12. The Revealing of Twilight
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“You!” Spike cried
“Angel. Nice to meet you at last”
“Who are you?”
“The name’s Lucas Strike. I’m sorry about the loss of your son”
“Yeah, sure you are”
“Listen to me, Angel, I can help you get revenge”
“Really? How so?”
“What say you and I have a pint at the pub?”
“Alright”
Angel started following Lucas, but couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. At that moment, several vampires lunged out of the darkness, tackling Angel and bringing him down easily. Angel grunted against the weight, as Lucas stood over him, wearing his game face as he grinned
“Welcome to the cult of Twilight”
Angel was taken back to Sunnydale, where various spells were used upon him in order to transform him back into his old vampire form. From there, more spells were used to enhanced his strength and give him the power of flight. Following this procession, Angel then underwent several spells of corruption, his mind getting clouded by revenge and the thought of expanding it to every Slayer in the world. Once this was complete, Angel was then given the suit and identity of Lucas
“You will lead the armies of Hell against the world,” Lucas explained, “Destroy the world of magic. Fulfil the Shanshu prophecy. You are now Twilight”
“It’s not possible,” Spike said
“But it is,” Angel replied, standing to his full height, “I was transformed into Twilight for the purpose of bringing about the end of magic”
“But why you, Angel? And if this is some way of getting back at Buffy, why the bloody hell are you working with her?” Spike asked, “She killed your wife and son!”
“Buffy will get what’s coming to her,” Angel said, “For now, she doesn’t know my identity and she’s simply serving her purpose”
“This is madness, Angel. This isn’t you. Why would you bring about the end of magic? It’s crazy. It can’t be done”
“Oh, it can be done, alright. But it needs a huge influx of magic for it to be possible. And this is me, Spike. This is who I am now. Besides, it’s my destiny”
“To bring about the end of the world?” Spike scoffed, “The Angel I know would be fighting against it, wanting to save the world”
“I have nothing left in the world for me, Spike,” Angel said, “Cordelia and Connor are gone. This time, they’re not coming back”
“You have a bloody granddaughter!”
“I have no time for her. She doesn’t need me in her life”
“Fine then, mate. Tell me why you want to end the world?”
“You’ve seen the destructive powers of magic. And the Slayers. Their numbers is tipping the balance way too far. The balance needs to be set right and that means ending all magic. It’s the only way. Besides, Spike, I’m tired of all the fighting. I’m tired of all this. For me, this is the only way I can end all the pain and suffering”
“You’ve lost it, mate” Spike said, “You’ve bloody lost it”
“Yeah, guess I have,” Angel mused
He looked up at Spike, his eyes turning cold and hard, as he then flew at Spike, tackling him around the waist and flying off the bridge, falling into the thigh-deep water below, sinking beneath the surface. Spike grabbed Angel and pushed off the ground, breaking the water surface and slugging him across the face. Angel responded with a punch of his own, then drove his knee into Spike’s stomach, then hit him in the back with his elbow, knocking him into the water, before pulling him up and swinging his fist. Spike blocked and punched, followed by a second punch and a side kick, but Angel caught his leg and tossed him back into the water
Rising up, Spike dodged Angel’s fist and punched him in the jaw, then kneed him in the ribs, then punched him again. Angel backhanded Spike and delivered a punch that knocked the blond vampire back under the water. Pulling him up above the surface, Angel sank his fist into Spike’s stomach, before throwing him against the bridge wall. Spike growled and vamped out, lunging at Angel and getting thrown aside for his efforts. Spitting out water, Spike went for Angel again, as the dark-haired vampire flew at him, smashing him into the bridge wall and punching him
“You just don’t get it, Spike,” Angel growled, “You never could”
“Don’t you start your preaching crap, Peaches,” Spike snarled, “All your righteous bullshit, you can stick it up your arse”
Gripping onto Angel’s shoulders, Spike pushed back against his grandsire, forcing him away, then punched him in the face, then unleashed a roundhouse kick. Angel ducked and grabbed Spike by the back of his duster and threw him aside. As Spike rose up from under the water, Angel grabbed him in a half-Nelson hold, before flying out from under the bridge and over the road, throwing Spike down onto the bitumen. Spike growled as he felt the blood run down his face and got to his feet, as Angel flew down and caught him with a blow that knocked him down again
“It’s unpreventable,” Angel said, “The end is coming and you can’t stop it. Not this time. This is what must happen”
“Go to bloody hell, you sod,” Spike groaned, getting up
“Been there, done that. And at the end, you’ll know what it’s like too”
Angel grinned, before flying at Spike and uppercutting him. Spike flipped through the air and landed on his face. However, this time, he wasn’t getting up, as Angel retrieved his mask and put it on, before flying away from the scene. Groaning, Spike slowly got to his feet, before heading back to the apartment
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“How’d it go?” Buffy asked
“It went quite well,” Angel replied, once again Twilight, “Spike put up a poor fight”
“Yeah, well, he was never really known for his fighting skills”
“Hmph, you underestimate Spike. You always have”
“Like you would know?”
“Parts of it anyway. But I know Spike will put up one hell of a fight when the war finally comes. He’ll do whatever he can to prevent the end of days”
“Sounds likes a challenge then”
Angel headed to the balcony, surveying the large chasm where all the caged humans were residing, watched over by the vampiric guards and a few demons. a smile formed beneath his mask as he thought about the coming war
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“Spike, are you alright?” Wesley asked
“Do I look bloody alright?” Spike snapped
He flopped into the nearest armchair, as Illyria grabbed the first-aid kit and attempted to wipe away the blood from his face, but Spike waved his hands about, refusing her to clean him up. Glaring and huffing, Illyria stood up and walked away, leaning against the far wall with her arms crossed over her chest
“You look like you just went twelve rounds with a brick,” Faith said
“Well, I was fighting Twilight. No, wait, I mean Angel”
“Angel?!” Wesley cried incredulously, “He’s Twilight? Impossible!”
“Oh, it’s him alright,” Spike said moodily, “He wants revenge on Buffy and the entire Slayer army, but I think he’s lost it”
“You sure it wasn’t Angelus?” Faith asked
“No, it was Angel. I know the difference. This was the guy with the soul. And he’s gonna bring about the end of the world. Again”
“But what purpose would that serve him?” Wesley asked, “And why is Angel working with Buffy if she killed Cordelia and Connor?”
“He reckons it’s because Buffy is serving her purpose for the time being and then he’s gonna off her. As for the end of the world thing, he’s tired of the fighting”
“Huh, that’s what B said to you as well,” Faith said
“Hey, we’re all tired of fighting,” Spike said, “All of us. I know I am. But I continue to do it, cause there are people out there who need help. I’m the only Champion now, so it’s my duty to make sure these people are safe at night”
“Well, there’s only one thing left for us to do,” Wesley said, “We go to London”
“Swell plan. I’m gonna go and stop my face from bleeding”
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