replied. "This is about my parents."

Lincoln had heard enough, so he stormed out of the office. He ignored Wyatt and Billie calling after him, as he was done talking. His mission was clear, he would hunt down Ronan and make him pay for taking his parents from him. He would not back down until he got justice. Anyone that stood in his way would be dealt with.

Xxx

Wyatt resisted the urge to run after Lincoln, knowing that he needed time to cool off. Learning the truth about his parents and their deaths was a lot to handle. It was heartbreaking to see the pain in his eyes, but he knew if anyone was strong enough to handle it, it was Lincoln. However, there was also an anger there that worried Wyatt. He wondered how far he was willing to go to avenge his parents. He needed to be there to support him and keep him from making a mistake.

"That was intense." Billie noted. "I should have told him sooner."

"You were doing what you thought was best." Violet said. "You took him in, treated him as part of your own family. Nobody blames you for trying to protect him."

"What do you think, Wyatt?" Billie asked. "Did I make a mistake?"

"I believe your intentions were good." Wyatt replied as he turned to face her. "You clearly care for Lincoln, but he deserved to know. To dump it all on him like this is harsh."

"I ran out of time." Billie said. "But you're right. So, what do you suggest?"

"It's not just Lincoln's life that was affected that night." Wyatt noted. "If Ronan is responsible for Tyler's death, my family deserves to know what is going on."

"I know." Billie admitted with a sigh. "I guess there is no avoiding it any longer. Call them."

Wyatt nodded as he grabbed his phone and left the office. He needed to call his Aunt Paige and tell her everything. If they could work together to stop Ronan, then perhaps his family would stop blaming Billie for what happened. He would also need the support if Lincoln lost control.

Xxx

In Los Angeles, Paige wiped away a tear as she put the phone down. At first, she was shocked when Wyatt told her what was going on, which was followed by an intense sadness and guilt. She was in her kitchen making popcorn, though she had lost her appetite entirely. She could hear her family in the living room getting ready for a Christmas movie, but she didn't want to include them. She needed a moment to herself, so she quietly headed upstairs and slipped into her bedroom.

Paige walked over to her closet and kneeled down to grab a box from the bottom drawer. She opened it to see the few things she had kept of Tyler, including some pictures. Seeing them again made her break down in tears. Although he wasn't part of their lives for long, he had become part of their family. Becoming his foster parent was her first experience as a mother.

"I failed you." Paige whispered.

Paige had been scared and angry when Tyler told her he wanted to join MIND. She had tried to get him to reconsider more than once, but he never listened. Henry told her that Tyler was old and smart enough to make his own choices, but she still wanted to protect him. He would have never even considered joining MIND if it wasn't for Billie. Even as a teenager, he has always been smitten by her. Although Paige knew it was unfair, she couldn't help but blame her former friend.

"What's going on?" Henry asked.

Paige turned around and saw her husband standing in the door opening. When he saw she was holding the box with tears in her eyes, he walked over and embraced her. She broke down again and told him everything Wyatt had told her.

"I need to go." Paige said.

"I'm coming with you." Henry replied.

"No, please." Paige said. "Stay with the kids, they came here for Christmas. I don't want to put any of you in danger. I need to do this alone, for closure."

"Alright, I understand." Henry replied. "I know you still carry a lot of guilt for how things ended, including with Billie. Go stop the monster that took Tyler and make amends."

"I don't know if I can." Paige admitted.

"Yes, you can." Henry replied. "If you truly want to."

Paige buried her face in his chest and held him tightly. She needed to be strong for what was about to happen, as she had been dreading this reunion for years.

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