Chapter 136: Ch.21
Soon enough Shane stood up. "I gotta go, Paige, I'll see you tomorrow?"
She nodded and gave him a kiss before saying. "I'm gonna stick around for a while."
He nodded and said his goodbyes before leaving. When Paige sat back down, Prue muttered. "I thought he'd never leave."
She continued saying louder. "Now, Paige, would you care to take a trip with us to see some interesting things?"
Paige was confused but nodded. "Sure, where are we going?"
Prue smiled. "Back to the house. I want to introduce you to someone you might find interesting."
We all headed to the back room to Paige's confusion. When Leo orbed us back to the house, specifically the attic, I told them. "Why don't you all fill her in. Now that it's night time is like to get started on connecting the manors. Ignore the elves and moving building parts and try not to touch them until you're told it's safe."
I went downstairs and outside, leaving them to summon their dead relatives. I had my special quills have all the paperwork done with the city for the changes in ownership and renovations to the manors. Soon it would be all one bill for both houses along with all the rewiring and plumbing.
I took out a hundred house elves from my realm and they all looked at me sadly. Binky, my head elf spoke up. "Masters, you's magic's is tide up. Want us to undo its?"
I shook my head. "Not for now no. There's no need to worry about that here, I want you to make these changes to the properties here and there."
I showed them the construction plans and gave them a mental 3-D image of it before saying. "Make sure to make it muggle repellent for now and erase all the minds of anyone that sees you all working. Don't forget to make the area around here silent so no one hears you either."
They all nodded and got to work. I watched them for a bit and noticed a police inspector I'd not met yet but still recognized, going into the Halliwell manor. The elves were starting from my place and moving over so they'd yet to make it muggle repellent.
I followed him and detective Morris in and when they went towards the attic I cleared my throat catching their attention. "You'd better have a warrant and a damn good explanation as to why you're inside the house without presenting one first. Otherwise you're both in deep shit."
They turned to me and the inspector asked. "And you would be?"
I snorted. "Damien Greengrass. I'm Pheobe's boyfriend and a very rich and influential man. What you need to be concerned about is whether I'll be pressing charges for breaking and entering without showing a warrant even when asked."
He walked over to me and handed me the warrant. I looked it over and told him. "This isn't signed by a judge, nor is it dated. As a matter of fact, this is an illegal search and as such unless you've a damn good explanation for being here you'll be loosing your badge by morning."
He sneered. "I'm going to get to the bottom of all the crazy unexplained deaths that happen in and around this family! If you don't-"
I turned to Morris. "Detective, either take the inspector here out of this house right this instant or you'll join him before the police commissioner by morning. I'm going to make a few calls now and see what I can do about getting him kicked off the force."
The inspector went to pull his gun and Morris stopped him saying. "Easy, Easy now Inspector. You don't want to make it worse than it is. Let's go!"
When they left I made my calls to Frosthaven's law firm now. Harry really has done well with it as he'd expanded so much over the years I'd been gone. The lawyers there were literally the best in the world and I made sure to have them on retainer when they opened up.
I told them my problem and that I kept the warrant to which they sent someone via apparation and he picked it up before discussing the options. I didn't really want the inspector's job but I did want him to know I could take it if I wanted.
I gave them a special mission of erasing all the information of the Halliwell's and their oddness from the minds of the police force except detective Morris and inspector Davidson.
By morning Inspector Cortez was before the police commissioner getting reamed for claiming to have a signed warrant and using it to break and enter into someone's house. He was also getting teamed over grabbing his gun and appearing to almost pull it on an unarmed defenseless civilian.
He'd not only broken the law but had nearly been charged with attempted murder. As it was my lawyers had done as I'd asked and made it clear he was damn lucky I dropped most of the charges and only filed a restraining order against him for everyone in the house.
As for the breaking and entering and his other crimes, he'd been temporarily suspended and would be looking forwards to a transfer to Los Angeles. Detective Morris had been commended for restraining and trying to stop him from breaking into the house.
He'd been lied to about the warrant as well so he wasn't in any trouble which confused him a bit as I'd looked particularly pissed at them both. Paige and the rest had spent most of the night in the attic talking to their loved ones as their powers had returned.
While the dawn brought with it a whole other list of problems, it also brought Shax to the house. I'd been downstairs relaxing and waiting in meditation when I heard the demonic wind howling. I slipped on my invisibility cloak and waited until it almost passed me before I plunged my black blade into it.
The demon reformed as I'd done so with my blade in it's gut. It's power drained away into me through my sword and I regained a bit of the powers I'd lost. I could now us a small portion of my magic again as I could travel by lighting teleportation or flame now as my Phoenix side had been freed when my soul broke out and with a bit of my magic freed I could use it to travel again though I still couldn't shift into it or morph.
They'd talked her into coming back to practice and learn about her powers while also inviting her into the house because as Prue put it, family sticks together even if they're a bit odd.
Nym had joined me downstairs half way through the night. When the construction had begun connecting the houses, the power and water had been shut off and re done for both places so we laid on the couch and hummed tunes to each other while sharing our thoughts and memories.
By the time the sun had risen most of the construction had been completed. The houses were connected and the wood flooring was being laid while the basements were being connected down below via magical dirt tunneling I'd once bought the technique from the goblins for a ton of gold for.
With both basements connected and the houses both physically and magically reinforced, the foundation was even more solid. the drive ways were being repaved into one big driveway and the backyards fenced in with a ten foot privacy fence and muggle repellent runes carved along it.
Once the water and power were back on and the whole house was up and running by mid day, the elves showed us the seven bedrooms they'd added and expanded with magic as well as the furniture they'd added from my realm.
I approved to their happiness and Binky asked again. "Masters, we undo your magic's binding now?"
I shook my head. "Now still isn't the time for that. You can go back in for now. I'll call you out when it's time."
Phoebe who'd heard with the rest of them asked. "They can unbind your magic?"
I nodded. "They can do a lot more than that but yes. They are magically bound to my magic after all and need it to feed themselves. Fortunately they can survive off the ambient magic in the manor or the preserve where they grow magical herbs of all kinds for the wizarding markets."
Prue asked. "Why isn't now the right time to unbind your magic?"
I sighed. "Because the elders are watching you guys and while they can't see me, they can still feel the bindings they placed on me. I broke the soul and mind bindings but since I haven't done more than that they've not acted yet. If I do more they'll notice and likely move to deal with me."
"I'd rather wait until I've gathered more powers before they notice I'm growing stronger regardless of what they do. I killed Shax but he's just the start. He was powerful but that was mostly his physical body and demonic magic immunity. It'll take time before I'm ready to reveal that I'm no longer weakened by them. Until then I'd prefer to lay low and act like I'm helpless as a safety net."
For the next couple days things were hectic as Paige had taken the book of shadows, Prue was on a demon killing binge and the Source had come to tempt Paige to her side, possessing her boyfriend Shane. Shit got weird for a while with him around and when I got my face to face with him, I got ran through by his sword while he told me not to die to quickly.
When he left, I smiled a bit as my body burst into a black swarm of dots before reconstituting as a whole untouched form. A power I'd gotten from Shax along with his super strength, high resistance to magic, sensing, air manipulation and lighting teleportation.
A small comparison to the power I have locked away but still nothing to scoff at. I was physically as strong as my vampire and werewolf forms were before and if I shifted now I'd be twice as strong in those forms, well, if I could actually shift in the first place.
For now I'd decided that being stuck as I am had it's advantages and I wasn't nearly ready to face the elders yet. After I drove back to the manor I found the source had failed to win over Paige and left after injuring inspector Cortez who'd come to apologize for his actions before.
Leo healed him and told him a bit about who we were and what we did. Once he understood we were the good guys, he agreed to leave well enough alone and I agreed to remove the restraining orders and see about getting him his badge back so long as he swore under magical oath to do everything within his power to keep it a secret from everyone who didn't know for certain.
After he signed I told him about Morris and Davidson who both knew and used us to consult on cases about whether they were magical or not. He left in a better mood and Shane, Paige's soon to be ex left in confusion and rage.
He didn't remember what happened but he knew it was bad and had something to do with Paige and the rest of us. For the next week Piper and Prue were on a demon vanquishing kick while Phoebe and Nym were training and Paige was being told to study this and that.
Phoebe had grown stronger in Occlumency and the mind arts as she could now fight off Nym when she wished, as could both Prue and Piper though Piper clearly needed more practice. House elves were around more often taking care of the laundry, dishes and other things without being seen.
Phoebe had still yet to find her inner animal as of yet but she was looking. It seemed to be much more difficult for I spent most of my time with Prue and Piper collecting powers while they beat up the demons until the fifth ransom place we ended up had a guy running from three furies.
I didn't wait for Piper and Prue to act as they'd immediately switched targets to me and I heard the cries of trillions of souls crying out in agony. My Occlumency barely held long enough for me to cut each of them as they burst into dust and scattered upon the wind.
Piper asked. "What the hell were those?"
I grunted. "Furies. Think demonic pit bulls that kill those that kill those that have harmed others. Unfortunately they go after shoplifters as much as mass murderers. Seeing as how I'm one of the ladder you can understand why I killed them quickly. When they focus on you they can project the cries of all those you've harmed into your mind to make you suffer before hand. My Occlumency barely held long enough to end them."
Prue rolled her eyes. "You're not a mass murderer, it was war."
I nodded. "And yet I am responsible for their deaths one way or the other. To the furies it doesn't matter so long as you've done harm."
I could already feel my strength increasing three times my original physical strength. I was now four times stronger than my normal human strength and still it was just a drop in the bucket. I could smoke travel now as well as grant powers, secrete poisonous smoke that kills or turns witches into furies, make others hear auditory hallucinations and I was now immune to witches natural powers like Piper's blasting and freezing.
My resistance to spells and magic of all kinds went up as well. Though that was about it as the furies weren't a powerful bunch except in certain circumstances. My inner beasts fed off the evil and soon I realized so did my demon beast spirits I'd stopped paying attention to.
I found them in my inner world at the base of my world tree, tied up by it's roots. They'd each grown much bigger and far more powerful from the feel of them. Though the biggest by far was my shadow devil that dwarfed them all. It seemed to have grown to become the shadow of the world tree but only at a one hundredth of the tree's size.
I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on my tasks at hand as they finally realized doing random scrying was dangerous even for me or especially for me so they slowed their rolls while I focused more on training Phoebe.
Nym has traded places with Buffy, Faith, Tayla, Sam and Betsy to train Phoebe in everything from martial arts to weapons training. While phoebe found it odd she needed to change forms, she didn't question it openly as they were each extremely helpful in their own ways.
That is until Paige came down to watch me train against both Faith and Phoebe at the same time. I'd went shirtless as the basement seemed the hottest place in the house and they were in training bras.
I fended them both of with one hand while the other was behind my back. Faith was used to it and while she could force me to use two hands, that was only if she'd went all out. As it was they were sweating and panting while I'd barely moved as I corrected each of their thrusts and swings.
When they sat down for a break Paige said. "Maybe you should give a demonstration of your fancy shmancy moves."
I chuckled. "Are you volunteering to be the test dummy? Because if you are you'll need to wear a lot of protective padding."
Faith snorted and told Paige. "Don't, he's trying to goad you into a beating. He's a master in nearly every martial art on the planet and that's not an exaggeration."
Phoebe took a drink of her water before asking. "Really?"
Faith nodded. "He only has to see a move once to mimic it in great detail. It's one of his hobbies and why we traveled around the planet before coming here. He was beating up grandmasters to test their skills against his own and see the differences in styles to improve himself."
I chuckled. "You're ruining my fun dear. Careful that I don't punish you later."
She smirked. "Promise?"
I nodded. "Indeed. Now, your blond other half needs a turn and you're too bruised to continue now."
She sighed. "Well this sucks."
She shifted into Buffy whom Phoebe and Paige noticed wasn't even sweating. Paige asked. "Aren't you too tired to morph? How are you not sweating?"
Buffy rolled her eyes saying. "It's a secret. So, we training or what?"
I chuckled. "They want to see me get serious."
Buffy frowned but nodded and headed for the spiked kanabo's on the wall. She grabbed two and tested their weights before turning to me. "You ready?"
I nodded and she jumped, slamming down with both weapons where I was before. I'd moved to the side and kicked her with human level strength, sending her back a few steps as she twisted her hips and did a pin wheel motion, swinging one at my head while she spun and wen to kick me as well.
I grabbed her leg and slammed my elbow into her ribs while she head butted me and kicked me with her other foot in the gut. It got bloody quickly as she landed the second spiked kanabo into my shoulder.
I took it from her, twisting her wrist and kicking her in the chest Spartan style while she flew back and landed on the steps next to Paige.
Our movements hand been quick, fluid and more to the point, severely brutal. I yanked the kanabo out of my shoulder, causing it to hound out flesh and bleed. I tossed it aside and Paige said. "That's enough! Jesus, are you two trying to kill each other?"
I chuckled as Buffy laughed and coughed up a bit of blood. I'd kicked her with half my current full strength but she was durable as hell and could shrug it off easily. I on the other hand was bleeding pretty badly but my wounds were regenerating slowly.
I took a sword off the wall and tossed it to Buffy. "Kill me real quick."
Phoebe yelled. "No!" Just as Buffy nodded. She didn't hesitate, trusting I'd be alright as she decapitated me and I burst into black dots and reformed whole once more to Paige and Phoebe's shock. I grunted. "Thanks love."
I turned to Phoebe and Paige. "It's one of the powers I got from Shax. It's not much but it keeps me alive unless I'm killed by someone with actual magic. I can still be vanquished like usual but it takes the power of three to do so. Speaking of which."
I turned to Buffy and said. "I need my Nym to collect my shed blood and flesh from our fight for later."
She pouted and gave me a kiss before she switched back to a perky Nym who got to work collecting all my blood and flesh. I turned back to Phoebe. "It's in case I'm ever magically turned evil, so you can actually vanquish me if it comes down to it. I'd rather be dead then hurt you all."
She looked sad but nodded as her last boyfriend had turned out evil. Paige sighed, understanding as well. When Nym handed me the tuba ware full of blood and flesh, she took the liberty to shrink it and I put it in a bottomless pouch before handing it Phoebe. "Take care of that. Now, why don't you try sword fighting."
I turned to Nym who gave me a sardonic smile before shifting into Betsy and grabbing the sword I'd handed her before. She grabbed another for Phoebe and I said. "Good luck. I trained her myself and she's got real talent in that area."
Phoebe asked. "Why swords?"
I chuckled and Betsy told her. "Sword fighting teaches intensity and endurance. One weak moment and you could be seriously injured or worse. No matter how strong you are in a drawn out battle a sword will begin to weigh on you until it's as if lifting a mountain. You'll learn that it's a block in the mind to prevent adrenaline from kicking in and with that you'll learn how to overcome that block when you need it the most."
Phoebe turned to me and I nodded. "I may not look it but even when I was just as strong as the average guy I could fight for three days straight without stopping. It's all about how far you can push yourself on the edge of death without falling over. One swing, one mistake, can really be your last. It requires constant vigilance and battle hardened awareness and nerves. All of which she can teach you without actually killing you unlike me."
"You have to reach a certain level to survive against me in a sword fight as it's my area of expertise and focus. With a blade in hand I'm as deadly as any demon, angel or other being you've ever faced and then some. If the Source fought me one on one in a sword fight, odds are he'd be dead before the first hour was up."
Betsy nodded. "He's really not joking. I trained for most of my life before we first fought and still I almost died when we crossed blades in practice. If he hadn't healed me then I'd be dead now."
Paige went upstairs after Phoebe's warning to go and study for her potions quiz Piper was making her do. Soon enough she traded places with Phoebe and I intervened in their fight, taking the blow for Paige.
I borrowed my eyes at her as I reformed and told Betsy. "Go upstairs and check on Phoebe. Paige here did something to switch bodies with her."
Paige looked guilty. "I was only mixing potions! I didn't mean for this to happen!"
I sighed. "Were you are least paying attention to what you were doing?"
She shrugged. "Not really, no."
I frowned. "Let's go see what we can do then."
We got upstairs and Nym was out with Phoebe at the kitchen counter. I shook my head and asked Paige. "Do you at least know what you used in the potion?"
She nodded. "I think I do. Though we're going to need some more powdered toadstool."
Phoebe spoke up. "I know where to get it."
I shook my head. "No need. Here."
I set a jar of it on the counter. "I have the preserve connected to me even if I can't use magic freely."
They began working on the potion to switch them back but unfortunately while I was having the house elves check the roof for leaks, they were attacked along with Piper and her new friend An-Ling.
I came down from the attack to Piper asking them what was going on. Sighing they told her what'd happened just as Prue got home. They figured out how to get into Limbo by switching places with the zen master who was stuck there, captured by Yen Lo, his former student and the man who'd attacked them.
When Phoebe and Paige switched back, I stopped Piper saying. "I'll go. His body and magic isn't blocked like mine is and he can teach An-Ling how to open a portal there. Besides, I might have beaten Yen Lo by the time you all arrive."
Leo frowned. "Are you sure? I mean the elders-"
I shook my head. "They can't see into Limbo and even if they could I'll be in another body so unless they want to try punishing everyone I can jump into, they'll make an exception this once."
I took the powdered toadstool and focused saying. "I want to be the zen master!"
I tossed it into the potion and in a flash I could feel myself flowing out of my body and in between realms, trading places with the Zen master. Almost instantly I gained control of his body and used a telepathic burst to disable Yen Lo as I crippled his mental faculties.
An easy defeat if I ever saw one. I flexed my magic and shredded the ropes as I pulled out my swords. I took the dragon blade before stabbing Yen Lo with my swords, taking his powers into my swords and sending him off to reincarnate.
When they arrived they found more than they bargained for as Yen Lo was gone and the body I was in was rapidly de-aging to the point of being as young as my actual body looked. The zen master asked. "How could this be?"
I sighed. "You're soul must be feeling it as well, you know the answer as good as any."
He frowned before nodding. "I'm being reborn. But how?"
I smiled. "My spirit is that of a Phoenix. With your soul in my body that has soaked in my soul's life force, and my soul here where your body is doing the same, you are in effect going through a waking reincarnation of sorts. It's one of the reasons I wished to try switching with you, to see what effect my soul and body would have on a mortal."
He bowed and I chuckled. "It's alright. You and I were fated to meet by my own design. Now, it's time we switched back."
I tapped his forehead and tapped into the magic of this realm to reinforce my own, switching our bodies once more. When I was in my body again, I told him. "You'll find yourself lifespan has increased many fold and your blood has been purified by my Phoenix tears to resist most poisons and heal most any wound."
He nodded and I held up the dragon blade. "Yen Lo has already been sent into reincarnation forcefully. He will be reborn as a gnat for his first life if you're wondering."
Paige asked. "How can you know that?"
I turned to her and revealed my eyes that looked to be burning green flames. "The green Phoenix is a symbol of reincarnation and rebirth. I am connected to this place where most powers and magic is stronger than ever before. I can sense just beyond the cycle with that connection. It'll pass once I leave here but if I ever come back I'll regain it."
The zen master bowed. "Beg your pardon eternal one, but might I ask why you chose to spare me this new life?"
I smiled. "You're a good man and you've spent your life trying to reach the pinnacle of understanding. You've spread teachings and knowledge to two others and now I ask that you retire and enjoy this new life as the blessing it is. Your quest is over and your duty fulfilled. Pass on your title to your daughter and help her raise the next generation of pick up hobbies and travel the world, I care not, so long as you enjoy the life you have now."
He smiled and bowed once more before I turned and used a power I'd taken from Yen Lo and opened a portal in the clouds before saying. "Leo, take us our please. I don't want to get caught."
He did so and we appeared outside the house. The zen master and his daughter left to go their own separate ways. I'd have kept the dagger but demons don't have souls and I can't exactly find a need for a soul other than to eat it.
On the other hand I did have a decent idea which power I wanted next. I talked to Phoebe about it and she agreed that if I was ever to reveal myself without fear of death from the elders then it would come in handy.
One evening we sat in the basement which I'd long sense carved enochian runes into and she summoned the spirit of Melinda Warren with Prue's help.
They talked to her about the plan and after she asked if I was able to do it I agreed. she handed over her locket on the condition that she get to watch. Phoebe released Mathew Tate, the only known warlock with power mimicry and I plunged my sword into his chest before he could blink or speak.
He screamed and died as he was sent into reincarnation. Contrary to popular belief, only demons were soulless unless the rest were specifically taken out, even a warlock had a soul, as steeped in evil as it was. He would not enjoy his reincarnation that was for sure.
I took on his powers and sighed. "It's done. I can mimic powers and become immune to them once they're used against me."
Phoebe kisses me and I chuckled. "Sorry love, I'm blocked against your powers already thanks to the same type of warding on the basement. You can't get a premonition off me and I can't mimic your powers because of it."
She snorted cutely and I smiled, kissing her back while Melinda looked me over saying. "Take care of my descendants will you? I can already tell you're nothing like Mathew."
I sighed. "I'd have done it even if you hadn't asked. And thanks for the complement. He sounds like a jackass."
She smiled though I couldn't tell if she understood my reference. When she faded away Prue asked. "Do you want me to fling you or-"
I shook my head. "I think I'll pass. I don't really want your powers, no offense. I only wanted protection against the elders and whatever demons want to attack."
Prue nodded. "Speaking of, what about Nym? I mean, if you're getting stronger-"
I smiled. "Relax. If she wanted she could kick my ass up and down the block even with the power mimicry. She's already eaten a golden apple like you and is immortal plus so much more. It's safe to say she's the most powerful person in the house without the power of three of course. She's still basically a witch but her morphing ability is on another level compared to mine."
Prue nodded and Phoebe asked. "So what's next?"
I raised an eyebrow and grinned. "I think I'll take you upstairs and run you a bubble bath while I message you. Then while you're relaxing in the tub with a glass of wine I'll-"
I sent her a mental image and she blushed, grabbing my hand and barely saying goodbye to Prue as we raced off to do exactly what I was offering.
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