I floated near my body watching as the good man I loved vanished. He was darker than I had ever seen him. I reached toward him my ghostly finger stroking his cheek.

"You are better than you think," I muttered as he faced my father walking from the room.

"Sapphire," Magnus called as I faced him.

"Magnus," I said softly as he took my hand. "I wasn't strong enough."

"Oh Sapphire that is where you are wrong you just have to embrace who you truly are," Magnus said sending confusion through me.

"What do you mean who I am?" I asked as my soul erupted in flames launching into my body...

I gasped sitting up. I'm a Phoenix and I never knew. I got to my feet and rushed from the room bumping into my father.

"Dad," I said wrapping my arms around him.

"Sapphire how are you alive?" He gasped as I looked at him.

"No time. Where is Eric?" I asked as my father frowned.

"He is fighting the witches. He is punishing them for your death," my father said as I pulled away picturing Eric. I found myself sucked through the world until I landed in the woods in Canada. The cold winter air nipped at my bare arms as I walked up the mountain toward the screams of sheer agony. My heart raced as my hair billowed in the wind. I reached the edge of a clearing to find Eric clutching a teenager by her throat as she sobbed.

"Please don't hurt me," she pleaded as he looked at her with rage in his dark gaze. I stepped into the clearing a twig snapping. Eric whipped around launching a spell at me. I deflected it blasting a tree behind me.

"Eric stop," I said firmly as he looked at me torn. The magic was fighting deep inside him and I knew what pain he felt. "It's okay," I said tears building in my eyes at the gruesome sight before me. There were at least twenty dead witches looking at me with their lifeless grey eyes. My heart broke as I noticed a small child clutching her mother she must have tried to hide but Eric killed the child. He was in a place so dark and evil he killed a child.

"Sapph," he groaned as a tear escaped my eye.

"I didn't want this," I said approaching the lifeless corpse of the little girl. She couldn't be older that six.

"They hurt you, you died," Eric said the darkness lacing his voice. The power had consumed him and there wasn't much hope for saving him. I picked up the child thinking of my own. I hoped in a war, the children could be safe but Eric wasn't showing mercy like I would have. I would rather die than hurt a child.

"Eric let her go please," I said sadly as he glared at her. She screamed out as he pushed his magic into her. "Eric until our last breath I will fight for you!"

"Help me," she cried blood dripping from her ear as she fell to her side.

"Eric this isn't you, stop this now," I pleaded but he showed no emotion. I called my magic to me knocking him across the clear as the girl scrambled past me.

"They are evil," Eric snapped as I held the body of the little girl.

"Look around Eric, you've killed not only the witches responsible but the children. Eric the children were innocent," I snarled looking at the girl in my arms. She had so much ahead of her and he cut it short.

"You were dead," he said as I looked at him.

"Fight the power Eric, the magic is bad and will only bring death to everyone," I said tears staining my cheeks.

"I can't," he whispered as I put the girl down rushing toward him. I cupped his face in my hands our eyes locked.

"You can fight, fight for me Eric. After everything I won't lose you to the darkness tearing us apart," I said firmly as a tear fell down his face. He looked at me his eyes full of anguish. The darkness wasn't going down without a fight. It was going to rip him from my grasp and end his life. "I love you." I wrapped my arms around him my lips collided with his sending a light through us. I felt a burst of light magic circling us as the kiss deepened. I could feel the dark power inside Eric fading as the light filled us both. I pulled away our lips resting inches apart as we breathed heavily. His hands were on my waist as his pain vanished. We were bound forever by something stronger than fate but what was the reason?

"Sapph," he said as guilt filled him. I pulled him close his head resting on my shoulder as he shook tears soaking my shirt.

"Sh, it's okay, you will be okay," I said calmly trying to soothe his guilt. He clung to me as I teleported us to my father's penthouse. I guided Eric to the couch rushing off to make him some tea in a desperate attempt to stop his dark remorseful descent. He was good and it was the magic's fault he went as far as he did. I stood in the kitchen watching Eric on the couch his head buried in his hands. He was a broken shell of the man I left behind. I found myself wondering if I could get that man back. I grabbed the tea pot pouring him a cup walking toward him.

"I killed so many," he said looking at his hands as if seeing the blood on his hands. I handed him the cup sitting next to him.

"It was the power, it's why I fought it," I said softly as he looked at me.

"I killed children because our child died," he said as my breath caught in my chest. I had almost forgot my baby.

"It's okay Eric, we will get through this," was my only response. He needed me to help him through this and so I held my pain deep inside. And we will get through this somehow, the only question was would the witches back off...