16588/Dark Willow: Witch to Witch

Dark Willow: Witch to Witch
Date of Scene:	24 October 2024
Location:	Frontyard - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	The Book plaguing Willow did not account for the power of The Scarlet Witch and the bond of Buffy Summers. Thus ending the dark influence over her.
Cast of Characters:	Scarlet Witch, Willow Rosenberg, Buffy Summers
Tinyplot:	Dark Willow

---

Scarlet Witch has posed:
    Wanda Maximoff strolls through the front yard of the X-Mansion, her steps slow and deliberate, though her expression betrays a simmering frustration. Dressed casually in a pair of worn jeans and a simple burgundy sweater, she looks more like someone out for a peaceful walk than a witch repairing mystical damage. But the faint glow of crimson energy swirling around her fingertips tells another story. Her magic, subtle but constant, hums with every step she takes, weaving through the air as she inspects the damage from the recent supernatural attack.

    She pauses by a patch of scorched earth, her brow furrowing as she waves a hand over the ground. The charred grass shifts, dark energy dissipating into the air with a soft crackle. "Grecian demons," she mutters under her breath, shaking her head. "Of all the things to show up at the doorstep..."

    Her fingertips flicker with crimson light as she traces the lingering threads of dark magic, her mind turning over the events of the past days. "Witches opening portals, Lorna getting mixed up with vampires... and now possibly possessed by a demon." The last part slips out with a heavy sigh, her voice edged with both concern and exasperation. "What a mess."

    Wanda continues her walk, her boots making soft sounds against the grass, eyes scanning the surroundings for more rifts. She finds another near a tree, its bark marked with singed streaks, evidence of the chaos unleashed. With a flick of her wrist, she closes the small rift, sealing it before it can reopen. "First vampires, now demons... it's like we can't catch a break around here."

    She pushes her hair back from her face, looking up at the sky briefly as if hoping for some kind of divine intervention, though she knows better than to expect that. Her magic dances along the edges of the mansion's mystical barriers, reinforcing the protective wards as she works. "This place is a disaster. Between the demons, the portals, and dark magic running loose, I'll be here for days just trying to get everything back in order."

    Wanda huffs softly, feeling the weight of it all but knowing there's no choice but to press on. She murmurs another incantation, sending waves of scarlet light across the lawn, repairing what she can for now. Her magic hums in response, a soothing contrast to the chaos it's battling against.

    "One thing at a time," she tells herself taking a deep breath, her tone resigned but resolute. The front yard is far from fixed, but at least it's safer now. For a brief moment, Wanda allows herself to feel the weariness setting in, but she pushes it aside and keeps moving, knowing the real battle has only just begun.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Dark Willow watches from the shadows. Too begin with, at least.

She, when she was Willow, knew Wanda. In fact she was kind of intimidated by her. Not because she was going out with her brother at the time (though that has a part of it), but her power was beyond anything Willow had seen.

Now? Dark Willow did not see it that way. She was powerful in her own right. Damn Willow! Shrinking at the thought of having power. Doing anything she could to bottle it up. And why?

Because with power came responsibility. And acceptance that Willow was not good to the core.

But Wanda.. she was an usual case. Starting out as a bad girl..

Shaking her head, Dark Willow appeared out of the shadows. And with a laugh under her breath, "Cleaning up the yard? How droll." As if Wanda was picking up sticks and stones like a handyman. Dark Willow knew that what Wanda was doing was not that, but she still had to rub it in. To get Wanda on the offensive.

Picking up a stick she held it out to Wanda. "You missed one."

Scarlet Witch has posed:
    Wanda paused the moment she heard the voice, a subtle frown forming on her lips as she turned to face Willow. Or, at least, the person who looked like Willow. Her sharp, discerning eyes took in the familiar features, but something about her was... off. The aura, the stance, even the way she spoke---it all felt different, like the edges of Willow's personality had been sanded down, smoothed over with something darker, more jagged.

    She glanced at the stick in Willow's hand, then back to her face, her arms slowly crossing over her chest as she scrutinized her. Wanda was no stranger to magic warping the spirit, and what she saw now made her wary.

    "Miss Rosenberg," she greeted cautiously, her tone polite but tinged with concern. "The work I'm doing here is hardly 'droll,' I can assure you." There was a flicker of tension in her voice, but it remained measured, even, as she tried to assess the situation.

    Her eyes narrowed slightly as she took another step closer, but kept her distance, her instincts alert. "But never mind that. Are you alright?" Wanda asked, her gaze searching Willow's face. "Something seems... off."

    Wanda's words hung in the air, her posture remaining calm but ready, as if she expected anything from this familiar stranger standing before her.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Indeed, Willow looked different. With her hair black with a white witches forelock instead of red. Her eyes were darker than dark, bordering on fathomless wells of black. And to top it off, she wore sultry clothing that clung to her every move.

In short - very unlike Willow.

"Please," She guffawed. "Miss Rosenburg is no more."

She wanders closer. "It's been some time since we have met. Well, the prissy one. How is your brother? Is he single still? Maybe I should look him up. I'm sure that I would be better for him than the prissy one."

Never mind that Willow still has a boyfriend! At least she assumes she does. But with Willow not in control.. it doesn't really matter.

Harry did not like Dark Willow.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
    Wanda's gaze remained steady, her expression calm and almost flat as she regarded Dark Willow. She had seen this kind of transformation before, recognized the telltale signs of someone who had given themselves over to the darker side of power. Her eyes flickered briefly over Willow's black hair and the sultry clothing, taking in the shift in demeanor with a dry, knowing sigh.

    "I've seen this before," she said, her voice calm and collected, though laced with a weariness that spoke of experience. "This tune you're playing---it's a familiar one."

    She let the silence hang for a moment, then sighed softly, crossing her arms as she shifted her weight to one side. "I'll just add this to my ever-growing list of things to deal with," Wanda continued with a dry, almost resigned tone. "But let me save you the inconvenience of hearing the usual speech---about how the path you're on leads to destruction, your own specifically. I know all too well you won't listen to that."

    Her gaze softened slightly, though her posture remained firm, as she offered a small sliver of hope. "However, if you do ever want help---real help---I'm willing to offer it. No speeches, no lectures."

    Wanda then let a faint smirk play at the corner of her lips, though there was a sharpness to her next words. "In the meantime, let me give you a bit of advice: get it together, before someone drops a house on you. Because there are people who will band together to stop you if you go too far."

    Her tone was matter-of-fact, not threatening, but the implication was clear. Wanda had been on both sides of this story before---and she knew just how it could end if Willow wasn't careful.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Yes, yes. Good old wicked witch of the West. A house dropped on her." Dark Willow brushed Wanda's concern to the side with a negligent wave of her hand. "The thing is, we aren't in Kansas, and I am not stupid. Too many people get power and don't know how to use it. I'm not one of them."

She stares down Wanda with an idle gaze, and shrugs.

"You sound as though you are happy. Don't you find so many things that would be easier if you just let yourself go?" Meaning using the power, rather than letting people struggle through things on their own. "Aren't you disgusted by the amount of sheer mundanity that most people exhibit? Doesn't that irritate you?"

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda lifted a brow at Willow's words, unimpressed by the casual dismissal of her concern. Her expression remained calm, but there was a sharpness in her eyes as she regarded Willow, carefully weighing her response.

    "You think you're using power," Wanda corrected, her voice steady but firm, "but the truth is, it's using you." She paused, allowing the weight of her words to settle. "That's the thing about magic. It doesn't care about your intentions. The more you 'let go,' as you put it, the more it burrows its way into your soul. It takes and takes until you're not sure where you end and it begins."

    Wanda sighed softly, her tone growing more reflective as she continued. "I know this because I've been where you are now, Willow. I've felt that pull. The temptation to let everything else fall away and just... be the power, to stop pretending to care about the consequences." Her eyes flickered with a deeper emotion, a glimpse of the pain she kept hidden beneath her calm exterior. "And you know what? That's what I'm disgusted with. Not the mundanity of people around us, not the struggles they go through. I'm disgusted with what I became when I gave in. What I could have done."

    There was a faint tremor in her voice now, a vulnerability rarely shown. "Frankly, if I never had to cast another spell again, I'd be happy. This power, it's not a gift. It's a burden. A responsibility, yes, but one that claws at you, that whispers in your ear how easy it would be to just let go." She glanced down at her hands, the faint glow of chaos magic dimming as if in response to her words. "People think great power comes with responsibility, but what they don't tell you is that it also comes with addiction. You get hooked on it, and before you know it, it's controlling you, not the other way around."

    Wanda's gaze turned back to Willow, her expression softening just slightly. "Being a Nexus being... it's not what anyone thinks it is. It's like standing on the edge of reality, feeling everything and nothing all at once. And knowing, deep down, that every choice you make could tear the fabric of existence apart." She sighed again, her voice quieter now, as if confessing something she rarely spoke of. "It's exhausting. Every moment, knowing that the wrong step, the wrong spell, could unravel everything."

    She studied Willow for a long moment, her eyes searching for the person she once knew beneath the darkness. "What brought you to this point, Willow?" Wanda asked, though she didn't wait for an answer. "I know what it was. You felt helpless, didn't you? Something happened, something that caused you pain. So much pain that you either couldn't stop it... or had no choice but to stop it." Her words were soft, but they struck with precision, her insight into Willow's current state clear.

    Wanda didn't offer judgment, only understanding---because she had walked this path before, and she knew just how easy it was to fall.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Again. Dark Willow waves Wanda's words away with a negligent brush of her hand in the air.

"So you say. And yet, you still have power. More than the average magic user." She smiles narrowly. "So do I. Yet Willow fought it every chance. Do you know, if she hadn't? If she would have accepted her powered side, we would now be having this conversation. And yet? Here we are."

She shrugs.

Yet..

Even so there was a glimmer of the alter ego, Willow, at the confession Wanda makes. Just a moment.

Then Dark Willow was back.

"Is that how you explained it to yourself? Addiction? Really? Or were you afraid? Afraid of what you could have become?" Strangely these sound like questions she has had before. Between her two sides. In fact, it almost sounds like she is arguing with herself now.

Willow understands what Wanda feels. Intimately. With an added problem of her down down need for love and approval. Combine those things and she was pretty much heading down this path unless someone was a mentor. A good friend. Someone who knew the dangers of it.

Yet Willow could not talk to her parents - they not only were part of the problem, they would not accept Willow as a witch. Buffy was part of the problem too. And with Giles and Constantine out of the picture up till now..

Dark Willow shrugs and examines her fingernails. "Yes, yes. You have had it bad. Yada, yada. Do you think that I care? Honestly?"

~Tell her! Tell. Her. She knows.. Reach out to--~

Dark Willow looks angry for a moment. ~And what? So she can feel sorry for me? That is your way of dealing with everything. Not mine.~

Scarlet Witch has posed:
    Wanda's eyes lit up as she snapped her fingers, pointing directly at Willow with a knowing look. "I knew it," she said, her voice steady with a sharp edge of certainty. "I'm right, aren't I? Something happened that YOU couldn't stop."

    She took a step closer, her gaze locking onto Willow's, unflinching. "So what was it? Was there a foe you couldn't beat? Or maybe you weren't measuring up to your friends' ideals? Or was it something worse? Something that magic couldn't fix." Wanda tilted her head slightly, her expression scrutinizing. "And if it's the latter... how's that working out for you now? Did grabbing more power fix it? From the way you're acting, I highly doubt it."

    With a soft sigh, Wanda turned her attention back to the task at hand, resuming her mystical inspection as if Willow's presence were merely a side note. Her fingers glowed with crimson energy as she mended a small rift in the mystical fabric around the mansion, speaking almost idly over her shoulder. "You've got power, Willow. But you're still ignorant about how to use it. You think it's about control, about domination, but you're missing the point entirely."

    After a moment, Wanda paused in her work, glancing back up at Willow, her expression now calm but laced with a challenge. "Do you want to know what 'my way' has gotten me? Do you want to see what years of not repression, but understanding the magic, understanding the edges of how far I can and should go but not stepping over that edge, can do?"

    She stepped fully toward Willow now, her eyes steady, the glow of her chaos magic still faintly visible at her fingertips. "Let's put it to the test. A single spell, from both of us. One opposition against the other. You think your way is better? Prove it."

    Wanda's gaze held steady, her posture calm, but the challenge was clear. This wasn't just about power---it was about understanding, about mastery, and about showing Willow the truth in a way she might actually listen to.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Oh, but Willow wanted to talk. To get help..

Except Dark Willow was in charge now.

Willow could break free for just a moment. She did it before. Dark Willow was better at keeping control of Willow, than Willow was with Dark Willow. And because Willow had broken free once, Dark Willow knew what to look for.

If Willow was able to break free, she needed the perfect words to speak as the chance of her getting another chance were slim.

Willow was actually intrigued with Wanda's proposal.

Dark Willow was not.

At least not in the way Wanda meant. "A single spell? You think you can show me with one spell?" Of course, Dark Willow knew of some spells that would take a lesser witch down flat, without even letting them retaliate. Somehow, even if she were a lesser witch (and she wasn't) she figured Wanda had ethics and wouldn't use them. "Go on?"

All the while ignoring the actual questions of what had happened to bring Willow down this path.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
    "If you won't listen to me..."

    Wanda remained completely unphased by Dark Willow's bravado, her expression calm and unwavering as she watched the dark witch's defiance. With a slow, deliberate motion, she raised one hand, her fingers lightly flicking the air between them, crimson threads of chaos magic crackling to life. The power danced between her fingertips, effortless and fluid, requiring no incantation or preparation---just sheer mastery.

    Without a word, Wanda flung her hand forward, releasing a pulse of hex magic toward Willow. The air seemed to hum as the energy surged out, its intent clear: to partition Willow's mind, separating Dark Willow from the original, allowing the real Willow to scream and yell in her mind, forcing her demands, feelings, and arguments to echo in Dark Willow's head like a stereo cranked up to maximum volume.

    The crimson magic streaked toward its target, ready to strike at the mental core of the dark force inhabiting Willow.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
And then the spell was released.

Two things happen. Well three things.

One was expected. Willow and Dark Willow were separated much further. After all, they really /were/ the same being. But different.

Wanda could feel the separation. And on a mystical level she could see the places where two were separate and joined. It was as like mystically the two were siamese twins - only more entwined.

What Wanda can see, is, where Siamese twins were meant to be apart, Willow and Dark Willow were meant to to ONE. Willow had been the one that had fought it. Because of that, Dark Willow had grown in power - Willow discarded power - and was bitter.

The third thing was.. interesting. And came from an outside force. A strong outside force that seemed to feed off of and feed the bond with Dark Willow in particular. And it wasn't affected by Wanda's magic. At least not that she could tell.

What Nolan had done before made it easier for Willow to speak while the bond was at its least. "You've got to fight it! It only likes you because of the power you weild!" Something with which Willow was infinitely familiar with. Only instead of magic, her parents showered her with praise and love only if she got good marks.

Ergo? Willow got stupendously good marks. She was in the top percentile of the SAT scores. She knew what she spoke of.

But the Book wasn't going to allow /THAT/. It filled Dark Willow's mind with questions about Willow. ~/Do you want to go back to the way it was? I am only showing you what can be done../~

The Book wasn't evil to begin with. In the centuries it had existed it became that way, though. Till the point that the whole reason it was hidden until.. became so in the forefront of the intellect of the Book it changed. Suddenly keeping it safe morphed over to keeping it save for people who couldn't be trusted.. to people with enough power to keep it safe.. to people with enough power to accomplices this thing,, if.. to people who had enough power to open the Gates of Hell and reside over the power that would be released.

Weirdly? There isn't a good or evil residual power of the Book per se.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
    Wanda stood still, her eyes carefully watching the separation between Willow and Dark Willow as it unfolded. She could see the mystical tether that bound them, a delicate and complex web where two halves of one soul struggled against each other. It was fascinating and tragic all at once. She waited a few moments, assessing the situation, letting it play out for a breath longer, watching the force outside her magic stir and feed Dark Willow's bitterness.

    Then, with a subtle exhale, a scarlet glow of chaos magic began to shimmer at her fingertips. The energy swirled around her hand, twisting and bending until it snaked across the ground like a shadow, taking form behind Willow. Slowly, from the dark edges of Willow's own shadow, an image of Wanda emerged---ethereal, whispering softly into Willow's ear, her voice like a gentle lullaby.

    "It doesn't have to be so difficult," the shadowy Wanda murmured, her tone calm and soothing. "Hating yourself, no matter how many parts of you there are, only makes you weaker. No matter how strong you become, you will never reach your full potential with that kind of war inside."

    The shadow leaned closer, her words barely above a whisper but echoing with a depth that resonated within. "True magic---real power---comes from all of your emotions. Every one of them. And the way you are now? You're not living up to what you could be. You'll never truly be powerful unless you stop fighting yourself and surrender to the truth of who you are."

    The scarlet image lingered, wrapping her words around Willow's mind, urging her to see beyond the division, to grasp the strength that lay in acceptance. The quiet power in Wanda's voice was undeniable, reaching out like a lifeline, offering the way forward.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
True magic.

Real magic.

Power..

That was the crux of the matter. Dark Willow refused to listen to what Wanda was saying. Oh, she heard, but did not listen. Even if Wanda was right, she refused to let go of the hold she had on the body. Half the power was better than shared power. And, besides, she wasn't convinced that Wanda was telling the truth. What if she was really trying to help Willow take control of the body again? No. She was comfortable as she was. In charge.

But Willow? Willow did not latch onto the truth that Wanda imparted. Oh, she believed it. But to let herself embrace the dark part of her? It filled her with fear. Beyond the part where she would have to trust herself, light and dark, Willow only knew love when she was good. Smart. Helpful..

Her parents only knew how to express their love when she had physical proof of marks, for example. Willow got excellent grades, and her parents gave her love. The same with the Scoobies. If she was helpful, then didn't they like her?

Didn't they??

To open herself up to not being liked? Not going to happen.

Yet..

The Book, however, was quite comfortable with that dynamic. Willow was a problem. Dark Willow it could manipulate. Keeping Willow out of the equation was to its advantage. Willow was the one thing that the Book did not want to deal with.

It whispered to Dark Willow that Wanda was not to be trusted.

Willow was her own worst enemy.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
    Wanda's eyes narrowed as she watched the subtle shifts in Willow's demeanor, sensing an external force at work---something familiar, reminiscent of her own experience with the Darkhold. The threads of manipulation were clear, the insidious whispers that stoked Dark Willow's distrust and fed off her need for control. She felt the weight of her own past mistakes in every twisted tendril of power she sensed.

    With a faint sigh, Wanda flicked her fingers, solidifying the catered hex she had cast around Willow, its presence now unmistakable, a reminder of what it meant to challenge her. Dark Willow may have underestimated her resolve, but Wanda didn't bluff---not when something this important was at stake.

    She studied Willow with a calm, steady gaze. "You'll never know true power at this rate," she said, her voice firm but not unkind. "Right now, you're going on like a rabid animal, grasping for power without understanding it. A true master of magic doesn't just take---they understand, they shape, they command."

    Wanda leaned in, her expression softened by empathy, not judgment. "Believe me, I'm not saying this from a place of superiority. I know what it's like to fall for the lure of dark magic. I know how convincing it is when it whispers that it can give you everything. But that's a lie, Willow. It doesn't want to help you. It wants to control you, to twist you into something you're not."

    Her tone grew firmer, more resolute. "It wasn't until I stopped listening that I found the strength to command it. Dark magic---power like this---it's selfish. It only wants to work with itself. But if you truly want to wield it, you have to make it work with you."

    Wanda's gaze held steady, a challenge and an invitation all at once. "The moment you stop letting it dictate your path and start mastering it on your terms, you'll see what real power feels like."

Buffy Summers has posed:
How had she come to be here? A little bit of magic scrying and a lot of luck. Because of course Dark Willow was blocking a lot of them from being able to find her. Yet, they had managed to get information into a certain geographic area. And with a little consultation, she had learned there was a special school in this area. Friends of friends. So she thought she might stop by to ask if anyone had seen Willow. Or Dark Willow to be more precise.

She announced herself at the gate and was permitted to enter. She drove up the drive in the borrowed car that belonged to her mother. Then she paused as she pulled up to the circular drive, spotting a pair of people. And as she moved closer, she realized one of them was exactly the person she was looking for.

Buffy got out of the car, dressed casually in jeans, a t-shirt with a hoodie over it. It was zipped up but the hood itself was down.

She walked toward the pair, steeling herself as this was not going to go easily she suspected. It was time to deal with Dark Willow and get her best friend back. Even if it meant by force.

She did glance over at Wanda as well, feeling like the woman looked familiar.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Dark Willow snorted.

"Why should I give up what I have? For.." Here she brushed along the 'Willow' portion of what Wanda had done. "She's pathetic. She doesn't know how to take power in her hands. Even in the past she had to be angry to do it." A snarl came from Dark Willow. A spit. "Whereas I? I am in control always."

Except when it comes to sympathy. Caring. Giving. Love.

The Book is not happy with Wanda. ~"Don't listen to her. She wants Willow in charge so that she can control her."~

A sneer came over Dark Willow, as she confronts Wanda.

Willow was unable to decide what to do. Which was to Dark Willow's advantage. "I.. I don't know. Everyone hates me now. And.." Here Willow had to admit that being her normal wishy washy self hadn't been working either. But to embrace Dark Willow? What if Dark Willow was the dominant personality all along? What if..

~"Take control once and for all! Show them WHAT you are capable of."~ The Book entices Dark Willow with the ONE spell that heretofore it kept hidden. But now? Against Wanda? It was playing for keeps.

Not one of them had noticed Buffy yet.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
    Wanda maintained her calm as she watched Dark Willow's defiance, her expression mellow but edged with firm resolve. Her gaze softened, almost sympathetic, as she lifted a brow and spoke in a measured tone.

    "Why not just show her how to be better, if what you're saying is true?" she asked, her voice unwavering. "If you're the one in control, who better to teach her than yourself? Who says you have to give up anything? I'm suggesting that you share, that you work together. You have the power to make that choice."

    She sighed, a trace of frustration slipping through her composure as she held Dark Willow's gaze. "But maybe I am wasting my time here," she admitted, her tone edged with fatigue. "It's becoming clear that there's a third party---someone else whispering in your ear, pulling strings from the shadows. And I'm tired of wasting my time with interference."

    Drawing her hand up, her fingers glowed with crimson energy as she channeled her chaos magic into a spell of revelation. Her voice was steady as she spoke the incantation, each word carrying the weight of her will

    "Veil of secrets, shadows spoken,
    Come to light, your silence broken.
    In this place, your voice will rise,
    Show your face and speak your lies."

    The energy rippled outward, spreading in waves around them, designed to force the presence of the third party---the unseen influence---to reveal itself and speak aloud to all in the immediate area, making its intentions clear for everyone to hear.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Wanda. That was Wanda. Also known as the Scarlet Witch. She was an Avenger. Someone that Buffy had met in the past and worked with, at least a few times. But then Buffy's attention went to Willow. That is where it stayed.

She had no idea what was going on with the finger wiggling and such. Obviously magic. What sort of magic? No idea. She could hear the spell but didn't know what it meant. But she did close the distance to the duo.

"Willow, give it up." Which probably was not going to be welcome to hear, especially by that third party which may be revealed by Wanda's spell if all went well. "Once we get that book away from you, we'll see if you are feeling the same way. Because I suspect that is part of what is going on here, splitting you in two like this. I want my best friend back. All the parts of her."

She flicked her gaze to Wanda then back to Willow. It probably spoke volumes, to Willow at least, that Buffy didn't bring her most powerful weapon. Even though that weapon could block spells and the like. It also would likely destroy the woman and that wasn't a step Buffy wanted to take. Yet. Could she? Could she even take out her best friend if it came down to that?

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
That was.. different. The Book had never had a form before - at least none that anyone had used. The Book was rightly afraid of Wanda. Thought it wasn't sure if Wanda was more powerful than It. After all, its sole purpose was to bring down the walls at the end of time.

At least on earth.

With an amorphous body, which leaned to male, the Book narrowed its eyes at Wanda. "Clever. No one has done this before." It clapped. "Nice trick. You won't be able to turn her back, you know." Speaking in front of Dark Willow like she wasn't there.

And totally ignoring Willow..

Totally.

Dark Willow frowns

But Willow hears Buffy.

Huh.. She sounds.. concerned. Rather than angry. Huh?

"I can't? Dark Willow is too strong for me?"

The Book chortles. "See? You have come too late to save her." Telling Buffy as well.

All around, the shadows begin to grow.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
    Wanda's patience had shattered, giving way to a formidable and chilling display of her true power. The air around her grew thick, electric, and charged with a chaotic energy that pulsed like the heartbeat of some ancient, unstoppable force. Her form began to rise, feet lifting from the ground as scarlet flames twisted and spiraled around her, casting long, dark shadows that seemed to swallow the very light around them. Her aura blazed, a storm of raw, primal magic that crackled with an intensity that made the space around her almost unbearably tense. She was no longer Wanda---she was the Scarlet Witch, the Nexus Being, and her power filled the world with an undeniable, spine-chilling presence.

    "Silence!" she commanded, her voice a thunderous echo that rang in every corner of the space, as if it vibrated through the very fabric of reality. The sound of it was overwhelming, resonating with an authority that went beyond mere magic. It was the voice of creation, of destruction, of something that had seen the dawn and would bear witness to the end.

    She turned to Buffy, her gaze sharp and penetrating, yet her tone softened, touched with the calm, commanding certainty of someone who held the balance of life and death. "Miss Summers," she intoned, the gentleness of her voice chilling in contrast to the wrath burning around her, "speak to your friend. Speak only to her. Reach her with your love. Make her see the truth of her strength. She must accept the darkness within herself, or it will consume her. Tell her to wield her own shadow---not be wielded by it."

    Then, her gaze returned to the entity. Her eyes narrowed, the glow in them intensifying, flaring with such power that the shadows around seemed to tremble, recoiling. Her expression was fierce, an ancient and terrifying beauty that reflected her boundless strength and the depths of her fury. She raised a single finger toward the entity, a thin line of scarlet energy snapping between them like a drawn blade, ominous and filled with threat.

    "You," she growled, her voice like a low rumble of distant thunder, "you dare to interfere? I am the Nexus Being, the fulcrum of creation itself. I am no mere mortal witch---I am the constant that binds realities, the power that holds every world in delicate balance. It is my will that defines the line between chaos and order. You will not challenge me. You will speak to me---and only me."

    The chaotic energy around her intensified, pulsing, growing until it felt like standing in the eye of a raging storm. Wanda's voice dropped to a whisper, but it was a whisper that cut through the air like a blade of pure intent. "You will answer truthfully. You will tell me what you are, and what you want, or I will unleash upon you powers far beyond anything you have ever known. You think you've tasted darkness?" Her voice was a chilling promise. "I have mastered it."

    The scarlet aura roared around her, power crackling in pulses that made the ground tremble faintly. Wanda's gaze held the entity fast, unyielding and commanding, her entire presence radiating a terrifying majesty that left no room for doubt. This entity would learn what it meant to stand before the true might of a Nexus Being.

Buffy Summers has posed:
That was terrifying. And this was from a Slayer. Seeing the enormity of the power wielded by the Scarlet Witch was enough to make her want to just turn and run for the hills. At least somewhere inside there was that. But just as there was flight, there was fight. And Buffy never backed down from a fight.

Yet, for a moment, she is thinking she's going to have to protect Willow from Wanda. In fact, before Wanda spoke to her directly, she had actually taken a step to try and put herself between her best friend and the powerful witch rising into the air. But then Wanda spoke to her, showed she was fully in control here and her ire was for that entity she had forced to appear. An entity Buffy really want to stab with something sharp and pointy.

"Willow. I know you can hear me. And I know you are stronger than this dark part of yourself." She turned to her friend and met her gaze with no hesitation. "You know what I am. The Slayer. And the Slayer was created from the darkness. My powers come from that place." How did she know this? Where was this coming from? Buffy knew she was tapping into the knowledge of the past Slayers, something that was a part of herself but she couldn't consciously use. Yet it was supplying this information for her to share. "They took the powers of that darkness and combined it with the innocence of a girl to create someone that could fight the monsters in the dark. Willow, that's what you are. You are both light and dark. You can't fear that darkness because it isn't separate, it isn't apart. No matter how much it is claiming to be. It's you. Part of you and needed or you will never be complete. We all have darkness and light in ourselves and we have to accept both without letting one, or the other, take control. We need those dark parts of ourselves to protect us when things go poorly, but we need the light to tell teach us temperence and control. I know how strong you are. You've shown me from the very first year I came to Sunnydale. It has nothing to do with power, it has to do with the strength of character. You're my best friend and I miss you."

A lowering of her voice. "Please come back to me. Don't let the darkness win."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
This was not how this was supposed to go. Not at all

The Book allowed itself a moment of fear.

But Wanda /was/ Wanda, and she commanded the Book to answer her. Much as it tried to avoid her, it was compelled.

"I am the crux of good vs evil." Oh it hated to be forced. Snarling, it bent out each word with distaste. "Good, nor evil can manipulate me. I am my own entity in the fight between them."

Which might be true, but over the thousands of years waiting it had corrupted itself. It was mad at Wanda for forcing it to speak.

Willow was cowering in the back of her mind. What could she do against so many powerful beings? The Book. Dark Willow. Wanda. AND the Slayer. She was only Willow. Pathetic Willow. Namby-Pamby Willow. Gets good marks Willow. Helps her friends at the expense of herself Willow..

The list goes on and on.

Coming to a close with the truth (Or so she thought) that Willow was a background player. ..Did she want to go back to that??

Dark Willow looks around. Contemplating. Figuring something out.

The Book tries to break free. "You have no power over my use. You can make me talk, but you can't undo me. The Powers that Be both agreed they would live by the outcome of me."

Scarlet Witch has posed:
    Wanda's eyes blazed with fury as the Book spoke, its words laced with a twisted pride. But she was unbothered, seeing it now for what it truly was. A sneer formed on her lips, a cold, mocking look that cut through the entity's self-importance.

    "What you are," she said, her voice dripping with contempt, "is nothing but a book. A story trapped within pages. You cannot write anything yourself---you have to trick, to manipulate, just to cling to relevance. But even that isn't your whole truth."

    She let her words settle, her voice echoing with a chilling finality. "Books end. And it's the readers---the ones who hold you---that hold the power to finish your tale. And do you know how you end a book?"

    She leaned closer, her gaze piercing. "You close it."

    With that, Wanda's aura flared to life, unleashing waves of scarlet chaos magic that poured out like an unstoppable tide. The energy surged toward Willow, empowering her, filling her with courage, fortitude, and strength. It was the kind of strength that could silence doubt, the kind that could make her see her own value, and for once, see herself as the one with power.

    "Willow!" Wanda called, her voice resonant and filled with the certainty of her own magic. "You have the power. You hold the story now. Close the Book. I'm here with you---I'll help you. But you must do this."

    Her chaotic power swelled, enveloping the Book, pressing against it with the full force of her will, binding it in place, restricting its influence over Willow. Wanda's presence was fierce, unyielding, bolstering Willow with the courage and strength to confront the darkness within herself and take back control.

Buffy Summers has posed:
"You are Willow Rosenberg. A powerful witch who has drawn the attention of many other powerful beings, who have helped to teach you how to harness your powers. You who was able to help open and hold a portal open to another GALAXY. You who serve with the Justice League alongside some of the greatest magic users on the planet. As An Equal." She spaced each of those words out to be sure there was no missing them.

"You are more than you give yourself credit for. I believe in you. Wanda believes in you. Harry believes in you. Don't give a damn about those that might doubt. We know your worth. You just have to realize it yourself. You were never second best. You were never the support. Without you, do you know how many times I'd have been killed? You have saved me over and over.

"Willow. You ARE the hero."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"You can close me, but you can never erase me!"

In truth, the Book was only the holder of the single Spell. Once was writing on parchment. Made if through the burning of the Library of Alexandria.. hidden in the current book in an Abbey dedicated to keeping it out of public view to prevent exactly what it fell to.

Willow hovers on the edge.

The energy from Wanda could be touched if she just reached out her hand..

Dark Willow is silent. Everybody was ignoring her. The Book. Wanda. Buffy. And most of all.. Willow herself.

Could she have been.. Wrong?? Was Willow actually the stronger person??

Dark Willow stared at Willow.

Willow blinked. "You aren't going to stop me?" She asked of Dark Willow. But is was the Book who gave one last try to prevent the inevitable.

"She is MINE!" The Book tried to manipulate Dark Willow.

Willow blinks again. What Wanda gave her was her own strength. And Buffy words bolstered her. "You mean..?" Dark Willow began to writhe as the Book tried to control her. "You can't have her! She MINE. She's part of me."

Dark Willow began to be torn this way and that. "I.."

"You are me. I am you.. I'm so sorry to cut you off my whole life. Fight the Book. I'll help you!"

Dark Willow stops. Has a moment of indecision. And decides.

Willow held out her arms to embrace Dark Willow.

The Book screams! And disappears.